Just another Monday: Watch movie, do laundry, throw out my back

Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week as a busy mom to seven children: Lexi, 24; Max, 19; Chance, 18; Rowen, 16; Charlie, 14; Mary, 11; and Callie, 3. I’m also a caregiver to Max, Rowen and Charlie, who all live with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Because the weekends are jam-packed with activities and preparations for the week ahead, Mondays come as a respite. I take the school-aged kids, Rowen, Charlie, and Mary, to school and return home with Callie to relax on the couch with a cup of coffee and watch a Hallmark movie before starting my week. It’s lovely and one of the few times each week I set aside to do something stress-free that I really like. It’s just a couple of hours, but it helps me recover from the weekend and mentally prepare for the week ahead.

As the movie credits rolled two Mondays ago, I set about to start my day and had a long list of things I wanted to accomplish before it was time for school pickup.

Like most Mondays during the school year, I started by getting Max out of bed and into the shower. Max attends a local college where he lives on campus during the week. He comes home on weekends and I take him back on Monday.

Once he was in the shower, I cleared the breakfast dishes and walked downstairs to the laundry room to start a load of sheets. I was in a good mood, humming a song as I bent over to pick up one of the girls’ flowered sheets from the laundry room floor.

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The next thing I knew, I was on my hands and knees, out of breath, and stunned. Severe pain had shot through my back and thrown me to the ground. I thought, “I don’t know what just happened.” Then I realized Max was still in the shower. How was I going to get him out? My phone was upstairs on the couch. I yelled for Callie, but she couldn’t hear me. I couldn’t stand up, so I crawled to the bottom of the stairs and yelled again. Callie brought my phone, and I called my husband to come home and get Max out of the shower.

I was out of commission for two days. Heat, Tylenol (acetaminophen), and ibuprofen helped relieve the pain, but I couldn’t walk or sit up without pain. Once I was able to get to the doctor’s office and was prescribed a muscle relaxer, I regained my mobility and resumed my normal routine, albeit ever so gently, as I was still cautious about bending or lifting.

When I shared what had happened on social media, I received a few responses from the Duchenne community, who said it was time for a Hoyer or a ceiling lift. No more lifting the boys. I was annoyed because I hadn’t hurt my back lifting the boys; I hurt it doing laundry. If anything, I should quit doing laundry!

My back has not been great since college, when I competed in shot put and discus. I spent a considerable amount of time in the weight room performing Olympic-style lifts, including squats, power cleans, and dead lifts. I was strong; at one point, I could bench press my own weight. But it was hard on my body and took a toll on my back, hips, and knees. I’ve also carried seven babies and my core muscles are weaker as a result.

We do have Hoyer lifts and a ceiling lift. I use the ceiling lift to get Rowen in and out of bed and the shower. He is too heavy for me. However, when I care for Max or Charlie, I rarely use a lift because both boys weigh less than Rowen. Using the lifts takes longer and, with three sons with DMD, we never have enough time. If I do the lifting, I save time.

Still, I came to realize the people on social media likely had a point. With a worn-out back and a weak core, lifting my sons has not benefited me. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way.

I’m going to start using the lifts more regularly. I will consider the extra time it takes as time well spent protecting my back so I’m able to be their caregiver for many years to come.

Note: Muscular Dystrophy News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Muscular Dystrophy News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to muscular dystrophy.