When a Shot in the Backside Triggers Life Lessons
Short-term pain for long-term gain
Life presents us with countless choices, many of which involve navigating short-term discomfort for the promise of long-term benefits.
This week, I had an experience that vividly illustrates this principle. I had to get shots in a particularly uncomfortable site (is there a site where shots are comfortable?), and naturally, my children were curious about the experience.
“Mommy, did it hurt?” they asked. “Of course it did, but here’s the thing, girls. The discomfort of the injections is only for a little bit. Tomorrow, I will be pain-free!”
Coccydynia is a medical term for tailbone pain and is very uncomfortable. It’s had a significant impact on my productivity—a literal pain in the backside. But, even though the shots I needed are familiar, I’ve had them twice before, offering relief for several months; I delayed going to the doctor. I sat in my pain for over three months. I don’t even know what I was afraid of.
And here’s the other thing, not to my girls, but to you, my readers. I suspect the inflammation and fractures in my tailbone, plus all the other aches and pains in my back, the early signs of arthritis, maybe, just maybe, this is all part of the menopause menace.
