Category: Life with Pratts

The local paper had an item about the economy tanking, with a one-man carpet cleaning operation cited as an example. By coincidence a postcard came in the mail for a carpet cleaning franchise called OxiFresh.

Carol was really amused by this, and she had the following observations, which I admit didn’t occur to me.

1. The woman is 40-ish
2. The woman looks pregnant.
3. The baby is under a year old.
4. The baby appears to be gigantic.

Taking the techie point of view, I’m assuming Photoshop was used. One has to wonder who approved the picture. A pregnant 40-year-old woman whose baby is only crawling age?

Excellent news! Other than normal wear-and-tear for someone my age, the MRI of my spine shows a “slight protrusion” — no rupture — between the L3 and L4 vertebrae, resulting in L4 touching the right nerve root.

After some physical therapy and, to my chagrin, weight loss, I should be fine and able to run again. This whole episode — which left me crippled with blinding pain — was caused by playing fast and loose on a 6-ft. step ladder while working outside, leaning way over and wielding an electric hedge trimmer.

I’m at work today for a few hours, giving my chair a trial. Seems to be OK, although I’m making a point of sitting a lot straighter than I used to.

I’m having a lumbar MRI done this evening. I’m told that if the condition isn’t serious it may not be conclusive about exactly what’s wrong, which I guess is sort of good.

I can now appreciate why some desperate souls might actually look at spam mail with subjects like “PAIN KILLERS.” Percocet really works. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning.

My running days are, I fear, behind me forever. For the first time I’m having back trouble, and it’s serious. It came on suddenly, with only a small warning sign a week prior. I was hoping the spasms were due to muscle strain, but the doctor says the most likely source is a pinched nerve in my spine.

This morning I was a cripple, but thanks to a pain med I’m now able to get around without crutches. I wish this were a stupid joke, but it’s all too real. I don’t want to get into all of the detail, but I wanted to tell you what’s going on.