The key questions in life are often quite simple. Today's question - good pop or bad pop?
After either a late lunch or an early dinner with my parents, depending on one's perspective, it was time for me to head to work. My Irish weren't exactly setting the world on fire but I was content that they would have the game in hand. Then I had a few chances to check out the second half on my FloTV while I was working. Decent enough performance overall.
By the time I wrapped up a quick and easy shift, I had to take stock of my injury situation and decide how to approach tonight's workout. That cramping in my calf muscle was still pretty intense, but I decided to go ahead with my full regimen anyway. The cardio work was a little painful but I made it through. The weight training was solid, as I expected that it would be. This was my first chest workout since the brief hiatus at the end of last week. With the extra rest and recovery time, my manboobs were pretty strong.
I was feeling pretty shitty by the time I got down the steps and into the locker room. Whatever comfort I had received from working up a good sweat was quick to disappear once I had stopped. The calf cramp was really bad, my thigh was mostly numb, and I still couldn't feel my foot. The warm water in the shower seemed to provide some small amount of relief though, so I lingered a little longer than usual. Then I got a bright idea.
There's a metal hand rail attached to the wall in each shower at my gym. I don't know if it's one of those handicapped deals or whatever, but the metal hand rails are quite thick and sturdy. I grabbed the rail with both hands and started to twist my torso as far as I could. It didn't take long before I felt the tension starting to stretch my lower back. I kept pulling. Then I felt a quick jolt of pain in my ass. The pain was gone almost immediately though. I kept pulling. Then something popped. Oh shit... was that a good pop or a bad pop?
On the good side of the ledger - I started to feel my foot and my thigh again for a little while. On the bad side of the ledger - what I felt was mostly pain. There was a weird progression that followed. My toes felt like they were on fire. Then that went away and my back started to hurt. Then that went away and the numbness returned to my leg and foot, but less than they had been before. Then my hamstring started to hurt a little bit, while the cramping in my calf eased a little bit.
I've been back home for a little while now and it appears that today's question won't be answered just yet. I'm feeling pretty similar to how I felt this morning, so maybe that pop was nothing. Or maybe I injured myself further and I'll be sorry in the morning. There's always hope though, right? Maybe I accidentally popped my spine back into alignment and the symptoms will start to recede. I suspect that we'll know a little more by the time I sit down to write tomorrow's post.
Flint, Mount Morris, and Essexville - be on notice. I expect no shenanigans from you people tomorrow. My shift starts at noon and my Redskins are playing at night. I would like to be finished working in time to catch most of the game at a local establishment of my choosing. You've been warned.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
10/15/10
Do you think I should move to Latvia? I'm starting to think maybe I should. Surely they have use for another milk man over there... or something. Life in Michigan continues to be boring so I don't know. We'll see how it goes. I do dig those Russian gals and, to my untrained eye, Latvians might as well be Russians.
It was a pretty easy day on the work front today, so that's nice. My three stops were all quick and easy, such that my whole shift only took seven and a half hours. Not too shabby. Of course, when I have a Friday night off, my friends would have to be their usual lame selves. I wonder if people in Latvia are more fun.
As a side benefit of my boring evening though, I did get a chance to experiment. It turns out that, after several pints of beer, I can feel my toes again. I'm no medical expert so I don't know what is the mechanism involved, but I can absolutely attest that my leg and foot felt just about normal for a couple of hours tonight. Not anymore though. My calf, knee, and hip are all bugging me at the moment. I'm still trying to hold out hope for a natural recovery here, but it's starting to seem less likely as the days go on. I don't know. Maybe tomorrow.
5pm pull time for tomorrow and I'm supposed to have lunch at my parents' house beforehand, so I guess I'll get to watch the first half of the Notre Dame game before I head to work. Since they're playing Western Michigan, there had better be no need to see the second half.
It was a pretty easy day on the work front today, so that's nice. My three stops were all quick and easy, such that my whole shift only took seven and a half hours. Not too shabby. Of course, when I have a Friday night off, my friends would have to be their usual lame selves. I wonder if people in Latvia are more fun.
As a side benefit of my boring evening though, I did get a chance to experiment. It turns out that, after several pints of beer, I can feel my toes again. I'm no medical expert so I don't know what is the mechanism involved, but I can absolutely attest that my leg and foot felt just about normal for a couple of hours tonight. Not anymore though. My calf, knee, and hip are all bugging me at the moment. I'm still trying to hold out hope for a natural recovery here, but it's starting to seem less likely as the days go on. I don't know. Maybe tomorrow.
