Is This Really Me?

10:40 AM 10/10/05
     I woke up late ... had gone to sleep early the evening before (Sunday, the 9th) because my back was just ruined.  

     When I first got out of bed, I was thinking, wondering if my injections had "worn off" ... and wishing that I hadn't missed my appointment.  This week, I get some more injections, and will print this out for my doctor to have a history of "How'm I du'in?".

  After midnite, I had to get loosened up and finally was able to get up to make my "supper"... and have some more gin.

9:20 PM 10/11/05

... I was gone all day, taking a drive.  I was mostly in the car, but made frequent stops to get out to take photos, etc.
     This long drive was what my back really needed ... a "day of doing NOTHING".
     Having been short of sleep, I slept very well last nite.  My back has aches and pains all over, mostly in my lower back ... but not too bad right now, that I'm loosened up.
      I'm going  to have some aspirins now, had some Aleve before bed last nite.

  5:09 PM 10/12/05
     MY BACK FEELS ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS ... NOT A TRACE OF EVEN DISCOMFORT!
     I've spent most of this day at the computer, doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING PHYSICAL!
     Is my prescription to completely become a couch potato ... and suck gin?  Those two seem to be the only common denominators to my back's feeling comfortable!
    I cannot believe just how great I feel after two days of vegging ... it did take two days in a row to achieve this level of comfort.  There is absolutely no ache anywhere, no matter how I bend and flex in any position!  It is as tho I never had any problem with my back! 

      It's hard to believe that my neck & shoulders have no trace of discomfort after two months or more of terrible pain when I try to look over my shoulder, esp. over my left shoulder!

8:21 AM 10/13/05
     TODAY  .... I am finally getting to keep my appointment at the pain clinic for my "facets" .... some sort of injections into my back.  If I had kept my original appointment of several weeks ago, I would have attributed the last two days of feeling WONDERFUL to the injections!

  6:11 PM 10/13/05
     I am just so happy that my back feels so great!  AND ... wonderfully opitimistic about maintaining this now that I have had the "lumbar facets" ... four injections on both sides of my spine between my hip area.  He had intended to put these in my upper back area in the shoulder blade area, but, since my back was feeling so much better, and the worst discomfort was my lower back ... he decided to put the injections there.
     He did say that if my upper back returned to being unbearable before my next appointment (in two months) that I should return for more injections there.

     I printed out a copy of this Journal for the doctor ... it is in my files there.  Perhaps it would be a matter of interest to have an idea of my daily battle with my back problems ... and help to figure out what triggers either lasting agony or times of relief ... there never seems to be a direct cause & effect!

10:30 AM 10/14/05

    When the Pain Clinic called for its follow-up check on me this morning ... I told them that my relief level was at least 50% better than yesterday ... which had been UNUSUALLY pain-free.  I said that the improvement over my usual level of pain/incapacity was at least 95% or more!
     Dare I hope that I can carefully resume some minor activities, and not have to just veg out on the sofa?  I've put on at least ten pounds the last few months!
     Just prior to these heavenly days of relief from back pain, I had had to take a lot of gin to relax my back when it was in such major agony.  So, now, that I don't need the gin, I haven't had any at all for several days ... I always have to tell the doctor that I don't know ever what triggers either lasting agony or times of relief ... there never seems to be a direct cause & effect!