A new friend?

[Guest guest]

Hi there!

Well, I finally broke down - literally and figuratively - and I got

a cane. It's not the fashionable one I'd hoped for, just a plain

black one with a padded handle from Wal-Mart.

This morning I woke up with an extremely sore hip, SI, glutes,

piriformis area on the right. Which is usually my strong side. So

all day I've been hobbling much more than usual as my " bad " left

side has tried to keep me mobile.

So, I have now joined the ranks of the 'visibly' disabled and I

don't have to feel guilty about my " smurf " pass, as my friend and I

call our handicapped placards (she has one too!). And I will get the

support I need, when I need it. I may not use it all the time, but I

know it will help a lot - like today!

But I'm sad too. I'm 30 years old, with a life of increasing

flatback before me. And now I walk with a cane. I already look 5-10

years younger than I am. Maybe now I'll look my age?? Ha!

So, I greet my new friend with triumphant laughter and bitter tears.

Can it be both? Yes, it is both.

I'm imagining my bitchy boss who has all the latest remedies for my

ailing back (after all, she had a one-level fusion several years ago

and has back pain sometimes too - I could smack her!!) watching me

as I hobble into work, but with a cane. Do you know . . . I think

she doesn't like the fact her front desk person is disabled. Good

thing I'm leaving in a few months!

Deb M.