I’ve barely mentioned here at all about my last 8 months of absolute misery and pain. Way back in 2003 I hurt my lower back. I couldn’t walk for about two weeks and then it went good. So nothing came of it. I had two flare ups. One at the end of 2008 and the other when we just got back from Queensland.

Then, when I got pregnant…I didn’t even get little niggles in my back. Not once. But I did however get a touch of sciatica in my left leg towards the very end. I got told it goes away once the baby is born.

But that wasn’t true for me. Because the sciatic pain was not being caused by the growing baby putting pressure on that nerve. It was in fact, a slipped disc getting worse. A slipped disc that was protruding and squeezing my sciatic nerve leading in to my left leg.

For a few weeks after Dexter was born it was mild pain that turned in to pins and needles towards the end of the day. Then it started getting sore almost as soon as I got up in the morning. It turned from a mild ache to a leg that was so sore I couldn’t walk on it for more than a few minutes at a time.

It was a pain like no other I have ever experienced. And Dexter’s 27 hour labor wasn’t a walk in the park, let me tell you! Sciatica pain moves and changes every few minutes. They call it chameleon pain. It doesn’t stay the same and it varies in intensity. For half an hour it would feel like someone was pushing in to my left ass cheek with a hot poker. Then, it would feel like my entire leg had been frozen solid. Or I’d have a dead foot with pins and needles that would radiate UP the leg in to my back if I stayed on it too long. Sometimes it felt like someone had put my achilles tendon in to a vice. Muscles would seize up and not release for hours. It didn’t matter what kind of pain it was, at every second of every day…there was some kind of unbearable pain making it impossible to walk on for more than a few minutes at a time.

I was house bound for about 5 months. Only leaving to visit Nanny and Poppy with Tim and the boys. I stopped being able to walk to do the weekly shop. I couldn’t pick Dexter up for more than a minute. Tim had to get me dressed or undressed some mornings and nights because I couldn’t bend my leg or my back. I had to sit on the floor in the shower. I couldn’t sit at the dinner table and I certainly could not stand in the kitchen long enough to cook a meal (even 2 minute noodles!) for the family. Tim had to take over almost every aspect of my life, from shopping to being a bit of my slave by getting called here and there through the house to help me with the boys. I had two visits to the ER, one home Dr visit and an ambulance ride in to hospital (where I was treated very badly, I should write about that!!)

Well, my girls! I’ve talked about them often and everyone I know knows who I am talking about by now. But all of a sudden we started getting cards and letters in the mail.

Three of them contained gift cards. Nearly $200 worth of money from people whom I’ve never met but have been incredibly close with since 2006.

They suggested that I pamper myself with it but I figured that would be a short term pick me up. I wanted to buy something with that money that reminded me that there are people all over the world who love and care for me!

This is what I did. Now, they will be with me…as long as I can keep those things alive!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of my girls who helped to contribute to those gift cards. And to those who didn’t but would have if they’d known about it…I thank you too. Because its the thought that counts. Just knowing that you would have been willing to contribute means the world to me. Your friendship and support is priceless!