Back to My Back

  7:19 AM 10/29/05
    Ooooooh ... my back is NOT good!  I did invest in some gin; I did have a drink at bedtime.  I HAVE to get some things done on my house before WINTER; I must force myself to make use of the dwindling sunshine!  Yesterday, I overdid it (according to my back ... tho ... nothing heavily physical) ... now, I cannot sleep for the pain in my lower back.
     This morning, I felt the old-familiar "kinking twinge" in my left lower back; it hasn't been doing that too much lately.
     I'm having another gin, two Aleve, and hopefully going back to sleep.
     I ran out of MSM several months ago; it is not in the SS budget.  That always made a noticeable difference before.  Now, I have the "facets" injections in my back ... I wonder if MSM would be benefical still?
     I was told that "injuries act as a catlyst to the onset of arthritis in an area" ... MSM helps arthritis.  Also, B6, which I ran out of, too, has helped me before.
     Whenever I can, I stock up on quantities of at least generic aspirin; I am out of the generic Tylanol, Excedrin, Ibrupophen ... almost out of the generic Aleve.  I like to alternate these pain remedies ... prefer to stick to aspirin.
     The thing about the gin: I do not like to take drugs.  I know the effects of gin. Gin can make me relax; it is not really a joke when I say that "I take it for medicinal purposes only".  From back in the 1970's when my first two back injuries occured, when my back pain got to emergency proportions, slugging some gin right out of the bottle would  bring such heavenly relaxation and RELIEF!
    That's why, now, I can thoughtfully take some gin to relax  when my back figures I've overdone it.  The main result now is to have the main problem area, my lower back, quit cramping.  My back pain seems to travel upwards in progression.  I do have three separate areas of back problems (caused by three different injuries).  When my lower back pain is excruciating, it triggers maximum problems with my upper back.  Then, the next is my neck/shoulder area.  When the latter gets really bad, the problems start creeping over my shoulders, down over my chest/shoulder area.  When my mid-back gets really bad, my lower ribs in back start cramping severly.  Sometimes, when everything is really bad, it causes pain "echos" in my chest.  I cannot tell if it would be a heart attack or just echos  of my back pain!

  1:28 PM 10/29/05
     Four aspirins ... my back is just awful, but, this is one of the last decent days for my paint project ... so .... 
     I sat in the lounge chair to have my lunch to placate my back ... it was hard to leave the chair.

4:38 PM 10/29/05
     Three more aspirins ... my back is cramping and in severe pain ... mostly in my lower back.  I must do some more.

5:05 PM 10/29/05
     MUST feed my kitties.  No more painting or anything else for the day!   I cannot believe the pain in my lower  back.  I already had several gin drinks.  I had 20 minutes left on the project I was doing before dark; I had to surrender ... and just go lie down.  

8:51 PM 10/29/05
    I think I'll survive.  I had plenty of gin.  My back is relaxed.  I quit for the day.   I don't think I can do a hot bath.  I must just QUIT!

5:49 AM 10/30/05
     One Aleve, two aspirins, more gin.  My lower back has improved to only a severe ache.  The base of my neck has moderate muscle ache & pain; I am always worried that I could go back to not being able to turn my head.

8:42 AM 10/30/05
     I can walk fairly upright; my neck pain has subsided to almost nothing.  Bending over the sink caused a threatening sharp twinge.