Member-only story
MY LIFE
Sciatica Sucks — Avoiding the Self-Pity Party
The road goes ever on and on.
Now that I know I have sciatica, I have to figure out how to live with it. I’m on the second day of my tapering dose of steroids (Only five pills today. Waah!), and I have to wait until Monday to schedule physical therapy.
Meanwhile, the world doesn’t stop just because one-sixth of my body hurts. The cat still needs to be fed. The dishes still need to be washed. My laundry still needs to be done, my house still needs to be tidied — and I still need to work my day-job with a minimum of squirming in my chair and getting up multiple times an hour to walk around aimlessly so my knee or hip will stop hurting for a few moments.
This morning I did the breakfast dishes and wanted to give myself a gold star for washing all of them in one go, instead of leaving some for later. I can’t go through the rest of my life congratulating myself for doing normal things. I’m sure I won’t, but the fact that I am thinking that way at all annoys me.
Maybe it’s just part of getting used to this (I hope) temporary situation, a coping tool of sorts, to cheer myself on so I can keep moving forward.
At this rate I don’t know how I’m going to manage work, church, Eastern Star, voice lessons, or anything other than lying in bed in my pajamas. It’s not that the pain is bad. I’m not in constant tears, so it doesn’t hurt as badly as a migraine does.
It’s the constant need to stop what I’m doing and shift my position, rest, or move about. I can still do things, but it takes me a lot longer, and it’s more difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. Even writing this story, I’ve taken several breaks already.
My treatment plan for myself going forward is:
- Use a BeActive Plus knee brace. (Hurray for Amazon!)
- Do six weeks of physical therapy three times a week.
- See a chiropractor if the physical therapy doesn’t help.
Looking for advice
Do any of you out there have advice on how to live with this? I don’t plan to curl into a ball and stay home all the time. I want to go out and still do things. I’m not ready for a walker yet. If you suffer from sciatica, how do you deal with daily living? I’m looking for any advice I can get, and my thanks to you.
