Drugs, Fast Cars, and Cheap Hotels

I've been staggering about feeling pretty good.  Then Friday came.  Yes, it's as bad as that.  I have been working hard, staying busy, trying to get stuff done.  A few Fridays ago, we had a frantic day.  I was scurrying about, lifting bending and SLOUCHING!  Not good.  I had been feeling some increase mystery pain on my right side, but man this turned to pain!  Sunday, I couldn't even sleep, it felt like rats were gnawing on my hip bone and lower back.  Rats that were on fire.  So I got up and found I could barely walk!  What? No!  So I drug my pathetic carcass down the stairs and to the drugs.  After looking at the Valium, I opted for a Tramadol, then sent my boss an email that I needed to take a vacation day in Monday.  Basically, that meant I worked from home on Monday, but whatever.  

So, I started taking pain pills again.  Ack.  I called my doctor and asked about it and they said come in so they could poke at me.  I've poked at me and I can't find a sensitive area but I'm in pain none the less.  I walked and was back to 1/2 a mile an hour. 

So while waiting...

We found a lovely ruby red Mustang.  About 10 hours away.  I had two vacation days that had to be used or I'd lose them by the end of the month.  I took Friday off and Monday too for my appointment.  And we got into our 1999 Escort for the drive.  Please remember that I'm on pain pills, so not as daunting as all that.  

Come on a journey with me.... So I'm the driver, we leave the house armed with our GPS and hit the dusty Nebraska highway.  We drive until I think I might die then stop for dinner.  We decide to get a hotel in Pueblo Colorado and opt for some cheap dive, sight unseen and booked the room.  We get to our lovely home away from home and I am immediately hit with a sweet weird cleaner (or rotting corpse) smell.  Ok, it seems do-able none the less.  Please remember, we've been driving for a long, long time and I'm feeling a little beat up and we are in the middle of nowhere, as usual.  So we are staying.   As I crawl into bed, I swear to God, there in a dime size spot of blood on the comforter.  Alright...the sheets seem clean so I tell hubby "do not pull the comforter up.  Don't do it!" he thinks I'm a mad women until I say "blood".  At 3:30 that sweet smell becomes unbearable, but hubby seems to be sleeping well so I just lay there thinking about bedbugs.  At 5:30, thankfully our alarm goes off and I'm up and in the shower.  While washing my hair (to get rid of any bedbugs) a little drop of diluted cheap shampoo gets in my eye.  Pain!  My eye turns bright red, and stays that way for a day and a half.  I say "we need to leave RIGHT NOW!  No coffee, no nothing... Get the bag in the car we are leaving.  We get to the dealership 3 hours later and the car is not as advertised.  Anyway, drama ensues with me yelling "that car does not have leather seats!  Where are the leather seats!" for about two hours.  Finally we cut a deal and sign the paperwork.   My parting comments after screeching about the lack of leather seats for hours with bright red eye a flashing....?  We're going for lunch, we're vegetarians, any suggestions!?!  Funniest part of the whole trip.  

Anyway, the trip in the new car was much more comfortable and we made it home in a day, no worse for wear.  

Monday, went to my doctor.  They poked about and said "hrmm, don't know.  It's not the SI joint." so good news, taking Tramadol twice a day still, they said stay off the treadmill for a week to recover and they said to keep taking the anti inflammatory drug neproxin.   So, I can do that. It's a drag, this is my first step back.  Thankfully though, I'm in a little discomfort but it's unlikely I will die.  

Wherever You Go, There You Are

Well, I am finding that I don't have much to say about the drama of being bolted together. That's good.  I have been working full, full time.  I spent last week in Blackhawk Colorado, giving presentations. That is around a 5 hour drive for the average person.  I car pooled with my boss, I was driving and of course got lost, so that added about an hour to the drive.  So, I was tired from the drive but not miserable.  

Yoga.  I went to my first yoga class last Tuesday.  That was not a flawless victory but I was there and did it, with my surgeon's office blessing of course.  I created the Floppy Dog and Wheezing Earthworm pose during that class, I'm sure they will catch on.  

My hip pain is much better, I have just stopped taking the Naproxen that was prescribed and I don't feel any different.  I think I can almost think that I am getting a little strength back into my foot.  I can't stand on my toes on my left foot yet, but I almost think I can lift it a fraction of in inch off the ground if I try really, really hard.  Not ballet dancer worthy yet, but give me a couple more months.  I was climbing on the counter the other day because I can't reach very high.  My hubby walked in and nearly panicked.  I really was stuck, but I am feeling well enough to start climbing on the kitchen counters.  I can't reach anything but I am gaining confidence.  So, a partial victory? 

I still can't jump on the bed, run, stand on my tiptoes, or bend over and touch the ground without bending my knees but I can work a full shift, walk with less of a limp, lay on the floor and get back up off the ground, and my balance is getting better.  Here is something I should have known though (fun horsie facts to follow).  When your horse is having a lameness or gait issue, you change the way they are trimmed or their shoes to help their stride and break over.  Right?  Everyone knows that.... Here's the thing, it never occurred to me that the same would be true FOR ME.  I got a super slick looking pair of tall black boots with a chunky 1 inch heel.  Guess who doesn't limp nearly as bad with that little bit of heel?  So, flat flat shoes aren't the best for me. Guess I have to wear my super cool black boots...I mean, it's for my health.  

Mixed Emotions are Not as Good as a Mixed Drink

Well, here I am...still recovering right?  Anyway, I am still frustrated by the nerve damage.  Is it better? The same?  I can't tell.  A coworker told me yesterday I was walking a lot better, so that's a good sign...right?  Or am I just getting used to it...? Anyway, that continues to be my biggest complaint.  So all in all, doing good!  Maybe the nerve damage is keeping me from over doing it, maybe it's a blessing, forcing me to take it at a reasonable pace.  My silver lining is also my bane. 

I'm still stiff and a little achy, I really think I can feel the rods or something.  It doesn't hurt, it just feels weird, almost like someone sliced me open and bolted metal parts into my back.  Crazy, I know!  I feel the worse at the beginning of the night after I've gone to bed.  This last week I've worked about 50 hours (and have to work this weekend to keep up, so not done yet) and I have a big presentation next week in Colorado, so that's a five hour plus drive one way so I think that's probably one of the reasons im feeling achy and don't I expect that to change anytime soon.  I'm afraid I've only been walking about half an hour a night this last week, so that's bad!  I know, I know, I have to set limits but this work crap isn't going to get itself done.  Ack!  I need to make sure I have enough energy to walk.  I need to stay focused on my health.  But, I really need my job too. Priorities. 

Anyway, I am getting off the floor after my physical therapy excercises much easier.  I am doing a lot of  the things, except ride my horses, that I did before surgery.  I feel fine.  Sometimes I get really distraught over the idea I might not  be able to do everything I want to do though.  Can I walk for hours through a town when we are on vacation?  Im so slow, I think not yet.  Can I rock climb again?  Well, there aren't any rocks close to where I live except for Devil's Tower in Wyoming and I don't think I could have ever climbed it, even in perfect shape.  Horses?  The doctor says yes, but falling off is scary.  I don't know, I'm projecting into an unknown future, it's scary, it's the unknown.  So I guess it's the same as it always was.  No guarantees good or bad for anyone.