I was minding my own business, cleaning up the house--I guess because it feels like Spring outside.
Got the den/computer room all done, washed curtains, dusted, vacuumed. This is the dustiest room in the house because it houses the cat's litter box and I don't care what any commercial tells you, there is NO such thing as dustless kitty litter!
So yesterday I cleaned the bedroom and the bathroom.
I have a bite guard that I wear at night to keep from biting my tongue and cheeks. I had lost it and figured it was under the head of the bed on the dusty floor. So, I decided to pull the bed out--the Queen size bed with box springs, an 18" mattress and a 4" heavy memory foam mattress.
Wrenched my back. Hurt, but not too bad so I kept on going. Couldn't find the bite guard, so pushed the bed back in place. A few minutes later, I found the bite guard under the bedside table.
Then I sprayed down and scrubbed the big shower I have and made many trips back and forth from there to kitchen to wash all my colored and cut glass pretties that I have on my bedroom dresser and shelves in the bathroom. I got down on the floor to be able to give the toilet a good all over scrubbing. My back twitched a bit when I pulled myself up. I had dusted and vacuumed the bedroom, only had the bathroom to finish up.
I sat down in my recliner to rest a bit and 45 minutes later, I couldn't get out of my chair. My left leg felt numb, with no strength and a razor (felt like ) ripped across my back.
I reached back and could feel the swelling around that herniated disc on my left side.
I reached in the drawer of my chair side table and pulled out my TENS device and slapped the pads on my back and set the stimulater impulse up on 50!
I managed to get up, go to the bathroom and then fix myself a sandwich and stayed in my chair until bedtime.
I slept well. When I woke up and tried to get out of bed, I had the same reaction. Left leg numb and no strength and hard back pain. I managed to walk to the bathroom and then kitchen bent over double, but when I did bend over to put the cat food bowls down on the floor and went to stand up, such a sharp pain at trying to stand up that I actually screamed. It was like my back had frozen and wouldn't move. Then I started sweating and tears were coming out of my eyes.
I got into my computer chair that has really good support. The pain was horrific...worse than it has ever been. I was kind of scared. Wondering if I should go to the ER. I got on FB, to take my mind off and posted about what was going on...hoping to get some encouragement and ask for prayers.
At 9:00 I tried to call the pain doctor to see if he would give me a refill on the Prednisone Step-Down pack I had before. His office was closed until Tuesday.
Then I called my primary care doc, knowing since he didn't write the original scrip, he might not write one for me now. He was out until 1:30.
Meanwhile, daughter Karen had called yesterday to tell me she was coming out after her morning classes. I called her phone and left a message asking her if she could stop on her way here and get me some cat food and Diet Pepsi. She arrived at noon with my stuff. She couldn't stay as she had to get down to her daughter's to take care of the kiddies.
I got a call at 1:45 from my primary care doc that he HAD called in a script for me. I called the Pharmacy and they said it would be ready in half an hour.
So--how was I going to get to my car and inside the store? My left leg was no longer numb, but the back pain was still horrible. I managed, by walking bent over, to get down the porch steps and into my car. Got up to Walmart and there just happened to be ONE space open right by the Pharmacy door. I thanked God and crawled out of my car, got a cart that was sitting next to my car and used it to lean on to get into the store. The script was not a Step-Down pack, but just regular Prednisone 10mg, 5 pills, take one a day. I assume it will work just as well or maybe even better than the Step-Down pack that I take teeny-tiny pills 5 times a day, then 4 a day, then etc.
My car is kind of low to the ground, so trying to get my 5'10" frame up and out of the car has been a problem for many years, today it was near impossible. I turned in the seat so I could get both feet on the ground and then reached up to the top of the door to help lift me up and give me leverage. Of course, that made the door want to close on my lower legs. What a comedy of errors.
I tried again--this time taking a deep breath and sort of yelling as I pushed myself up onto my feet. I hope no neighbors were watching!
Got up the porch steps, one step at a time, holding firmly onto the hand rail and got in the house and headed for my computer chair again. My, by now, warm Diet Pepsi was sitting on my desk and I had my prescription bottle in my hand and whipped the top off to swallow one of the pills.
The Prednisone will take down the inflammation and swelling, which is causing all the pain and I should be okay after a weekend of resting.
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Yes--my kitchen looks like the Wreck of the Hesperes and was on my agenda to clean today--not happening. My living room will be pretty easy to clean--that's not happening either. All my pretty colored and cut glass is shiny clean...sitting on my kitchen counter ready to be put back in it's proper place--that's not happening either as it involves too much walking back and forth.
It's my fault. I did it to myself trying to move the heavy bed. I should and do know better. So...now I have to pay the Piper, whomever he is. My script only cost .67 cents so that Piper was easily paid.
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It's nearly 5:00 and my main objective is to get to my recliner, put my feet up and hope that I can get up once in a while to go potty, make a sandwich for supper and crochet and cross stitch for the rest of the day.
I sure hope there is something good to watch on TV tonight.