After two shore dives on Sunday, and two boat dives on Monday, my current dive trip has taken a turn for the crap-a-rific.
While hanging my vest on my tank this morning, something in my lower back went seriously wonky. Spasms? Wrenched? i have no fucking idea – other than it hurts.
Managed to get in the first dive of the morning, with heavy “Gimp Assistance” getting into and out of the water. Returning to the boat, however, triggered a degree of pain i haven’t often encountered. Hurt like a motherfucker – to the point of tears. Not good. Spent the second dive on deck – lying flat on my back, in the company of Luis the dive boat captain, while the rest of the group went down to play.
This, of course, was the first dive where the adorable hawk nosed sea turtle made an appearance…
Taking the afternoon off, eating ibuprofen and propped with pillows supporting various parts of my body… Hoping to heal. Hoping to get back in the game.
Dive Buddy, Studley, is off with a few other folks, knocking out some easy shore dives. The only thing that would make this worse? If my temporary debilitation interfered with his dive options on the trip.
In the meantime, i am reminded that i’ve been rather fortunate with my health. i’ve encountered very few physical limitations in regard to living my life the way i want to, and chasing the adventures i choose.
With four more days in the divers paradise that is Bonaire, i am trying to maintain some optimism that i can get back in the water… because i sure as hell didn’t travel this far to lie in bed and watch Telemundo.
Trailer Park Refugee 
Good luck with getting back in the water soon.
three ‘assisted’ dives today. i will not let this get in the way!
grrrrrrrrrrrr, arg!!!!!!!!!!! hope the ibuprophen helps and the pain eases and you can get in the water 🙂
ibuprofen, vodka, good dive mates, and a great dive buddy made it work…
Awe…hope you get back into the game soon!
better today. hoping tomorrow works a little better still….
Maybe instead of diving just stick to dive bars for 24 hours. And let the healing power of alcohol take effect.
Excellent advice from the cat lady
alcohol was a great analgesic! last night – a combination of ketel one vodka and some Tylenol PM, got me sleeping soundly. by being judicious in how i spent my vertical time, i was able to get to the boat and dive. a lunch hour vodka tonic helped me get through an easy afternoon dive… this was fine advice, ladies!
Ouch! indeed. Hope you’re back in form soon.Oh – no crazy tabletop dancing this time, OK?
happy to be diving again. suspect that there will be no bar-top dancing for this trip. hoping i feel well enough by saturday to play on the motor scooters and tour the island. and to feel good enough by sunday to survive 3 flights to get home!
And three cheers for your most excellent buddy.Give him a hug, but carefully! 🙂
Botheration! How frustrating, imagining what you might be seeing and the fun you’d be having. If the painkillers don’t work, Alonewithcats’s advice sounds good! In fact it sounds good even for a normal life not diving!
a tough reminder that bodies are quite fragile, and that i’ve been pretty lucky so far to be able to abuse mine with reckless abandon! alcohol has been my friend…. hoping that another good night of horizontality helps, too!
Ouch! Recently suffered through the same thing myself. Half a bottle of ibuprofen and a week later I was good as (almost) new. I sure hope yours doesn’t take that long! Heal fast and try to have some fun along the way.
seem to be starting to recover – mostly by staying flat whenever i can, and not lifting heavy things. hardest part? letting other folks help me. not my style, but it’s allowed me to get in 3 dives in “gimp” status. here’s to a better day tomorrow!
Naughty words. I really, really hope that the ibufren works its magic and you are back in the water with Studley and the turtles soon.
mostly, i am reminded that i’ve been quite the lucky pup in regards to my health. also, reminded how hard it is to accept help when i need it. and finally? the acceptance of help today allowed me to better enjoy my trip – and was a far better option then spending the day sulking in my hotel room…
Back pain is the WORST. It can take forever go to away. Hope you have a speedy recovery. Get meds. And I don’t mean those over the counter ibuprofen . Get something with some umph. Should make for an interesting flight back. You could always lie on the beach instead of in bed. That’s a nice consolation prize for November/December.
today was better. rest, booze, and accepting assistance were the keys. oh, and staying horizontal.
fortunately, there is some fun to be had whilst horizontal, so the time laid up in my room wasn’t exactly something to complain about!
Score some weed, get a script for something good, ie: opiate based, wash down with your favoirte alcoholic beverage, return to diving. I’m not a doctor but i should be.
got some tramadol from a fellow diver – saving it in case i need it to fly home.
the weed suggestion? was thinking tonight how lovely it would be to get high and do a shallow night dive from the dock. just float at about 15′ and watch the fish float by… sadly, weed is not an option in my world… perhaps in my next life…
Weed is always an option and when i’m president it will be mandatory to chill everyone the fuck out.
i will vote for you. as many times as necessary. can i be your “Secretary of Fucking Off”?
I once put my back out reaching for an LP (see, I’m old, too!) to play. Boy, do I know how you feel. Best wished for a speedy and complete recovery, and more diving fun!
seem to be a little better. it’s weird, though, that i wasn’t doing anything more strenuous than reaching for an LP when it went out! i’d been shore diving – carrying heavy gear into the water by myself – the day before with NO trouble. grrr…. here’s to a better day on Thursday…
Oh, bugger. I hope it stops hurting soonest. x
thanks, synchy! better today. made the decision to enjoy it all regardless… even if i’m on a lounge chair by the pool, it’s still all quite good! i will count my blessings…
Oh, drat! Wishing you back in the action soon with a relieved lower back and a reprieved diving holiday. Hopefully you can entice some hunky dive dude to rub ‘deep heat’ or tiger balm into the affected area while another feeds you grapes and strums gently on a ukelele singing sea shanties.
the holiday has been salvaged… lots of rest, ibuprofen, alcohol – and fabulous assistance from the dive crew and my buddy. i was able to get in many dives – including a final shore dive where we spotted an octopus, and were able to watch him for at least 10 minutes before the air supplies got a touch low… whew.
Well, I hope that you get the pain under control enough to get back in the water. Off to google Bonaire…
it’s a very small island off the coast of Venezuela. great diving… even with a bit of rain this week, and the back trouble, it hasn’t sucked. no, not at all…
GAH! Nothing like being on vacay and having health issues!
Happy to read that you’re doing better though.
Alcohol always helps me! 🙂
i’ve been lucky. when it first hit, i thought i was out for the week. and spent an afternoon in bed wondering if i’d ever shake it… dodged it, at least for now.
Oh boo, not good, Damnation to our aging, slow to heal bodies.
a glimpse of things to come. on the bright side, i now know how to ‘gimp dive’ – short tank, gear tossed into the water and donned with assistance of a dive buddy can keep me diving through some pain and a substantial degree of ‘decrepit’…
You ricked your back hanging up your vest. You do all that dangerous stuff and then get crippled by attending to your wardrobe. Astounding.
Better, I hope?
definitely better – rest and allowing others to help me made it work out ok. even managed to dance some last night! salsa! whee! and yes, i wish i could say i was doing backflips off the wheelhouse when it happened…
ALTHOUGH . . . there are many things you can do while flat on your back, and Studley can help. Um, even diving? No, no. I did not say that. Sorry, Daisyfae!
turns out, there are advantages to horizontal. lunch in bed is the least of those…
Aargh! Terrible story. I’m so glad you felt better in the end. Back problems are awful, and I can’t see you being happy resting it. You’re so active! Be careful with that back of yours.
managed to make it home. managed to get in a horseback lesson tonight. managed to find some old muscle relaxers in my medicine cabinet. ouch.