Visualize THIS

I'm not in the best place, so to speak, to write a post.

I saw Dr. Painless yesterday.

I ended up getting three injections.  (Or was it one injection in three places?  Neck, upper back, top of shoulder-ish.)  

Either way?

It wasn't, and still isn't, fun.

The man knows what he's doing - he stuck that four hundred foot needle right into one of my worst trigger spots.

I'm pretending I'm back in Hawaii.

Napili beach, Maui, Hawaii

Getting through pain is all about visualizing yourself somewhere else, right?

And breathing ...

Breathing is something I forget to do.  (I tend to hold my breath for as long as possible when I'm in pain because the very act of breathing hurts.)

The injections were a mix of pain killers, steroids, and maybe (?) something to force my spasming muscles to relax.  I can't quite remember because I'm suffering from pain-med induced brain-fuzziness right now.  

Since my arm doesn't work, when I move it, I'm really using surrounding muscles to do the work.  Those muscles don't like being asked to act as a shoulder and an arm.  They weren't built to do that type of work.  They spasm.  They freak out.  In other words, I always say my "arm" hurts, but really it's the entire upper right quadrant of my body and neck.  

Have I mentioned my life is lots of fun?

Dr. Painless put me on a new/different muscle relaxer because the one I was taking (Zanaflex) gave me bizarre nightmares.  I'd wake up after a night of fighting my sheets.  Sometimes the sheets would win, because I've only got one working arm.  It was exhausting.

He also gave me a new pain med to try.  It's called Nucynta.  

(I'm telling you the name of these drugs because if I don't, I will get several emails asking me which ones I'm talking about.)  

It's still too early to know if Nucynta will be a good fit for me.

Yes, I'm still on a host of other meds too.

Anyway, I've had injections (although, not this exact concoction) before.  My arm/neck/back/nerves always freak the hell out for a day or two and then, hopefully, start to feel better.

I'm not at the feel better stage yet.

I'm, in fact, at the polar opposite of feeling better even though I'm on pain meds.

In any case, I'm going to stop whining now.

I'm going to go sit in a corner and edit photos for the rest of the day.

I'll be really quiet, because if I'm not - I just might bite someone's head off.

P.S.  Does anyone know where Briefcase is hiding??

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Michelle]

"P.S. Does anyone know where Briefcase is hiding??" Probably in the picture you posted!

[WebSavvyMom]

-->I've been experiencing a lot of knee pain since June and I can't imagine going through over four years of pain, countless operations and physical therapy the way you have with your arm/shoulder. Bless your heart.

[Rachael]

aw poor Briefcase! lol...

Have a nice day in Hawaii. :)

[Di]

I saw Briefcase running through our backyard this morning... he was headed East towards Virginia Beach I think.

[karen]

THinking of you, hoping you get some relief from this new concoction.

[margaret]

You are a very brave personne
I hope you will find the good pain and I wish you a lot of courage
I realise that health is a gift and it's the onely important thing in the world
Excuse my bad english, I'm french