My neck has been stiff since yesterday – could be a crick, could be the old cervical disk acting up – They tend to start out with a similar discomfort, but I am suspecting it is the cervical disk. I have done some gently exercises for a crick but they don’t make much difference and it seems to be getting worse. Not much to do about it, I had surgery once, I am fused from T1 on down so there is not much more to do, and it is not at this point chronic or unbearable. I am just having trouble keeping my head upright. Of course it is better if I hold my right arm over my head, but that is not a particularly practical position either, although it does help for sleep. With gentle exercise, perhaps a little traction and time all will get better.
I really can’t complain as it hasn’t bothered me all that much of late. But I have to admit that having my own car back has been a godsend. Yesterday I took it in for a new brake light, dropped it off while taking G to chemo with the idea of picking it up later. Ends up I also needed some work on the front end, the right outer tie rod end was going bad so they kept it until this morning. I had planned on running errands in G’s car anyway but it was terrible. I couldn’t bend my neck to get my head in and out of the door, the alignment of the windows is different and I couldn’t turn enough to see out the right side and I couldn’t get the side-view mirror adjusted so I didn’t have to turn to see what was in the next lane. The head rest pressed right on my T1-C7-C6 area and it was quite uncomfortable. Most cars are angled too far forward for me at the headrest so this is not unusual, but by the time I got home I was done for the day.
Biggest annoyance now is that G is grumbling that “he” never had to replace a tie rod end on any car (hard to believe) and if I have it is only because I am a terrible and reckless driver. No matter that there are 85000 miles on the car (it is still a baby). I had to replace them on my old car too, and I am sure he must have, probably more than once, as his old car had over 200k on it before he got the new (2001) car and he doesn’t have enough mileage on this car to have needed to do it yet. Meanwhile he is making me miserable. Just wait…..it is bound to happen, but I shall refrain from taunting him about what a terrible driver he is.
While I was out in the yard this morning (yes I am finally gardening) a cricket must have crawled up my pants leg. I didn’t notice it right away. I thought I felt something at my knee when I came in, shook my leg and it went away and I decided I was being paranoid after yesterday’s experience with the bug running across the McCall’s pattern book at JoAnn Fabrics (sorry I was too grossed out to tell you about that). Then later I felt something at my hip. Well those pants came down very fast and there was the cricket. Yuck. I am still a little skittish.
Well it is hot out now, and my shoulders and neck are sore so it is time to rest. I would like to sew but I am not sure I am up to that yet, or using the iron. I have a cold soup chilling in the refrigerator for lunch with Chicken and Apple sausages. If I am not better later it might be time to rig up the old cervical traction device.