My lower back hurts. It's been tightening & spasming for a couple weeks now, but it's having a bad day today. I'm so thankful to the Lord that I went through physical therapy four and a half years ago when I was expecting Henri. Now I know how to take care of it to alleviate the pain and straighten my hips out--the cause of much of the problem.
The other problem? I have scoliosis. Yes, I was the public school child who always failed the scoliosis tests where they had you bend forward to check out the curvature of your back. It's not bad at all though. It's only curving in a "C" shape off by millimeters. After a series of x-rays every 6 months in my adolescence to make sure it wasn't getting worse, our doctor ruled it to be staying the same so that no intervention was needed. Praise the Lord!
However, ever since I was about 15, my back would periodically tighten up so that I couldn't bend over. At 18, it began to spasm--so bad the first time that my work sent me to an ER where they gave me lots of drugs to lessen the pain & relieve the muscle tension. The spasms came in a most severe way when I was pregnant with Henri. It hurt to do everything--sit, lay down, stand up, move. If I could just lie still... My doctor sent me to physical therapy where I learned that my pelvis was uneven due to my loosened ligaments & possibly the scoliosis. My PT taught me to straighten out my hips, and the pain was lessened and the spasms stopped...mostly.
When it gets bad, I just have to take the time to take care of it. For example, my back was feeling a little sore when I first sat down at the computer, but now it's tightening up again. Time to lay on the floor, and straighten out my hips again, which will help stretch it out. I've done this like 5 or 6 times already today. Hot & cold pads help too. I'm supposed to keep moving around though, which can be hard.
My dad has back issues too. I probably got this from him. :)
I had errands to run today, but I can't sit up in the car and drive when my back is spasming, nor walk around a grocery store, nor lift Cosette. So I'm asking the Lord how to best spend my time today. Because I can't sit for long, I think I'll go read in bed since the kids are napping. I'm praying that I'll use this back thing for Christ's glory and not for my own.
Thanks for reading.
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3 comments:
So sorry to hear about your back pain, Yvette. I remember you dealing with this some in college! :-(
Hope that you have been able to find some relief as the day has worn on. Take it easy and keep us posted on how you are doing!
Yvette, my heart goes out to you - and now I know how to pray specifically for you when the Lord brings it to mind. And hey, if you ever need to talk to another mom who can sympathize, Heather Meyer has scoliosis as well - and can really identify with trying to wear all the hats of being a mom and yet taking care of mom.
A BIG hug from me, but one that won't hurt your back :)
Christa
I failed those tests too and have been seeing a chiropractor ever since. Now that we don't have insurance I sure wish I had some coping methods like you do to get me through until the next time I fork over the cash for an adjustment. Yoga helped, when I had (read: made) the time for it. Do you do yoga?
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