When I Tweeted this earlier,

https://twitter.com/ginnyred57/status/524366347799891968

I had this in mind.

I’ve been under a lot of stress lately; work is changing and I’m constantly trying to figure out, from minute to minute, what is the most productive thing I should be doing, as efficiently as possible.

Also I’ve been somewhat tense about staying healthy for choir, because we’re recording a Christmas CD this coming weekend, but mostly it’s work. Sometimes I pretty much work myself into a screaming wobbler (not on the phone) when frustrated by something.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling fine, but later in the morning realized I’d spent too much time with my neck bent, reading the Internets… And suddenly I had a full-blown neck spasm.

David and I had errands to run and got lunch too, but afterwards I realized my kinked neck wasn’t getting better. Sleeping on Saturday night was impossible, and slow torture every time I tried to change position.

Just going from vertical (standing) to horizontal (lying down) was agony, and I was taking whatever OTC painkillers I had, plus some leftover Tylonol with codeine. Sunday, more of the same, even after maxing out the daily recommended dosage of Aleve. I spaced them out at minimum intervals, but nothing really shifted until the first two Aleve kicked in (they are very slow acting but last a long while).

I called in sick this morning, barely able to lift my eyes to the top of my screen to send my time sheet and managed to get in to the doctor (not my usual, one of the other practice doctors. Fortunately, the slow but strong Aleve had finally kicked in, and I was able to drive, very carefully.

Several hours later, after a lunch of comfort food at Boston Market (that was all soft stuff because I can’t open my jaw wide enough to take a big bite), I finally got my first meds downed and was installed in the armchair with a new body wrap heating thing. Just as well, because the third and last Aleve that I’d taken the night before had worn off with a screaming thud. Apparently you can’t take more than 3 of them in 24 hours.

And here I’ve been since, watching TV and taking various meds at the proper times: Prednisolone, Robaxin, and Norco — aka a steroid, a muscle relaxant, and a more powerful painkiller, but similar to the ones in my stash from when I had a molar extracted.

https://twitter.com/ginnyred57/status/524367439484960768

As it happens, I slept in this chair last night, but I’m going to go upstairs and try to crawl in, very cautiously. I’ve got an electric heating pad that works better on the bed than the back of the armchair. The body wrap thing is the kind you microwave and wrap around a neck like a collar, and is very comforting, though it only stays warm enough for 15 minutes. Still, I can wear it while walking around the house and while seated at a chair with no headrest.

Time to take my last dose of meds and see if I can lie down without groaning or making strangled cries of pain… that’s getting REALLY TIRESOME.

I hope to be able to log in and work tomorrow, at least try it in the morning.

Choir practice is Wednesday, so I hope to be able to open my jaw more fully by then! and tilt my head back too.

I would really benefit from taking two kittens as a stress reducer though. I would drape them on my shoulders and the purring and warmth would be just what the doctor ordered.