All I Did Was Get Out of Bed: weeks 3&4

Saturday April 3:  Got my ass handed to me at work today.  Feeling rough no matter what pain-controlling measures were attempted.

Sunday April 4:  Easter.  The day Christ was resurrected.  I believe in a God of miracles.  Maybe He’ll see fit to work a miracle for me and resurrect my broken body.  Or not.  Today sucked.  After running my tail off yesterday, I am REALLY hurting.  Even the smallest movements cause crazy pain.  Thankfully, today was much less busy and I was able to skip out a couple of hours early.  Not sure how tomorrow’s overtime shift is gonna go.

Monday April 5:  Feeling somewhat human today.  Donated blood.  Worked an abbreviated OT shift.  Maybe there’s hope that I may stabilize at some point.

Tuesday April 6:  My only day off this week.  Feeling OK.  Been walking the dog for the last week and today took her for a longer walk at a park.  Def felt the stiffness afterward, but the pain has calmed down quite a bit overall.  Do I dare to hope?

Wednesday April 7:  Doing alright.  Last night was the first that I was able to roll over in bed without the lightning bolt in my back – though, it still didn’t feel great.  Pain has concentrated to left side.  Wore the TENS unit to work but hardly used it.  Still taking meds on the regular.  Work didn’t kill me.  Def improving.

Thursday April 8:  Still can’t move very quickly, and still need to pay attention to how I move, but the pain is much better.  Took the TENS to work, but never put it on.  Still taking NSAIDs.  Progress!

Friday April 9:  See above.

Saturday April 10:  Woke up feeling OK.  Still taking meds preventatively.  Ran errands.  Spent a lot of time in the car, as well as getting in and out of the car.  Much walking and cleaning the house.  Feeling really rough this evening.

Sunday April 11:  Major backslide.  Woke up in wicked pain again, but it was different somehow.  Back to using the TENS religiously 30 on, 30 off.  Got the J&J COVID vaccine in spite of already having heard about the severe reactions.  Took a nap, then readied for dinner guests.  Enjoyed fabulous food with a fabulous family, then sat for quite some time chatting with my friend while the guys played board games.  At some point, I noticed pain radiating down the side of my leg.  Odd, but chalked it up to stiffness from sitting for so long.

Monday April 12:  Holy shit!!  What the f*** happened?!!  Major pain when rolling over in bed again.  Woke up in pain every bit as excruciating as it had been 3 weeks ago, but different.  Thought it was pain and stiffness from being sedentary and decided to walk the dog to see if it loosened up.  A quarter-mile into a 1-mile loop I was crying from the pain in my hip.  Terrible nerve pain radiated down the side of my thigh and made every step horribly painful.  Couldn’t take a full stride without agonizing pain.  Husband unnerved to see me in tears – doesn’t happen often.  Got to chiropractor’s office right after they opened.  God bless Dr Ryan.  Poor man was completely befuddled.  In short, not only was the left SI joint still subluxed, but so were the left hip joint and pubic symphysis – so NOTHING about the left side of my hip/pelvis was stable.  Cried out in pain and teared up more than once during the adjustment.  Absolutely NOT going to work today.

Tuesday April 13:  Newest development – knee buckling.  Are you f***ing kidding me?!!  Still have searing pain in the left hip, as well as intense nerve pain running down my IT band and lateral quad, and now my knee buckles if I move too quickly or downward, like down stairs or the slant in my driveway.  Saw a different Dr at the chiropractor’s office who was just as befuddled about what the hell is going on.  SI joint and hip still out, but pubic symphysis holding steady.  Def not getting back to work today.  Kept my hair appt, though, since all I had to do was sit for about an hour.  Easier said than done.  Informed my stylist that I had hurt myself and needed to move very slowly.  About screamed when she leaned the seat back to wash my hair, had to bring my knee up toward my chest and hold it there as long as I was reclined.  Leaving the salon, my knee buckled as I stepped off of the curb, I couldn’t recover, had visions of face planting on the asphalt, reached out to steady myself against a total stranger’s car.  Got home to find out that not only does my knee buckle when going DOWN the stairs, I now have loss of strength to lift myself UP the stairs with my left leg.  Can we cut the f***er off now?  PLEASE?

Wednesday April 14:  Radiating pain seems to have eased some, now the quad feels stiff and like it’s riddled with trigger points.  Still dealing with the knee buckling and pain/loss of strength when going up the stairs.  Discovered that I have loss of feeling in the front of my left leg from just above my knee to just above my ankle.  I am officially done.  Saw the third Dr in the chiropractor’s office, who has been treating me for 13 years and been informed of the latest enigma my body is pulling off, he is also stumped.  Seriously, can we just cut the f***er off now?!

Thursday April 15:  Should have been on my way to Gatlinburg with my mom today.  That’s not happening now.  Not feeling nerve pain down my leg today, but still dealing with numbness and knee buckling.  Regained some strength for lifting myself up the stairs on my left leg.  Still not perfect, still painful, but I will take the little victories wherever I can find them.  Still can’t take a full stride without intense, sharp pain in the hip.  Still get very stiff if inactive for too long.  Lateral quad still achy.  Decided to try foam rolling and found many very painful spots – may have invented a few new 4-letter words.  Husband keeps asking if he can get me anything, I tell him “a new hip and leg.”  Decided to see how long I could go without pain meds today and didn’t do half bad.  Really feeling it this evening, though, so took the PM stuff.  Here’s hoping.

Friday April 16:  Do I think it?  Do I dare allow the words to leave my person?  The last time I did all hell broke loose.  Am I actually recovering?  Feeling pretty good today, all things considered.  Still get a jolt when rolling over in bed, still numb in the front of the lower left leg, still stiff thru the lateral quad, knee is still buckling.  BUT, no intense nerve pain, stride length is getting longer before the catch in the hip, a little stronger today lifting myself up the stairs on the left leg.  Can do a forward fold and roll myself back up to standing with no pain in my back.  Still get super stiff when inactive and take a minute to get moving without pain, still need to be very mindful about how I move, but got thru the entire day without TENS or meds.  Do I hope?  Better shut up before the shit hits the fan again.