Dammed If I Do and Dammed If I Don't

Yes, I recently took a little trip by ambulance to the Western Wake Emergency Room.

This is what led up to the trip.

Had a big training week for my marathon - 38 miles.  I may have gone a little overboard.  I was trying to make up for partying and not training Labor Day weekend.  The weather had turned and it was so nice the mileage felt good, but my chronic back pain reared it's ugly head.

Origination of back injury -  I was the lucky recipient sophomore year in college of the top bunk.  I took an accidental tumble out one night ( I would guess no specifics required).  I lacerated my chest and bruised myself a little.  I went to basketball practice anyway and favored that side of me.  Weirdly, it kind of threw my back out and it has never been the same. So it's a weak spot that occasionally flares up and I've seen a chiropractor for years to maintain a relatively healthy back.

So some needed R&R timed itself perfectly with a planned little getaway to the beach with my tennis buddies.  We left Saturday, played a little tennis on Sunday, and enjoyed some mimosa's on the beach Sunday afternoon.  The mimosa's led to some unbelievably great buzzed boogie boarding that I definitely regretted later that night - little more ouchie but still seemed worth it at the time.

Ran an easy 6 miles Monday, dealt with a head cold Tuesday, played a singles match against a girl still in her baby making years Wednesday (lost in 3rd set tiebreaker on hard courts) - woke up and was definitely feeling a little more ouchie.  Took an ibuprofen, powered up and met my team for another match on Thursday am.  Courts very slippery and ended up taking nice fall (opponent said it looked like I did a push up when falling) and then slipped again in the mud at back of court.  This was the straw that literally broke the camels back. 

By nighttime, I had to be helped into bed.  By the 4:10 am potty break I passed out on way back to bed from pain; slept for awhile in fetal position by bed where I landed after first pass out; tried getting up and passed out again.  At this point, standing was not an option and that's when 911 and ambulance were called into action.  Basically, the verdict was muscular nothing broken and not much to do for me but manage the pain. 

I spent this past weekend very doped up in need of bib to catch my drooling.  I slept a lot.  I don't remember much.  I went to the Back Institute in Cary and they verified what had already been stated - muscular pain - manage the pain, but don't stop doing what I want to do.  There's a part of me that is celebrating the great news and another part that is incredulous that there is not a more intense reason for my pain.  Back spasms hurt that is for sure.

So that's it.  They said run, play tennis, keep going.  I said that I actually felt other things hurting even though I hadn't done anything in a few days.  The female physician assistant said, "yes, sometimes the less you do the more you hurt".

If you're like me there's a new ache or pain that I could complain about everyday, but I'm going to continue to be active and ignore them and I've been given the green light by medical professionals to do just that.  Soldier on.  Power Up.  Join me -  and maybe keep some prescripton drugs handy for emergencies and no I'm not sharing so don't ask.