5pm pull time for tomorrow and I'm supposed to have lunch at my parents' house beforehand, so I guess I'll get to watch the first half of the Notre Dame game before I head to work. Since they're playing Western Michigan, there had better be no need to see the second half.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
10/14/10
I've dated a few insane women in my day. I'm not talking about the sort of insane where you get off a roller coaster, high-five your buddies, and say, "That was insane!" Oh no, I'm talking about broads who were just batshit crazy. Today I realized that having a major nerve that's on the fritz is sort of like dating a loony chick. One day it's this and the next day it's that. Even when it's not so bad though, you kinda know in the back of your mind that it's really pretty bad.
Last night brought the odd sensation that there was ice cold water running down the back of my leg. That was interesting. After I got a call from work this morning and agreed to take a Grand Rapids run on my day off, I climbed out of bed to see what my crazy leg would have in store for me today. A little pain, for starters, but nothing too bad. I'm always a little stiff and sore in the morning anyway, so I expected it to loosen up a little once I got moving. The catch was that there isn't a whole lot of moving to do on a Grand Rapids run. I drive to work, sitting on my ass along the way. I grab a truck and go get a loaded trailer, then drive to Grand Rapids, sitting on my ass along the way. I drop the loaded trailer and grab an empty, then return to Livonia, sitting on my ass along the way. By the time I got back, my crazy leg was working on a new set of symptoms for me.
Now my knee hurts and my calf muscle is all cramped up. This may be the result of walking funny since I can't feel my foot, or it may just be the next step in a weird progression of symptoms from my original injury. I don't know. In any case, I don't like what my crazy leg is doing to me but I'm pretty curious to see whatshe it throws at me tomorrow.
The treadmill is off limits as long as I'm uncertain about my back. In case I do end up having some sort of disk issue, I don't need to put my spine through any excessive pounding. So my cardio work has to be of the low-impact variety. Sitting on a bike, it turns out, is even less comfortable than sitting in a Mack truck. So that's out. The elliptical machines have seemed to work pretty well for me though. Little or no impact, but I can still get my heart rate up and my legs moving. I was using the ellipticals last week before the weekend of pain and then I got back on one last night with no problems. Tonight though, not so much. That cramping in my calf got worse within a few minutes of my starting, so I had to scrap the cardio and just knock out my shoulder workout. (Pretty strong shoulders here though. Ladies?)
Tomorrow's run is a pretty decent one - long enough to make a few bucks but not terribly difficult to pull off. I'll be going to Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City. All three stores have stock rooms that are spacious enough to handle whatever sort of deliveries I'll have to make, so I'm expecting a decent shift. As for how I'll feel during that shift... my crazy leg will have to decide.
I'll wrap up tonight by saying thanks to those of you outside Michigan who will be chipping in for our new light rail line. Since 2/3 of the $500,000,000 is supposed to be federal money, most of you will be paying at least a buck or two. We appreciate it... or something.
Last night brought the odd sensation that there was ice cold water running down the back of my leg. That was interesting. After I got a call from work this morning and agreed to take a Grand Rapids run on my day off, I climbed out of bed to see what my crazy leg would have in store for me today. A little pain, for starters, but nothing too bad. I'm always a little stiff and sore in the morning anyway, so I expected it to loosen up a little once I got moving. The catch was that there isn't a whole lot of moving to do on a Grand Rapids run. I drive to work, sitting on my ass along the way. I grab a truck and go get a loaded trailer, then drive to Grand Rapids, sitting on my ass along the way. I drop the loaded trailer and grab an empty, then return to Livonia, sitting on my ass along the way. By the time I got back, my crazy leg was working on a new set of symptoms for me.
Now my knee hurts and my calf muscle is all cramped up. This may be the result of walking funny since I can't feel my foot, or it may just be the next step in a weird progression of symptoms from my original injury. I don't know. In any case, I don't like what my crazy leg is doing to me but I'm pretty curious to see what
The treadmill is off limits as long as I'm uncertain about my back. In case I do end up having some sort of disk issue, I don't need to put my spine through any excessive pounding. So my cardio work has to be of the low-impact variety. Sitting on a bike, it turns out, is even less comfortable than sitting in a Mack truck. So that's out. The elliptical machines have seemed to work pretty well for me though. Little or no impact, but I can still get my heart rate up and my legs moving. I was using the ellipticals last week before the weekend of pain and then I got back on one last night with no problems. Tonight though, not so much. That cramping in my calf got worse within a few minutes of my starting, so I had to scrap the cardio and just knock out my shoulder workout. (Pretty strong shoulders here though. Ladies?)
