Sometimes I forget

We all forget things.  Sometimes it is as small as where we put the car keys or Did I turn the oven off?

This past week I forgot to listen to my body.  I was very wrapped up in helping my daughter get ready to go off to college.  We took her to school this past weekend.  A 3 hour car ride there and 4 hours back (got to love traffic on I-35 on a Sunday afternoon) plus walking around campus.  With all the running around and the car rides I somehow managed to strain my back.  Mind you, the slightest pain makes me incredibly nervous.  A new pain to most is not a big deal.  You rest a little, maybe take some pain medication and you go on about your life.

If you are a stage 4 cancer patient, a new pain tends to freak you out a bit.  The last time I had a pain in my back I attributed it to over exertion and kept thinking it would heal.  It took me 4 months to realize that it wasn't getting any better and thta I should go to the doctor.  As you may have figured out that was when we found out that the cancer had metastasized to the bones in my hip.  As a result, I was a little anxious about the pain in my back and decided that I should see the doctor early this time around.  This fit into one of the goals that I set for myself when I was originally diagnosed with Stage 4 - to let people know that if they have any new pains, especially if you are a cancer survivor, then you should have it checked out.  The sooner you get it looked at, the better your chances.  Perhaps if I had gone earlier, I might not have had to had such extensive surgery on my hip. But if I can convince one other person to go sooner rather than later, I will feel like it is worth the effort.

The good news, this time, is that they seem to think I just over extended myself and that a little rest, and doing not much, letting my family wait on me a little will let my body heal.  (I think I heal a little slower than the average person).  So I am sitting with my feet up, an ice bag on my back and a large glass of water next to me watching TV.  I am praying that this will allow me to relax the muscles in my back and let everything get back to normal.