spasm

While at work last night, early in my shift, I took hold of a tall chair in order to move it and was overcome with the most exquisite back spasm. It felt as if a large hand had reached into the middle of my back and then made a fist, pulling all of the muscles toward the center. I almost collapsed and had to stand still for a couple of minutes, leaning on the chair, before I knew whether I'd even be able to walk.

The thought crossed my mind that I could call and wake my boss and tell her what happened, but she would have to come in to cover the rest of my shift if I had to leave. So I just took it easy, though I still had to lift a few 20-pound buckets of ice during the night. I just did so slowly and carefully.

The pain isn't sharp, it is very dull, but constant. There is also the consistent sensation that any sudden movement could cause another clenching of the muscles (and that has happened a few times). It is hard to think clearly because of the pain.

When I got home I found the heating pad. It is helping a bit. I went out with Rocko a couple of times, bundled up well against the cold. It went down to 16.8℉ at my house last night and has barely breached 40℉ this afternoon. We're on the downside of the usual daily high, which is typically at about 1:30PM EDT this time of year. But I couldn't play as much as Rocko wanted, nor as much as I wanted. It hurts to bend down for a stick or to fend off Rocko's lunges. I needed to get up and move around, though, for my back's benefit.

We got a dusting of snow yesterday evening while I slept. The skies were clear by the time I left for work. Yesterday was an extremely windy day; the wind howling through the trees on the peaks and ridges was constantly in the background and occasional stronger winds made a sound like a low-flying passenger jet. Today is cold, but at least the wind has let up. My electric meter ran up 42 KWh yesterday despite the thermostat being set at 66℉ during the day and only 60℉ overnight. Today's usage should be a lot more reasonable.

UPDATE 2013-11-15 - my back is much better. There are a couple of stray muscle fibers that feel tight, around the outside edges of my back, but the pain is gone.