The blood that lingers

I’m in the swamp.

I’ve been having lower back pain all week. It started in the hospital, but eased up when I was able to move around.

I assumed it was sciatica, but it seems more concentrated near the base of the spine. And I’ve been taking short walks in the parking lot outside the condo, but that didn’t help.

I called the nurse at the neurosurgeon’s office. She said this is a common problem at this stage for neurosurgery patients.

It’s from blood in the cerebral fluid, which circulates in the spine. The blood settles at the lowest point, and irritates the spine.

They phoned in a prescription for some Tylenol with codeine.

Great – more pills to keep track of. And I thought all the blood was cleared out of the cerebral fluid?

Just a big swamp.