'bout that bass and five things I wish I would have done to address what ails me

And we're back to talking about my bass, I mean, butt. Or at least the pain in my butt.

Visited my regular doc today. She believes I do have piriformis syndrome and that I'm still in pain (since APRIL) because it's hard to get rid of. For now, Aleve and -- wait for it -- running.

Then again, all I really heard her say was "go ahead and run. Start slow and stop if you feel worse." That I can do.

Of course, I have work and life functions today and tomorrow, so the running may have to wait a little bit. Unless I can clone myself. Or fake illness to get out of tonight's big-deal-whoopie event. No? Darn.

I may have to get treated for whiplash with all the different medical professionals' opinions about what ails me. That said, this doc, I trust, so I had some X-rays done and she's calling me back with results and any additional instructions depending on what they find.

Since I'm apparently now in the chronic pain realm, here are five lessons I learned in the past seven months for dealing with it:

1. Don't ignore it. Get someone to take a look at it right away because if you wait until it's too bad, then it's going to take longer to recoup. Dum-dum over here waited until she could barely walk before making an appointment.

2. Do listen to your own body. You know what's normal for you and what isn't. If your medical  professional isn't listening, call them out on it. If they still don't listen, consider another one. Or ask them to explain why they disagree with you. Schedule another appointment to finish the conversation if you have to.

3. Use your general practitioner/internal medicine doc/primary care nurse. I should have started there. But, no, I just  knew better. So, I've been managing my own care. Yeah, don't do that.

4. It's OK to get a second opinion. If your doc is decent, he or she won't mind and may even have a suggestion of another good professional who could take a look and suggest a different approach.

5. Be a good patient. Do what the doc tells you to do, even if that includes -- gasp! -- not running for a while. Or taking meds (shudder). Or going through -- God forbid -- physical therapy. I hate it when they're right, but they have the fancy diploma for a reason.

I hope you're not injured, but if you are, that you get a fast resolution and get back on the road quickly.

What type of medical professional do you see when you're hurt? Do you follow doctor's orders? No, really, do you?