Bad news: pain that severe really wasn't normal. I'd torn the annulus fibrosus in a lumbar disc.
I asked the doctor to prescribe something, but he said no medication would help. The best thing was to lie down and rest while it slowly healed on its own. From now on, I'd have to be extra careful, treat myself like a fragile skeleton soldier, and avoid lifting anything heavy enough to strain my lower back.
The good news was that, painful as it was, there were no major issues with the nerves in my lower back.
Once the acute pain phase passed, probably in a day or two, it wouldn't hurt so much. At least rolling over and getting up shouldn't be a problem.
From now on, I'll try writing with voice-to-text while lying down.
The story is at a fairly crucial point right now. I'll probably rest for another day tomorrow, then resume updates once the acute pain phase is over.
Quite a few readers suggested that I take a long break and get more rest.
Thank you all so much for your concern.
But I asked some fellow authors and my editor, and they all said taking a long break would have a major negative impact. Since I can use voice-to-text while lying down, and writing won't cause any further harm to my body, it's best to keep going.
As far as my word count goes, lying down might actually be a good thing.
It'll also give me a chance to settle my mind. Apart from eating, using the bathroom, and sleeping, I can spend pretty much all my time writing. Voice-to-text may be less efficient, but who knows? I might even manage to write more.