happiness

What I’ve learned about our world this week

Cat on back

Good morning Loves.  Today marks three weeks that I have been out of commission due to my back pain.  I have lived with lower back pain my entire life so I know my limitations when it comes to movement.  However every few years life reminds me just how fragile my body really  is and sets my back into a tumbling ball of pain.   I have been laying on my back for a week and slowly my back is getting better, but of course I’d like it to heal faster.

During the first two weeks of my pain I was still going to work.  I wasn’t walking to work like I normally do, I was taking the bus; but nevertheless I was going to work.  I was also visiting my chiropractor every two to three days for spinal adjustments.  When my back pain wasn’t going away my doctor thought it would be best if I just stayed at home and laid on my back to rest.  So that’s what I’ve been doing over the last week.  I do admit that my back is feeling better than it was two weeks ago but I think it’s safe to say I won’t be doing yoga or walking to work anytime soon.

Being injured sucks.  If you have ever lived with pain you know it’s true.  This time my back is taking a long time to heal and that means I am moving slowly wherever I go.  Over the past two weeks as I interacted with the public while I was injured I discovered some shocking revelations about people and our society.

Chivalry is dead.  I can’t even count the number of times a man didn’t open a door for me or hold a door open for me over the last two weeks.  One time a man saw me hunched over slowly moving towards a door and just stared at me as I tried to pull the door open.  After seeing that I was unable to open the door  you would think that a gentleman would open the door for me, but no, not this guy.  He just waited for me to push the handicapped button so the door would automatically open and then walked in ahead of me.  If men don’t want to open doors for ladies that’s fine, it’s rude but it’s fine.  However anyone (man or woman) should help a disabled or handicapped person.  No questions asked.

Thank goodness for health insurance.  My back injury is causing me a lot of pain, but it’s also costing me a lot of money.  Trips to the chiropractor cost $45 with every treatment.  Three treatments each week can quickly add up to $135 weekly in unexpected medical expenses.  My insurance refunds only 50% of all chiropractor costs and only up to a maximum dollar amount – which I am sure I will reach very soon.  When you add in the cost to take public transportation (the bus and taxi cabs) everywhere my back pain is quickly costing me a fortune and I don’t like it.

Our world is not equipped for the disabled.  From buses and trains to office buildings and just the general pace of life I can tell you that people have very little tolerance for the disabled.  Everywhere I go I am the slowest moving person.  This is new to me because I am usually running around trying to get everything done in the shortest amount of time possible.  Normal tasks take me longer than they normally would and people are not very understanding about my pain.

Photo by Flickr

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2 Comments

  • I feel you. I’ve been dealing with an undiagnosed stomach/GI issue since February, including weight loss (to the point where I’m teetering on the clinical edge) and just feeling full all the time. I’ve been to 7 professionals from western to eastern medicine and we’re still trying to figure out why I can’t eat and what’s actually wrong – and I’ve had to start working remotely instead of going into the office, where my boss and my 5 of 6 direct reports are because I’m just exhausted all the time. (Of course I got insomnia and anxiety along with the stomach issues, which is apparently common.) I’ve thanked my lucky stars for health insurance and a financial buffer – some things just aren’t covered at all by health insurance. And for plenty of banked vacation and sick days. And for a job that is willing to let me be flexible with where I work. I hope you’re on the mend soon! It really sucks to have your body so completely out of your control.

    • Oh wow Jesse I’m sorry to hear about your health. I completely understand about the anxiety and insomnia. The worrying about whats wrong with you is awful. Fingers crossed that we both get better soon.

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