Monday

Spent the weekend trying to recuperate my back.  Overall Saturday was worse than Sunday, but after dinner I needed to crawl up the stairs.  Right now I’m feeling a bit better, but was really stiff when I got up (to the point that my balance was off and I was walking into walls…more than normal, that is).  I have a PT appt on Wed. and Pauline (bless her heart continually) is calling orthopaedic surgeons to try and get some information.

And furthermore

I don’t think I’ve done a very good job of taking care of my back.  I have tried to continue with my exercises, but I know I have lifted things when I shouldn’t have; I do it without thinking.  I need to adjust my thinking.  Old habits are hard to break.

Back to Square X?

Based on input from several people who have my well-being in their hearts, I have started the ball rolling to try and get additional treatment for my back.  It’s getting worse and it’s not getting better.  I have struggled with this, because I know it’s going to take time.  I don’t know if the pain I’m experiencing is normal or abnormal for the healing process. 

It’s obvious though that I need to do something: at the very least get validation that I am on the road to recovery and to hang in there.  I do not want surgery unless that is my only option.  PT, MRI, Orthopaedics, Chiropractics, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Alexander Technique… I am open to all of these right now.

People I care about and respect have given me very good advice.  I’m just trying to figure out how to proceed now.  The first step is, as I mentioned before, to see if what I’m feeling is normal or abnormal for my condition.  My PT that I saw back in Jan/Feb said that my back pain would increase before it got better, but I had hoped I was past that point as I did feel like I was getting better for a while.  I left her a voice mail and hopefully will get her feedback later today.

The upshot is my legs aren’t too bad.  I’m getting occasional twinges of pain in each leg, but they usually go away in short order.  The other day it took a while to get the pain cleared up.

Paying very close attention to posture today and continuing my exercises.  I’ve reverted to the most basic exercises I was taught because the more advanced ones are causing me too much pain right now.

Who Watches the WatchNuts?

 source

Like I needed something ELSE from Apple to drool over…

Axiotron Modbook Tablet

Wednesday

Overcast and cloudy this morning.  Temperarature in the upper 30s.  Not overly tired despite once again waking up at 4am.

Back still problematic.  Last night I had a very poor sense of balance and the pain caused me to react to non-irritating situations with a very irritated manner.  I took myself out of the equation for the evening, lying on the floor with a heating pad.  My wife (God bless her heart for all eternity) allowed this and continues to support me through this torture.  This morning I’m stiff and having flashes of pain in my legs. 

Today I have a slew of meetings.  Yesterday was very productive so hopefully that can absorb the amount of productivity (or lack thereof) that will come from today.

Game 2 (BOS v OAK)

Saw just a little bit this morning as I was running late.  It was 1-0 Oakland in the top of the 3rd when I left for work.  It’s 4-1 Oakland right now.

9:11 AM – Not much to say, Oakland wins 5-1.  Both teams head back to the states.  Boston plays a rare “in-season” exhibition game against the Dodgers (which even though it’s in an NL park they will use DHs) before concluding their series in Oakland.

Opening Day (sort of)

The Red Sox and Athletics kicked off the season this morning at 6:30 Eastern time in Tokyo. Got a chance to see an inning or two this morning.  Dice-K looked shaky at first and Oakland went up 2-0.  He seems to have settled down and Boston currently leads 3-2 in the bottom of the 6th.

 Brandon Moss is playing RF instead of JD Drew.

 8:24AM – Jack Hannahan homered off of Kyle Snyder to put Oakland back on top 4-3.

8:33AM – Just learned that Drew was scratched due to stiffness in his lower back (of course I just picked him up yesterday in fantasy baseball, so it’s my fault) which I can relate to.

8:57 AM – Brandon Moss just homered with one out in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 4 apiece.

9:29 AM – Manny just doubled in Lugo and Ortiz… 6-4 Boston in the top of the 10th.

9:53 AM – The game is in the books… Boston 6, Oakland 5.  161 more games to go.

Back degrading?

Ended up taking a Flexoril last night (muscle relaxant) which knocked me out pretty good.  This morning I’m in some measurable pain, but nothing down my legs, which is fortunate.  What concerns me is that I’m starting to experience more and more the symptoms that occurred when I first injured my back, namely my legs want to go one way and my torso and upper body want to go another way.  My brother in law (a doctor) thinks I should get an MRI.  I’m on the fence about that.  I don’t know how much our insurance would cover that and I ultimately don’t know what good it would do.

Boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics

http://www.petitiononline.com/pbbo01/petition.html