Sciatic pain: How to tame the backside pains

I know this has nothing to do with Fall or autumn, but I needed to get this out. I needed you guys to know why I have MIA on posting days. Just sharing about how my sciatic pain effed up my life for the past couple of months. There are good days and bad days. I appreciate your understanding.

What happened while in New Jersey?

It has been a rough couple of months. I didn’t really talk about my trip to New Jersey. I did enjoy hanging out with my cousin Debbie, but we didn’t really get to do much since she had to work. Still had a blast and miss her like crazy.

Yet, my last 4 days in Jersey really effin sucked. It was worse because when I went to walk up the stairs to talk to my cousin. I was stopped on the third step by a very sharp pain that went up the back of both of my thighs across my lower back. It hurt so bad, I was frozen against the wall for a few minutes.

I was a little sore that night but was able to walk around. My cousin decided she was going to take me to New York City the next day. I was so excited. It was the only thing on my list I wanted to do. For the second time in my life, I wasn’t able to go. The first was back in June 2018 when we took our first vacation together to Massachusetts. On our way home Mike and I did not want to drive our car through the city. It was a tough decision but we made it.

The sciatic pain came later

While laying in bed I was awoken by extreme pain in my left leg. A pain I have never felt before in my life. My left butt cheek hurt down to my ankle. It felt like my leg was going to cramp and get a charlie horse, but it never actually cramped. No matter what I did I couldn’t get comfortable. I was balling my eyes out in pain, sweating, and out of breath.

Woke up at 4a and laid there in pain until 6a. I called my cousin on the phone since I was downstairs and she was upstairs, I woke her up and told her I need to go to the ER. I needed to do something the pain would not go away. It did not even occur to me it was sciatic pain. I have never had it before. I don’t wish it on my worse enemies.

The freakout

Debbie is the one who told me it sounded like sciatic pain. She also told me that if she took me to the ER. They would think I was some pill junkie trying to get pills in New Jersey because I couldn’t in Florida. I thought that was crazy… I am in EFFIN pain. She said she could call her doctor’s office at 9a to get me an appointment.

What was I to do for 3 hours in EXTREME pain? I somehow managed to fall asleep. I called the office and they said they couldn’t get me in until 1p, but to be here at 12:30 to fill out paperwork. So I had to wait another 3 HOURS… I don’t know how but I managed to fall asleep again on the living room couch.

I was in so much pain sitting in the car and walking to the office from the car, I had to take 3 breaks to catch my breath because the pain was so bad. When trying to fill out the paperwork I had to toss it to my cousin. I couldn’t pay attention to fill it out. I was slightly rude to my cousin, but it was only because I was in pain. Somehow I got that finished.

The worse Nurse ever…

What made me so mad is that I was in so much pain I was gripping the chair rails so hard it left imprints on my hand. The doctor’s office let me sit there for almost an hour and a half. The nurse opens the door and says to me “What is your name Hun?” I said “Michele”. She replied, “Oh yeah, I was supposed to call you”. That annoyed me, but I ignored it.

I didn’t ignore the next part and let the nurse have it. She brought me into a room to check my vitals and my weight. You know all that good stuff. Yet, she doesn’t tell me where she wants me and I am in pain. So, I hunch over the bed/table out of breath and the nurse says to me…

“If you are in that much pain Hun, maybe you should go to the ER”. I replied, “I am not from here, I go where my cousin takes me. She thought I should come here, So I am here”.

She replies “Well I need to weigh you and I cant do it if you are leaning there”. I replied, “Tell me where you want me and what you want me to do, and I will do it”. She then says “are you sure you can, if not please go to the ER”. I replied so mad and with an attitude “Again I am not from here, I am not going anywhere else. Tell me where you want me and I will do it”

The bright side

After finally dealing with the nurse they put me in a room where somehow I got comfortable on the table and was barely having any pain. A part that makes me laugh now was when the doctor came in to confirm what the student doctor had said. That it was sciatic pain. The doctor comes over and lifts my left leg up. I started screaming “PUT IT DOWN, PUT IT DOWN, PUT IT DOWN”

I also got interrogated by the doctor. Why was I here? Not in the office, but why I was in Jersey. I told him I was visiting my cousin. He asked for her name, and I told him. He asked why I was visiting her, how long was I here for, when was I leaving, and what date did I get to Jersey?

The Doctor was grilling me and it hit me. He is trying to see if I am a pill junkie. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. He at least gave me some pills to help me get back to Florida. I spent my last 4 days in Jersey in bed in pain.

Is it just me or does muscle relaxers not work only makes me sleepy…
-Michele Our Redonkulous Life

I could feel my muscles spasming down my leg, but nothing ever helped it.

Time to go home

When it came time for me to go to the airport I needed wheelchair assistance and it annoyed the shit out of me. I am in the mindset of I can walk, I can do this myself. My brain is saying one thing and my body is saying another. My body is saying NO YOU CAN’T YOU DUMB %#@&!… I was so stoked I made it home in no pain. The flight was good. I was so excited to see Mike!

I have been laid up ever since I got home on October 8^th.

YouTube helped with sciatic pain

What really helped my sciatic pain were these videos I walked on YouTube. It was a channel called Bob & Brad. They are the most famous physical therapists on YouTube in their opinion… hahaha. I watched a lot of their videos and started doing the stretches they talked about multiple times a day. I used a heating pad and frozen chickpeas when rotating hot and cold compresses.

Here we are over a month later and in the last 2 weeks, I have been really getting around and moving. After a while of walking, I start getting pain in my left butt cheek and the side of my knee. So I will sit for a bit and then continue on with my day.

Sciatic pain slowly getting better

Now that I am walking better I am pushing myself a little bit longer each day and trying to limit my sitting. Making sure I am up every hour walking. It sucks that is how my trip ended, but I still had a good time. Still pissed about New York though. We’re gonna make it a separate trip of its own. As I have said before I just want to fulfill my 15-year-old self’s dreams.

Dealing with this and also the anniversary of my mother’s death.

Have you ever had to deal with sciatic pain? If so how did you handle it?

Until next time, have a great day!