How Amazing This Pain Truly Is

It's 2:30 a.m., and this day seems as if it will never end! Just one of 'those' days.

I really need some good sleep and some time on the heating pad. I wish so much for a laptop so I could do so much more writing with the help of that heat and in a better position. I think this 'ergonomic' chair is not so friendly anymore. As a commenter said, it is so imperative to take those needed breaks. And in my reply, I wondered: "But what if those breaks are not to be found?" Ah, a true dilemma!

What do we, those with pain in our lives every day; do when the actual time that we know we need to be taking a break is not there? I think I found an answer. Like so much in the life of a chronic pain person, we FIND WAYS to deal with it, we are innovative, and we are smart.

You can find me in stores sometimes, literally hanging at the waist, not only to look at the products on the bottom shelves, (as my knees with 2 surgeries and arthritis have gone out for squatting long ago), but also just to get my body in whatever position I can, in whatever place I am, into anything that will take the pressure off my back. My freind laughs at me, but with sadness at the same time when I do that, knowing how much pain I must be in. I just have to laugh along with her, knowing that I look odd, but anyone that really knows me knows that I don't care one bit what anyone thinks.

What I'm trying to spit out here, is that wherever we find ourselves in pain, there is a way to relieve it-- just a bit at the least, by changing our body position. This may not be true for all of course, nothing is, as we all have our spots and places that hurt the most, or different ways of hurting.

When I was waiting for my meds the other night, I had two pillows I'd found on sale, put them on the pharmacy counter, and had my head on them, with my back in a swayed position. With Spinal Stenosis, there is no one way, flexing or extending, that will take the pressure off my spine. Having finally found the perfect analogy for my pain when watching a Discovery program the other night, (that is my next post), I realized that I am in quite a quandary when the pain hits, and I am not at home, have no place to actually lie down, (which doesn't always do as much good as many people think), and have no one with me to apply pressure that may help for a time.

So I stood there, my head down on the pillows on the counter, my butt back as far as possible, and my back flexed as far down as I could. Then extend. Then flex. I was doing a form of "Pharmacy Counter Pillow Yoga"!! The 'Cat' revised. Along with the hair hanging down while I stand in the aisles and hang at the waist, I must make quite the comedy show for the ever-watchful security cameras. No, I'm not stealing. I'm hurting. But they'd never know it I imagine, to watch me.

I sit here now, with my back in spasms, and we know that spasms follow pain, and pain follows spasms. So what do I do? Get into bed!! I'm finally in a place and a time when I can rest and do some good for my body.

We all must practice good body mechanics when we can. SO much easier said than done! But when possible, out in the world, away from your place and position you know is the ultimate BEST for your pain, try and experiment with different body postures. It does help, if even for a moment.

And a moment of no pain is better than one with it.

You'll find me in the aisles...the lady with her long hair hanging down, bent at the waist, just trying to achieve a moment of relief. And after decades of having pain, I still marvel....

How amazing this pain truly is!!