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Noidannuoli
26 Dec 2021 05:08 pmAll the stuff I read about what I now know is called lumbago in English (I knew the word, but I just assumed it was a weird old-timey thing)... suggests the worst is over after three days. I was really looking forward to that, and for the most part I was feeling better yesterday, until this morning I got another spasm when getting out of bed to give Snookums his insulin shot. And this was day 5! I hope I don't have to start counting again.
I have been trying to lie down or stand up rather than sit (apparently you're supposed to avoid putting pressure on your buttocks because they're full of trigger points for further cramping), but it's a BIT hard to keep moving religiously on your vacation days through the darkest and coldest part of the year. I mean, I'm not staying in bed, but I'm not doing any extended walking around activites like I would be at work either. It's really difficult not to put pressure on your buttocks! I gave up on eating standing up and tried to eat reclining, but I sort of fudged the definition. And right now I'm kneeling in front of the computer, with the keyboard on the sofa, but even kneeling is problematic. My knees are genetically predisposed to resent pressure, and I usually don't avoid kneeling, I just make sure to shift position to remove the pressure from them quickly and/or frequently.
Overall, I'm not enjoying this lumbago, but I've got to admit that it could be a lot worse. The actual moment of spasm - which is why it's called "witch's shot" in German, and used to be in Swedish, apparently, and is still "witch's arrow" in Finnish - is different from any other spasm I've felt, and like... different enough that it's hard to exactly rate on a pain scale, because the weird part of the sensation (because of the spasming I guess) is mixed in with it. The pain starts a second later and then it really hits its stride of course, like a cramp in the foot or leg, which are more familiar to me, but the region covered is larger. The aching and sensitivity after the initial stabbing feeling is more easily compared to menstrual cramps, but not to the worst ones I've experienced... it's just that the affected area is larger, and that's much more inconvenient. Also it's lasted for longer now.
I have been trying to lie down or stand up rather than sit (apparently you're supposed to avoid putting pressure on your buttocks because they're full of trigger points for further cramping), but it's a BIT hard to keep moving religiously on your vacation days through the darkest and coldest part of the year. I mean, I'm not staying in bed, but I'm not doing any extended walking around activites like I would be at work either. It's really difficult not to put pressure on your buttocks! I gave up on eating standing up and tried to eat reclining, but I sort of fudged the definition. And right now I'm kneeling in front of the computer, with the keyboard on the sofa, but even kneeling is problematic. My knees are genetically predisposed to resent pressure, and I usually don't avoid kneeling, I just make sure to shift position to remove the pressure from them quickly and/or frequently.
Overall, I'm not enjoying this lumbago, but I've got to admit that it could be a lot worse. The actual moment of spasm - which is why it's called "witch's shot" in German, and used to be in Swedish, apparently, and is still "witch's arrow" in Finnish - is different from any other spasm I've felt, and like... different enough that it's hard to exactly rate on a pain scale, because the weird part of the sensation (because of the spasming I guess) is mixed in with it. The pain starts a second later and then it really hits its stride of course, like a cramp in the foot or leg, which are more familiar to me, but the region covered is larger. The aching and sensitivity after the initial stabbing feeling is more easily compared to menstrual cramps, but not to the worst ones I've experienced... it's just that the affected area is larger, and that's much more inconvenient. Also it's lasted for longer now.
