I'd been having consistent back pain for over 10 days now, this hot dull ache right at the base of my spine and, well, *awkward pause* between my bum cheeks. Depending on which side I would sleep on in the night (I'm a side-sleeper), the opposing hip joint would be sore the next morning. Icing it didn't help. Heating pads and hot showers didn't help. Ibuprofen and naproxen sodium would help, but both make me pretty woozy; I have a pretty low tolerance for OTC analgesics. Yesterday, when getting out of bed to turn off my alarm, it felt like someone had both simultaneously stabbed and electrocuted my lower back. I'd had enough. It was time to go to the doctor.
I could only get in my doc's last appointment of the day, so I toughed it out and held off taking any pain meds so I could accurately decribe both the location and quality of the pain. I have a very weird gift for describing pain, something I developed when I was in middle school after numerous repetetive sprained ankles. I told her that there was an everpresent hot dull ache at the base of my spine along the coccyx and radiating outward along the lower end of my hip bones. When moving, sometimes the pain felt like a hot knife being dug into the appropriate muscle. Other times, it felt like a hot electric shock around my entire lower back and down the side of my leg, all the way to my pinky toe.
After a few movement tests, having me sit, stand, and lay on my side, my doc determined that I had mostly likely developed bursitis in my sacrum, aka, joint cushion swelling in my bum. Since everything is inflamed down there, it's pressing on the cluster of sciatic nerve, causing the electric shock sensations. She recommended continuing with the anti-inflammatories (basically 3 advil as soon as I come home from work) and to- get this- sit down on a pillow anytime I had to sit down. Hence: the tuffet reference.
I'm writing this post at work, and let me tell you, it's weird sitting on one of my couch pillows on my office chair. Also, my chair is so crappy that the pillow isn't really helping.
We both think this happened from me sitting on a very hard stool for about 5 hours last Monday, while I was handing out keys to summer housing. I was in a res hall lounge, so the only furniture to sit on were these crappy little stools that offered no support. The long line of students checking in kept me glued to my seat for an hour or two at a time before I could get up. The sustained pressure causes the bursae (little fluid filled cushions between your joints) to become inflammed, thus causing the surrouding tendons to also inflame. Note to self: um, get up off my chair every hour.
So I've got a busted bum and I'm walking around feeling a bit like an old lady. The plan is to see how I'm feeling in a week and go from there. I'm glad this isn't POF-related, as were my intial fears. POF carries a substantially higher risk for osteoperosis and osteopoenia, but my doc isn't worried. My baseline bone density exam last year came back normal.
In other news... some stressful stuff going on that I can't really divulge too much into here yet. But I will say that I am very sad and worried right now. If you can put your good, peaceful thoughts out there in the Universe for me, it would be much appreciated.
(Illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright from The Real Mother Goose, 1916.)
6 comments:
Hopefully the tuffet will mend your pains. I had a week or so once with hip joint pain and discovered sleeping with a pillow between my legs helped a little too (I'm a lover of the side sleeping too). Hope this is short lived for you though :)
Hope your bum gets better soon! And I'm thinking very good thoughts for you now, whatever your concerns may be.
You and I are joined at the hip...I have had 11 days of back pain right above my bum and into my left hip. I thought it was a pulled muscle at first and put heat on it, and took naproxen sodium, that put me to sleep! It got worse rather than better, so the muscle theory went out the window.
I work in a chiropractic clinic, but have never seen a chiropractor. I got a 10-minute window of opportunity between patients. The minute I walked in the door, he said I'd thrown my back and pelvis out of alignment by the way I've been favouring my right knee since January. Lo and behold, some very scary, noisy, popping sounds later, he sent me home to ice my back for 10 minutes every hour and sit on a pillow! I have had 3 visits in a week and it feels much better.
BTW, I damaged my coxic bone when I was 15 and sat on a special "doughnut" cushion that had a hole in the middle for a month afterward. It supports you, while not putting any pressure on your coxic bone. You can get them from orthopaedic supply shops, but these days the internet can get you one in 24 hours, so don't waste time running around for it.
I am sorry to hear about your grandmother's health problems. It's awful to know and wait for someone you love to give in to the pain they are experiencing. No matter how old you are, losing a much-loved parent or grandparent is the end of a chapter of your life and one of your first relationships. I'm sure that you and your mother will find strength in each other while going through this sad time.
oh you poort thing...I remember being an RA and an RD and having days like that..and oh the steps up and down, up and down..I couldn't walk for days. Take care of yourself sweetie.
as for your "worries' I will pray and keep you in my heart,,whatever it is, just know I am thinking of you!!!!
HUGS
OUCH!!! I hope your tuffet heals up quickly. I knew someone who broke her tail bone. She used a donut pillow when she sat down. Maybe that would help more?
Take care.
Yikes, that sounds so painful. I Agree with Heather...try a doughnut pillow. That totally removes pressure from that area.
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