POPPING RIBS and POPPING PILLS

Did you know you can pop your ribs out of place? Because I didn't. Maybe I did, but until November 18th, I never really understood what that meant, but now I do... it means a shitload of pain and a complete inability to do anything until someone finally tells you to go to a chiropractor. 

My first mistake that morning -- stretching in bed. I stretched my arms back and felt/heard a POP in the middle of my back and then blinding pain shot out in five directions through my body. 

It took me 20 minutes to get out of bed. 

I made it into the shower, thinking the warm water would help, but the pain was a 10 and my right arm was useless. It felt like I had a huge butcher knife buried in my back and a lightning bolt shooting through my arm, (and that feeling never left. For two weeks!). 

I called my husband, our oldest needed to get to campus and he went that way and I went to Urgent Care. FIRST MISTAKE

Never go to Urgent Care. Go to the Emergency Room. 
GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

The Urgent Care Doctor didn't even examine me. He had me lift my arms and lean forward against a wall, "looking" to see if something was "out of whack," yes, he was magically seeing this through my flannel shirt. 
EYE FUCKING ROLL
He said it was a pulled muscle and told me to take ibuprofen and Tylenol, alternating them every three hours. He gave me a sling to stick my effed-up arm in, which was ridiculous and told me their physical therapists would call in 1-2 days. 

They called SIX DAYS later. In that time, I'd already been into my physical therapists TWICE, and they said I needed to go to a chiropractor because they were convinced I had ribs out. 

But now we were at Thanksgiving. That was a longggggg weekend.... But finally, two weeks after popping my ribs out, two weeks of having to hold my arm up and out of the way in order to relieve the pressure on that nerve that was being rubbed and trashed every minute of the day, two weeks of taking handfuls of pain pills of all kinds that I swear weren't doing anything, two weeks of living life at Level 10 of pain 24 hours a day, two weeks of getting maybe two hours of sleep in a row -- most of that in the recliner in the living room while lying on the heating pad with a cat on my chest and another on my legs, I finally got into the chiro and he literally fixed my back in ten minutes. TEN FREAKING MINUTES. 

That was almost a week ago on Friday. The butcher knife was GONE. But the lightning remained because of all of the damage and fatigue my shoulder/arm was dealing with. Another massage, another chiro appointment, I'm now sitting three weeks out and my pain was 6 first thing this morning, but in about two hours of heat and my TENS unit, I had it down to a 2. Maybe a 1.

(Until I get all of these medical bills, and then I'm sure my pain will shoot right back to a 10.)

I cannot even express my gratitude to the universe that this is going away. I cannot imagine having chronic pain. That is all I thought about as I sat here, on the couch or recliner, for 2+ weeks, literally unable to do anything, because I know so many people who have chronic pain that NEVER goes away. I just can't. 
*CRYING FACE* 

But today I met with my counselor and you are supposed to fill out this sheet circling how your various anxieties and feelings were over the last two weeks... my sheet was bad. LOL Too many ribs popping out of my spine, too many pills (I'm done with those.... I'm not convinced any of them did anything anyway, the pain never went down), too many doctor appointments, too many nights spent in the recliner, too many Christmas movies (and one Thanksgiving), and too many days of sitting here thinking about what I SHOULD be doing for Christmas. 

DISLOCATING YOUR RIBS A MONTH+ BEFORE CHRISTMAS
ONE STAR
​DO NOT RECOMMEND

But now we're doing it. We can put the rest of Christmas up (Mary got us started) and I will attempt to get our cards out early next week, and mail all the things. 

2021 was such a PITA in many ways, but a lot of wonderful things came our way too. My plan is to reinstate the Year in Review for 2021 (I skipped 2020 because everything fell apart last December and continued through to ... you know, now....) and I have one present that I really to make this weekend. 

Wish me luck I don't throw any more ribs out while making a piece of jewelry! haha

Sending love from Rosemary Hill 
​Cynthia