Below is an illustration of where my pain was:
I felt some soreness on Tuesday at work. Felt a little pain whenever I got up from my desk chair. But once I walked it a bit, it wasn't so bad.
The next morning on Wednesday, it hurt like hell. I woke up with sharp, acute, stabbing jolts of pain with every move, no matter how small it was. It was the worst kind of pain since my ACL surgery in 1991 and my neck strain after getting a free 15 minute massage at the office in the early 2000's.
After an arduously painful short trip to the bathroom to see if I could walk this off, I gave up. I texted my boss to call in sick at work. I used the rest of the day to stay as still as possible. I slept off and on most of the day.
For 2 days, this is when I hurt:
- move forward
- move backward
- sit up or down
- turn or twist objects with my hands
- push
- pull
- sneeze
- cough
- walk
Thursday: Still in pain, but gained a little more range of motion. Decided to go into work. Told myself I could leave early if it got bad again. What were once routine, normal movements at my desk were tolerated with grimaces, groans, stifled yelps and cringes.
I made it through the day, but barely. I shuffled to the car screaming and swearing with every painful step. Once I got in the car, driving wasn't an issue, even with the stick shift. It’s times like these a driver’s seat in a BMW are worth the extra bucks. Hard but not rigid. Very supportive.
Headed straight to Target drive through to pick up my online order of Aleve. The remaining few ibuprofen pills I had along with applications of arnica gel were providing a small fraction of relief. But I was still in a great deal of pain.
Made it home. Immediately took a hot bath, gulped down some Aleve, ate a little dinner. Then bed.
Friday: Sleep helped a lot. Range of motion improved even more. Walking was not so difficult, but sitting at desk was still painful. Grimaces continued. Yelps and groans, not so much.
Saturday: Woke up with little to no pain. Life is pretty much back to normal. Walk up and down stairs without pain. Turned my torso in the car to reach for something on the passenger seat. No pain. Made the bed. Did laundry. No pain.
I give a lot of credit to Aleve and Arnicare gel for helping me heal. I can see how easy it is to get addicted to pain relievers. It's no wonder why we hear so many stories of celebrities and elite athletes of their addictions to oxycodone and other prescription pain relievers.
When I tore my ACL in 1991, I was given 2 shots of morphine after surgery. I was given antibiotics and acetaminophen with codeine to take home with option to refill 2 times. After I finished the antibiotics, I threw out the acetaminophen. I did not want to become reliant on them.
I am thankful that my physical mobility has returned as quickly as it did. It's why keeping oneself active to stay mobile is extremely important. Especially as we get older.
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