It's Only a Little Pain

I love Jason Aldean (a country singer, for those of you who were like - - who the H is that?!?) - I count him as one of my boyfriends (it is OK that he is married with kids - my boyfriends are just hot/talented people I worship from afar.  It is completely platonic).  He has a song that starts with the lyrics: Pain....it's only a little pain....it'll be gone in a couple of days...or maybe a week or two. 

Now, I am thinking he is talking about the fact that he and his lady love broke up, and the pain is heartache.  I feel as though the lyrics can also refer to your calf muscles when you completely overdo it at the gym one day.  Seriously - I have never experienced pain quite like this.  It interrupted my sleep on Thursday night - it felt like I was constantly getting cramps in my legs, which would then wake me up.  Once awake I would have to get up and go to the bathroom...and that is where the problems would really start.  I could not straighten my legs, so they were bent at about 120 degree angle, and every step, or pressure on a leg would result in shooting pains up them.  When I would get back to bed, my lower extremities would throb for a minute or two, and then I could finally go back to sleep.  I went through this extremely pleasant process about 5 times during the night.  In the morning I woke up, sat on the edge of my bed, and gave myself the biggest pep-talk in recent history - just to try and stand up.  I had to text YC at 7:30 and tell him I thought we might have to reschedule, as I had lost the use of the lower half of my body.  We are rescheduled for Monday. 

The good news is that my brain felt just laying around the house and wallowing in my misery was not going to help.  I loaded up on Ibuprofen (which I now realize was pointless, because inflammation was not my issue - shout out to Kristi for the Aleve suggestion!), prayed I didn't fall down my front steps, and headed to the gym...slowly.  I realized I could get my legs to straighten a bit if I just stood in one spot, and forced them to go straight - not pleasant - but I did it in order to be able to walk into the gym without looking like early-man.  I thought the pool, which I believe they said they keep at 80ish degrees, and the hot tub might do me some good. 

A class had just let out when I walked in, and the hot tub looked like senior-citizen soup - it was packed with the elderly - so I hit the pool first.  It was easier to walk, without having to lumber the full weight of my sizable bod around, but my calves still hurt.  There were a few seniors in the pool walking (I use the term loosely, as it seemed more like a social gathering of floating than actual walking, for most of them) and apparently I was something new and shiny.  Everyone wanted to talk to me, which is nice - but when I am there to loosen up my legs + get a bit of a work out, and they are there to socialize and move at the rate of a tortoise it is hard.  I would try and talk for a bit and then go back to my own pace.  (Maybe I am more capable of being nice than I thought?  Nah - probably not.)  Those old ladies were so nice....I got complimented on my ability to walk fast "wow - you are a really fast walker" (first time I have EVER heard that!  I am the one my friends slow down for) and my stamina "you have so much energy!" (again, a first).  One lady was heading back to the locker room and told me "you're still walking...good for you!" (it had been about 15 minutes).  Apparently you need to go where the standard is set pretty low - and you are the youngest by 40 years, and you can be a star!

Needless to say, the pool walk and hot tub appeared to help a bit.  I was getting around later last night.  A friend suggested I try some Aleve, and I did.  Whether it is the fact that I took the Aleve, or the fact that it is now day 3 and my body is trying to work with me - I am actually feeling pretty good today.  Not back to normal, but about 80%, and I will take that any day over what happened yesterday. 

Now it is just sticking with it.  One of these days I will do calf raises, and still totally maintain my ability to walk the next day.  Won't that be something??