I woke up today in severe back pain. I got up to walk to the bathroom, and my foot stepped slightly on the corner of a soft dog toy, and it was enough to make me cry out in pain and fall into the door jam, grabbing on for balance. I had to admit that I need to go see the chiropractor NOW.

I am sad to report that after troupe on Tuesday night, my back started hurting a little more. Yesterday afternoon it was downright UNCOOL. Had to go teach last night and by bed time I was walking like an old woman. The right side hurts a bit, but this is surprisingly my left lower back that is giving me the most trouble. Slept like hell. Chris' alarm went off 50 BILLION TIMES THIS MORNING. I am sore and tired. And have to leave in about 20 minutes to go look at granite. And we're suppose to shop for paint colors and sand the walls tonight.*sigh*

I will be taking it as easy as I can, I swear! I don't want this. Not now. Not with summer coming and all of its promise. I want to be healthy and have fun this year. Please god!

I am admitted, and sitting in a very stark room in a gown that opens in the back. Yeehaw. The desk lady was mean and scowled at me when I brought in a sandwich I had bought at the comissary, expecting a long wait for admittance. They didn't give it to me in a to-go container as I expected, so I am carrying this little paper tray with a turkey sandwich in it around everywhere and I am not allowed to take a bite. Grrr
Back sucks today, too, so I am glad I am here. I had this concern that, as per usual, I would have some ailment that mysteriously went away when I went to try and see someone about it. I guess I couldn't complain if it REALLY went away, but if I had a "good day" today, decided not to come after all, and then had a "bad day" tomorrow, I would have been at the very least irritated.

I don't like the vibe here at all. Nobody makes eye contact. I had to hike around a bit to find this place, and then nobody smiled or anything when they directed me. It's so...meh here. I no likey.

The nurse was nice. And she carried my laptop bag for me. :) She will be assimilated into the new world order when we take over...

So amuse me. Who knows how long until I see a doctor. *breeze blowing up back of gown* What is everyone else doing today?

BTW, Amy and Jen suggested last night that I have a pity-party this weekend. Since I can't go to TQNW, and am feeling decidedly sorry for myself, they suggested I need to make some fun for myself. They offered mojitos and chocolate cupcakes. Mmmmmm I may just do it.

BTW, I am MissClotho on AIM, if you ever wanna chat.

EDIT: MOTHERFUCKER. I asked for Urgent Care and they apparently sent me to the Emergency Room. Nobody mentions this until they hand me a billing notice that says I will owe $100 copay today for this visit, instead of $50. I explain this to the woman handing me my sheet and she just CHUCKLED AND WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM. I AM PISSED!

So I think I confused some people with my visit tot he hospital today. But it is the source of another frustration, so I can clear it up, AND vent the hell out of my insurance!So right off the bat: NO. my back is not "so bad I had to go to the hospital". So never fear. But the reason I went is here:

So some of you know I have had a bit of a runaround with my insurance, since we changed insurance companies recently, and I can't see my regular doctor any more at the office I loved loved loved. That is, seems no one is taking new patients, and despite being assigned one, and then choosing one from the directory, I was informed they are not taking new patients and to find a different one. The insurance company finally assign me one that will take me...then that office promptly tells me they will not take patients with BACK PAIN ISSUES. I kid you not. Through three doctors (well four, since I tried to go back to one twice), and none will see me to help ease my suffering. So the insurance company tells me my only recourse is to go to Urgent Care. In the meantime, they say, I can self-refer to a chirpractor, which is how I ended up with my chiro. But I wanted a second opinion, and with the recent relapse and inability to get my chiro to call me back in the last 24 hours of pain...

So this morning I went to NW Hospital, which is the Urgent Care facility associated with the doctor-i-have-been-assined-to-yet-never-ever-seen-who-won't-see-me-because-i-have-back-issues. I walk up to the help desk and ask for Urgent Care, and she points me to the office right there--there is no confusion about where she pointed me to. It was within view. Couldn't miss it. But only after I had seen two nurses and handed my insurance info over to some other woman who barely spoke English, did they tell me was actually the Emergency Room, and it was going to cost me $100 copay instead of the $50 copay the Urgent Care clinic would have cost (and when I ask about it, I get the afore-blogged-about chuckle and walk-away). Additionally, I am informed that due to triage policies in effect, my horrible experience of feeling like not ONE person listened to me despite having to tell my symptoms over and over again to three separate people, is entirely typical. They basically know what they are going to tell you to do no matter what you try to tell them, just based on the symptoms, to keep a high turnover. So the doctor did nearly NOTHING, prescribed pain meds and muscle relaxants, and referred me to someone else. Oh and I should mention...he said my chiropractor probably knew how to deal with this better than anyone, if there is no fracture involved (not that anyone confirmed if there was one or not at the emergency room, but anyway...)

