A Pain in the Butt

We're back from PBC. It was a great week, with only one personal glitch. On Monday (now a week ago), we went hiking to a small waterfall and splashed around in the water. Since it was 100 degrees, the cold water was great. Unfortunately, right as we were leaving, I lost my footing on a wet, mossy rock and went down... hard. I landed on the joint that connects your pelvic girdle to the spine. One of my friends who is a lifeguard said that when they saw the fall, they fully expected I'd be getting carried home. But I thought, at first, that the main bruising was to my ego. I popped up, rubbed my sore butt, and made it home. I asked the camp nurses for a handful of advil and figured that, plus a day of no running, should take care of things.

The next day was "games day," which involves running all over camp and performing various feats of derring-do. At the beginning, I did OK. But after about an hour or so, I was incapacitated by jolts of electric-style pain up and down my back. I had to limp back to the nurses and fess up to having a more severe injury than I had originally admitted. Our camp nurse (Becky) and resident pharmacist (Morgan) were real pros--they instantly diagnosed the problem and set me up with proper treatment. They also provided just enough "loving harassment" to ensure that I showed up as scheduled for anti-inflammatories and ice treatment every few hours. By the end of the week I was a little bit better.

I had hoped to get in to see my favorite orthopedist today (Monday, one full week after the initial injury). What I really, really want is a timeline and a plan to get me running again without causing any further setbacks. Unfortunately, the first appointment he has available is Thursday. I'm already feeling a good bit better... it's quite likely that by the time I see him, it will be a formality (and a copay). I am, however, going to take Nurse Becky's advice and take it easy (no running, no lifting, and regular doses of aleve) until I'm cleared by a pro. All I really want is to be able to run again, and soon. I can see my summer mileage goals slipping away.