“Listen honey…I learned over the last couple years that when our bodies start to breakdown…we have to pay attention. … I appreciate you being concerned about me but I am good. We got time. But what will make me happy is for you to take care of you. (smiley)
This was the fifth message in an exchange I had with a student in my online course recently, as I had to reschedule our office hours while I tended to physical-therapy possibilities for my back injury. I had reached out to meet with her via Zoom or phone the next day.
I think my favorite part is the “Listen, honey…” Some in my ‘business’ would be startled at the familiarity, perhaps even offended. I receive it as connection, welcome into a community of care. I’ll take it.
I’ve not ever injured myself in quite this way before, and the professional word I received today is hopeful, ultimately uneventful. Tweaks to the L1-L2 lower back take a long time to heal–21-30 days, he thought?--but I didn’t do anything irreversible to my poor body. I learned you can’t coach and lift at the same time, of course. Respect the bar, even if you’ve done it multiple times before: focus, ground, prepare quads, core, lower rib cage, activate lats, take a deep breath, hinge at the hips, lift.
Yeah. Didn’t do that. Except the last thing, lift, which was dumb.
So I’m into Day Four of couch-surfing with the heating-massager-pad, rehydrating amidst the prescription-strength ibuprofen and the muscle-relaxant, trying to keep my anxiety at bay for how slowly this seems to be healing. Which is why the second physical therapy appointment this morning was so helpful. I got a much better anticipation-map of what will happen–rise of inflammation up to 7 days (hopefully mitigated somewhat by early PT methods of dry needling and cupping), then easing of inflammation and gentle recovery-healing within the body. Returning to light movements within 14-21 days. That I had actually met the therapist before–at my most recent CF box–was a nice Spirit-touch. He is also no longer at that box, and he was so very helpful for setting my expectations.
Which brings me to rest and my student’s words: “When our bodies start to break down…” It has been a rather rough fall season for my body. Allergies into cold in late-ish September, into bad bronchitis on the cruise, recovery at home for nearly two weeks. Ramp-up for the big celebration this past weekend, then finally, into the new season this week, “after all that.” Bam! Back on the couch, for the foreseeable future.
I’ve been saying for weeks, if not months now, that I’m hearing a call to slow down, move into stillness, retract into Silence (post-election fury). Admittedly, I’m not very good at that, nor arguing for it in my own home shared with a “billable-hours attorney” guy (beloved as he is).
Maybe all this has been about getting the help I need to do this Work of Silence…? Forced rest is somethin’ anyway…
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