Denouement

Pain very much the same.  Lots of back tightness too from bracing for pain (had that yesterday too).

PM: back started to tighten greatly late afternoon and pain was about a 5, so I took a muscle relaxant at 5pm, which actually helped quite a lot.  My pain was more mellow last night, pain of 2-3 with straight walking, and twists, getting out of car, etc still hurt up to 5-6, but not nearly as bad as the last two nights (thank heaven). 

Confirmed stress reaction, just short of a stress fracture (no fracture line yet).

 I got to see my MRI pictures, very interesting to see yourself in slices.

Crutches for three weeks to keep weight off, should decrease healing time.

Bone stimulator should come in the next couple of days.

TENS machine so I can get electric stimulation to my heart's desire (also does IFC).

Muscle relaxants, a pain reliever (non addicting she says) in case I need it.  I am getting sick of reading, but I guess I can work at my desk. 

I can walk in the pool if it doesn't hurt, may start swimming arms only with my scuba mask and breathing thing, once I go crazy. 

Oh man, Benji got some type of break in his leg.  Apparently a piece chipped off in Feb when he got his initial injury, but we thought it was just a sprain.  Today was his second time reinjuring it, and it turns out he is on crutches!  I thought he'd be my designated mopper and gopher, but I just had a chat with rascal #2 about being a big boy and helping us all out while we are waylaid.  Two people on crutches in my house in one day!  Its like a bad sitcom.

Pain about a 1-2 early morning, 0-1 during the day.  Pain in back started around 11am, took a muscle relaxant around noon, will take another around 7pm (I can feel the lower back soreness coming back).  Pain in SI still around a 1, but I tripped on my chair (clumsy with crutches) and felt a stab of pain in SI.  

Did reach over exercise with weight on my good leg today with no ill effect.  I've been told by Dr. McLane and Steve I can walk in the pool or swim with just arms, but I am going to wait for another day at least.  I don't want any more false starts.

During my nap I dreamt Adam Lambert got kicked off American Idol, must have been post-traumatic stress from last week.  He is soooo good and rather fine when he wears his eyeliner :)

Pain in bed still when rotating, or if I trip in my crutches like a clutz, and a 1 otherwise.  Pain up to a 2 by evening, forgot to use crutches twice when getting up from couch, and leg felt fine both times.

Steve O sent me three articles about sacral stress fractures and they were like reading diary.  These injuries are so rare that misdiagnosis and false starts with treatment are inevitable.  If only it could have been diagnosed in Feb, but it wasn't because of faulty medical care, rather a lack of medical clairevoyance, and I'll have to forgive my various caregivers and most of all myself for that shortcoming :)

The articles suggest I could be on land running in 4-8 weeks, so I will likely be doing the 8 week plan.  Even though I have a "stress reaction" by diagnosis, I am going to treat it like a stress fracture, because it very well could be and just wasn't picked up strong enough (too many layers of fat to image through ;) ). 

Found out in articles amenorrhea was a potential cause of bone density loss. I just thought it was one of the many perks of being a serious runner :)  My last two were 4.67 months apart, so perhaps this is a risk for me.  I need to figure out calcium supplements and how to test for bone density/bone loss.

One week of no activity, then slow increase of cross training sounds like the plan.  I haven't done any cross training since Thursday, but I had extreme pain through last Saturday, and even Sunday wasn't that good, so should I wait until next Monday to start crosstraining?  My start will be walking in the pool and swimming with my arms.  All needs to be pain free.  So I could try it Friday and just see if its pain free.

Used new home e-stim unit, 2.5 hours on SI, 1 hr on back.  It's not as sturdy as the models at Dr. Bradys, or Steve O's offices, so I hope I don't wear the sucker out.

I can't stand sleeping on my right side any more!  Laying flat on my back causes a dull pain, and I can feel the SI when I shift legs in bed, or sleep on stomach too, but that's how I ended up.  I'll know I've won the battle with this thing when I can roll around in bed to my hearts content.

I feel like such a slug.  I have fallen out of love with food, feel semi-nauseous alot and undeserving of eating, since I so sedentary.  Eating none the less.  There's the female athlete triad that contributes to bone injuries:  1) disordered eating, 2) amenorrhea and 3) osteoporosis.  I have #2, perhaps #3 but not #1.  I don't always eat as well as I should, but I eat plenty (as demonstrated by my 10# weight gain so far) and try to eat right. 

No pain getting in or out of the car (I was keeping legs parallel like a granny, but still progress).

 My back got tired by the end of the day, but no steady tightening/pain like days past, so that is progress.

1.5 hr of e-stim on SI

1.5 hr of e-stim on lower back

.5 hr of e-stim on SI

I read that e-stim can actually help the bone rebuild.  Has anyone else heard that?

When I woke up I got on my left side (I think I've been saying my right side this whole time, but its my left I am on to relieve the right side) and I lifted my right leg, which traditionally caused pain, but no pain.

Laid on my back for 1 hour last night and felt no pain, some pressure on my bone but when I paid attention, that pressure is also on the left, just the weight of my body!  I gingerly rolled to the left and there was no pain! I don't dare roll to the right, that is where I am very likely to feel pain.  I guess I'll test that side in a few days if I feel like there's more healing progress.

Feeling happy with my progress!  Here's to another crutchy day.

Update - work was so hard!  I had to go up and down the stairs many times, never though my desk job had so much moving around.

Went to the elem school's fair in the evening, so more crutching around.  No real pain but can feel my SI just a tad. Big knot in my upper right back.

I dared to roll over to my right side for the first time in over a week this morning and there was no pain.

Lounged around the house.  

Went out in the evening and it wiped me out.  Its a 35 min drive to Provo.

Paul got us into Chili's without waiting by saying something about his wife being in crutches (I was in the car waiting to see if the wait time was too long for us).

By mid movie my tailbone was sore, probably too much sitting throughout the day.

Had 60 minutes in the car on the way home, wiped out by the time we got home.  No pain above just feeling like the right felt differently than the left.  And tired and back sore.