POSTURE

I have been focusing very hard on my posture. Some of my neck problems are due to my horrible posture. I attribute my slouching to having short friends when I was young and very tall. I was 5'9" very young. Always in the back row in photos in school.  Even now people don't believe I am that tall because I slouch so badly.

I have also been focusing on sitting up straight and working at my desk. Usually when I work at home I work slouched on the couch. My office could be an episode of one of those hoarder office clutter shows where they bring in a clutter expert and an expert organizer.  I just have so much paper; everywhere.  Then I have a desk I don't like.  I have a chair I love. Not a desk chair but a big soft cushy chair that is covered with crap. Then there are my many brief cases/bags for different clients on the floor. Magazines in a rack. Two dog cages for the pups. Just tons of stuff.  Oh and the room is dark if there is no sun so I need to get some sort of lamp.

I have been working on my posture. I think it is helping my neck.

Until tomorrow...

UPDATE ON MY DEGENERATIVE NECK

I have been going to physical therapy for months now for my degenerative neck problems.  I have been given exercises to do. Okay, I admit I don't do them regularly. I don't have much time to sit down and do neck exercises. Of course I know that means I probably won't get better.  I have been trying to put a heat pack on my neck often. 

Each time I go to physical therapy I get more exercises. I can hardly remember the previous ones.  

I was feeling much better after my fall on the cruise. Funny thing is when I fell on the cruise, my neck felt better for a few weeks. Almost like I knocked it into place.  Lately it is feeling worse again.  So we have increased the exercises.  I may have to go back to taking the muscle relaxers at night. 

As I sit here with a heating circle on my neck, I wish you a good night.

Until tomorrow...

PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR NECK

Today I went to physical therapy for my neck.  The funny thing is that my neck hurts less since my knee injury.  When I fell on my knee on the cruise, I wrenched my neck.  That movement seems to have made my neck feel better.  Isn't that funny?  Hurt one thing (my knee) and help another thing (my neck).  I need to do my exercises and use the TENS machine and take advantage of the good feelings.

Tomorrow is my breast biopsy.  It is going to be a MRI directed biopsy.  I have been told I will be face down in an MRI machine.  I can hardly wait.  Just what I need: more bruises!  Think of me at 11:30 tomorrow morning.  I will be the one in the tiara.

Until tomorrow...

ANOTHER PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT

I had my third physical therapy appointment. I have some gripes about my physical therapist. 1) she has horrible time management. Today I showed up for my appointment and found out she had double booked the appointment. Well, not her but her office. Last week I had to wait for my scheduled appointment while she finished up with someone else. During the first appointment she seemed to have forgotten I was coming and didn't have the paperwork ready and went into a long talk about a family member who was diagnosed with cancer unexpectedly.

Which brings up another point. 2) she seems to have no boundaries. I know way too much about her. I know how much she owes the IRS, about her relatives cancer, how much she saves for retirement, all about her son (who works for her) and his issues. Too much information for only having three appointments.

Point 3) she is hawking this vitamin supplement and is pretty aggressive about it. Each time we meet she brings up the vitamin supplement. She must be getting a commission on each sale or something. I find it annoying. I don't need to know about her stupid vitamin supplement. She just doesn't mention it but is pretty pushy. Next time she brings it up I am going to have to say something because each time she talks about it, I get stressed out.

My neck is kinda sore but we will see in the morning how I feel.

I made my dessert. It smells delicious! I will take a photo.

I contacted a gardener and he is coming in two weeks. Yay!

Until tomorrow...

SORE NECK

I had physical therapy on my neck yesterday. The PT did some exercises and some massage and some other stuff. It didn't hurt yesterday but, oh, this morning! It is killing me on the left side. Like a knife is sticking in the left side of my neck. I actually took one of my back muscle relaxers because it hurt so much. Then I took a nap because I was so tired. Those muscle relaxers relax me so well.

The PT was so easy with me this time since last week I was really sore too. I am just not sure if there is anything she can do to make me feel better. I did change pillows to see if that does anything. I also have some new exercises to do once the pain subsides.

This maybe a long haul.

Until tomorrow...

SOME UPDATES

Today my neck felt better. It still hurt but it was much less. I think the heating circular thing I am using is really working. I also did my Enbrel shot which probably helped. I don't have another PT appointment until next week so by then my neck will calm down.