Tomorrow's run is a pretty decent one - long enough to make a few bucks but not terribly difficult to pull off. I'll be going to Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City. All three stores have stock rooms that are spacious enough to handle whatever sort of deliveries I'll have to make, so I'm expecting a decent shift. As for how I'll feel during that shift... my crazy leg will have to decide.
I'll wrap up tonight by saying thanks to those of you outside Michigan who will be chipping in for our new light rail line. Since 2/3 of the $500,000,000 is supposed to be federal money, most of you will be paying at least a buck or two. We appreciate it... or something.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
10/13/10
Now that I'm a Democrat for the first time, I'm trying to learn a little bit more about my party. Here in my district I don't get a whole lot of information, since the incumbent has been in office since the First Triumvirate and he gets re-elected every two years as a matter of entitlement. (Or does he?) Anyhow, in trying to learn a little more, I've been checking out some ads from people outside my region.
As those silly kids on the internet sometimes say - lolwut? Maybe this new political party of mine is a little closer to my views than I had realized. Especially if they can keep Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie from mugging women in parking garages... or something.
You'll have to forgive me, I suppose, but I find the whole spectacle to be simply hilarious. Two years ago we had Republicans lining up to have their pictures taken with The One™ and now we have Democrats trying to capture some of that John Boehner magic? We, the voters, get the government we deserve. Always have, always will.
On a less sarcastic (but somewhat related) note, is this jackass being serious?
As I told you folks at the time, I've gone to two gatherings that could in some way be described as Tea Party events. I'm not sure who did the official organizing in either case, but the nature of the crowds were fairly obvious. The first was on April 15th of last year and the second was on September 12th. Whatever you may or may not think about their political philosophies, the people at those rallies are some of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. Personally, I didn't find either event to be all that interesting. Sorta reminded me of the old parents' weekend at college when everybody shows up and gets introduced to everybody else, then goes back home on Sunday night. It's all well enough I guess, but I like a little more action.
As boring as I found those crowds to be, to portray the desire for a smaller and less corrupt federal government as some sort of barbarian disregard for human life is sick and twisted. As a fellow Democrat, I hope Mr. Matthews can find his way back to the real world. Trumka is a dishonest hack and always will be, but Matthews used to be somewhat coherent. I'll guarantee you that the "Tea Partiers" like my aunt and uncle would be the first ones working to help their fellow citizens in need while others sat on their asses and waited for a government bureaucrat to take care of them. To me, this garbage goes a step beyond the knee-jerk tendency to imply that they're all just a bunch of inbred racists. Alas, someone must be paying the advertising bills. We get the media that we deserve. Always have, always will.
Since my blog is officially about back injuries and ass pain though, I suppose we had better get back on topic now. I had 222 miles of driving and five, count 'em, five stops on my one trailer today. Swartz Creek, Saginaw, Saginaw, Bridgeport, and Frankenmuth. The trip took eight hours in total and my leg/ass/back/etc. held up fairly well. I was in a decent amount of pain when I got out of bed this morning, but it seemed to get better as the day progressed.
By the time I finished work, I decided to press on and try my hand at getting back in the gym. As was the case last week, before the weekend of excruciating pain rolled around, I felt better while I was working out than I had all day beforehand. We'll have to see if there are any physical consequences to follow, but the workout was definitely helpful in a psychological sense. Too much time between workouts can lead one to feel that he's backsliding a bit. After an extra few days off, my muscles were quite well rested and I turned in a pretty strong performance, so now I can think I'm a tough guy or something. Plus the folks at the Mayo Clinic say that regular exercise is supposed to be helpful. They would know better than I would.
As those silly kids on the internet sometimes say - lolwut? Maybe this new political party of mine is a little closer to my views than I had realized. Especially if they can keep Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie from mugging women in parking garages... or something.
You'll have to forgive me, I suppose, but I find the whole spectacle to be simply hilarious. Two years ago we had Republicans lining up to have their pictures taken with The One™ and now we have Democrats trying to capture some of that John Boehner magic? We, the voters, get the government we deserve. Always have, always will.
