Day by Day with Gina

Drugs...good...

So, in classic Gina style, I messed myself up yet again doing something quite stupid. Remember the s'mores incident? This runs in the same vein.
Monday morning, I drowsily got out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom. While I was in the shower, some water got into my ear, kind of like when you go swimming and get water in your ear. Whenever I get water in my ear, I just tilt my head to the side and hop up and down until the water comes out. I have probably done this a hundred times in my life.

I guess this quarter-century-old woman couldn't take the one hundred and first time. Apparently, I don't know my own hopping strength. I majorly pulled the muscles in my neck. I immediately knew it, too. I went downstairs to take some medicine and get my ice pack. Ben had to help me finish getting ready by drying my hair and pulling my sweater over my head for me. I pulled my muscles so badly that it hurt constantly, not just when I moved. And when I say hurt, I mean throbbing, shooting pain. All from a little water in the ear.

I bravely went to work and pumped myself with ibuprofen. Teaching is tough to do when you can't move your neck. If my kids had a question, they had to hold the paper up in front of my face because I couldn't look down. When trying to scan the room and "monitor," I had to turn my whole body 180 degrees instead of just my head. I was surviving, but it was pretty pitiful. And everyone was having a really good laugh on my account.

After the ibuprofen wore off around lunchtime, though, I took some Tylenol because the school nurse didn't want me "ruining my stomach" with ibuprofen. The three Tylenol I took didn't even put a dent in the pain. I started getting nauseated, it hurt so badly. I finally caved, got a sub for the afternoon, and carefully went to not one, but two doctors before I made it home.

Dr. #1 gave me a shot in the rump, a pain-killer prescription, and a muscle relaxer prescription. Dr. #2 (my chiropractor) gave me some muscle work and therapy and strict orders to stay home today. "I'll even write you an excuse note," he said. This was the first time all day that I smiled.
"Well, as much as I hate to be out of school, I guess I have to if you tell me to stay home." :)

Muscle relaxers roxxor, as my friend Eric would say. Combine that with not going to work, and I woke up feeling pretty darn good this morning.

And the funniest part of the day? When I went to the chiropractor's office, the nurse asked me how I hurt my neck. I said, "Well, it's a bit embarassing."
She whispered, "Were you having sex?"
I wish! At least then it would have been worth it!

posted by Gina @ 6:47 PM