#173: An Unexpected Sunday

Life has a way of intervening when least you expect.

I rarely ask for help but I sure had to on Sunday when things turned rather topsy-turvy for me. Let me explain.

I’ve always been a hard worker. I love challenges for example, nine years of managing a one-day festival for 1600 people, leading multi-day pie camps with 14-hour long days for me, writing three published books in four years, catering my son’s 3-day wedding…well, I’m sure you get the idea. In one position that I held for about ten years, it was known that if you were to give me a project, I would complete it and give it back to you, not on a silver platter, but on a platinum platter with extras, too. I also have a relatively high pain threshold which, added in to the mix, may not be the best combination.

About two weeks ago I tweaked my back out kinda badly. The pain was like a white hot searing explosion. I iced it, used my heated shiatsu ball massage unit, and did mild stretching. As long as I did nothing, it eased a bit. But, over the course of a week, I tweaked it out at least five more times, feeling that searing pain, doing basic things like just getting up out of chair or feeding GP.

On Sunday, a virtual pie making class was on my docket. Working slowly and carefully the night before, I got everything laid out and set up for the session, took some ibuprofen, and went to bed hoping I could sleep and be able to teach. I did get some sleep, at least until 3:30AM when no position I tried worked. I dozed fitfully off and on and, when morning rolled around, was exhausted. I tried standing at the teaching counter and found that I was unable to last about 3-minutes before needing to lay down. There were 49 people registered in a session that was to begin in one hour and I really didn’t want to cancel it. What the heck was I going to do?

I knew Duncan & Olivia were up as Kira had been over to visit me already. I hobbled over to their house, got myself to their open back door, and called out, “I need help.” Immediately they got up to find out what was going on. I explained that my back was giving me intense pain, I had an online class in one hour, didn’t think I could teach it, and asked D if he could. Without missing a beat, he said “Sure.” I noticed that the shirt he had on that day was the pie makers’ math joke I ate some pie, too. Perfect!

D has baked along with me since he was just a little guy and prior to the Covid shutdown was my numero uno Pie Camp counselor for multi-day sessions. He taught in-person Art of the Pie Day Camp workshops for me, too, but he had never led an online session. I told him to go slow, ask if people had questions or needed more time as they baked along with him, and to use plenty of descriptions of what the dough felt like as they would not be able to feel his dough or he theirs. I told him that I would hang out on the couch and if there was something he couldn’t answer, I would.

Duncan teaching his first virtual class. He did great!

A little over an hour into the session, my pain level had gone way up. I retreated to my bedroom, took more OTC drugs hoping to get some relief which unfortunately didn’t happen. I was shaking and crying with the pain. I got up and walked back out. O was there now and, seeing what condition I was in, asked me if I wanted to go to ER. I said Yes! leaving D to complete the session on his own which he was more than capably handling.

ER on a Sunday, I am told, is not as busy as it is on a weekday, even still it was a long six hours. With O at my side, I checked in, saw the triage nurse who took info, blood pressure which was elevated because of pain, and then was sent back out to wait. The pain was of the shaking variety again so I lay down. When the x-ray tech came to get me, I started to walk with her but my legs felt like they were going to buckle and she got me into a wheel chair immediately. After X-rays, I was offered warm blankets and she put one around my shoulders and another over my lap. Then it was back to the waiting room. They brought me out a pillow and later ice chips, too. D showed up and now the three of us waited. After another hour, O went home to get some supper ready. D accompanied me when I was finally called in to be seen by the doc, the same one who stitched up my finger when it got slammed in the hatchback door some years back and needed stitches. Ouch!

The doc looked at the X-rays, did a few manual tests on me, and said he would prescribe stronger medications—a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory. I was adamant that I did not want an opioid as I had had first hand experience of witnessing someone very close to me get addicted to them and how a personality can change. I was released with a starter pack of drugs and we headed back home.

D brought over a bowl of supper that O had ready and checked in to make sure I was OK. I dosed myself as the doc had prescribed, went to bed and proceeded to sleep—only waking once. I’m am early riser so was really surprised the clock showed 8:30 when I opened my eyes the next morning, which I thought was Sunday! I lost an entire day. I guess pain will do that to you.

Since then, I’ve been to the chiropractor for a mild adjustment but the drugs the doc prescribed are so darn strong, my legs feel like jelly and I feel faint when I get up, sooooo…I’m sticking with the OTC ones. Garden and house chores can wait while I have a date with my beloved dog GP, my pillow, and a good book. Tomorrow morning is a follow up visit to my PCP.

I thought I would share a few of the comments and photos that came in after Duncan’s debut.

Duncan was fabulous! —Anne M.

It was a real treat to “meet” Duncan and to learn from him.  He is terrific — so kind, patient, and thorough.  He also looks just like you, especially when he smiles. —Amy S.

Thank you so much for the class. You’ve taken my pie baking to the next level and helped me correct a couple of the problems I’ve always had in the past. —Carol J.

And if do say so myself, my son has grown into a fine man…a mensch.

What I’m Reading

Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney

I loved my 3-week trip to Ireland in 2019 so, when I found this title in one of the little library boxes on one of my bluff walks, it came right home with me. Inside there are stories of Newgrange, St Patrick, The Book of Kells, Brian Boru, Finn McCool and and many more that I’ve learned about. It’s an engaging read and even though I’m not quite to the halfway point, I see why it was a NYT best seller when published in 2005. It seems a good book with which to convalesce.