Friday's Day of Laughter

Friday was a day off for Rick to attend the doctors with me.
If I were to have the "shot" which we thought would be necessary I wouldn't be able to drive.
So he worked Saturday and took off Friday for me.

We headed over to the spine institute very early in the morning for my appointment.
I was not paying attention to the exits or really anything for that matter.
I was thinking about this visit and my pain and just day dreaming out the window.
When I finally looked up I realized we passed the exit we wanted to take.
I mention this to Rick, "Hey Rick didn't we want the Wiehle exit? We are almost at Tyson's. We are way past it." 
He snapped out of his coma and laughed. "Well we have time I'll just turn around."

Honestly how this man gets to all his appointments each and every day on time and generally early just floors me.  Thankfully when we arrived we were kept waiting as usual so it was not an issue that Rick was driving aimlessly.

I had a series of doctors, PA's and nurses prodding me and the area of pain. 
I kept saying, it hurts THERE. So they continued to press THERE and they made me bend, twist, and do things that caused me more pain.
I told my doctor I thought he was sadistic. He just laughed.

We went over my choices of treatment. If this visit had occurred the week of severe pain and when I was down for the count I may have chosen something else.  But I had been taking my husbands anti-inflammatory's and I was feeling much better.

I shared with Dr. Good Looking that I had been taking Rick's pills and while I thought he'd be pissy he was fine with it because that was a drug he'd be giving me.
My choice was a steroid pack and a shot. Or an anti-inflammatory and a shot.
Or just try 2 weeks of anti-inflammatorys and see how I feel and go on from there.
With all choices there was pain medications to go along as needed.
I get some serious side effects from the steroid pack so I really wanted to avoid it if I could.
So I opted for the least invasive route. I am on an anti-inflammatory and the ole pain medication.  With a shot to come only if I feel necessary.

By the end of my visit (2.5 hrs) of being battered and bruised my doctor recommended I take the prescribed pain meds when I get home because he told me I was going to be worse.
Gee, no shit you all have been man handling me.

The good news of my lumbar spondylosis and my SI joint issue and pain is that the gym is making things worse. Not all of the gym but some of the gym. 
When he asked when the pain got worse I shared that once I was began going to a gym on a regular basis I noticed the pain increasing from my "normal life of pain" (Ialways have some pain at any given moment that I have just learned to live with)

Dr. Good Looking said, "Let me guess it could be spinning or the elliptical"
I was shocked because it was both! 
While I love the bike I know it causes me pain.
I hate the elliptical and when I told my trainer that both hurt me she rolled her eyes.
I think she thought I just hated them so much that was what I meant.
I told her I wasn't joking but she still poo-poo'd me.

So imagine my delight when Dr. Good Looking told me that he would prefer I not do either - I almost planted a big wet kiss on him.
He went on to tell and show me on Mr. Skeleton in the room why it bothers me so.
He explained that the weight training and stretching were good.
However the bad news was that as time goes on he would like to see me move to yoga and/or Pilate's because this injury would be better served by those things and move away from the gym.  As I age it will not get easier he said and all that gym stuff would do more harm than good.

Surprisingly that was sad to hear. Not that I love the gym people but there is no avoiding this old age shit and changing my life. This saga began in 1978 when I fell on concrete steps at the CN Exhibition Stadium in Toronto Canada while seeing a concert of Burton Cummings. 
(I was in my very early 20's.)
Rain, wet concrete and me being clumsy and now I pay the price.
Not sad about the bike and elliptical just the gym and aging.

So we got my Rx filled on the way home and I took it in the car.
I had not had any food or drink aside from water yet so these puppies hit me.
The rest of the day was giggling and less pain.
I really don't do well on pills hence why normally I only take a 1/2.
But my druggie husband convinced me to take a full one and take the day off.

Oh my.

We came home to have lunch and that was when that pill had hit me.
We were talking about work and my classes and somehow we began talking about taking pictures of oneself. I shared how this blogger I read always is taking pictures of herself with her cell phone and when I try I get everything but me. I get me holding a camera in front of my face but not me. He suggested putting the camera over my head. WHAT?

I don't know what was said or what we were talking about at that specific moment but we couldn't stop laughing. I was high on pain meds - Rick was just egging me on I'm sure.
I picked up my camera and went into the powder room and tried again.
I got this pic of me looking like I've been goosed and holding the camera in the air.
We won't even get into the exposure and other issues.
When we saw this we began laughing even more.

Everything was making me laugh and I mean everything.
I heard Rick talking to customers on the phone. Oh he is so not good on the phone with people.
That made me laugh. I wasn't panicked that he would lose business, oh no, I just laughed and laughed.   Ah drugs are good.

Now you know I don't show my face on here often because well.....my face. Ick.
But these make me laugh just looking at them.
I was a giggling fool all damn day. Oh yea, this is an ugly picture but I'm showing it because this was me all day on Friday. (hubby using my camera that makes it look like i have no hair - i have hair people!)

But hey, I wasn't in any pain.