ARGH!

I did something to my back. I'm not sure what--but then I think back pain is often that way--it comes along for no identifiable reason. I didn't do anything too strenuous yesterday. The only thing I can think that may have caused it was walking all over the flea market for a few hours. It didn't really start hurting much, though, until I had taken a bath and gotten ready for bed. One might wonder what I did in my bath or bed, but truly I did nothing acrobatic and the bath is too small for laps, so no, that's not it.

The pain is in my low back, wraps around my waist in the back and goes down into my thighs. Standing's okay, but sitting--well, that's another story. I went to work today, but I only worked for about a half day before I couldn't stand it any longer. Getting home was a whole other adventure. My route takes me past a mall, and with the holiday and all, traffic was super heavy, and a commute that normally takes me about 20 to 30 minutes took closer to 50 minutes. Thank goodness for the seat warmer control in my car, which really felt pretty good on my back. Then I had to stop at the grocery store--absolutely, as in "I'm out of cat food and coffee creamer," HAD to stop. That wasn't too bad since it didn't involve sitting, but I was pretty tired of the whole ordeal by the time I was up at the register. Then--and doesn't this kind of thing ALWAYS happen when you're not feeling well?--some grandma in line directly behind me kept screaming at her grandson. When he wandered over to the front door of the store, she moved closer to me, still screaming, but now screaming in my ear. I coulda slapped her. I wish I had. Instead, I gave her the LOOK OF DEATH, and she apologized. By that time, the grocery-bagger-kid had wandered off (probably because of screaming granny), so I had to help the checker bag my groceries. It was either that or watch the checker bag my groceries while I bashed grandma in the teeth with the can of hairspray I was buying. Then, once I made it to the car and was loading my groceries, the grocery-bagger-kid showed up with a stray can of soup that had failed to make its way into my bags. Only when you don't feel well, right?! Oh, and if that wasn't enough, when I pulled into my driveway and turned off the ignition, my car alarm went off. What's up with that?

I remember the first time I threw my back out, probably about eight years ago or so. I was putting on pantyhose. Isn't that embarrassing? And of course everyone asks you what you did. And I can't lie. I just can't. So everyone knew I threw out my back putting on pantyhose. I really wish I was better at lying. I could have made up something much more interesting like bungee jumping or sky diving. Sheesh!

That time, I went to the doctor and got some good pills. Pain pills--Darvocet, I think--and a muscle relaxant--Flexeril. I had never taken muscle relaxants before and I thought they'd just relax my muscles. You're probably laughing, right? The first one I took, I took at work. About an hour after taking it, I had to go sleep in my car for two hours before I could manage to drive home.

Today, I thought maybe my husband would have some muscle relaxants so I could take one tonight, but he doesn't. He did offer me a Vicodin, but those make me a little hyper and much too happy to want to sleep. In fact, I like Vicodin. I could easily become addicted. So no Vicodin. I'll save it for tomorrow in case I need it then. Meanwhile, I think I'll take a couple Tylenol PM and lay on an ice pack for a bit.

The worst thing is not being able to quilt or do anything else that involves sitting. If I'm going to have back problems, I think I need to do something about these ceilings. Looking at a plain, old, boring white ceiling gets old real quick. Where's Michelangelo when you need him? Or at least a flat panel TV mounted up there. Oh, and if you feel really sorry for me, send chocolate, okay? I think it helps back pain, right? Or send Vicodin. Hummmm. Chocolate and Vicodin--sounds like a party to me!

P.S.: I bet that after reading this post, my friend Eileen will tell me once again that I always manage to talk a lot about nothing!