Pain in the Neck

During my stay in Eureka Springs, I stayed up all night with my buddies and watched some stupid Harry Potter (aka Harry Bottom) movie marathon. I must admit, though sheepishly, I do enjoy these movies. The remind me of my childhood and all the stories I used to read and wish were true. I guess in some ways I find a way to identify with the different characters and the struggles they face with each other and finding their way in the world. But I am rambling...

As I was saying, I stayed up all night, propped up by a huge heap of pillows and subsequently fell asleep after day break with a wad of pillows under my shoulders and neck on my left side, and my sleepy friend Seth crammed into my right armpit and wrapped around me like some meat blanket with legs and arms. I slept soundly, as I was incredibly tired and was content to hold and be held by a friend. The next morning though, I have to admit I had some strange cramp or strain in my neck on the left side, when I got up to pee.

I carefully untangled myself from Seth, taking care not to wake him and padded off to the bathroom to take a leak and start my day. I took a long hot shower and thought really nothing of it. The next few hard days of high speed driving and curves kept my attention off the pain and I figured I would bounce back and life would go on.

Big mistake.

Over this last week, the pain has only become worse and now this morning I woke up to muscle spasms and a piercing pain at the left base of my neck that is now shooting down over my shoulder blade and into my arm pit. It is so bad that my triceps and biceps keep going into spasms and if i turn my head wrong, I let out some weird yelp involuntarily. Tylenol, ice packs and stretching out each morning and night is not helping. I have had to switch my work out routine up to favor the pain and it got bad enough the other day that I actually was googling "heart attack symptoms" on my phone when out with my friends.

What the hell is this? Why is my body not fixing itself?

My guess is I have some pinched nerve in my spine that is causing the pain and I am reluctantly going to have to go to the Doctor to have him shoot some x-rays and get to the bottom of it. I hate going to the Doctor, or the Dentist or anyone else who pokes and prods at my body like some mechanic with tools and stuff. I am not body conscious and don't mind being naked or examined, it is just the idea that something may be wrong and I can't mend on my own without some help.

Ready for work now, slurping some coffee and trying to ignore the pain. I know I am a big baby when it comes to pain. Though I have suffered some horrific things in my life due to sports, car wrecks, accidents and physical violence, I have nothing in my coping skill bag to deal with chronic and re-occurring pain. I guess maybe that is why I am whining here on my blog, like some little kid who wants someone to kiss it and make me feel better.

I am excited about today though. We prepped all day yesterday for a huge wedding banquet and feast we are hosting tonight for 500+ people. The trucks kept arriving all day bearing produce, exotic fruits, meats, cheeses, wines and all the ingredients that we will fashion together into a night for this wonderful family to remember. The decorators have been working for three days in the Grand Ballroom turning it into a wonderland of white satin, exquisite flowers, flickering candles, Waterford crystal and canopies of lace and taffeta. I cannot wait to get to work!

We will have three carving stations of Baron of Beef, Filet Mignon cut to order, Turkey and Duck, and Honey Baked Ham. There will be three buffets of salads, sides dishes, vegetables and breads and 3 hours worth of work for the canapes and hor dourves. Champagne fountains, white and red wines, full service bar. It is going to be a long but rewarding day. I cannot wait to see the couple, their families and their guests faces when they show up. I hope we will make this day fit for a life time of memories. They are certainly paying us to! Total food cost alone is well over ten thousand dollars. Eep!

Welp...it is time for me to hop in my car and motor off into this Saturday morning. I am going to miss my guys breakfast and meeting again for about the third time but know I will see them all at church tomorrow. Thankfully Sunday is a day off. It has been several weeks since I have been able to get to service and I sorely miss my friends. Hope you all are well and that this crappy pain will just take off. I made the mistake of telling my Mom about it, so I am sure she will hound me till I get to the Doctor.

Have an awesome weekend! This one is certainly different than last years. This time last year, I was following Seth and Alan down to the lake, where I ended up losing the whole summer. Hopefully this one will be more productive and healthy for me. Staying busy is a start, yes?


Daemon