Back Attack

Over the weekend I was typing and my whole left leg went numb. It didn't fall asleep. There weren't pins and needles, I just couldn't feel it. I stood up and after a few minutes I felt burning in the bottom of my foot. Mike rubbed my leg while I tried my best to stomp my foot. Stomping has never been easy for me, bad balance. It was a long time before the burning spread up my calf. Once the burning ended I had feeling in my leg again in time for it to be hella sore! After an hour or so I was fine and I almost forgot about it entirely.

Then on Tuesday night I was sitting on the edge of the bed helping Miss Roo turn her pajama shirt right side in when I was struck by the most intense pain. My eyes welled up with tears and I had to lay down. It was a deep spasm, somewhere in between my back and my stomach. I'm not a wimp. I've had back spasms tons of times, but these were serious buggars! They just keep going all evening, waking me up during the night and on into the morning hours.

My back was raw when they stopped. I always have pain after I've had spasms. I call it the "spasm hangover". After an involuntary 10 hour workout...sore doesn't even touch it. I sucked it up and got the kids off to camp, but by the afternoon it was clear my normal coping technique of ignoring it wasn't working so well. I called the orthopedic while I waited in the car for Isaac. To my astonishment, after a little financial business was concluded, they got me an appointment for 48hrs later! Unheard of.

Their concern and prompt appointment slot kind of scared me. Later that night I wondered for the first time if my leg issue over the weekend could be related. Pinched nerve? Had I broken something? Then again, maybe it was nothing. I was still hurting when I marched into the doctor's office with Isaac in tow Friday morning. I waited ten minutes past my appointment time, nothing serious. The x-ray tech was amused because not only was I completely metal-free in my attire, but I assumed the position for each x-ray without any instructions. "I guess you've done this before." Yeah, once or twice.

The ortho said everything looked good bone-wise. Phew. He said his "red flag was slightly raised", but for now I just needed to calm the pain down and let him know if it happens again. I sure hope not. There's a possibility of something else going on that wouldn't be visible on an x-ray, but he seemed happy which made me feel better. He gave me a prescription for something new. A topical anti-inflammatory/muscle relaxer cream. I don't take pills if it can be at all avoided. I don't like to feel dopey. I'm a mother of two I have to be alert. The idea of circumventing the conventional pill sending medicine soup into the bloodstream (and long term damage the kidneys or liver), but a cream that absorbs into the effected area is exciting. He assures me only 10% gets into your bloodstream. The downside is it's very new and has to be specially made so I have to wait for it to come in the mail.