Mid-Nite

I'VE KEPT THE TITLE OF "MID-NITE" ... THIS IS MY THIRD TRY AT GETTING THIS POSTED! 

    AOL (or my laptop) kept kicking me offline.  What an aggravation when I had all the decorations and everything just so!

 

4:30 PM 10/2/05
     Gotta take a break ... and, one extra strength Tylanol   and three aspirins     .

9:59 PM 10/2/05
     I just took one extra strength Tylanol   and three    aspirins.  I'm trying to pry myself off the sofa to drive to go get the gin that I promised myself if I kept caulking until dark and if I clean the kitchen before I go to bed.

7:57 AM 10/3/05
     Been awake for about three hours; I'd hoped to get back to sleep ....
    I spent a lot of time loosening up, some of my physial therapy routine, too.
    I had been up for a while during the night, mostly watching T.V., had some more gin and went back to sleep for a while.
    This morning ... from my back being so mean to me last evening ... to now, it is the best it's been for a long time.
     My lower back has just minor muscle soreness in my lower back between my hips. 

1:04 PM 10/3/05
     My back feels better than it has for a long time.  I never know for sure what makes it feel good ... I never know for sure what makes it cause me such agony! ... OR ... why? or why not?
     I just could not force myself to do my dishes and other housework last evening ... it just hurt too much.  So, here I am again with half the day gone doing YESTERDAY'S tasks!
     I'm going to do a little more scraping & caulking ... and hopefully a little painting.  The weather is going to turn cold & wet.
     I'd hate to admit that it seems to help to keep a little gin in my system when I feel my back wanting to cramp/go bad.  But, I don't want to drink if I'm going to drive or climb the ladder ....  For right now, I'm going to take two Ibuprophen and two aspirins as a precaution before I go outside.  AND ... I poured some liniment on my back ... to soak my waistband and to soak my shirt collar  & shoulders, etc.

6:32 PM 10/3/05
     I kept at my project until dark ... but, had taken several breaks and some pain pills.    I  had also made a stiff drink to quiet my muscles, and all in all, was only at the severe ache level of pain ... like all over.

    9:02 AM 10/4/05
     RAINY DAY ... working inside today ... keeping kitchen tidy ... actually had forced myself (eventually) to tidy it up last night.
     My back must feel good; I feel ambitious.  I didn't sleep too well, so, kept getting up and therefore wasn't too stiff & sore this morning.

1:45 PM 10/4/05
     I sat in front of the computer for several hours doing some "catch-up" work.
     I laid on the sofa a bit, then, spent an hour sorting books & magazines.
     NOW ... MY LOWER BACK IS THREATENING TO CRAMP UP NEAR MY LEFT HIP ... something that it hasn't done for months.
     Time for a serious break, some aspirins, maybe a hot bath ... maybe a drink.  LIKE ... NOW!

  3:02 PM 10/4/05
     Go figure ... no strenuous work ... moderately active ... some rest ... some physical therapy exercises ... and now, EMERGENCY!
    FOUR aspirins, ANOTHER drink, MORE sofa time!

  5:06 AM 10/5/05
     Miserable night ... up and down ... didn't get much sleep ... am going back to sleep now, I hope.  It took me until after 1 AM to get all my stuff done.

2:11 PM 10/5/05
     I did get loosened up; I did a some housework.  I took a long, hot bath ... didn't do much sofa time.
     But, the weather threatened to rain, so there was only a little outside stuff that I got done.  I just took four more aspirins ... Almost went to town.  Almost went for a walk to pick apples ... but, then it really started to rain.

5:13 PM 10/5/05
     A sofa break sounds good, BEFORE my back gets to be a problem.  I had put on a goodly amount of "IcyHot" liniment ... feels pretty good!
     I had forgotten about an appointment at the pain clinic for more injections (facets?) in my back.  There is a new appointment made for next Tuesday ... It is Wednesday now.

2:44 AM 10/6/05
     I've been awake for about an hour.     I had to fix something to eat so that I could take three aspirins.  I'll have another drink, too.
     I slept pretty well; the previous nite had left me short of sleep.  I hope to get back to sleep.
     Right now, it is hard to stand up straight.  There is moderate pain in my left hip & lower back there.  My lower ribs and base-of-neck have an ache only when I try to loosen and exercise that area.
     While I'm up (and eating) I might as well post this before it gets SOOoooo long.  It is probably a nuisance that my entries run from the oldest first, which might make it confusing, especially when the entry gets over-long.  But, this is the way I make the notes ... just sit down and post the current observations.