On a less sarcastic (but somewhat related) note, is this jackass being serious?
As I told you folks at the time, I've gone to two gatherings that could in some way be described as Tea Party events. I'm not sure who did the official organizing in either case, but the nature of the crowds were fairly obvious. The first was on April 15th of last year and the second was on September 12th. Whatever you may or may not think about their political philosophies, the people at those rallies are some of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. Personally, I didn't find either event to be all that interesting. Sorta reminded me of the old parents' weekend at college when everybody shows up and gets introduced to everybody else, then goes back home on Sunday night. It's all well enough I guess, but I like a little more action.
As boring as I found those crowds to be, to portray the desire for a smaller and less corrupt federal government as some sort of barbarian disregard for human life is sick and twisted. As a fellow Democrat, I hope Mr. Matthews can find his way back to the real world. Trumka is a dishonest hack and always will be, but Matthews used to be somewhat coherent. I'll guarantee you that the "Tea Partiers" like my aunt and uncle would be the first ones working to help their fellow citizens in need while others sat on their asses and waited for a government bureaucrat to take care of them. To me, this garbage goes a step beyond the knee-jerk tendency to imply that they're all just a bunch of inbred racists. Alas, someone must be paying the advertising bills. We get the media that we deserve. Always have, always will.
Since my blog is officially about back injuries and ass pain though, I suppose we had better get back on topic now. I had 222 miles of driving and five, count 'em, five stops on my one trailer today. Swartz Creek, Saginaw, Saginaw, Bridgeport, and Frankenmuth. The trip took eight hours in total and my leg/ass/back/etc. held up fairly well. I was in a decent amount of pain when I got out of bed this morning, but it seemed to get better as the day progressed.
By the time I finished work, I decided to press on and try my hand at getting back in the gym. As was the case last week, before the weekend of excruciating pain rolled around, I felt better while I was working out than I had all day beforehand. We'll have to see if there are any physical consequences to follow, but the workout was definitely helpful in a psychological sense. Too much time between workouts can lead one to feel that he's backsliding a bit. After an extra few days off, my muscles were quite well rested and I turned in a pretty strong performance, so now I can think I'm a tough guy or something. Plus the folks at the Mayo Clinic say that regular exercise is supposed to be helpful. They would know better than I would.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
10/12/10
Okay. Maybe I'm not as awesome as that guy, but I did just deliver 43,000 pounds of assorted milk and dairy products from Livonia to three stores in the Toledo area, completing my round trip in less than four and a half hours. That's pretty freaking awesome. I don't mind telling you.
I really can't say that I was thrilled to find myself in the position of having to be so awesome though. My original assignment was simply a two-stop run to Midland and Mount Pleasant. I've had that run a handful of times before, so I know most of the Kroger employees that I'll encounter along the way. I know the route. I know the loading docks and the stock rooms. It's all good. Part of this familiarity includes the knowledge that the folks in Midland aren't too thrilled when I show up early in the afternoon. They're much more prepared for my arrival after 2pm or so.
My pull time was 10:45am today, for some reason. That's much earlier than I've ever pulled a Midland-Mount Pleasant run before. So, knowing that the folks at my first stop were in no hurry to see me, I took a long lunch break in Saginaw on my way up I-75. Who needs that extra hour, after all? I am allowed 14 hours by the feds. My run was going to take between 7 and 8 hours. At least six hours of wiggle room. No problemo.
My morning/afternoon run went pretty well. I had an occasional tendency to forget about my present injury situation, given that my ass and leg aren't hurting nearly as badly as they were over the weekend. Then, when I moved a little too quickly in the wrong direction - ZAP! Right back to reality in a hurry. Guess I'm not out of the woods just yet. I experienced more numbness than pain overall though. If I have the choice, I'll take the numbness any day of the week. The deliveries themselves went smoothly, so I had no major complaints.
As I rolled down US-127 on the way back home, having just finished my last stop in Mount Pleasant, I got a call from the dispatcher at work. He needed to know what time I started work this morning, as there was a run to Toledo that had come up for one reason or another. (We probably know the reason, don't we? Teamsters...) I had started at 10:30am so I was legal until 12:30am. Then the calculations began. How long until I would get back, how long until I would get to Toledo, how long would each stop take, how long would I drive between stops, etc. The dispatcher posited that I should have just enough time to cover the run. Although I was far from certain, I agreed that it should be okay.
