Herni-WHO?

For the last few days, I have had a slight discomfort in the lower left area of my abdomen. Given the amount of running I do, and the fact that there are always aches and pains that come with the hobby, it had not occurred to me that it was anything more than a slight muscle pull.

"Muscle pull?" you might say to yourself, "that's an odd place for a muscle pull." You'd probably be right, but I'm no physiologist, so what do I know... at this point I have yet to see my doctor to get a diagnosis as to what the problem is or what I need to do to correct it. But, of course, like any nut with a computer (with pictures like the one to the left, which, frankly, scare the bejeezus out of me), and "smarter-than-the-average-bear" wife, I think I've figured it out...

As Anne and I discussed the discomfort, and bandied about what might be the issue, my wife suggested that I lie on the floor and try to do a sit up. She said that this would be a way to figure where and how intense the pain was. While it is no surprise that I'm not great at sit-ups on a good day, I could not get up at all, and when I forced it, the pain in my lower abdomen was intense... so my plan for today is to call the experts... well, my doctor anyway, and try to get an appointment ASAP.

Unfortunately, this could not have come at a more inopportune time with classes starting tomorrow at school and my having a whole new set of students to bond with. My hope is that things (my gut problem) have not progressed to the point that I need to have surgery or miss any school time. I also have a new boss (principal) in my building, and I'd rather not have my initial impression be that I've taken off days right off the bat!

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!