9:00 AM 10/6/05

THIS HAD BEEN MEANT TO BE POSTED HOURS AGO ... GLITCHES KEPT ME FROM GETTING IT DONE UNTIL NOW.  That annoying twinge that threates me sometimes is in my left, lower ribs when I wriggle... otherwise, my mid back is moderately stiff & sore (like muscle aches) ... and I'm walking fairly well.  It's enough to ruin my ambition, tho.

 

 

Upper Peninsula, MI  CLICK HERE and beyond

That is my other Journal ... this Journal is just to keep a back log to print out for my doctor......

9:45 AM 9/30/05
     Have been up for an hour & a half ... my left hip is the worst problem.  I cannot stand up straight ... and had to explain to the cats that I couldn't feed them because I couldn't bend down enough to pick up their dish ... later ... as soon as I loosen up.
    The past few days, another problem has returned ...  I have been getting leg cramps, mostly when I am lying down.
     I don't have a lot of really bad pain, except my hip now, my spine & neck have like muscle pain when I move around.
     If I heed my inner hint ... which is: I feel ambitious ... that usually means that I'll feel pretty good for a while!

10:39 AM 9/30/05
     Just took two extra strength Tylanol and two aspirins.  My hip just won't loosen up or quit hurting.

4:40 PM 9/30/05
     DAMN!  I cannot stand the pain; I must go lie down.  I just took another extra-strength Tylanol to go with the three aspirins that I took two hours ago. 
     I was so full of ambition ... didn't do anything strenuous.  I made a trip to town to get some more caulk and a paint-remover tool that goes in the electric drill so I don't have to scrub the siding with the paint scraper.
    I did that and some caulking, just standing on the ground .... NOW .... my lower back is in such awful pain.  I may regret my decision not to buy another bottle of gin!

8:42 PM 9/30/05
     OWIE ... WOWIE ... !  I did go outside to do some more caulking & painting ... tried to do as much of it sitting down as I could.
    Then, some must do things like change the kitty pan ... feed the cats, etc. 
    My kitchen mess is going to have to wait until tomorrow!  Even lying on the sofa, my lower back was  in extreme pain ... an 8 or so.  I HAD to get up ... forgot to get my milk out of the car ... AND ... I'm hungry have to make a quick supper.

8:56 AM 10/1/05
     BETTER... better than yesterday, tho.  I did get up a few more times during the nite ... I did squeeze the last few shots out of the gin bottle before bed ...
     I woke up about two hours ago.  I was able to do a few loosening up exercises; the pain level certainly is not as great as yesterday!
    I even was able to feed the cats & geese ... did a tidying up of the horrible kitchen mess (making apple juice & supper).
    Going to take three aspirins ... eat a banana ... breakfast will have to wait until the next time that I get up.

4:58 PM 10/1/05
     I've had a medley of activities, from talking on the phone, watching T.V., and scraping old paint & caulking on the exterior of the house.  Whenever possible, I sat on my stool; I did not use any ladders today.
     For a while, my lower back caused a retreat.  I had my back cracked, took four aspirins ... and a break, then felt okay enough to resume.
     Now, two extra duty Tylanol, and a sofa break.

5:01 AM 10/2/05
     Oh, for some gin ... I've been awake for two hours, trying to get past the pain to loosen up my back.  Pain causes more tightness; tightness causes more pain.  The gin relaxes me and breaks that cycle.
     The problem areas are my lower rib section, and the base of my neck. Tho the pain level is only a seven, it is the gripping muscle aches when I move that make me miserable.  Sometimes, when I wake up, I am afraid to move.
    Well, now that I'm loosened up some, I'll have three aspirins and try to get back to sleep.
     My activities after my last entry included more caulking and scraping on the house ... make supper ... tho I left my kitchen mess for tomorrow, again.

11:05 AM 10/2/05
     I wanted to "get to work" on the caulking sooner ... didn't yet ... I'm just sitting down to eat brunch ...
     I cleaned up the dishes, mixed up kitty food, made some phone calls ...
     The hours that I spent in the middle of the night loosening up resulted in getting off to an easier start this a.m.  Mostly what I've felt this a.m. is minor aches & pains in my lower back and shoulders.
     I feel ambitious ... that's a good sign.  I had three Ibuprohen earlier, am going to take three aspirins now. ... then GO TO DO SOME MORE SCRAPING & CAULKING:

 

SEE MY OTHER JOURNAL FOR PHOTOS:

Upper Peninsula, MI  CLICK HERE and beyond