from Dr. A to Dr. B. to Dr. C.

Well, maybe I sensed something was happening to my back when I wrote, on Friday, about setbacks in recovery. In any case, whether I did or didn't, after a morning massage and yesterday's lunch on Father's Day, my spasms got worse. They were so bad but the afternoon, I was crying. Nothing seemed to be working, neither ice nor heat. I was in email exchange with Dr. C. but, on the edge of going to the ER, I called my primary doctor's office and got a nurse on call. She recommended I increase my dose of Advil to 800 mg (up from 200) and I settled, so far, on 600 mg every seven hours. She made some comments that suggested this could be a bulging disc problem which I had 20 years ago and, though the pain was different this time, that scared me. She suggested I get to Dr. B's office in the morning.

Sleep was scattered at best: I could only sleep on my right side but even with pillows, the pressure woke me up every two hours. I could not sleep on my back or left side. We did get to Dr. B who is also an osteopath and he said my left side was "locked up." He had an ankle injury 13 years ago and shared some of his recovery story. He did manipulations to my pelvis, back, shoulders and neck. My left shoulder, he said, had a tendon out of place (my masseuse had been noticing my lack of range of motion in that shoulder and arm) so "pop!", another manipulation which hurt before it brought relief. He ordered me a muscle relaxant and physical therapy assessment. I brought in the 3 pairs of shoes I had bought at Target on Saturday and the white flipflop had the right height. The shoe I wore yesterday was too high. He suggested I buy Sketchers because they have a similar height and rolling sole like the boot. So we went to the store and (100 bucks!) bought a pair in sandal style.

I will stick to Advil during the day and hope I can get a nap but, so far, I can't lay down and rest very well in any position. I can sit and type but I won't do that all day!

When I got home, I had a phone and email message from Dr. C okaying a PT assessment and muscle relaxant, so now I (Dr. A) just have to make sure that notes from Dr. B go to Dr. C. I certainly want to be doing what both want/need me to do in physical therapy and make sure Dr. C. knows what Dr. B recommended (and change the directions, if needed).

It's been an exhausting Friday-Monday period. Not a very Happy Father's Day, but I hope the week will get better.