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To the doctor I went, all the way to Batesville, with two cameras and did not take one picture...see how pains effects you.

I had an "appointment" at eleven but I believe I was a work-in.  Normally I can sit anywhere, read and leave that room to get lost in the book.  Not today, I had chosen a book I had already read and then did not realize until I was into forty pages.  That's bad. Every one's visiting does not bother me, normally, but today was not normal.  I know the life history of at least three, no four visitors, not from them talking to me, but by them broadcasting into the lobby in very loud voices.  It was that pain again.

I finally got called back and was delighted I had not gained any weight, who cares if my side is falling off, if noises are echoing in my head, and I am in severe pain.  Everything is wonderful when the scales say the same thing as three months ago.

I had already made some conclusions of my own.  It was not my kidney because I had no other symptoms, it was a pulled muscle because an ice pack deadened it, and was feeling a little better since I had remembered to take some ibupropen.  Now, who knows why I did not take a pain killer the past two weeks?  I just thought it was my kidney and I did not want to give it more poison.  I know why I was in the valley, because I was in PAIN!  When all these dots connected, I felt a little better.

Doc comes in and I must say, I love this man!  He is also on the SWAT team and has this wonderful vehicle all decked out in light and sirens, the whole bit. When I was in the hospital, he apologized for being late to check on me because he had a SWAT call.

First he asked what was wrong, felt my back while I walked.  Asked me for other symptoms, like is there radiating pain, pain with urination, blah, blah.

Doc's conclusion is pulled muscle.  He also said my job was killing me, I was tough and pretty healthy (hefty?) and just a tad stubborn, like when he worked three weeks with a broken leg.  Couldn't figure out how he did it and kept working, just didn't feel right. Remembered he jumped a fence and finally went to a doc, it was broken.

He says you need off six weeks to heal a muscle this bad, but you already have had three weeks so if I could tell you what to do, I would say, stay off work three weeks, don't lift and rest.  WELL, y'all probably know how I answered that, I can't take off, I don't have help, I can call and see if someone can work.  Doc says make your calls, so I did and only have relief tomorrow and Thursday.  That is more than I had so Doc writes a slip for that.  If it doesn't improve, come back and the postal service will have to do without you!

So Doc gave me two muscle relaxers, one for work and one for nights.  Don't know which is which so will have to experiment the next two days and see which one knocks me out and go from there.

Here's the really bad part...who, in their right mind, would take this as a day off to shop?  Nobody!  The key words are "right mind".  I, forever the dummy, head to Walmart.  I am on a mission.  Do this and go to Tractor Supply to see if they have new boots.

I am telling you right now, I barely made it out of WalMart. By the time I loaded dog food, potatoes and DPs, I could barely move.  When I got to checkout, I was squatting in the floor in front of my buggy to relieve the pain.  Just because I went to the doc, doesn't mean I am healed.  Doc is good but not that good.

I had wonderful plans, I was going to eat out, shop for boots, maybe look at some other things.  Crazy Ginch!  I dragged a DP out of the Walmart freezer and headed home.

I can't wait for an unloader so I have to carry almost all of this in, freezer stuff, you know.  I left the heavy things for Andrew.  Then I ball up to wait for the sweet promise of muscle relaxers.

Den comes in with meds so I just pick one, don't care if it night time or day time one.  I must have relief!  Again, stupid me had taken nothing to dull the pain.

Relief, sweet relief!  I chose one that did not put me to sleep and here I am.  Not completely pain free, but pain dulled and typing.  Relieved it is only a muscle spasm in a strained muscle, I have named it, now I can defeat it.