This Darn Back

           

    I am so tired.  I just couldn't get comfortable to sleep.
 

  Darn back.  I have mentioned before that I have 2 bulging disc's in between my shoulder blades.  The reason I had my breast reduction was to take some of the pressure off my back and hopefully get some pain relief.  It helps take at least 90% of the chronic pain.  But I still have pain at times.  Some days worse then others and this is one of those times.  If it doesn't get better in a couple of days I will have to see the doctor and see if they have gone past bulging and right into rupturing.
                  

   It is hard to describe the pain.  I feel like my back is swollen from the inside out.  Taking a deep breath hurts, the pain goes up into my neck and down to my lower back.  It burns, stabs, and just plain hurts.  Whaaaaaaaa.  

   Usually in the winter I soak in as hot a tub as I can stand but the thought of a hot tub bath in this weather doesn't appeal to me at all.  I alternate using ice, and biofreeze.  Motrin 800 mg 3 times a day and just take it easy.

    I am not sure if I will be able to work tonight.  The thought of missing 2 12 hours shifts makes me cry.  The thought of lifting or pulling patients up makes me cry.  What to do, what to do?

   Now I would love to say my co-workers will help me out, but bad backs are a nursing standard.  We almost all have bad backs after awhile so the sympathy level goes down as far as how many times you will be able to push your lifting off on someone else, LOL.  They don't want to end up at the pain level your at.  I can certainly understand that!  And Murphy's law will hold true that without them planning it that way I will get the heaviest patients on the floor that require the most lifting and moving around.  We have lots of equipment these days to help with moving and it works so much better then the old days, but for some things it just takes good old muscle power. 

   So do I take tonight off also and rest my back giving me the rest of the week off?  Do I go to work and continue to stress the discs causing them to rupture if they haven't already.  Oh the dilemma.

    Well are you totally sick of the back pain entry, LOL.  Me too! Sorry.  I am feeling sorry for myself.  I will have to meditate and see if I can get cheerful again.  Look at something pretty to take my mind off of my poor poor pitiful body.  Lots of people are so much worse off then me.  I will not whine.  So here are some great whine graphics.