In which I audition for (and win!) the role of Quasimodo

I've been feeling under the weather for a few weeks now - nothing serious, just a sense of general unwellness and the occasional cough. On Wednesday I saw the doctor at work who told me I had a low-grade virus I could expect to hang around for a couple of weeks, but I should be fine to be in the office as long as I wasn't coughing or sneezing too much.

Thursday I had an unfamiliar backache - bad enough to make me gasp when I stood up from a chair - but I put it down to having skipped yoga due to my colds (please, people, stay home when you're sick!) But around 3:30ish I started coughing and I picked up to go home and work from there. However, I'd agreed to meet a friend at Trader Joe's so I bundled up.

Trundling down the aisle I felt a cough come on, so I leaned forward to cover my mouth with my elbow, and then lightning struck, a kind of pain I have never felt before. I couldn't move. Here's what I looked like (thanks, Tracy, for taking the picture):

Well, long story short, I thought I was going to pass out, Phil came to pick me up (I could only walk completely bent over), we went to the ER, by 2AM we were home after ultrasound, an MRI, and sundry unpleasantnesses confirmed a herniated disk.

Be careful of your back, kids!