BTW, I did get in to see my chiro. He fit me in at the end of his day, and I brought Chris to meet him and see the office I have been going to every week. Dr. John Tong is his name, BTW http://www.wholehealthseattle.com Anyway, I asked him about the meds they gave me, as I feared muscle relaxants would undermine my work with him, which he confirmed was the case. He is confounded as I am as to why my vertebrae pops out so easily. But the good news is it pops right back in again...I guess? :) He gave me some new more intense and frequent exercises, and even more orders to ice ice ice, many times a day. The goal is to keep it in place long enough for the muscles around it to strengthen and heal it into place. He knows I am on a 30-day deadline to my holiday, and we are working with that in mind.

I left feeling still sore and stiff, but better than I was,as always. And a renewed sense that he is still the best course of action for my spinal health right now.

But don't think we didn't fill those prescriptions...*wink*

I DANCED!AND I WALK AND MOVE AND BEND N' SHIT!

I DANCED!

I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!I DANCED!OMFGLOLLERSKATESBBQTEHDANCIN'!

I iced as soon as I got home. And this morning as I lay in bed I just kept wondering how I was going to feel...was I going to be okay. No way to tell until I try to sit up...I roll over and sit up...AND I WAS OKAY! Just that teensy ache, but nothing sharp. I bent over gently, testing...and I could bend over without that sharp smack upside the head-kinda pain.

I FUCKING DANCED!

I was really well behaved and gentle with myself. I could see everyone looking at me sidelong all night to see how I would do. I didn't twist. I made sure anything twisting, Sarah addressed. And DeAnn lead the Aziza drills in Intermediate. I didn't do bicycle shimmies even. I avoided leading as much as possible, and gave more skills and drills for me to walk around and observe. By the time Int rolled around, I was definitely fatigued. I was feeling a little ache in my back and really really wanted to lie down, but thought that would look to funny. So I hung in, and then did a cooldown with splits stretching for all of our benefits (which I got lots of compliments on, so I think they enjoyed it as much as I did).

I DANCED!
idanced
yeefuckinhaw

My back has been worse than ever. I had to cancel performing tonight.But the good news is I went to see a chiropractor this afternoon. I went in with a fair amount of trepidation and even greater amount of skepticism. But my insurance is apparently very supportive of the practice, as it is only a $20 copay, and allows 35 visits per calendar year! So I had an adjustment...and instant results. Not "done"--I think I would have been even more skeptical if I did feel better right away. But it is SO MONUMENTALLY better than it was. I have a follow up Saturday. It was strange, experience-wise. I didn't know what to expect. It is intimate...so hands-on compared to conventional medicine. But I really liked the doctor. And I met a bellydancer who studies with Katia Sahar on the way out. Small world.

I feel so much better. No twisting allowed really means no twisting. When I twist, I feel crappy. But without twisting, I feel 1MILLION times better.

Some of you know I have had mysterious foot pain for several weeks now. When I thought it was improving, it flared up again when I taught the Kamloops workshops (duh, 8 hours of workshops, plus performing and general ambling about socially).
Today I finally saw the doctor, and she seems to not have a clue. She suggested three *possible* things, one of which was a stress fracture, another was a kind of swollen nerve thing that Renee's friend has (and I was convinced I might have until now).

The third was a swelling issue, which would have been helped by icing, which never worked for me when I tried it (short of numbing it, it didn't improve the symptoms), so the doctor doubts that is it.

She also doubts it is the swollen nerve thing, because most people experience that in a slightly different location, and can feel a sort of nodule--like a little marble--when you walk or touch it, which I don't feel. Though the toe-spreader suggestion I was given via Renee helped, so I think that threw her off (not being a foot specialist of any kind, and referring to a medical book throughout our discussion).

So the most likely, at this point, is a stress-fracture. I was sent down to Xray, and told to stay off it as much as I can until we know what is up. Har har. Stay off it she says... I should know the Xray results tomorrow at the earliest.

In the meantime, in addition to staying off it, I have been told to try and locate a Metatarsal Pad. This is not apparently the same thing as the toe pad/cushions which go into the shoe and make direct contact with the area of pain, but instead actually goes directly *behind* the area in question, and apparently does some kind of redistribution of weight to alleviate some of the pain when walking. It is further suggested that when I do walk, I choose a shoe with a wide toe box and a fairly rigid sole (I wasn't sure why, but that is what she said and she didn't elaborate and I didn't think to as at the time).

Well, apparently you can't just run by your local drug store to get these special pads--you have to buy them online. So I have to order some and won't be able to walk around with them this week leading up to TQNW (hopefully I can get them in *by* the fest to take with me!)

If I don't get more volunteers for the booth at TQNW, this will be a moot point, as far as my dancing on it. Seems everyone I know is taking the same workshops as I am, and are therefore unavailable at the times I need them to watch the booth. So if I don't get more volunteers by tomorrow, I will be selling my workshops and planning to sit around in my lame rigid shoes with pads all week-end long. *not pleased in the least*

Edit: A little good news. I was really upset about having to wear shoes in order to use these insole thingies since they stick inside a footbed (and doctor did recommend it, but I am a barefoot girl...) But lookie here--one that slips on the foot like Dancepaws! I am getting me some of these fer sure. Hope they can come in before I leave on Thursday.