Trouble in the back

I quite openly share my experience with CPS on my blog. The pain can be debilitating at times but for the most I deal with it from a place of positivity. With meditation I manage to deal with the mental strain of living with a chronic pain condition. Anti convulsion medication also helps me deal with the physical pain, they are medications that allow me to function.

Last weekend I began to experience what felt like a flare up in my spine. I went to work and tried to push through the pain but was unable to finish a shift and had to leave early each day. By Thursday morning I was struggling to walk and called 111. The advice from the doctor was to take myself to accident and emergency to get it checked out.

I’m glad I went because an MRI scan showed up two slipped discs in my lower spine. It was the cause of the excruciating pain and the reason I was struggling to walk. I was treated with pain killers and instructed to take it easy. I was also reffered to the spinal team at a nearby hospital.

It’s not the first time I have dealt with bulging discs in my lower spine. 9 years ago I popped 3 out while working on a heavy job. As a welder of structural steel it was an occupational hazard. I was reminded of the acute pain involved and thought back to what helped back then.

When my back flares up with pain I usually sleep on my back on a hard floor. It’s uncomfortable but helps keep my spine aligned. I have been sleeping this way all week and after learning about my back problem in hospital knew that I had made the right move by sleeping on the deck. I was also moving around which helps if done carefully. I had also been doing that all week.

By the Friday the pain was at it’s worse. I was waking up in agony in the wee hours of the morning and unable to get back to sleep. At one point I was physically sick from the pain. I was suffering badly and in need of relief. I also shed a few tears at the exhaustion of dealing with my current situation.

There was nothing more to do than manage it. Hot baths twice a day helped with the physical side of things and meditation was, as always a way to cope with the mental pressure I was experiencing. I have spent most of the week on the floor, moaning to my wife about how much i am suffering. She’s tired of hearing it and I’m over complaining about it. There is nothing more I can do. It isn’t going to be a quick fix.

The triplets have been looking after me whilst I’m led out on the living room floor. They have been putting blankets on me and telling me that they love me. They are very sweet and I’m glad of their affection. I am doing as much as I can with them. I am still doing their baths and bedtime routine in the evenings and am on my feet as much as I can be.

So it’s now a case of taking it easy and slowly. As frustrating as it is I cannot push myself too hard. I need to take care of myself and in doing so will slowly mend.