Should I cry or laugh…
I did a little of both tonight. Okay, a little of the laughing, and more of the crying.
Because I hurt my back. Going to the bathroom.
Stupid movie theater stall. Somehow, in reaching across for the toilet paper (which is down below toilet bowl level…what the hell kind of sense does that make?), I twisted and pulled something in my lower back. This horrendous pain started off on the back of my left hip and shot across my lower back. I couldn’t move.
Oh, God, it hurt. Bad. So bad that I sat there crying, unable to move because of the pain, afraid that I would have to call out to a stranger to help me get up. But then I thought no way in hell that I would let someone see me with my pants down. I managed to somehow finish up, pull up my pants, and limp slowly out of the bathroom. BR, Eraserhead, and Buck were waiting for me. I’m proceeding slowly, alternating between laughing and crying. I mean, how do you tell someone you hurt your back going to the bathroom? BR had this concerned look on his face. I told him I hurt my back…when he asked me if I had fallen, I started laughing and crying again.
I’m sure BR was very confused…I told him what happened, and he looked, well,,,,horrified. I’m sure he was imagining taking me to the doctor and having to explain what happened.
The ride home was an adventure. If I tried to relax, it seemed to put more pressure and therefore more pain on my lower left back. If I tried to straighten up and pull up away from my lower back, the tightness would make it hurt worse. When we got home, I couldn’t even lift my left leg to get out of the truck. BR and Eraserhead wanted me to go to the UrgiCare place…in tears, I agreed. We made it a couple of miles away, while I forcibly concentrated on relaxing my muscles. The pain started to ease up. A little. And I didn’t relish the idea of sitting on uncomfortable chairs for hours for a doctor to say I pulled a muscle…go home and rest.
So we turned around. I could move my legs without triggering an avalanche of pain. Moving around helped some. I took a muscle relaxer and sat on the heating/vibrating chair pad thingee. I can’t sit for too long. I get up and move around and it helps, but then I have to sit again.
But I hurt my back…going to the damn bathroom! It ain’t right. It just ain’t right.
July 19th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Oh my sweet friend!! Only you!
Hope you feel better soon!
xo
LBC
July 19th, 2010 at 8:26 am
And it’s just that easy to hurt it! There oughta be a law against injuring oneself in public places.
Hope the meds and heat works and you feel better soon!
July 19th, 2010 at 10:17 am
LBC and Pam: Thank you…I’m doing much better this morning. Had to take a pain pill last night and was worried about waking up stiff. But (knock on wood) I’m doing pretty good. My back is tender, but I can move with very little pain involved, thank God! My guess is I pinched a nerve, and then immediately jumped and tightened up in response to that shot of pain. I’m just glad I can move easily again.
But yeah…only *I* could hurt myself on the toilet!!!
July 19th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I know the pain – be carefull! Once ended up stuck in a recliner for 6 weeks for similar event. Had to crawl to the bathroom on my hands and knees because I could not stand up. A list of ills involved – including bulging disc – so please go easy on yourself.
July 19th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Ouch! I see you labeled this post properly. Indeed getting old sucks.
About 10 years ago, my wife threw her back out washing dishes. Seriously. She dropped something, and twisted the wrong way trying to catch it. She was on the floor for four or five days.
I’ll have to ask her if she ever threw her back out while taking care of other business. But, I don’t think so.
Get better.
July 19th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Pretty sad when some of your worst injuries are inflicted under the most mundane or embarrassing of circumstances. My personal best was twisting my knee slipping on a banana peel. Yes, you heard that right.
July 19th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Andy: So…why didn’t you get your wife a maid? Isn’t her health worth it, lol? But thanks for the get-well wishes.
DD: A banana peel? Oh, please say there was video! (I’m mean that way.) But laughter is the best medicine, right?
July 20th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Glad to hear you are feeling better… I may be the only person who is not surprised that this could happen in a bathroom stall. It’s not the place, but the motion.
I’d say the word pilates, but you’d probably shoot me. You’d have to go to a studio which is pricey. *sigh*. Whatever you do, don’t try a cut rate gym pilates program – you’ll hurt your back even more. But a real program with trained instructors would help you so much. *double sigh* If you want to look into it go to stottpilates.com and see if there is a certified teacher in your area. You may be able to take a few private lessons then work out at home using a dvd with the occasional check back for tweaks. You do need a few supervised sessions to learn how to do things right. Right is good – wrong hurts you more…
Around here the UMass Memorial Hospital Back Care Center sends patients to the studio where I work out.
July 20th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Have you thought about getting a good massage to see if it can help the muscle spasms?
I can’t frickin’ imagine having to ask a stranger in the movie theater bathroom for help! Holy crap! NO!
BTW… umm… what movie? Was it any good?
July 21st, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Teresa: I wish I had the time and money for a real program…I do have a couple of Pilates DVDs…still in the packaging. About time to unwrap them maybe?
Bou: The movie was ‘Inception’…blah, actually. Good special effects, but the story line was weak. I wanted more ‘background’ on how walking in someone else’s dreams became possible. It’s the sci-fi addict in me, I guess.
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:48 pm
OMG!
I pulled my back out on Tuesday getting out of my car, at work no less. What did I do, went into work of course. Had a big meeting Wednesday and needed to prepare for it. So I limped around leaning sideways, did what I needed to do and 6 hours later went home.
Took drugs with me on Wednesday, popped a Vicoden when I got to work and had the happiest day at work I have ever had in my life.
Paying for it now, the whole pain doesn’t show up for me until a couple days later.
So now it’s not just the lower right side of my back, it’s from neck to butt, sciatic pain shooting down my leg and it’s also effected my groin muscles.
I am a freaking mess, but thank god for the pharmacy I have at home.
All from reaching for my bag on the front seat next to me while getting out of the car. Why is it one always pulls a muscle doing the stupidest, smallest, normal things.
July 24th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
First of all, I am soooo sorry for your pain… and the fact that I was laughing like a loon. If it will make you feel any better, our 17 year old daughter, who was sitting on the couch, watching a movie, suddenly thought she was having a heart attack so we took her to the emergency room. Turns out she pulled a chest muscle! Just breathing! Not even laughing or sneezing or a scary moment…. Just breathing. Apparently she REALLY pulled it bad because it was a couple of weeks before it was totally better. At least the bathroom thing I can imagine and relate to, but just breathing? That was about six months ago and we’re still laughing at the poor girl. I can’t even think of it without seeing the look on her face when the doctor told her what she had done. I looked at my husband and he looked at me and there was NO WAY we could not laugh. Her sisters were brutal trying to get her to laugh whenever the pain level went down. Sisters are like that I guess.
)
July 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am
My word, I hope you’re feeling better. Snort. No, really! It’s just that I’m glad that you didn’t have to scuttle around on the floor of a theater bathroom, urk, vomit, to get help. It could have been mutant excretion items on top of your back.
My husband has had immobilizing back pain in the past and it’s wicked.
And, I fell and broke my wrist while walking to my car at work, which indicates a certain inability to manage simple functions… So, you were at least trying to accomplish something useful.
Heal!
July 25th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
QW: Bless you…at least mine wasn’t the sciatic…I’ve heard that is really bad. Enjoy the drugs…or chocolate wine. My husband wouldn’t let me have both together!
LS: Okay…she wins…breathing????? BWahh-hhaaa-haaa!
Kim: I hate public bathrooms anyway…I don’t touch the door handle, layer the seat with tp or covers, flush it with my foot…so yeah, I was seriously grossed out AND in pain…they should make a horror movie out of that!