… being bloody housebound! Apparently, back problems are the biggest issue for GPs nowadays, and I’ve added to the statistics… Had a mild lower-back pain 4 or 5 weeks ago, so did the exercises that the GP had recommended in the past, and that cleared it up, apart from a small niggle on the lower right. “Good enough”, I thought, and left it at that for a couple of days, until I had the brilliant idea to keep doing the exercises anyway, to keep the back in good nick. Big mistake! One of the routines upset that niggle, and it decided that agony was the best response… Sitting and lying in bed were fine, but stand? walk? – no chance! Only way I could manage either was by bending forward at 45o… and only for a very short time… So, I’ve had weeks of sitting and lying around the house, which effectively means TV and PC and a numb mind.. Thankfully, it’s finally getting back to normal, and I’ve managed a few walks outside – for a whole 10 minutes! Oh, the power!
Had to visit the GP, of course: and the only way I could get there was for Mel to drive me the vast 300m and then use her as a human zimmer frame to walk to the surgery! Got prescribed cocodamol 30/500 – plus diazepam… The cocodamol did bugger all for the pain, just made me light-headed and constipated – deep joy! The diazepam were brilliant: can’t remember ever being so chilled-out and sleeping so well (weird dreams, though…). But they ran out after 5 days, and 24 hours later I’d gone from chilled-out to spaced-out and freaked-out! Anxiety, panic, lack of concentration – it was a flaming nightmare for a couple of days. Do not want that again…
So what have I learned from this? Divert by keeping the brain active – learn new stuff or revisit stuff long forgotten; nothing short of morphine is likely to alleviate the pain, so accept that it will eventually pass, and intersperse the sitting/lying with short walks up, down, and around the house; enjoy the feeling of the pain getting less once it happens; and, above all, AVOID DIAZEPAM!
