BACKlog: TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT!

12:20 PM 10/30/05
I wish I'd been able to finish another half hour of my painting project yesterday. My back just hurt too much. But, now, it will rain today and for several more days.

3:32 PM 10/30/05
I spent several hours caulking and touch-up painting ... about as strenuous as icing a cake. Towards the end, my back hurt so much that I had to take some sofa-breaks ... and some aspirings and some gin to relax my back. I cannot take gin if I am to be climbing on the ladder, or anything risky. I just had to force myself ... talk myself thru finishing what I had to do.
Then, some friends came over wanting me to do something on the computer for them. They had to wait until I had a sofa-gin break.

12:23 PM 10/31/05
     I DID IT! I DID "ALL-THE-ABOVE"!   Good thing my sister called me about 10 pm ... I talked for a while, telling her that I was hungry ... hadn't had supper yet ... and some of my kitties still needed to be fed.
Pillow      I eventually dragged myself out of bed ... made supper, and fed the kitties ... even washed the dishes and set up the coffee pot for a "love-myself-in-the-morning" treat. This was achieved by taking four aspirins and several hot toddies. I hadn't really wanted to take any more gin ... but, that was the only way to calm my back.
     Now, finally, I am having my gourmet chile ... and, another hot toddy ... hope to have a good nite's sleep!

4:52 AM 11/2/05
This night was a re-run of last night ... my back was so ruined that I just barely got my evening chores done, had supper, and laid down. Again, I woke up after midnite ... couldn't find a comfortable spot on the bed, and spent several hours trying to losen up and get the courage to get out of bed. Then, I took four aspirins and the last of my gin.
... There was severe pain across my lower back ... at first my right hip hurt the worst ( usually it's my left hip). Now, I'm still not walking upright well, but, a lot of the pain hase supbsiddedsddddddddsssssssssssssssssss
(drifted off to sleep again.)

5:07 AM 11/3/05
I've been awake for many hours ... don't think I slept much all nite ... tho I had a long nap last evening when I laid down ... actually, caved in to my back pain. The pain is mostly in my lower back. When one part of my back hurts so much, I don't even notice what else hurts.
I didn't have any gin last evening, just some aspirins. I hope I'll be able to get around when it's "time to get up". I cannot walk upright ... lean over to the right, extreme pain in my left hip area. I cannot pick up something off the floor. The pain does not go away when I sit or lie down.

10:08 AM 11/4/05
     I SURVIVED ANOTHER BAD NITE ... I retreated to the sofa just after dark ... did as much as I could first, knowing it might be hard to get up again. I bribed myself with gin ... hoping to relax my back to reduce the pain.
     Several times during the night, I had four aspirins at a time, and some more gin.
     The back pain took over my whole back; especially in my lower rib section and between my shoulder-blades. It hadn't hurt there for quite a few days. The base of my neck has moderate pain when rolling my head/neck around ... but, not the stabbing pain there I'd had for many weeks a while ago!

I am trying to figure out how to appease my back.

Number one cure for my lower back is just to spend all my time in bed. That tends to stiffen up my whole back, tho.
I take aspirins and whatever, hoping to reduce inflamation, and, therefore, pain.
When I've overdone it (according to my back) ... I take some gin to keep my back muscles from tightening up and causing pain, which causes more tightening and then more pain.
I haven't gone to physical therapy lately, partly for economic reasons ... try to at least do some loosening exercises periodically thru the day or nite.
Applying liniment seems to help.
I'm going to try something else: going to go back to wearing my cowboy boots more ... like around the house, even ... instead of slipping on a pair of tennis shoes. I used to live in these boots before I had to quit work.
I'm never sure if my "facets" (injections) are helping ornot ... like ... would it be worse without? I'm never sure of a direct link betweeen the pains and either causes or cures!