Ok, I'll admit this right up front. I'm a lousy patient. I've never been good at following "doctor's orders". After all, it's my body and I know how it feels, right? I have frustrated and even outright pissed off more than one doctor in my life. But it's always worked for me.
This time however I have been following the doctor's instructions regarding my current situation with my back. I really haven't had a lot of choice anyway as it's been bad enough to prevent me from doing as I please. I've been taking my pills (I hate pills), I've been taking steaming hot showers, allowing the hot water to soak on my back for a good long while, several times a day (warm, moist heat). I've been applying ice packs periodically (I really hate that bit as I can't stand cold). And I've been alternating between lying down, sitting up, and walking around a bit as instructed.
All of this, combined with that most simple of concepts of allowing time enough for the body to heal itself (which it's actually very good at doing) is starting to pay off. I was actually able to sleep for 10 full hours lasat night. Up to now the back pain has been driving out of the bed at some pretty unGodly hours. Well, the two beers I drank with the meds last night may have contributed to that (can't completely follow the doc's orders ya know).
I finally woke this morning, around 10:00 actually feeling like I'd had some rest for the first time in almost two weeks. While the back is still gurting like the blazes, I the rest alone has me feeling much better than I have since the injury. And it's such a small change that I can't be sure, but I think maybe the back is even feeling a tiny bit better. As crude as this is, and I apologize for now for even bringing it up, I was actually able to wipe my arse after using the bathroom this morning without a lot of excruciating pain. Sure, it still hurt like hell, but I was able to do it without actual tears in my eyes. That's one of those little details many people who've never suffered from a severe back problem never think about. The simple act of reaching around to wipe your arse can be a painful and nearly impossible task and is another contributing reason for the frequent showers during the day. I hate the idea that my backside may not be completely clean as it were.
My walk to the lobby for my morning coffee was still a painful shuffling affair, but it didn't seem quite so bad this morning. Like I said, the difference is small yet, but I do think that maybe things are starting to heal a bit, even if a lot slower than I am used to. I must be getting old as my body used to heal itself at a rate that often even amazed the doctros.
In the past most of my cuts, breaks, and assorted other injuries have often healed in a matter of days or weeks instead of the weeks or months that the doctors have normally expected. I guess age is starting to take it's toll on that little physiological talent. Of course not taking proper care of myself, and outright abusing my body, likely has a lot to do with that as well.
I guess I am going to go against my normal stubborn, hard-headed nature and actually follow the doctor's instructions for the time being. I can't afford to screw around and drag this thing out longer than necessary. I really want and need to get back to work as soon as possible if for no other reason than my sanity. If I actually liked laying around in one place for so long I wouldn't have given up my engineering career for trucking in the first place.
Today I am going to spend part of my time streamlining my fresh Slackware install and playing around with some creative uses for this new little portable hard drive I bought yesterday. I'm thinking I may install a good system rescue Linux system on it. They come in handy helping to restore people's Windows machines when they totally screw up ( a small source of side income for me at many truck stops). I'm also going to forego trying to knit that sock until I am off the drugs. That yarn is just too small to work with properly in my current drugged state. I'm thinking I'll knit a nice hat or something. I've been wanting to do one anyway and since it would be larger yarn and needles I can maybe pull that off drugged or not. If not, it'll be an interesting looking thing anyway. LOL I should be able to finish a hat in a couple of days and I know I'll be here at least that much longer (sadly probably more the way things are going).
But hey, a little improvement this morning is a good sign. Right? All I have to do now is resist my normal urge to do something stupid to set things back again.