I’m an early riser. As I open my eyes each morning and let them adjust to the darkness in the room, I squeeze my muscles and twist and turn every so slightly to take inventory, and to get an idea of where the pain is going to be when try to make myself vertical.
Waking up hurts.
There was a time in my life, when I could literally hop out of bed and start my day.
Now, I need time to “prepare” to get out of bed: I need to have a plan of attack. Roll to the side, dangle legs push yourself up on your elbow. Or, Sit up first in bed, test out your back, then swing your legs to the side and stand. Neither option is pretty, and not without grunts and groans.
But perhaps the best part of getting out of bed each morning, is that when I finally do achieve a vertical position, I’m half crouched over because I can’t yet stand up straight.
Getting old sucks.
I have always had issues with my lower back. And about twice a year it really acts up, and is so painful, I’ve often told Mr. KK to take me in the back yard and to just shoot me. This past April, my back pain came back after a 9 month hiatus, and was out for revenge.
The pain came quickly, on the week leading up to my birthday (fitting), and ended up preventing me from traveling for work. I have done a fair amount of work travel in my life, and I have NEVER cancelled a trip. But this time, I literally could not stand up, sit down, lie down or walk without excruciating pain. My days consisted of a continuous musical chairs of positions, each one last about 15 minutes until I couldn’t bear it any longer. Someone had to be with me at home to help me perform everyday tasks. Someone had to help with the Little Mister and walk the dog.
Long story short, after a chiropractor (which made it hurt more), muscle relaxers (which did nothing) and Oxycodone (which just made me loopy but didn’t ease the pain), I went to an Orthopedic walk in and was prescribed a steroid. And these magic pills changed my life. Not only did they ease the pain in my back, but all of my other aches and pains (remember my frozen shoulder?) miraculously went away. (For a short time, any way.)
It wasn’t until my back pain had eased that the appointment I had made with the orthopedic surgeon weeks early had arrived (God forbid you’re able to see a doctor when you actually have the pain, instead of describing what the pain was like 15 days earlier).
They took an x-ray of my lower back. And I was diagnosed with Old Age.
(The actual diagnosis was degenerative arthritis in my spine, but tomato tomahto.)
I was told to stretch every day, keep active and work out, and to try and avoid sitting for long periods of time without getting up (ie: working).
Every now and then I feel a twinge of my back pain coming back, but it’s never gotten to the point it was near my birthday. I’ve been working out regularly doing kickboxing, barre and pilates. So now when I wake up and I hurt, I have to categorize the pain as being either “old age aches and pains” and “workout muscle pain”.
The joys of getting older!
Life of kk 