My coworker took leave to get back surgery because her back was messed up and she was always in pain.

Now she can hardly walk after massive complications and multiple surgeries.

Anyone I’ve ever met who had a back surgery say that they wish they never did it. It could be confirmation bias on my end.

BUT she told me that she wishes so badly that she would have just pushed through the pain. She was fully functional and working a pretty active job. Now she sits at a desk somewhere part-time.

If you can’t do anything about it, and pushing through isn’t going to make matters worse.

Or if you know it won’t last forever and you can manage it.

Sometimes the only way out is through - like with grief, or childbirth, you cannot get past it without just feeling it.

If you’re going through hell, don’t stop.

Pain is temporary, therefore pain is fine if it leads to long term gain. It is not fine when it leads to long term loss.

Depends on the pain.

If it’s joints or ligaments, stop immediately. Coddle the shit out of them.

Muscles, treat them like dirt, get shit done.

Because the baby has got to come out somehow.