You're Only As...

...old as you feel.

If that's the case, I feel my age odometer should be rolling over to a starting digit higher than a "4" next week!

My lower back was totally out of whack this morning. Last night, I recall a twist/turn that made me think "uh, that didn't feel so good".. but slipped off to la-la land in not so typically quick fashion.  When I got up for a 3:30am bathroom trip (another not terribly positive sign of aging), I knew something was definitely awry.  I could tell my back was gone, but I managed to hobble back to bed... though there was not much more sleep to be had prior to our usual 5:30am weekday wake-up call.

This back problem has happened before (and I am sure I've blogged about it).  As usual, it comes with no warning. I go to bed feeling perfectly fine and wake up in pathetic shape.  Getting out of bed the second time proved much more difficult than the first.  I literally had to roll out of bed and once I got upright my back... oh boy!  The best way I can describe it is imagining your back is a stretched out accordion... and that it's all crunched together... and it just all seizes up causing me to uncontrollably make funny sounds and breathe like a woman in labor.  While the pain and seizing is centered in the lower back, there is also pain (more soreness) radiating down my butt and legs.  Pretty much my lower half is a mess...and, let me tell you, it's not so easy putting on a pair of shorts either!   

I am glad Todd missed the "getting up" part.  While I am sure there are amusing aspects, it was not pretty... well, okay it was pretty... pretty embarrassing!   He did witness an "episode" or two (or three) before he left and was nice enough to feed the dogs before he left for work (since Toby likes to take his time eating and is highly distract-able, I don't feed the pups until after he's left), so I wouldn't have the bend down or crouch.

Just like a head cold, where you have a renewed appreciation of breathing... these times with my back, make me realize how important those back muscles are to just about any kind of movement that you just normally take for granted.

Things have improved slightly.  I have been putting a heat pack on it and moving around is proving to be better than laying down or resting (that's probably why the second time out of bed was worse than the first, everything tightened up again).

Should be interesting tonight, we are due to go to Game 1 of the NLCS between the Dbacks and Rockies tonight.  It's our one playoff game in Todd's office group split tix, so I am determined to make it!   While I doubt I will be 100%, I am thinking it should be manageable by later this afternoon... the fun part will be sleeping and starting over again tomorrow!

On the bright side, I am glad that it happened today.  Besides being the "big day"... this time next week we'll be on our way to Vegas and I can't imagine six hours in a car would be the ideal scenario for my back.

(Note: Of course, that picture is of me... been really hitting the arms and back at the gym <g>!)