What Spine Problems did you Have Over The Holidays
I have a lower back that really starts aching even with a simple thing like washing my hair over a sink. The heavy housework of cleaning up - especially on short notice - is extremely painful. Today I have to do everything from the hair washing to sweeping and steam-mopping the kitchen floor to changing overhead light bulbs, all in about four hours. It's tough!
How Did You Cope With Your Backache or Neck Pain?
I started by taking a couple of ibuprofen before I even started, but my low back was very painful by the time I'd finished my hair. I managed to get one side to pop with stretches, and took a 20 minute break. After that I did some easier tasks that didn't require any bending - cleaning counters, for example - taking 10-minute breaks frequently. After sweeping, I took a 20-minute break.
Then came the other hard job - steam-mopping the floor, which was quite dirty. By the time I finished that, my back hurt more than it had after washing my hair. The twisting thrust movement one uses with a vacuum or mop is bad for a back anyway, so I moved the mop as gently as I could. No sharp pain - just a deep ache. So now it's time for more ibuprofen - and a 30-minute rest. I'll only have about 15 minutes left after that, but my guests won't expect perfection anyway.
Lessons Learned
- Take frequent breaks - and adjust the length to the level of pain.
- If you take an over-the-counter medication for pain, have a caffeinated beverage with it to speed it up, if possible.
- DON'T thrust hard with a vacuum or mop.
- Most important - don't ever think your guests will expect perfection. Their houses aren't perfect, either.
- If someone does start looking down her nose or making comments, you probably don't like that person anyway. For example, if you overhear, "It's obvious she doesn't dust enough," feel free to say, "Oh, I ran out of time before dusting, would you do it for me now?"
