Bummer

The last time I went running was in late January.  I felt a twinge in my lower back.  Nothing serious, I thought.  5 months, dozens of physical therapy appointments, an MRI and several x-rays, several days in a wheelchair, 3 rounds of injections, a radio frequency ablation treatment, and a few bottles of pain killers later, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'm on the road to recovery.

Basically, as Chris puts it, I've broken my bum (that's a very technical medical term.  We went into a lot of debt for that level of expertise!).  How this happened exactly we're still not sure, but apparently the problems I've had are not all that uncommon for people who, as my doc put it, have "a history of cheerleading, running, and pregnancy."  Huh.

To avoid recurrences of the pain in the future (once it stops in the present), I'm supposed to avoid contact sports, sports with balls, bending, twisting, and long-distance running.  While I'm still recovering from the disappointment of the end of my football career, I will miss the running and yoga.  Since that's basically been my exercise plan for the last decade.  The doc recommends swimming (umm, can I use a kick board?), biking (I just sold my bike a month ago because I hadn't used it since I moved to Charlottesville), and Pilates (Chris got me a DVD for Mother's Day!).

A friend asked me if I miss being able to exercise.  What I miss most is being able to play on the floor with my son, pick him up without wincing, and not worry about whether I'll be physically able to meet his needs.  This experience has been very humbling, especially when my 80+-year-old grandparents were pushing me around in a wheelchair and waiting on me hand and foot.

Thank you to the many friends, visiting teachers, and family members who have offered their support.  Thank you to Little J for being so patient when Mom can't get up off the couch.  And thank you to Bend It Like Beckham for keeping me company today.

I'm learning from my little man - sometimes it's okay to put your feet up, relax, and let other folks wheel you around.