Pain in the Back

For the last week my lower right back has been killing me. I had though it was just a muscle ache and that it would go away, but 8 days later it has only gotten worse. It was so bad this morning that once i got out of bed (took about an hour) I decided to skip an important day of work and see a doctor.

I went online to schedule an appointment, and was quite pleased that I could see someone at 10 am. So after a hot shower I walked over to the health center and met Registered Nurse Blount. First off, though, I had a women take my blood pressure and height and weight. She absolutely refused to believe I was 4'10, she kept saying she didn't believe it. Why would I lie about such a thing? Anyway, the R.N. diagnosed my with a slipped disc and sent me over to the nearby hospital for x-rays and gave me a list of physiatrsits to see.

This was my first time going to a hospital alone, and I just don't care for it. It took me a bit to navigate the halls and then finally I found radiology. After a wait, I was given two robes (front and back) and lead to a table to lie on for the x-rays. The whole contraption looked and smelled like it was from the 70s. The technician was new, so she had an older woman working with her who kept telling her everything she was doing wrong, and made me feel like I had to be extra helpful through the pain to make her look good. First I had to lie flat on my back, which is pretty painful, but not at all awkward. I was a little nervous because this is my first x-ray without any of that metal-jacket protection and I made her promise I wouldn't have crazy three-armed children in 10 years because of this. Then they made me pose the way angelic children sleep on television; on my side with knees bent at a 45 degree angle, hands in prayer position just next to my head. It was killer and I had to keep it for 20 minutes because somehow I wasn't alligned right and they had to take the x-ray a dozen times (truly). Everytime they took the x-ray it made a lot of noise and I felt as though I could feel it going through me (though I'm sure it was all in my head) but it was really nerve racking as I thought of all my radiated organs. They also never spoke to me except to tell me not to breather (it made me move too much) so that I began to feel like a lump of moldable clay as they kept poking me into the required postions. I got off the table in more pain than ever.

I then headed over to the pharmacy. I dropped of the prescription and went for lunch, and then came back an hour later. There was all sorts of confusion, and I ended up sitting in a chair for an hour waiting for them to fill it/ realize they had filled it/ call my name. I ended up next to a skinny blond woman who told me her very interesting life story. The thing was that her story involved the US intelligence agancy and Kuwait and airplanes, so she had to tell it in a whisper because she isn't sure if she's still being watched (her home was recently burglarized by men in suits). I have no idea what she said half the time, but the rest of it was entertaining and it helped the time pass.

The codeine has now officially kicked in. And I feel tired and ill. putting my head down for awhile.