Monday & Tuesday 30 & 31 July 2007: Sarah's good deed ends her up in the hospital and feeling angry at herself and her back..

Sarah says:
Gotta be fast here because I can't sit for long thanks to my helping an old woman who fell on the ground yesterday. I did what anyone would do - I lifted her to safety without thinking about my back. She was hurt and in danger and I was there. It was on the second lift when I had to get her up from the curb that I felt something in my back. I could walk and everything - no pain there - but I could feel the area of my back where I have the prostheses (L5-S1) swelling up and getting sort of stuck. I called my doctor and he said to go home and lie down and take a heavy pain-killer - de-sweller. I did that and had a rough night. Plus I just felt panicked inside and angry at myself - hoping I haven't gone back to how I was pre-back operation.

Anyway - this morning I woke up completely stiff after a really bad night of little sleep and I went to the hospital. The X-rays show that my prosthesis is fine and in place - totally unaffected by the lifting. What we don't know is if I tore a muscle in the meantime or strained the disc above the prosthesis. Time will tell. I have to rest for one week straight so everything can heal up properly just in case and I have to take pain killers this week.

I am most likely totally fine and have the same sort of pain reaction anyone even with a good back might have to picking up a heavy old woman from street level to standing level. Because I had a back operation only 7 months ago, I am of course paranoid and so very afraid of any sort of back pain as I have been pain free since the operation and loving it and revelling in it!

I will be pain free again I am sure as no damage was done to the prosthesis! It may take a week or two or three but then I'll be fine. Knock on freaking wood, I will be fine! I have to be!

This totally sucks because it hurts, makes me scared and makes me angry at myself. I know I should not have lifted that woman up 7 months after heavy back surgery. I should never lift anything heavy again in my whole life thanks to the back surgery! I know! know! But when someone is in need, you help them. I was the stronger one at that split second and I did what anyone would do - what had to be done. I would probably do it again. Or maybe now that this happened I really would know better...

Anyway - I have to get over that part of all this. What's done is done. I just have to rest up now and make sure I heal. I missed Face The Day yesterday as you can see from today's title - combining both dates... And I may miss a couple of days more -- depending on how I am feeling and how long I can sit, etcetera... Heidi gets back today so maybe she'll keep this up if I can't or maybe Face The Day will have a little holiday! We'll see! Let's hope I am feeling fine and you see me back here as soon as tomorrow!

The moral of this story is: Ask for help if at all possible before picking someone heavy off of the ground... and rest when something hurts....