A week ago I woke and got out of bed. A stab of pain started in my back and then radiated down my left leg. I figured I just slept wrong. But, the next day, I woke up to more pain. I took some 800mg Motrins (they didn’t do much). The pain got worse. So I called my doctor, but he was totally booked (plenty of people around here are still getting the flu). But I was offered an appointment with Diane’s doctor, Dr. O’Donnell, and I grabbed it. By the time the appointment rolled around, my pain was intense. Dr. O’Donnell examined me and she said, “I know what your problem is and I know what caused it.”
I couldn’t believe what she said next! “You are experiencing sciatic nerve pain caused by your wallet.” Art Scott can attest to the fatness of my wallet. It’s about 4 inches thick. I carried all my credit cards and ID cards around with me. Dr. O’Donnell told me she sees guys–especially truck drivers with those huge wallets–coming in all the time with sciatic nerve pain. The wallet over time creates stress on the back and that triggers the sciatic nerve pain. I’m on a muscle relaxer, Cyclobenzaprine, and those 800mg Motrins. The pain is slowly receding–Dr. O’Donnell said it would take about a week–and I’ve been doing the exercises she recommended in the pool.
So please heed my warning: don’t carry that huge wallet in your back pocket!