I had a general outline in mind regarding how that second run would need to go. After leaving the dairy at 7pm, I needed to be at my first stop by 8:15pm. I got there at 8pm. I needed to finish that stop within 45 minutes (►9pm). It took 30 minutes (►8:30pm). I needed to reach the next store within 30 minutes (►9:30pm). I got there within 15 minutes (►8:45pm). I needed to finish that stop within 45 minutes (►10:15pm). It took 45 minutes (►9:30pm).
So, as I left my second stop, I was 45 minutes ahead of my self-imposed baseline. I expected the trip to my last store, in Milan on the way back up US-23, to take 45 minutes (►11pm). It took an hour, cutting into my buffer a little (►10:30pm). I planned to finish that stop within a half hour (►11:30pm). I did it in 15 minutes (►10:45pm). Back to the 45 minutes of buffer time. I thought the drive back to Livonia would be 45 minutes long, getting me off the road by 12:15am and beating the 12:30am deadline. It did take exactly 45 minutes but, since I was 45 minutes ahead of the projections, I was off the road by 11:30pm. Plenty of time to spare. I'm basically awesome. Okay, not really. I just got pretty lucky tonight. The Kroger folks were on their game and there was nothing significant to slow me down.
That's not the only way I got lucky either. No, I didn't convince another drunken lass to subjugate her moral code for the evening. And no, I'm not talking about the first $300 Tuesday that I've had in quite a while. I got lucky tonight by coming home and finding that my main man is back in the news.
His talking points are enough to make a fella grin, although I think I laughed hardest at Leftwing Larry's last quip. He's a jagoff for the most part but at least he is a sarcastic jagoff. A man after my own heart, as the saying goes.
Monday, October 11, 2010
10/11/10
You know what's even more boring than the usual day-to-day routine, which is awfully boring in its own right? Lying around all day and trying not to move. This is really freaking boring. I don't know though. Maybe it will help. I'm not going to do anything tonight to put things to the test, but I haven't been in any terrible pain during any of the brief times when I've gotten up and walked around today. That's a start. In the event that I don't see any discernible progress within the next week or so, it'll probably be time to get depressed or something. I did a little reading on the good old WWW today. A search of my symptoms produces a whole lot of shit concerning disks and whatnot. That can't be good.
Let's hope we're just in the realm of the torn muscle. Those symptoms appear to be pretty similar and I've navigated that issue successfully on my own before, more than once. The fact that I started out with a sore back last week is the only thing that gives me pause. I wasn't in a violent accident though, I didn't suffer a sudden injury, and I don't have trouble controlling my bowel functions. So far it sounds like I might be able to work my way out of this little mess without any medical interference. A fella can hope.
Aside from getting up to speed on the world of sciatica, there wasn't a whole lot to do today. Just reading and listening to the radio basically. World news is dominated by American politics. American politics is (are?) dominated by lying sacks of shit. More boredom to heap on top of the existing boredom. I'll get back in the swing of things tomorrow morning with a load going to Midland and Mount Pleasant. That's the longest milk run in our portfolio, meaning that an awful lot of sitting is in store for me. I'm not convinced that tomorrow is the time to get back in the gym after work, but it sounds like I should do so if and when the pain eases up a bit. So I have that going for me... which is nice.
Let's hope we're just in the realm of the torn muscle. Those symptoms appear to be pretty similar and I've navigated that issue successfully on my own before, more than once. The fact that I started out with a sore back last week is the only thing that gives me pause. I wasn't in a violent accident though, I didn't suffer a sudden injury, and I don't have trouble controlling my bowel functions. So far it sounds like I might be able to work my way out of this little mess without any medical interference. A fella can hope.
Aside from getting up to speed on the world of sciatica, there wasn't a whole lot to do today. Just reading and listening to the radio basically. World news is dominated by American politics. American politics is (are?) dominated by lying sacks of shit. More boredom to heap on top of the existing boredom. I'll get back in the swing of things tomorrow morning with a load going to Midland and Mount Pleasant. That's the longest milk run in our portfolio, meaning that an awful lot of sitting is in store for me. I'm not convinced that tomorrow is the time to get back in the gym after work, but it sounds like I should do so if and when the pain eases up a bit. So I have that going for me... which is nice.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10/10/10
Shhhhhh. Don't move. Don't disrupt anything. As long as my leg stays in it's current position (propped on a pillow, but not too high), and as long as I don't breathe too deeply, and as long as nobody in my building slams a door, and as long as I think happy thoughts... as long as all of these things hold true, my ass and hamstring only hurt a lot. Oh, and my toes are numb. Trust me when I tell you that this is a colossal improvement over how I was doing just 24 hours ago.
