Out of Place

Ever since the late stages of pregnancy, my back has been giving me trouble in one way or another. At the end of my pregnancy, it felt like my lower-back/spine was compressed, and I couldn't get it to feel right.

When Aiden was 3-weeks-old, I had a really bad scare with a strained upper-back and ended up in the ER. At first, I wasn't sure what was going on, because all of the sudden I was feeling a burning sensation in my back, I was throwing up, and I could barely breathe. The pain was intense and unrelenting for at least 30 minutes. It was the worst pain of my life, even worse than labor! At one point, I actually called 911 (for the first time ever), because I was alone, and could barely move. I was fearful for not only myself, but for Aiden. I didn't want anything to happen to him if something truly was wrong with me. I'm not a dramatic person by any means, so for me to even consider calling 911, it has to be bad.

After a while, the pain began to ebb-and-flow, which made me realize it was back spasms, and not something worse. I still went to the ER to make sure nothing else was going on, but that's what they deemed to be the cause of my pain, as well. I've had 3 other very intense spasm episodes, but I've been able to keep it in check a little better lately.

 

Let's just say that taking care of an infant with a bad back can be quite a challenge. For the first few months of his life, I was very hesitant to take him anywhere by myself in case I had more spasms. And it took me about 3 months to feel confident enough to take him out on my own.

Fast forward to last week, and suddenly my lower back is causing me problems again. It feels like I need to pop, or stretch, but I just can't get it loosened up. Sometimes I end up walking like an elderly person, or hunched over because it's so tight and compressed. Whenever I walk up stairs, or roll over in bed, I can feel something click. That... can't be good.

It's been suggested to me that I visit a chiropractor. There are few things in life that freak me out, but the popping of bones and joints is one of them. I wonder if my nerves would prevent me from reaping the full benefit of an adjustment. 

I just know I need to do something. It's preventing me from being able to exercise as much as I want to, get out as much as I want to, and babywear as much as I want to. It's just getting in the way of my LIFE. I'm over it.