Skip to main content

Back pain is the worst!

Now I have pulled a muscle or two in my lower back before, which has resulted in a great deal of pain, often coupled with an inability to even move, but at least in those cases, when I curl up in the fetal position, and don't move, the pain goes away.

But around 2 AM last night, I awoke with such extreme pain in my upper back, there was nothing I could do to alleviate it. The pain was so extreme, I couldn't even lift my head, and for quite awhile I actually felt nauseous. Eventually I was able to stretch it out, enabling me to move, albeit very gingerly, but the pain was still there.

At that point, I was desperate, and did something I have vowed never to do, or at least only do in extreme situations. I took a SOMA.

So what caused this pain? I'm not exactly sure, because I don't remember feeling any pain at the time, but I suspect it was when I was putting the sub woofer into the new entertainment center we had delivered yesterday. That sucker is heavy and awkward to lift.

Now I'm still in a lot of pain, and I'm resisting the need to take another SOMA, so I've decided not to go for my usual bike ride (I couldn't even if I wanted to) this morning. Instead, the plan is to spend the day alternately applying heat and ice to the effected area in the hope the pain will go away by tomorrow.

If it doesn't improve much, I may resort to taking another pill, but I'm hoping it won't come to that.  In the mean time I'll just suffer
Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
Sorry to hear about your back pain. Soma should help if it's a muscle spasm, but they don't do much for pain, at least with my back, but I have two herniated discs. Which I hope you didn't do cuz' they are a bear to deal with.
6:11 AM
Marc said…
It better be a muscle spasm. The alternative isn't something I want to think about. It's awfully similar to the pain Edie was experiencing prior to her diagnosis.

I don't know what I would do if that were the case. Fortunately I am feeling somewhat better, so I am optimistic I'll be able to go for a bike ride tomorrow morning.
10:01 AM
Becky said…
You ought to just take it easy and let you body heal.
11:01 AM
Vreni Gurd said…
Hi Marc,

Let me know if there is anything I can do. I spend my life fixing people's backs ... And there are lots of great people in Southern California with my training too, if you want to see someone for help.

Hope you heal quickly and easily. Sounds like you are doing the right thing, with heat followed by ice.

All my best,

Vreni
4:25 PM
Marc said…
I think the ice is helping, so I'll give it a couple of more days to get better on its own. If it doesn't improve, I may take you up on your offer.
7:04 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more