Well, folks. I've managed to put myself out of training - hopefully for only a couple of weeks. On Friday, the on and off again pain in my butt (literally), hip and lower back shifted. I was sitting in a recording session and I was having a hard time sitting. On Thursday it was the opposite.
I figured I just needed to stretch, so I went into a empty room to stretch. Things were OK until I tried to stretch the hamstring on my left leg. I sat there for a little while just trying to get my hamstring to release a little. Finally, I had to get back into the control room.
I kept having to get up, because of a new pain on the outer back of my left knee. Standing would relieve that, but then my lower back would start to ache. At one point I got up and realized that my big toe and the two next to it were starting to go numb - pins and needles everytime I moved my toes. I put in a call to a friend whose a massage therapist. I was hoping she had some spare time to help get a little relief. She returned my call only to tell me that she was just getting over a virus, and wouldn't be home until later that eve. We talked about what was wrong, and she told me to phone her later that night.
I was really concerned about having to sit on a plane for 6 hours on Sunday. I went home and tried to find a postion to rest in, which was next to impossible. Being on my feet seemed to be the only way I was relatively out of pain. So, I finished prepping some stuff for my trip on Sunday. It was the only way to keep me feeling a little positive.
I held off on any major work in hopes that I would feel better after resting for most of the day and a night of sleep. After an extensive second conversation, I went out to pick up a heating pad. Once home and I tried heat on the two really painful spots for ten mins each, waited for a bit and then iced my back.
I had used ice on my back earlier and it seemed to help, but when I tried it on my hip it my knee started screaming in pain. Looking back over the whole evening now, I don't know that they were tied together. But I did have some relief and was able to lie on my sofa under a blanket and rest - mentally and physically. Pain sucks.
When the intense pain started to return I decided it was time to call it an evening by taking a warm bath with epsom salts - a recommendation made by a few others, but it was definitely my mom's favorite cure all. Daisy's mom uses Vick's, my mom swore by epsom salts. Anyway, I couldn't manage to relax. It didn't matter if I stretched my leg out or had it bent, the side of my knee was screaming pain and it was shooting down my calf. I gave up, showered off and decided to just climb into bed. I just curled up on top of my covers feeling particularly pathetic.
Amazingly enough, I wasn't in pain. Thanks, mom, et al. I didn't want to move, and potentially rekindle the pain. I stayed there. I slowly moved myself under the covers, turned the lights off and fell asleep with no pain.
At 6 am I woke up. I couldn't go back to sleep, because I was in pain again. Since I was awake and without pain while I was moving, I decided to finish my laundry. It apparently is a fantastic time to do laundry, because no one was in the laundry room. An hour later, it was a different story. The line of basket had started.
I called Andrea to see where we were to meet up to look at wedding dresses. She insisted that I try and find some place open. I told her that I would, but didn't have much hope of finding something open on a Sat. I was thinking about it already because I had very little feeling in my big toe, and I noticed that the side of my calf was now numb.
I looked up several doctors in my health plan, and no one was open. I finally found someone in my neighborhood who had an emergency number besides 911. I left him a message, figuring I wouldn't hear back until Monday. I decided to call Kai. I wasn't positive that I'd be able to sit on the plane for 6 hours, since I wasn't able to sit more than 5 mins. He said that I could postpone my trip out by a couple of days if it would help. I said that I would consider it, and made the necessary phone calls to see if company management could change my flight and suggest someone in L.A. for me to see.
I continued getting ready to meet up with Andrea and leave for LA. I figured it would make more sense to get out there.
Just before I was about to leave to meet Andrea the chiropractor phoned me back. He told me he was no where near his office today, but he suggested that I try another chiroprator in the neighborhood that he thought had Sat hours. I hung up and phoned her. To my surprise she answered, and after a brief discussion she said that she would see me at 2pm. She didn't have Sat. hours, but she didn't want me to be in pain.
Unfortunately, I had to call Andrea back and cancel on seeing the dress. There was no way I would make it back in time. I tried to get as much done as possible, so I wouldn't have to do much when I returned. I set off for the appointment. I had never been to a chiropractor before, and I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to it. I had heard to many horror stories to ever attempt seeing one. I stuck with maassage therapists - no wrenching you around.
I made it to Dr. L's office. She had just moved in recently, and had done a good job of making it calm and relaxing. I filled out forms and we discussed what the lead up to my current problem. She started hear exam, and immediately noticed that one side of my pelvis was much higher than the other. She did a pinwheel test to see where the numbness started and ended.
The top of my left foot and toes were fine, but underneath was numb. Pretty much the whole length of my calf was numb on the outer side. She did some strength and reflex tests. The reflex tests always make me laugh. I can't help it. She then had me lie down on my stomach and she began to poke around my spine. She found one really tender spot very low on my back.
After a few more tests, she placed wedge-shaped blocks under my pelvis. On the right side she put it just at the top of my hip bone. On the left side she put it near the hip socket. Poof! the pain in my back/butt/hip vanished. I decided that she was the most wonderful person on the planet.
She had me rest there, while she ran a laser along the path of my sciatic nerve. It was a noon-heat/non-surgical laser. It somehow energized the cells in the nerve to speed up recovery. The one thing that didn't go away was the pain in my knee, but she kept trying to make me comfortable.
At the end, she told me that I had a very severe case of sciatica. She couldn't be sure whether it was the physical imbalance in my pelvis causing it or a disc or both. My piriformis on the left side was really tight and could be pressing against the sciatic nerve. Anyway, she insisted I find someone in L.A. to start working on my while I was there. She called a colleauge to either have him look at me or suggest someone who could.
I hobbled my way home. I was sad becuase she wasn't able to fix me right away; because it looked like a much bigger problem; because I still didn't know if I would be able to sit on an airplane for 6 hours; becuase I was leaving town; because I was told without a doubt no training until I got the all clear from a doctor. I'm not stupid. I wasn't planning on trying to train through the pain, but I know that this is going to be a longer process.
No point in stressing about it. What's done is done, and I'll only heal in the time it takes my body to heal. I was glad that I had a name of a doctor to call. I assured my dad and stepmom that I would phone right away. And I was able to sit for a longer period of time. I decide that I'd be OK during the flight. Well, really there is no other choice. I'll get a seat on the aisle, and tell the flight attendants of my problem. All I have to do was make it through take off and landing. I can stand off and on for the rest of the flight.
Better get some sleep, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow.
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