1/19/26

 It was a rough morning struggling to get out of bed with intense pain. I didn’t sleep well. If I moved at all, I paid a price. Oh boy! This day is going to be LONG!

I did all my upstairs things (brushing teeth, washing face) and grabbed anything I could possibly need for the day and brought it down stairs (slowly) because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to climb them.

I shuffled across the floor like I was 125 years old. Let the dogs out and started stretching out my hip/back. I applied my abonicki balm. It’s a topical balm that surprisingly is 0% sticky. You apply it and then your skin feels like skin.. It makes your muscles feel a little better. It goes deep below the surface of the skin too. It feels like either ice or heat going deep into my core. Maybe it just masks pain a little with a different sensation? Either way it helps.

It felt like maybe a bone shifted in my back and it was pinching something. When I did the exercises I was shown at physical therapy, I would get this popping noise and shot of pain shooting down my leg. Well this is not good. 

I continued to do it because that is what my physical therapist would make me do. All day long I was stretching. I would step away from my desk and take a lap. Inside of course because it was blustery and chilly outside.

I had Ethan grab me an ice pack from the basement (more stairs I was not going to climb). I iced the crap out of my back. It was a pretty chilly day to ice my back.  I had the heating pad out for my feet, covered in a blanket and icing my back. I mostly worked laying down.

Throughout the day I would get up, do my exercises and lay back down. Getting up included a series of grunts and groans that you may hear from a bear.

I finally felt well enough to try to start a fire. Ethan had brought wood in for his pathetic mom. The house was a chilly 64 degrees. I just have many layers on. I am so cheap!

Ethan got home from work. 

“Hi Mom, do you need anything?” He asked. I thought that was nice. Then he did his routine chat with Jiminy. They sat together and cuddled. That dog is an angel. I mean all animals are in their own way (except mice, I hate mice).

Paul returned home this evening from a few days away with his buddy, snowmobiling. He came home to his crippled wife hobbling along. Sexy!

Already I can feel my exercises and stretching have made a difference. I even walked up the stairs at a somewhat normal speed.

Avery called me tonight for our exercise date. 

“Hi Mom!” I hear her cheerful voice say.

“I am NOT exercising”! I said in a gruff tone.

Avery laughed at me…and then wondered outloud “Mom how come your back hurts? You don’t look a day over 25.” It’s a running joke we have. We proceeded to chat while Avery did her exercises. 

I will always have these back flare ups. They suck. But I am thankful that I have stretches, exercises and knowledge of how to help myself tackle it.