And they call you a doctor

Now for all of those of you I know that are in the profession...please take no offense. So I hurt my back at UPS last week, not sure how exactly, but it happened. So I tell the supervisor and finish off the day, which was probably a mistake. So after sucking it up for a week I decided I better see a doctor, so they send my to an occupational therapy clinic. So two more days waiting to see the doctor go by, since they seem not to be able to work beyond 4:00 pm....on their late days.

So I get into the exam room in record time(getting close to quitting time), which I consider anything under 1/2 hr record time. The nurse asks me a few questions, though I suspect that she didn't quite believe me, then to my astonishment the doctor shows up a mere few minutes after she leaves. So she then asks me a few questions about what happened, barely paying attention, and where did it hurt? Then she had me do a couple little things like stand on my heals then toes and then bend over a little.......The diagnosis...your back is week 2 weeks therapy and back to work immediately.(lifting heavy boxes) does not make allot of sense to me but hey I am no doctor, I'm just the guy with a hurt back.

Now I understand that she probably sees people that don't really have pain and are trying to play the system a little, but that isn't me. And if she would have spent more that five minutes talking to me she would have figured that out herself. I like other cyclists are no stranger to pain let alone others at UPS, and have become accustomed to just shrugging it off and carrying on. Since last September I have had the bulkhead door slammed on my arm twice, by two different drivers. And when it comes to bikes I competed in a 24 hour mtb race with a broken wrist, ridden 20 miles with a road apple that covered half my thigh, and one time after being ejected from my bike at 30 mph over here handlebars, resulting in a dislocated shoulder, got back up and got right back in the mix. And I guess the most painful has been having to deal with my brothers wife for the past 10+ years. and believe me I have witnessed others that have dealt with similar situations and carried on as well, some of which have met my sister in law.

But as far as back pain goes, I have no intentions of shrugging that off. I know too many people with chronic back pain, and see how it affects their lives. I have over the years watched my dad walk crooked and bent over from pain from time to time. And my uncle is in constant pain and pretty much spends most of his life either standing or lying down because he can barely tolerate the pain he endures while sitting.