My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Another update, and then I just really never want to speak of this again. I never want to think of it again. Can't it just please be over?

I had a really, crappy, bad week last week, as any of my readers know, and lots of my Etsy forum friends have been staying in touch. Thanks, guys!

And life happens, you know - because small business owners have little choice but to keep the show running, and I am basically a one-woman show, so I had to be at the shop everyday last week, and I also had a day-long specialty class yesterday (Sunday) - so it was a hard week.

My best friend actually send her husband down here from North Georgia on Thursday after I had called her Wednesday night to just to vent - I had been keeping all of this to myself, and she was furious, and sent him to help me with driving, and lifting, and just ordinary stuff. And I just had no concept of how this could help me, until he had been here for a few days - you know, I have lived alone since I was 17!

But with John here, I was able to actually take my pain meds at near-normal doses - I say "near", because if I took the actual prescribed doses, I wouldn't have been able to run the shop. But he drives me back and forth to work (driving is one of the most painful things for me right now  - the only thing MORE painful is trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. And no amount of drug is helping with that!).

So, after all the rigmarole that I went through last week just to get my PMS on the phone, I had my appointment with him this morning. John and I arrived about 30 minutes early, and they took me right back. PMS was outstanding, and took a lot of time listening to me, and examined me, and told me I needed to get an appointment with the surgeon, because this was no longer a simple pain management issue (duh). I told him I had already called, and had an appointment at the end of June (first available, according to the surgeon's appt. desk). Well, PMS said, "I don't think so - can you see him this morning?" I said "sure, but are you going to be able to do something for my pain?" He said, "Oh yeah - we are going to do an injection right now, but while you are changing into your gown, I am going to run down and tell the surgeon to work you in this morning."

So I got my injection, and then went for some X-rays (again - no waiting), and then went to the surgeon's office (all of these places are in the same bldg) - and after waiting maybe 45 minutes, I was in talking with tall hot handsome surgeon (did I type that out loud???)

THHS wants to do surgery the day after tomorrow - but there are some things that we just can't reschedule and rearrange right now, so the surgery is currently scheduled for 6/24. He said that if I could wait that long, he certainly could....

I was on a bunch of pain drugs and sedatives while talking to THHS, but I know we discussed the fact that since I already had one disc done (one level above the currently ruptured one,) and already have all this hardware in my neck, and since my neck had done such a fantastic job of healing, with beautiful bone remodeling and regrowth, that basically it is going to be one gigantic pain in the ass, and much longer surgery, to fix the new problem, because he has to remove all this beautifully grown-over hardware. And naturally, I am going to lose even more mobility in my neck.

And the worst part of the day for me is that the Epidural Steroid Injection I got this morning hasn't made one dent in my pain, so I am still miserable. Took a lot of pain meds once I got home, and tried to nap, but can't get comfortable, so I just sit up and cry a little and feel pitiful.

And I guess I eventually have to send my friend's husband home, too - he has really been a life-saver!

Pity-party over!!!!