Trying to eat healthy nearly crippled me tonight, I thought as I climbed into bed. Carrying a small watermelon on my hour long trek home has increased my back spasms. It’s a god thing I filled my prescription for Tramadol today.

The truth is that isn’t a good thing. I’d spent 77 days without pain in my spine; the longest stretch since 2012. The medication to treat the nerve damage from my concussion helped quiet the pain in the rest of my body.

I was free from opioid based pain medications. I could walk a couple of miles without my cane with no tingling, burning or numbness in my extremities or joints. And, I was able to exercise five days a week to rebuild my strength and tone my neglected muscles.

Right now, I can barely move. I truly hope this setback doesn’t mean I’ll have to go back to the way things were, I thought. It seems that J. K. Rowling was right, “to hurt is as human as to breathe.” But, it’s also true that my will is stronger than any pain I’ve faced to date. So, I’ll rest, repair my body and work towards rebuilding my pain free streak.

#igg4 #spoonies #autoimmunedisease #invisibleillness #chronicillness #chronicpain #disability #2018 #joythroughthepain #concussion #opioidfreelife #backpain #blogger #writinglife @jkrowling01