Labor Day Weekend: NOT What I Had In Mind

I've been trying to fill y'all in for the past two days but it's hard to synopsize while the saga is ongoing and while you're yo-yoing between drugged up and woozy and just plain miserable...so I'll try to boil it down to the basics before heading off to bed.

Saturday 
I didn't manage to get the run in but made major progress on organizing the play room with Jeremy.  Decided to run Sunday am so Alan could go Sunday eve.  Might as well keep my no-church-all-summer-long streak in tact.  Is running my new religion?

Sunday Morning
Finally headed out the door to attempt 10 miles around 10:20am.  Got a late start because right hip/lower back was kind of bothering me, feeling twingy.  Probably too much slouching in bed watching downloaded episodes of the Wire every night.  Made mental note to try to see Chiro this week, meanwhile hoping run would help loosen me up.  I have decreased the frequency of my chiropractic appointments a lot this past year; I feel like running is very symmetrical and often works the kinks out from slouching at my desk.

Sunday Run
Wasn't feeling energized out the door but I looked good in lots of neon green accents.  I realized early on that the shiny black crop pants were too hot for 67 degrees.  Mentally looked back and thought maybe being overheated in them had hindered me on previous runs.  May have to strike them from the Half wardrobe, despite the cool green stripe.  Did 8m loop from home, to UM bike path, through Old Town and home via Park Street. Walked early, walked often.  Some good points in U forest but mostly slogged.  Uphill stretch after mill in Old Town was misery.  I noticed the butt twinge especialy while walking up hills, which usually provides a welcome stretch. Thought seriously about bagging the extra 2 miles but Alan and the kids were at our driveway with a cowbell and high fives to and that cheered/guilted me into continuing on. Felt a little better: felt the luv, knew I was in the home stretch, plus got a little breathing while giving directions to a grad student.  OK in the end with a total time of 2:17:16. Legs felt OK, butt/hip hurting a fair bit.

Sunday Post Run
Ate PB&Fluff sandwich and took a long hot shower, then spent rest of day sprawled on bed watching TV.  Could NOT get comfortable; in constant pain punctuated by frequent stabs of worse pain. Pretty sure I had a pinched nerve. Alan asked: "So, what Voodoo priest did you piss off??"

Sunday Night
We order take-out and are still eating when Mum and Dad arrive.  I'd invited them over to play a game I bought Dad for his birthday.  It's called "Orijinz" and you try to guess a word or phrase based on it's derivation.  It was fun and a welcome distraction. I played from a sort of bier of pillows on the floor covered with a blanket with a warm rice bag on my butt.  I went to bed early, but the pain had me writhing all night, and desperately holding onto hope that my beloved chiropractor, being Canadian, would actually be open Monday (Labor Day), but figured I was probably delusional.

Monday Morning
I made Alan call our chiro's office. Which was closed. Expletive, expletive, expletive. He left a message that I needed an emergency appointment first thing Tues. I made him call our GP. They were open for walk-ins and my doc was the one on duty, so that was good.  We like her because she "gets" running and she "gets" chiropractors.  In fact, she goes to ours and collaborated with him helping Alan with his Bell's Palsy. I go in hoping for the speedy acquisition of drugs.  Surprisingly, while not yet on drugs I convince Alan that we don't need a sitter, we should ALL go and when I'm feeling miraculously better we can go do some of that back-to-school shopping that was the original plan for the day. We sprawl around the waiting room for an hour.  The kids are restless but relatively well-behaved and sympathetic. Me, I'm pacing around the place in my socks, stopping frequently to clutch my back and wince and moann.  I look like I'm in labor, and it feels like the back labor I had with James. He gets a few scowls he doesn't deserve. 

Dr. Benson confirms my pinched nerve diagnosis while the kids bounce super balls and argue over video games. She gives me shots of steroids (Alan accused me of doping) and something she calls "souped up ibuprofen", and a script for hydrocodone with acetaminaphen. We inform her that I'm running a Half Marathon in 12 days, but part of me is really not sure of this.  She isn't down on it, but doesn't particularly reassure me.  I think she sees that if I feel then the way I do now I won't be running by my own choice.  Alan tells me he is not running it alone which is exactly what I needed to hear.  She wholeheartedly endorses plan to see chiro ASAP, but we forget to ask her to call his office to make sure I get seen right away.

Monday Afternoon
From the doctor's office we head via MacDonald's to Target for the Rx and to do some very random shopping.  The kids love that I'm using a motorized cart but are disappointed at how fast it doesn't go. I'm beginning to feel sick to my stomach so I'm grateful not to be pulling any extra Gs.  I have only a vague idea what we actually buy, other than the red bottle of pills. We finally get back home where I ensconce myself in the family room, medicated at last but still not in a happy place.

Monday Night
I spend the night in the family room where I can be miserable without bothering Alan and can set my watch timer for 4 hours so I know when it's ok for the next pill.  I figure out that when the pills are working I'm spacy but still in dull pain, and when they're not I'm woozy and nauseous, plus they're not working, so it all kind of sucks.  Also my butt is getting sore from sitting/lying down so much.  I catch up on the entire current season of Project Runway (6 straight episodes...well, 6 episodes...).  I alternate between sitting up in the oversized chair and lying flat on my stomach on the couch with pillows under my legs.


Speaking of which... I'm starting to feel really wonky and NEEEED to go to bed so I'll have to continue this tomorrow.  I'm still a wreck.