I know that you've all heard metaphorical references to words and the seemingly physical impact that they can have on people. His heartless diatribe was like a knife through her fragile soul... You know what I mean, right? Well, when the dispatcher called me yesterday and broke the news that I would have to take a second run, her words had a physical impact on me. Actual physical pain. No kidding. I had just suffered through my scheduled two-stop run and climbed back into my truck for the final drive back to Livonia. Climbing into the truck is the most intensely excruciating part of this little injury situation, as I have to move sideways in order to get settled into the seat and I have to bend at the hips in order to assume a seated position. Pure agony. Then the phone call...
Before I left the terminal to pick up my load at noon, I had informed her that I was in serious pain and I needed nothing more than a quick and easy shift so that I could get back in bed. Some kind of situation arose, leaving a $150 run to be covered. There were two guys who had the hours to handle the situation. I had the higher seniority but, knowing my situation, she passed over me and gave the load to the other guy. Then he had a mechanical problem while making his first run. I was the only one left. Son of a...
I took a few more pain pills than I realized, which led to the puking incident(s) referenced in my previous post, but got absolutely no relief from the pain. By the time I wrapped up that second shift, I was willing to compare this experience to the time that I worked a Friday night at a pizzeria with a kidney stone lodged squarely in my left ureter. Until now I've maintained that nothing compares to the pain of a kidney stone. I still would have to say that the kidney stone thing was worse, but this episode is now a part of the conversation.
So I came home and climbed into bed for another sleepless night. I did get about an hour of sleep on Friday night. That'll have to do. Somewhere along the way the leg pain was overwhelmed by stomach pain. I drank a glass of water and promptly spewed it into the toilet bowl. Then I tried a piece of bread and it met the same fate. At this point I realized the likely reason behind the stomach pain. It probably didn't help that I had no appetite all day. So not only had I been exceeding recommended dosages several times over, but I also had done so on an empty stomach. Not smart. I drank a few more glasses of water, each time waiting for my stomach to give the signal and send the water charging back out. Might as well get it over with, I thought to myself. After a half hour or so, my belly finally gave the 'all clear.' I brushed my teeth and got back into bed for more non-sleep.
When today rolled around, my objective was simple. The dispatcher, following last night's painful phone call, had been kind enough to assign me to the easiest run on the board for today. I just had to knock out one quick two-stop run and then spend the next day and a half in full bed rest mode. I haven't had an opportunity for extended rest yet, so I want to give that a shot before I conclude that I need a doctor or something. Hell, when this damned thing started, I was still going to the gym and working out every night. Whatever is wrong, I probably made it worse without even knowing. So yeah, that was the plan - two stops and then back to bed.
What was the first thing that I learned when I got to work? An extra stop had been added to my run. Sometimes a fella just can't catch a break. I've found that Aleve seems to diffuse the pain a little, which is more than I could say for the Advil, Tylenol, Bayer, or Excedrin that I tried yesterday. I can't really say that it lessened the pain in any significant way, but at least the sensation wasn't concentrated right at the spot where my ass and leg hit the seat of my truck. It felt as if the pain was being shared by my whole leg instead. (As I read what I've just written in this paragraph, it makes no sense to me, but whatever. That's the best way that I can describe what the Aleve did for me. As far as I'm concerned it was helpful.) The stops weren't too difficult and the traffic was fairly light, so I finished my trip in around six hours.
I heard on the radio that my Irish and Redskins both won this weekend. I seem to recall knowing about the outcome of the Notre Dame game yesterday, but I can't say for sure. Truthfully speaking, I didn't care. I was hanging on to a very thin thread at that point. Now that I'm not bouncing down the road and crying for mercy, I suppose that this was a pretty good sports weekend, even if I didn't get a chance to observe.
Finally - back to bed with a day off tomorrow. Through quite a bit of trial and error, I've reached the state of equilibrium that I described at the outset of this post. I've been in this position for several hours, but I'll have to move the computer from my lap eventually. Hopefully this won't cause a disruption in the harmonic balance that is allowing me to exist in my current state of rather intense pain. The real kicker will come when I have to get up and take a piss. All bets are off at that point. Until then though... shhhhh. Don't disrupt the cosmos.
