November 6, 2010

Blogging from bed.

Did everyone have a happy Halloween? I've been battling the same back/leg/sciatic pain since October 8th. Will. It. Please. Stop..... NOW. A month? Really? I feel like a walking Advil dispenser. I'm going to try to do more bloggy stuff from bed. It seems to be the only relatively pain free place. Sitting? Nope. Standing? Nope. Hunched over? Nope.

But I digress...

I spent the evening putting some little bundles together for my etsy shop. If there is good light tomorrow I'll have photos of them to post Monday!

I've been excitedly counting down until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out and killing time by watching Sherlock on PBS. Totally awesome! What is rockin' your world?

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Ohhh poor you I really feel for you Gaea. I hope this will go away soon. Have you been to the Dr..maybe that is the next avenue? I know nothing about this condition. I sure hope you will be better soon. My world rocks especially tomorrow as we work at getting all my Lampwork in order..yes!

Mary Harding said...

Hope you get rid of that pain soon. It can take the fun out of everything. Love your bundles.

Spirited Earth said...

sorry to hear you are battling the sciatic pain..
this gets me when i sit for hours working and it lasts forever once that nerve gets inflamed..
have you tried arnica salve?
a friend recently suggested taking turmeric,there's some interesting info about it..it's a spice in indian food.

Lorelei Eurto said...

excited to see harry potter too!

been totally stressed out over this craft show i'm doing this weekend. hoping today goes better than last night did. last year it was SO MUCH BETTER!

Alice said...

Oh no, that's terrible! Is it a pinched nerve? My dad fixed his by using traction. I hope you are up and around in no time.

What pretty beads! Love the earthy colors.

Deborah said...

Gaea - I'm so sorry to hear of your problem: "back/leg/sciatic pain since October 8th"?!!!

That's a TERRIBLY long time to suffer with no relief.

As a professional certified bodywork/massage therapist and personal fitness trainer, I can tell you there are MANY approaches to this problem that are SIMPLE fixes - ACTUAL fixes - not just pain masks. As Alice mentioned, traction (and there are various forms of it) is but one simple approach.

Have you had any professional assessment/diagnosis (doctor, chiropractor, bodywork/massage therapist, physical therapist...)?

If not, PLEASE don't just suffer and take drugs - as I mentioned, there are MANY approaches to this problem - sometimes the REAL FIX is just a few exercises and stretches away - muscle imbalances are easily reversed.

Drugs are GREAT when we really need them, but oftentimes we simply need to learn how to work better and take care of ourselves better - corrective exercise is but one VERY EFFICIENT WAY to help us live long, pain-free, and productively - doing the things we LOVE to do!

Taking care of ourselves this way and CORRECTLY addressing issues like yours is also preventive maintenance for your WHOLE body - it prevents a spiraling downward into vicious cycles that can affect and involve the whole rest of your body: legs, feet, arms, upper back, shoulders, neck, etc.

You need to realize that nerves DO die after being damaged - especially when "under attack" for long periods of time with no relief.

Your problem may not be simple, but it might be! If you haven't already, please consider some professional intervention!

Shelby said...

Hi Gaea. Your work continues to be interesting and captivating.
I went to the Book Art show yesterday evening.
I think the store looks grand.
I hope you feel better soon!

Shannon Chomanczuk said...

I cannot imagine being in pain that long. When I was pregnant with my LO I would get sciatic pain that would knock me to the ground.
I hope you feel better soon and those beads are fabulous!
Shannon

Yeli said...

I am sorry to hear about your pain. I too suffer from that because of my herniated disc, and it has gotten worse in the last couple of months with the inevitable gain weight. I cannot take any pills now, so what I do is:
1. Do not sit for over 15 min. (maybe more) This makes it hard for e to make jewelry.
2. Do not stand for over 15 min.
3. Walk. It really does help.
4. I get to the pool whenever I can and do some exercises my physical therapist recommended. Mostly pelvic tilt and stretching, and some aerobics.
5. Stretch my legs 3 times a day.
My pain gets worse at night since I have to sleep on my side, and when one hurts I have to roll to the other one until it hurts and start all over again.
I have my personal countdown until my baby comes, so this is what’s rocking and taking up all the attention in my world now!

Jenny said...

Gaea, what Deborah said is absolutely on target. I, too, am fighting sciatica, and there have been some bad moments in the wee hours of the morning... oh, on second thought, let's not go there.

I have been in physical therapy for several weeks, for the sciatica as well as another issue. My therapist says sciatica is a problem of the muscles tightening up around the nerve, and mine has eased with patience, heat, and stretching. There are specific stretches, however, and a professional needs to show you how to do them.

Here's how effective it's been: I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery. Then a relative became very ill and died, and I had to cancel it. The nearest window for the surgery again for me is not until next summer (because I would need someone to drive me to PT since it's my right (gas pedal) knee), so I went into PT as a stopgap. The surgery is now on hold indefinitely because I am no longer having any significant knee pain. Yes, I have bone-on-bone in my knees, but muscle stretching and strengthening has eased the pain enough that the surgery will not be necessary in the foreseeable future.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night with horrible sciatica; THREE MINUTES of stretching all but cured it, and I was able to sleep again.

HIE THEE TO A DOCTOR, dear, and get out of pain. Find a physical therapist who is knowledgeable, proactive, and enthusiastic, and you'll have a new best friend for life. After PT, Pilates can keep you going.

Gaea said...

Thanks for all the encouraging words and advice! I just knew you lovely people would have something helpful to say! I tend to get stuck in the mind set of taking care of everyone else and not myself! I started to do some serious stretching the other day and some exercises and it has helped a lot! I've been seeing a non force chiropractor through it all but have not been able to keep two appointments in a row, so it has been taking a long time. I think I'll make an appointment with my regular Dr. today! Thank you!