Back for the Attack (well, getting there slowly)

Last Tuesday night, I cleaned out the game cabinet.  I found all sorts of games to get rid of and made the cabinet look much better.  My dear hubby took the kids upstairs to put them to bed and I stacked up all the games in my arms to take them downstairs.  In lieu of making two trips, I managed to balance all of them in my two hands.  Then I headed down to the basement.

And changed the future (not to be dramatic or anything).

As I neared the bottom of the steps, my slippered foot slipped out from under me, causing my legs to fly up in the air and me to land on the step behind me.  It seems all of my weight hit the step in one place on my lower back.

After calling pathetically for my husband two floors above, I managed to get to the first floor, where he heard me.  We got to the couch, where I was still harboring the delusion that I just got hurt and wasn't injured.  After much discussion, we decided to wait until the next morning to go to the doctor, where the X-rays showed nothing was broken, thank God.  I just suffered severe bruising to the tissue in one localized spot.

And so, my love affair with the recliner (part two) began.  For the better part of the last week, I have sat in the recliner.  Only Saturday did I really start to be up a bit more, and each day I am glad to report has been incrementally better. I can finally tell I am beginning to heal.  Still very sore, but not excruciating anymore.

Some of my takeaways from this experience:

• Make multiple trips to the basement.  Though I wasn't holding anything heavy, my arms were too full to grab the banister when I slipped.  I have certainly done dumber things (like carrying way heavy boxes), but I have resolved to be more cautious on the stairs.  I would prefer to never experience something like this again.
• Law and Order has been on for a seriously long time.  I have been watching enough episodes to make my eyes bleed, as nothing else (even reading, oddly) has sounded appealing.  The last couple of days I have watched the oldest episodes, including the first season from 1990.  It has made me strangely nostalgic for those times - the fashions, hairstyles, the dated computers.
• Your back affects EVERY part of your body.  Well, almost.  Leaning slightly, flexing my foot, scooting to the side in the chair. . .all of it and much more made my back hurt.  
• I make some ridiculous sounds when I am in a lot of pain.  I was annoyed at myself even as I was making them right after the fall.
• My family and friends are amazing.  I already knew this, of course, but it was shown to me again through acts of love and kindness.  My parents promptly offered to come up for the weekend and ferry the children to and fro, do laundry, grocery shop - you name it.  They were slaves to my crew, and smiled through the whole thing.  They were indispensable.   Other family texted and called daily checking up on me.  Friends brought dinner, ran errands, helped with kids and called and texted often, offering to help (something I have trouble accepting).  My husband and I were humbled by everyone's kindnesses to us.
• My husband is amazing.  Within minutes of settling me on the couch, he was delivering ibuprofen and a heating pad (which we later replaced with ice), thus beginning a period of servitude I am still experiencing.  He (while instructing the children to help out as well) did everything for me and the kids.  All my work and all of his.  He was tireless and loving in his care.  He was plenty busy with his own job, but made caring for me a priority.  I am blessed immensely by this man!
• God's hand is always present.  My fall could have been so very much worse.  God protected me from a broken bone or something even more dire.  My husband was home, which was a blessing beyond measure.  I have had continual dialogue with God, thanking him for protecting me from a far more serious situation.