Yesterday, I had a somewhat obvious fear of mine confirmed: I have a slipped disc in my back. It's true, a rogue piece of cartilidge has gotten out of line and wiggled it's way from the comforting confines of the spinal column. My doctor speculates that it has been this way for upwards of 5 years--which I also knew, but had no way of getting it checked out pre-health insurance. My gimpy, limpy, pain in my leg has created an imbalance in strength, meaning my left leg is now considerably weaker than the right. I'm not sure how long I'll be out of action, but the plan for now is to take giant Ibuprofin pills until I can get a steroid injection into my spine.
If I had to speculate when the disc intially slipped, I would guess sometime around 1998. I remember feeling the distinct pain when hiking up Mount Mansfield on my second trek up the fabled Vermont peak. A slipped disc is a weird thing, it's not so painful that you can't function, yet it's irritating enough to deter you from enjoying things to the fullest. And I'm getting tired of people pointing out the limp I didn't even know I had.
In any case, I'm actually excited to get it repaired. I hope I can be 100% for my hikes this spring and summer for my book.
