Update

Well, I had a setback on Wednesday, after progressing so well. Not sure what caused the relapse, but I hurt. My PT could only do "voodoo therapy," as I called it: electronic stimulation, ultrasound, some kind of special funky kinesiological? tape.

Today my pain/rehab doctor said it would be at least 2 more weeks before I was really up and about. I could've herniated a disk in my low spine but she won't do an MRI until I can lay flat for 45 minutes, which is a long way off (I'm knees-up-on-a-pillow now). The treatment, she says, is the same for now: better drugs, a brace, lots of rest.

(There's a joke in there somewhere: what do I have in common with a professional athlete? Special tape and steroids!)

Which in her book is getting up about 4 times a day. My parents are here another week (for which I am grateful beyond words), which means I'll have to ask friends and church for help during the second week (for now, we're hoping Mama can take the kids to school since I can't sit much less drive). She says to arrange that now so I don't worry (thanks to my friends who have already volunteered--I'm afraid I'll be taking you up on it). That would be the first week of school. I'm trying not to be very very upset by this turn of events. And so I've started reading Jon Kabat-Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living (finally, Mama would say), about dealing with the stress of pain through mindfulness and meditation.

(And it's not enough that it's my back, mind you: we said goodbye to Babysitter on Tuesday and school starts for the kids in a week. On top of that, I found a lump in my hip which they ultrasounded yesterday to rule out awful things. It was luckily only a lypoma, or hard fat deposit. Just what I needed.)

See, Mama got me this lap desk thing today to hold books or the computer. I couldn't even hold up a magazine before and typing on my Android which I held up in the air was hard. And it helps me type more easily, though it's still difficult. So, I won't be blogging a lot but at least I can a bit. It helps occupy my mind. (Though, I'm loving the new Cooking TV channel, even if it makes me long to bake and blog about recipes. Sis watched with me today, which was a nice and recently rare together moment. I'm so boring and frustrating and probably a bit worrisome to the kids. But we had another together moment: we watched the original Star Wars together for rest time yesterday and they loved Chewbacca, the destruction of the Death Star, and "C-P03." It was my all-time favorite childhood movie, up there with Gone with the Wind, taking over my life when I was just 6ish so it was fun to introduce them to it. I mean, I call my Droid, "R2-D2!" Even if no one like Princess Leia as much as I did! Gommie and Pop even got a nap while the kids and I watched. And found themselves buying SW toys for the second generation today!).

I like my doctor. She told me not to be discouraged, that I'd get back to "jumping rope with the kids," that nothing I did caused this so not to look for the trigger or blame myself unnecessarily. It's just what I needed to hear. Because it's hard enough dealing with the here and now without worrying about the past and future.

So, thanks for thoughts, prayers, comments, calls, and email: they are all so appreciated. Keep'em coming.