I know that you've all heard metaphorical references to words and the seemingly physical impact that they can have on people. His heartless diatribe was like a knife through her fragile soul... You know what I mean, right? Well, when the dispatcher called me yesterday and broke the news that I would have to take a second run, her words had a physical impact on me. Actual physical pain. No kidding. I had just suffered through my scheduled two-stop run and climbed back into my truck for the final drive back to Livonia. Climbing into the truck is the most intensely excruciating part of this little injury situation, as I have to move sideways in order to get settled into the seat and I have to bend at the hips in order to assume a seated position. Pure agony. Then the phone call...
Before I left the terminal to pick up my load at noon, I had informed her that I was in serious pain and I needed nothing more than a quick and easy shift so that I could get back in bed. Some kind of situation arose, leaving a $150 run to be covered. There were two guys who had the hours to handle the situation. I had the higher seniority but, knowing my situation, she passed over me and gave the load to the other guy. Then he had a mechanical problem while making his first run. I was the only one left. Son of a...
I took a few more pain pills than I realized, which led to the puking incident(s) referenced in my previous post, but got absolutely no relief from the pain. By the time I wrapped up that second shift, I was willing to compare this experience to the time that I worked a Friday night at a pizzeria with a kidney stone lodged squarely in my left ureter. Until now I've maintained that nothing compares to the pain of a kidney stone. I still would have to say that the kidney stone thing was worse, but this episode is now a part of the conversation.
So I came home and climbed into bed for another sleepless night. I did get about an hour of sleep on Friday night. That'll have to do. Somewhere along the way the leg pain was overwhelmed by stomach pain. I drank a glass of water and promptly spewed it into the toilet bowl. Then I tried a piece of bread and it met the same fate. At this point I realized the likely reason behind the stomach pain. It probably didn't help that I had no appetite all day. So not only had I been exceeding recommended dosages several times over, but I also had done so on an empty stomach. Not smart. I drank a few more glasses of water, each time waiting for my stomach to give the signal and send the water charging back out. Might as well get it over with, I thought to myself. After a half hour or so, my belly finally gave the 'all clear.' I brushed my teeth and got back into bed for more non-sleep.
When today rolled around, my objective was simple. The dispatcher, following last night's painful phone call, had been kind enough to assign me to the easiest run on the board for today. I just had to knock out one quick two-stop run and then spend the next day and a half in full bed rest mode. I haven't had an opportunity for extended rest yet, so I want to give that a shot before I conclude that I need a doctor or something. Hell, when this damned thing started, I was still going to the gym and working out every night. Whatever is wrong, I probably made it worse without even knowing. So yeah, that was the plan - two stops and then back to bed.
What was the first thing that I learned when I got to work? An extra stop had been added to my run. Sometimes a fella just can't catch a break. I've found that Aleve seems to diffuse the pain a little, which is more than I could say for the Advil, Tylenol, Bayer, or Excedrin that I tried yesterday. I can't really say that it lessened the pain in any significant way, but at least the sensation wasn't concentrated right at the spot where my ass and leg hit the seat of my truck. It felt as if the pain was being shared by my whole leg instead. (As I read what I've just written in this paragraph, it makes no sense to me, but whatever. That's the best way that I can describe what the Aleve did for me. As far as I'm concerned it was helpful.) The stops weren't too difficult and the traffic was fairly light, so I finished my trip in around six hours.
I heard on the radio that my Irish and Redskins both won this weekend. I seem to recall knowing about the outcome of the Notre Dame game yesterday, but I can't say for sure. Truthfully speaking, I didn't care. I was hanging on to a very thin thread at that point. Now that I'm not bouncing down the road and crying for mercy, I suppose that this was a pretty good sports weekend, even if I didn't get a chance to observe.
Finally - back to bed with a day off tomorrow. Through quite a bit of trial and error, I've reached the state of equilibrium that I described at the outset of this post. I've been in this position for several hours, but I'll have to move the computer from my lap eventually. Hopefully this won't cause a disruption in the harmonic balance that is allowing me to exist in my current state of rather intense pain. The real kicker will come when I have to get up and take a piss. All bets are off at that point. Until then though... shhhhh. Don't disrupt the cosmos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)