PARTY AND PAIN

Let me start with the pain part and get that out of the way.

Ever since I went sailing, my back has not been good. I can tell when it wants to go out; it feels like my entire spine is balancing on the head of a pin somewhere near the bottom vertebrae and whenever it threatens to become unbalanced I get warning twinges. So it's been that way for the past week or so - since the sailing - and I have been bending over and twisting very very carefully. Until yesterday morning. I picked up my fax machine and moved it, leaning over to get it where I wanted it. I put it down and then straightened up and - snap! The back was out.

The very first time this happened to me, I had dinner simmering away on the stove, a new baby lying on a blanket on the family room floor, a 2 yr old hanging on one of my legs, and a 4 yr old playing Lego at the kitchen table. I bent to get something out of the fridge and - snap! I was totally immobile. I gingerly turned, bent in half, to turn off the stove, and then gave the 4 year old careful instructions on how to phone grandma to ask her to call the house of friends where daddy was making a sales call. He'd never made a phone call before and he did it flawlessly. It was a tense hour before the hubby managed to get home, let me tell you.

Nowadays, when it goes, I get a friend to drive me to emergency and get a shot in my spine that immediately takes the pain away. Last time I went I waited - on my feet as I couldn't sit - for FOUR HOURS. I can't be doing that again so I went to my doctor and asked for the pill equivalent of whatever was in that shot for next time. I got a prescription and I take those pills with me wherever I go. I have been taking them this time, to no avail (usually I take them when feeling the 'twinge' and had taken one or two in the past week but should have been taking more I guess). I am also taking my regular dose of Naproxen to no avail. A nutritionist friend told me to lie down with heat and a castor oil compress and take large quantities of yucca pills. Done. Not working. So I just got back from the store with Robaxacet. The pharmacist said I can take it with the Naproxen. Done. Not working.

I am at the end of my rope. And I was supposed to be going for our second sailing lesson tomorrow. Canceled.

On to the "stuff" part, where I will be brief as my sitting time is coming to a rapid end;

One of my best girlfriend's daughter just got engaged and my daughter is to be a bridesmaid so she drove down from Kelowna again this weekend to stay with them and be at the engagement party. I offered help with the food, for both the day before and on the day of, and was gratefully accepted. Saturday morning as I was getting ready to leave the house to drive over there, dear daughter called all excited. She was at Old Navy while the Bride to Be and her Groom were at the venue discussing flowers. Old Navy was having a grand re-opening after some major renovations and she just won the $200 shopping spree!!! She wanted me to come down and help her to spend it and so I headed down there right away. I found one very happy girl with a bag full of clothes to try on, and sales clerks that were treating her like a celebrity. SO fun for her. Two hours of helping her decide what to pick, we left there with a bulging shopping bag and empty stomachs so headed over to White Spot for a bite of lunch.















We spent a happy afternoon preparing food for the party and then I was back the next day to help some more before the party started at 4pm and throughout the party, keeping plates full and cleaning up. I had a great time with my daughter and my friends. I usually spend my weekends alone and looking for something to do so this was a very very welcome change. I love being social and hate being alone!