I list. Like the Tower of Pisa. Or a sinking ship.
Unlike the above, I’m human and they aren’t, and my problem sends a message to my brain. And yes, I have enough gray matter under my skull that screams at me when something hurts. And it’s screaming now.
Well, yes, I know it, and thanks very much. So I ask my brain to tell my thigh to stop giving me a pain in the leg. I don’t think it heard me yet. Yikes. My brain must be deaf.
So why does my “crooked” spine, the cause of the list, decide to pull my sciatica nerve into the mix and become inflamed? Well, I’m flaming mad, too, but for goodness sake, I don’t inject pain on anyone for being angry. Hopefully all is being corrected with physical therapy directed by the brilliant Deana Beamon and her team.
Meanwhile, what to do?
Drink pots of coffee, take Advil and march on — don’t cave. I even parked the Mini in a Wounded Warrior parking space. I thought it was OK since I feel wounded.
By now you know I don’t suffer in silence. Everyone knows I’m not the silent type.
I begin physical therapy sessions by riding a stationary bike. It’s a good thing it’s stationary because I think biking is scary. It’s a coordination thing.
Riding the bike is fun. The view from the floor to ceiling windows is beautiful and overlooks spacious, well-kept grounds and if you look closely, you see trees beginning to leaf beyond Phoebe Sumter’s handsome hospital building. The 10 minutes fly. I’m then told to lie prone on my back on this cot-like bed laid with a pristine white sheet and pillow under my head.
I’m informed it’s not for sleeping but for a series of exercises.
Not exactly what I want. It’s not a get-your-heart-rate-up cardio workout by any means but more like yoga. I love yoga. The exercise is over too soon. But the best is saved for last.
Warm heat is applied to my back; a cold ice pack on the paining thigh. Divine. My homework? “Exercises and ice it down,” she says. Yes ma’m, I’ll use the ice pack that goes in the cooler to bring a ham home from the store. That’s appropriate.
Out and about: Since I’m infirm, I haven’t been “out and about” like usual. Sadly, we missed the debut of First Friday downtown. I was sorry we couldn’t participate because the reviews are wonderful. A total of 12 businesses were open after hours, including Allie’s Boutique & More, Americus Center for the Arts, featuring pottery and glass blowing demos, and Sweet Georgia Bakery. At Bittersweet Coffee & Book Store and Café Campesino Coffeehouse the musical trio comprised of Mark McLaughlin, pianist; Daina Rosario, vocalist, and Michael Greene, trombonist, entertained. These talented musicians performed at the outstanding GSW Faculty and Friends recital a few weeks ago. Let’s bring them back for an encore soon. Perhaps at the next First Night in April. Additional participants were Center Stage Market, Flint Valley Properties Inc. featuring artwork by the Southland Academy Art Club; City Grill, Hunter Frames and Artist Studio highlighted students’ art; Floyd’s Pub at the Windsor Hotel featuring music of the Pluck Tones; The LOOK Salon Studios; The Maze and the wonderful Rylander Theatre offered complimentary tours of this Americus treasure. Smile and say “hello” to the many visitors in town this weekend participating in the University of Georgia Libraries’ journey through Americus, Andersonville and Leslie. The event, headquartered at the Windsor Hotel, features a rare view of treasures from the vault at the Libraries’ Hargrett Special Collections room, a program on digital research of the Civil War era and lunch at The Carnegie, a tour of the Rural Telephone Museum in Leslie and barbecue, and a program on the collection from the Drummer Boy Museum in Andersonville. The event concludes with dinner at historic Calvary Episcopal Church and another look at more fascinating materials from the Library’s special collections. Meanwhile, please don’t miss Sumter Players’ “Man of La Mancha”   at 8 p.m. today at the Rylander Theatre and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Leila Sisson Case lives in Americus.