3 days into this pain that is a pinched nerve in my back, I am actually healing and improving much faster than I had anticipated. In fact, I would say I’m actually close to 90% already, as of this morning! 😀

After realizing I likely had a pinched nerve, I went online to do some research, since I have no prior experience with them. Both WebMD and the Mayo Clinic stated to rest and do as little as possible, along with taking an anti-inflammatory. And, if you read my post on Monday afternoon, you’ll know that is exactly what I did Sunday night and all day Monday. But to my dismay, as that day wore on, it actually got worse, not better. 😦

So after I wrote that post, I decided that sitting around wasn’t doing me any favors and that I might as well attempt a needed trip to the grocery store. After all, even if I couldn’t stand up completely straight, I would have the shopping cart in front of me, so it wouldn’t make me look 80. 😉

By the time I got there, the pain was screaming from all the sudden movement. But then, a funny thing happened. It started to feel… better! Fast forward to the end of the grocery trip and pulling back into the garage, and I saw marked improvement!

Of course, I then made the mistake of standing too long in the kitchen to make that fabulous Baked Potato Soup, and quickly came to the following conclusion: sitting = bad; standing in place = bad; walking and moving = good!

Popped another Aleve and went to bed Monday night, fearing a long road of recovery ahead of me. 😦

Got up Tuesday (yesterday) morning, actually feeling better again. I then heard from a good friend back in Phoenix who told me her and her hubby have repeated experience with pinched nerves, and she highly recommended gentle stretching and moving, NOT the rest that the doctors recommend. She said the last time it happened to her hubby (putting a spoon in the dishwasher; something simple just like me!), she had him stretch right away instead of laying down and then go hiking later that day. Instead of the typical 3 week recovery time (YIKES!!!), she said he was better in about half a week! 😀

She is a true Godsend to give me this information, because it completely backed up what I experienced on Monday! I spent yesterday working, so most of the day I was sitting, but I made it a point to get up often and each time I did, I gently stretched out my back.

The result? Almost there as of today! Yay!! Today will be more of the same as yesterday, so thanks to Nicole, I feel like I have a good chance at being back to normal as early as tomorrow!

Thanks for the prayers, everyone! 🙂