The Road to Recovery

What would my life be without another Emergency room visit? 2 in one year? At least I can say that God doesn't intend to give me a dull, mundane, bland and humdrum life. I instead, am constantly being challenged so he can be humored in my expense. It's cool Lord...You're still my homie.


Ever since I went home for the funeral in February, I have had horrible neck pain. It literally started the day after George died. No big deal right? I'm a chiropractic student. I know that stress can manifest in muscles and cause pain. Of course I see my Leesville chiropractor and make sure to get some care when I get back to Dallas.


I've been adjusted, had physiotherapy (electrotherapy on my muscles feel amazeballs), and I have done rehab, all of which was helping until I got worse. The last couple of months I have been in so much pain that I get super dizzy and want to vomit all over walls. <--Yep, totally attractive.


So I have been taking strides in my health, went back on my little healthy semi vegetarian diet, drink shit tons of water, popping vitamins, and quit drinking. YES!!! I, Diamond Gina am 5 7 days sober! It may not seem like a lot, but I drink like it is going out of style and I drink every damn day; when George died I have kinda sorta used it as a coping mechanism, not to mention it helps me sleep.


I was instructed by my student intern to just cut back on the drinking, but the first night I tried to sleep without a glass of wine went miserably. I tossed and turned because I was so uncomfortable with the pain in my neck. So I did a "fuck him!" at 2 am and drank two glasses to fall asleep. Of course, after that, God spoke to me through Dr. Hall (weird that he uses a man that boils my blood like no other, but I guess it is because I actually listen to every word he says) and I vowed to become sober for at least a month. Obviously that was stupid.


I hung out with Chasey all day yesterday (Saturday). We had fun the sober way: shopping! We went to the Galleria and spent hours at the mall then went grocery shopping. I cooked him some food, caught up, watched some youtube videos, and played with the kittens that he is allergic to. All the meanwhile, my neck pain is increasing...quickly. I take him home because I knew I needed to get an early start to try and sleep since I was in pain.

Hard headed chase snuggling with a kitten he is allergic to

4 a.m. arrives and I am still in pain. Excruciating pain. Please chop off my right arm kind of pain. The pain from my neck was traveling down into my shoulder blade and arm. WTF. No matter what position I put myself in my body fought me. Turning my head to one side to sleep made the right side of my nose go numb...fuck. I call Belle and she answers and heads over to massage my muscles with biofreeze and supplement me up with anti-inflammatories and sleep aids. It worked because I slept a good couple of hours.


I wake up to try and reach my phone because I realize my pain is now worse! Is this possible? I wished I were dead. I try to pull myself forward...pain shoots down my shoulder blade. I try to roll to one side and get up...pain shoots down my arm. I do this for several minutes in tears because the pain is off the scales. So I quickly think like a doctor: Do I have meningitis...nope no fever. What about my gallbladder...nope negative rebound test...UGH! Are my traps really that important for me to get out of freaking bed? Finally, I take a deep breath and raise up quickly screaming in the process! 

A few phone calls later,  my friends to get me to the nicest ER in America. I mean I knew Highland Park was a bit much, but this place was fabulous! If I am ever dying Lord, please let the people know to take me here to die. I felt like I was on an episode of freaking House. Self serve refrigerators with juices waters and snacks? Did I die and go to hospital heaven? Cooperative, sweet, understanding staff that are all beautiful? Sliding glass doors to each room? Modern leather chairs? No stupid noisy paper on the beds but disposable sheets?? My Lord!

The waiting area, equipped with snacks and drinks!

Nurse's station and the sliding glass doors like House!

I'm in and out within an hour full of Vicodin and a pretty painful steroid shot and prescriptions for Tramadol, Flexeril, and Naprosyn...YAY! Fast forward to me being loopy and passed out. You think I talk a lot now?? I talk 10 times more on medication; Mostly about things that I have no clue of!

I'm not trying to pose, my neck and my shoulder were stuck like that. Fancy chair eh?

One of my friends said, "What irony though. You quit drinking and then your friggin' neck locks up. Staying loosey goosey with alcohol may be the way to go!" <--- SOOOOO True! Unless I want to not wake up in the morning though, I ought not drink with my lovely medications, but it is quite tempting remembering how much less pain I was in when I was downing glasses of wine. My friends however, have been more than amazing! Tara made me homemade chicken noodle soup and Molly did my hair for me so I wouldn't have to strain my muscles more than they are now.  It all sounds great, but it makes you feel like crap when you can't do simple things for yourself like wash your hair (I refused to let anyone wash my hair...I painfully figured it out).

Tara working hard in the Kitchen ;)

Molly doing my hair without me lifting my neck

So here I am a few days post emergency room and avoiding studying for my test tomorrow morning. I have no idea how I am going to sit up long enough to take that it, but I guess I'll figure it out. My adjustment and PT helped out a ton today and I feel like I have tons more range of motion in my neck, but as Molly pointed out it probably isn't the best idea for me to use it yet. So she is doing my laundry while I sit here, blog, and study. Le sigh. I don't know how anyone can sit in bed all day. This ish sucks. They say it gets worse before it gets better...I can't imagine any worse, so it looks like I am on the road to recovery!