Enforced Rest

Signed off work at the moment with a bad bout of sciatica.  I was made to carry the sack of outgoing post from our building to the main building reception a couple of weeks ago, and at some point twisted my lower back.  Had a good moan to my supervisor the next day, but after a week with no improvement - in fact more pain, more restricted movement, I decided to see my GP.

Having described the problem, and the probable cause, I was expecting to be told to take painkillers, or possibly get sent for a cortisone jab.  But he asked what my job was, how much of it was sitting at a desk (all of it, and the new supervisor begrudges you loo breaks), so he signed me off, telling me to spend the time lying down or going for gentle walks - as little sitting down as possible.  So I shouldn't be on the computer.  But I feel like I'm not doing anything just lying down watching TV, so I ration myself - short bursts then a wander down the garden.

Not looking forward to going back to work - expect grief about being signed off.  So I'll make sure I get them to agree to no more heavy lifting (and a trolley if anything needs moving), breaks to keep my back comfortable and a new chair that isn't jammed in an uncomfortable position.