The last month of my life has been marked by constant, often severe lower back pain. I have had back pain off and on since I reached adulthood, both the achey kind that lasts a few days and the horrible twang that flattens you and leaves you crawling agonizingly to a chair you then can't even get yourself into, followed by a day of barely being able to walk, muscle relaxers and rest, and a few days later everything is okay again. This is the first time it has gone on and on. Muscle relaxers have had little effect, and I am hosting Christmas this year so I'm mildly stressed about cleaning and preparing for company.