About 3 weeks ago I had to hold an elevator for the furniture movers, to make sure no one else took it while the movers needed to use it. Unfortunately, there was no seating around and I didn’t realise this would need to be the case, so I ended up having to stand while walking around for over 40 minutes.
This might seem like no big deal to the average human being, but as we all know, I’m no average human being. For me, standing for more than a few minutes is uncomfortable. For more than 10 minutes is painful, with my legs going numb from the gravity compression forcing my collapsed disc further against the sciatic nerve, and when standing for more than 40 minutes, the pain is significant.
I had no choice. I have to live with the effects. It’s very frustrating! Not to mention painful. My back has been out somewhere, there’s a slipped disc that hasn’t slipped back in yet, despite a few visits to the chiropractor, weekly massage, and daily stretching.
Based on history, this shall pass, and things will return to normal again. But it’s a reminder of why I have to sit down a lot after walking around a little bit, and why I have a disability permit on my car so I can park close to shopping centre doors, and why I have a walking stick to help support myself with (something I wasn’t able to use while helping the movers hold the elevator).
While I’ve been in painful recovery mode, I haven’t felt like writing. I go to work each day, do what I can, and then go home again and play computer games, not really having any motivation in writing. Some of my workmates have wondered why I’ve been seen with a walking stick, which I don’t use at work, but which I’ve used a couple of times to help support myself when I know I have to walk somewhere for a meeting that’s a bit further away than usual (I work in a clump of different buildings).
On top of that, I’ve had to also plan for our trip to Ayers Rock, and the closer that gets, the more nervous I’ve been getting. Such a big holiday, with accommodation booked and locked in – what if I just can’t go? But I put that out of my mind. I WILL go. Positive thinking.
I can’t wait for the day technology will give me a new back and I can call myself a cyborg.
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