The news has been so much these past 3 days. One thing after another. Hard to concentrate on other things. My thoughts are with all the people involved in these tragedies.

Happi got her rabbies shot. She was so good. Running right into the back room of the vet's office to get her shot.

I got a phone call with a new work opportunity. Yay!

It is strawberry season and I got a big basket of strawberries. I got to use my new strawberry huller! It takes the hull (or top) off the strawberry easily. I love it! No more cutting the hulls off with a knife. Just clip and twist. I cut up strawberries for a snack and made a smoothie. Delicious and good for me!

Until tomorrow...

SORE, SORE NECK

Okay, did I say my neck was sore yesterday? Oh, that was nothing compared to today. I woke up today and my neck was horribly sore and stiff. My morning shower helped a little bit. All day I was in terrible pain.

I think my first therapy session was a little too much. I have to remember that I don't heal very quickly. I tried to concentrate on work today but it was hard. Every way I held my neck I was in pain. When I got home I put this great circular heating pad on my neck for about 45 minutes. That really helped. It took the edge off. I was able to sit and do some work without being in constant pain.

I need to speak to the therapist and let her know I am a delicate flower (as my father says) and she needs to be more gentle with me. The therapy doesn't hurt when she does it, I think I just don't rejuvenate afterward. Where most people hurt for a short time after therapy, I don't rejuvenate and end up hurting for a long time afterward. My pain sensors are so out of whack.

I am sure I will feel much better tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

NECK AND STAPH

I went to the doctor's today. First we talked about my lovely rash. It looks better today but it didn't look as good yesterday. It has moved onto my back which is nice. It itches on my back but not on my front, if that makes sense. The new diagnosis is Staphylococcal Folliculitis. This occurs when hair follicles become infected with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. Suffice it to say, the topical medicine didn't work and now I am on oral antibiotics. My fav...

Then we spoke about my neck. He says my neck issues are probably degenerative. Common issue in people. Could be degenerative or not. I start physical therapy on Tuesday. I am to try this and see if it works. If it doesn't in a few weeks, I go back and they run more tests. Let's hope this works!

Until tomorrow...

TOOTH FIXED AND DOC APPOINTMENT

My tooth is fixed. I have a sparkling, shiny, new gold crown. Any more metal teeth and I will have a gold grill! It didn't hurt at all which was nice.

Then the dentist drilled out an old filling and filled it with a white filling. It feels funny and I may have to go back. It feels like some of the filling or concrete is sticking out. It bothers my tongue. I learned a few years ago that things that bother your tongue feel huge but are usually so small and miniscule. I am going to call him tomorrow and see if he can smooth it out later this week.

I am happy it was essentially painless. I was so relaxed I just about fell asleep. He said I was dozing off and had to nudge me to wake me up.

I called my primary doc today and made an appointment. This staph infection is not going away. It looks better one day and then it looks worse another. It is also showing up on my back. The creepy crawlies!

This pain in my neck is concerning. I know I haven't written about it in months but it is really bothering me. Yesterday some good music came on in the car and started to bop my head and the pain was unbearable. I think there is something wrong, more wrong than soft tissue damage. This has been going on for too long. I have been having this pain for months, since October or November. If it were stress, well, at what point does the stress go away and the pain stop? I am on enough anti-inflammatories to stop any swelling. The hot tub didn't work, a bath didn't work, the massage didn't work. I even lightened my bag to see if that would help, no luck. It isn't my shoulder, it is my neck. So off to the doctor I go.

At least my deductible for the year has been met already. I will give you an update tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

PAIN IN THE NECK

For months now I have had a pain in the neck. I can't turn my head without getting a twinge of pain. I told my physical therapist and she did some sort of chiropractic thing that hurt like a mother... I won't be doing that again.

I also get migraines so I wonder if the pain in my brain is not a migraine but a pain from a problem in my spine. I have no idea how I would figure this out.

I know my migraines are usually from not eating at regular hours and not getting enough sleep. I also seem to get them if I grind my teeth in my sleep. I also clench my jaw. As you can see I keep all my stress in my jaw, neck, back, head.

I think I am going to schedule a massage. Try to work off these sore muscles.

I am so tired. I am practically falling asleep at my computer.

Until tomorrow...