Days of Painreturning from a double bout of nerve pain
As family and a number of clients already know, I’ve spent a little more than the last two weeks bedridden, due to a relapse of a recurring issue with nerves in my lower spine. I was entirely out of comms for several of those days, and spent the rest limited to phone and tablet, when I could find a pain-free position on my side.
The computing-in-bed setup friends were so helpful in establishing for me the last time largely fell through, since I couldn’t lay on my back. As a result, practice, projects, writing stalled out.
I was able to sit up without pain for the first time yesterday, and have been able to sit at the computer and unblock some deals and deliverables in fifteen-minute stints today. I’m cautiously optimistic that it’s all improvement from here out. I’m off the meds, and have restarted the physical therapy recuperation exercises from my last recovery. A close friend was kind enough to move a proper office chair into my apartment, and to offer some much needed encouragement to revisit my work from home accommodations, largely unchanged since the first months of the pandemic.
Perhaps I’ll find it in me someday to write publicly about these experiences. The pain and isolation. The capricious drugs. The decision to forego opioid medications. The sleep deprivation. None of this will be helped by my utter inability to remember the worst days from anything like a first-person point of view. That’s part of it.
For now I can only thank all the folks who’ve helped me during recovery, as well as the many more who’ve offered. I might be made of stale potato sticks, but I’m blessed with exceptional family, neighbors, and friends. You know who you are, and I love you.
Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome by e-mail.