32 w/ a 9 y/o at home. 2 bulged discs in my lower spine- sometimes, it kills me to sit/stand/ do anything at all. Cleaning house is often the last thing on my list- don't get me wrong, I love a clean house- but often times not at the expense the bending to do it causes me. How do I cope? I use to allow the pain to limit my life- my activities. I guess now, I look at what's truly important to me? I will not be a victim to my own pain- I will not allow it to prevent me from doing the things I love to do- i.e. volleyball- rollerskating with my daughter- swimming. Sure, it hurts like heck to do those things, but what sort of life am I living if I don't do something because it hurts? Not really a life at all. I also realized that when my daughter gets older, I want her memories of her and mommy to be that we did things- I went rollerskating with her- I took her on bike rides- I played cards with her every night. I'm a single mom, so I don't have the luxury of having somebody at home to help me. Though, now that my daughter is 9, she's more willing to help me with things that would require bending because she knows that I just can't do that like I use to. Still- I think unless you're willing to undergo surgery, you can't allow your pain to control your life- some day, you'll look back and regret it. I know somebody who has multiple herniated discs and has lost feeling in one of her arms and sometimes loses feeling in the other- imagine not being able to go anywhere because your arms don't work and you can't even get the door knob turned to get the door open? Or being unable to drive because you've lost the use of your arms and feeling in your feet. That's how I deal- I look at people like that and realize, while my pain is very real and severe more often than not- it could be much, much worse- therefore, I'm thankful for being able to do what I can- and if it hurts from time to time, I suck it up and keep trucking along because some day, that's what's going to make me smile

Sorry for the rant- but you asked, Lol. Good luck and do what you have to do to live your life