Day 42: Wimping Out
6:50 AM: Today marks my first PT session in 6 weeks that I’ve missed or cancelled (my session was scheduled for 9:30 AM). I was really hoping I could drag myself in this morning, but that was contingent on my back pain diminishing somewhat from yesterday’s levels. Instead, my lower back continues to scream in pain, and my neck cramp is slightly less severe. Repositioning in bed, sneezing, or bending my upper body are definitely un-fun things to do right now! I can’t imagine going through my 1 hour of PT exercises in this pain, today. Perhaps I was a little stupid to do my PT exercises on Wednesday despite a cramp in my neck, but as I got warmed up I honestly stopped feeling it.
Justin’s a little worried about me, since I don’t typically get laid out flat from pain except for my mercifully-rare 36-hour cluster headaches. I’m not worried, but I am frustrated since I didn’t DO anything to cause this sudden onset of neck and lower back pain. Any pain you can’t directly associate with a cause is particularly annoying!
3 PM: My lower back and neck pain are feeling pretty much the same, adding credence to my decision to opt-out of PT today. I’ve spent most of my time in bed, alternately napping, reading or using my laptop. I did spend about twenty minutes sitting outside, letting the sun’s rays gently warm up my legs. That’s when I noticed my post-op knee is definitely more tender and sore than I’ve been noticing the past couple days. I think I get the point now — my body needs a short “Time Out”. I’ll be back to exercise, PT and everything in a day or two, and I’ll probably be the better for it.
Today marks my 6th week post-op, by the way!
I forgot to write down my milestones last week, and in compiling them for this week it’s almost embarassingly obvious why I might be in multiple-muscle spasms since Tuesday –
Milestones this Week:
- Spent over 6 hours raking leaves, planting flowers and shrubs, and doing other yard work last Saturday.
- Did a couple new exercises (single leg press @ incline level 10, and hamstring curls with a ball), as well as 2 additional minutes on the elliptical trainer, in PT on Monday, and then walked over 3 miles! {For some reason, I thought I’d done this walk on Tuesday; apparently, I was insane on Monday and did my longest walk after my hardest PT session to-date!}
- Graduated to the gray Theraband for my resistance exercies (except supine hip flexion) on Wednesday at PT. Then walked a total of 3.37 miles — 2 miles solo, and 1.37 miles with Justin after work.
- At some point this week, I discovered I can sit Indian-style again! I used to sit like this occasionally, but I have a feeling that’s no longer in the cards. No biggie, considering that’s actually the wrong way to do a double quad stretch, anyway!
- Not-a-Milestone: Woke up yesterday and today with severe lower back pain and a neck cramp. Missed my first PT session since surgery, as a result.
Total Miles Walked (Monday - Wednesday): ~6.5 miles
Corine said,
March 18, 2005 @ 9:12 am
Shannon, for weeks you are already a big source of inspiration for me. Your will to recover, your discipline to do your exercises are great. But I was amazed a little to read about all the things you did last weekend…..just 5 weeks postop!!
I think your body tells you just to ‘calm down’ a little for a couple of days..nothing more, nothing less. From a medical point of view your complaints are not so strange as they seem to you.
Your muscles are protesting! A warm bath (and some painmedication) can be helpfull. Good luck, Shannon, DON’T feel guilty that you are not able to do your PT…!
Keep us informed how you feel. I love to read your stories! Corine