6 things you take for granted when you have a healthy back

My ruptured disc flared up again this week, causing me to miss nearly a week of work and putting my body through excruciating pain.  Suddenly immobile, I found myself unable to do things that I never even thought about as "luxuries" until now:

1.  Putting on your shoes.  Sous Chef joked that we'd have to buy me a pair of Velcro sneakers.  I wanted to kick him for saying that, but it would have hurt too much.

2.  Brushing your teeth.  More precisely, brushing your teeth without spitting foamy toothpaste all over the sink because you can't bend over to spit with more precision.

3.  Showering.  If I didn't have Sous Chef to help me, I'd be riper than a black banana by now.  Very humbling when you need help cleaning yourself.

4.  Sitting.  Oh, how my rear end longs to be caressed by a soft couch cushion or trendily patterned arm chair.  My butt is lonely.

5.  Dancing.  My back decided to spasm uncontrollably at nearly the exact same time that I discovered this song.  It's torture not being able to boogie.  At least I can still clap along though.

6.  Eating.  Eating or drinking while laying on your back is basically a constant struggle to not choke on whatever it is you are eating or drinking.  Drink out of a straw while lying down and just try not to spill it all over yourself.

*****

I'm doing better.  I'm able to walk around a bit, though my core stability is terrible; moving around feels like I'm balancing a stack of plates on a toothpick.  I have faith that the toothpick will eventually develop into a tree trunk, but it's going to take a very long time to do that.

Until then, I'll just have to clap along.