Why I Identify With Pregnant Women

Lower Back Pain

No, I am not preggers.

2 weeks ago I "sprained" my right lower butt muscle (I presume) while bending down in the morning to get something off the floor. The pain was so bad I nearly couldn't stand up and comtemplated not going to extra-mural at the emergency centre. But who was going to take care of the animals if they got flooded with work? I tenderly and slowly made my way there. After bringing one of the weak little dogs frequently out for "walks" my behind slowly healed itself. Fine. The end of my sprained butt woes?

No.

On Wednesday morning while apparently bending the wrong way to put on my shoes, I did it AGAIN, this time to my left side. Although I could still walk the chronic pain was much worse. I had to limp and standing and sitting were the worst. Thank goodness animal behaviour was a relatively short stint that day.

On Thursday during opthamology while bending down to look into a cat's eyes I yelped "Ow my butt!" in front of the vet. Everyone chuckled. She didn't really seem to believe how I had "pulled my butt". Later in the afternoon I massaged Brian's abnormally stiff left shoulder (I'm the group's "physiotherapist") in between consults when the vet came in and exclaimed with a smile : " What next, are you going to get him to massage your butt too?". Ha ha.

On Friday in oncology I was constantly lagging behind everyone else while walking to and fro from the chemotherapy unit to the clinic having intermittent spasms of pain doing so. The really happy dogs with cancer (you wouldn't have known it, chemo does so much good) didn't really help by pulling on their leads.

Thank goodness for (good) chiros. One visit to Murdoch's chiroparctic clinic today diagnosed me with a lower back sprain (other possible differentials were a slipped disc! Phew!), a quick adjustment and I could walk upright with relatively little pain! The clinician asked me : "Are you carrying sheep?"
I told him : "No, but some of the dogs in the clinic can be HEAVIER than sheep."

I'm not out of the woods yet, I have to be quite careful in the next two weeks. Movement in one plane only, not bending and twisting!