Sitting is very, very painful for me. I have severe pain in my SI (low back) and hip joints. Sitting for too long puts pressure on my SI joints and causes serious pain. For that reason, if I am going to be sitting for a while like at the movies or a meeting, I bring a small pillow and an ice pack for my lower back. Unfortunately, I also have severe nerve pain throughout my body, the worst of which is from sciatica. The nerve pain that runs from my lower back down my legs is easily aggravated by sitting for pretty much any length of time. The edge of the seat of most chairs presses into the back of my legs and causes severe pain.
I've been attempting to address or work around this particular problem for a while now. When I was still working, I finally got the idea to put a couple of phone books on the floor under my desk to use as a foot rest. That worked well enough but only when I was sitting at my desk. Lugging around phone or text books to meetings and movies was not realistic. After much consideration, it seemed as though I needed a foot rest that met the following criteria:
- It must be portable. That means that it must be light enough for me to carry around. I had already started cutting down on the number and weight of items in my purse because carrying around a heavy bag all day was very painful.
- It must be small enough to carry around. Ideally, it would fit into a medium sized bag so I could bring it to the movies with me.
- It must be inexpensive. I mean, it's not as though there is this huge market out there for foot rests for people with my particular kind of nerve pain and limitations. But, the foot rests you can buy from some office supply stores for your desk at work could cost over a hundred dollars.
So, with all that in mind, I started thinking about options. Obviously, this was not a case of finding an existing foot rest that met all these criteria online or something. I knew I had to get creative. It seemed like some kind of thick foam would work because it would be sturdy enough but, more importantly, light. Then it hit me...a yoga brick!
So there you have it, my creative solution to this foot rest issue. I went right out and bought one. You can get them just about anywhere. I got mine from Target for about $10. You can also get them at sporting good stores; I've even seen them sold alongside books about yoga at bookstores. I purchased a pink yoga brick and have relied on it for close to a year now. It meets the criteria. It is light, small and cheap. I bring it with me to seated concerts, movies, meetings, long dinners, doctors appointments and even my own dining room for long family dinners. It has changed everything. It's the perfect height for a foot rest and small enough to almost go without notice, especially at the movies. Because it sits on the floor, I am always worried about germs from touching it. For that reason, I keep it in a plastic bag. That way I can put it in the bottom of a large purse without getting everything else dirty. It stays in my trunk at all times so that I always have it when I'm out if I need it. I also keep a tote bag in my trunk that has a small pillow in it. Every time I go out to a movie, I put the yoga brick in that tote bag and bring the whole thing in with me. It has become my routine. For the record, I also sanitize my hands every time I have to touch the brick because god only knows that might be on it.
Now that I have it, it's hard to imagine life without it. It seems like such an obvious solution now. But, trust me, it took quite a bit of creativity to come up with it. I actually feel pretty clever and accomplished for having found this solution. I've gotten quite a few comments on it. Some people always expect to see me with it. Some people, healthy people, have remarked on what a great idea it is and how they'd also like to have one for when they go to the movies. All that to say that it has been a big hit across the board.
If you are in pain and looking for ways to make sitting more comfortable, consider picking up a yoga brick. Trust me, it will change your life!
3 comments:
Hey Amanda, it's Megan! That's a really great idea! I'm glad you can come up with creative ways to cope with what you're going through. I was thinking about you earlier this week because I had to have an injection of Rocephin and I remembered reading about your adventures with Rocephin. Luckily, it was only one injection (mixed with lidocaine and it burned!). I somehow managed to get a staph infection in my leg that had to be drained and wasn't responding to antibiotics. The Rocephin, while painful, seemed to do the trick, but when the dr asked the following day if I would like another injection so I could discontinue the oral antibiotics...I politely declined!
Oh yeah, ignore the fact that my husband did not put both of our names on our gmail acct! Clearly, I'm not Henry!
Hi Megan! I'm so sorry about the staph infection. I do hope you're feeling better now. It's always interesting to hear about other people's experiences with antibiotics. I'm sorry to hear that the injection was painful. When I get Rocephin, it is through an IV infusion directly into my veins. It never hurts though. It does cause Herx reactions, the specific reaction that Lyme bacteria have to antibiotics when they die, so I experience an amplification of all my Lyme symptoms. Anyway, thank you for the comment! I love getting feedback. And it's always nice to hear from you!
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