Just a general update

So I messed up my back again today. Hardcore. I can barely stand up straight.

I've had trouble with my back since I was 22. Back then, I was working two jobs - full time cooking at the Dam Site, and under the table doing housekeeping and helping provide in-home care to an elderly lady with Alzheimer's in exchange for rent on a sweet two-bedroom apartment. I worked six days a week, from 9 am-1 or 2 am. Apparently it was just too much on my back, it locked up severely, and I had to go on muscle relaxers for a couple months. I quit the housekeeping job after that, and a couple months later, I went on seasonal lay-off, which gave me time to heal up.

Two years later, I was working the double job thing again. Still cooking full-time at Dam Site, but also working on a ranch in exchange for room and board. This meant feeding, watering, pasturing, stabling, and riding horses (5 to be exact, 2 mustangs, 2 quarter horses, and a quarter-horse/mustang colt). I also had to rake their stalls, move numerous wheelbarrows full of dookie to a trailer, empty said trailer in the woods on the property, and, of course, haying when it came time to cut the hay. This meant riding around on a truck, flinging bales of it onto the trailer, and loading it into the hay loft in the barn. I also fed chickens and gathered their eggs. Once again, after about 3 months, my back went out and I had to go back on muscle relaxers.

Two pregnancies nearly back to back didn't help either, lol. I've gotten the steroids shots, taken muscle relaxers, did the physical therapy and the yoga, and had to go on Tylenol 3 while I was pregnant and afterwards while I still had insurance to pay for it. To this day, I still get horrible lower back aches while I'm PMS'ing and I have sciatica too.

Today was a doozy. I don't think my back's hurt this bad since I was five months pregnant, working at City Park, and a certain douchebag who shall remain nameless (his name rhymes with Shmaric Blawy) decided, in his infinite wisdom, that I should take 10 bags of water-softener salt (50 lbs each) down the basement stairs, load them onto a handcart, wheel them the length of the basement, and empty them into the water softener. (I cried myself to sleep that night and promptly got a note from my OB that exempted me from having to do that again for the duration of my pregnancy.)

What happened? Well, I was coming out of the kitchen, not paying much attention to where my feet were going, and tripped over Jonah, who was squatting and playing with Matthew's MegaBloks. I tripped, threw myself to the side so I wouldn't squash him, and landed on my belly on the carpet. Matthew thought that this meant play-time, and jumped on my lower back. Yeah. 40+ lbs of compact 3 year old, right on the problem area.

Thankfully Jeremy rubbed my back for a while this evening. He felt a few muscle knots. I took two hot showers too, which loosened it up a bit, but I may have set the world record for Tylenol consumption today. Heh. Hopefully it's better when I wake up tomorrow - I've got company coming and I need to vacuum the living room and run a bag of laundry downstairs.

Company - yay! What's the celebration? Betina, one of my besties, is coming up for the day. I haven't seen her since shortly after Matthew was born. She's five months pregnant herself - I'm so happy for her. We're friends on so many different levels, so from a somewhat selfish standpoint, the fact that she's a mom-to-be makes me happy because it adds another level, you know? Anyway, I've been having fun packing up my unisex baby clothes for her (she's having a little girl) and figuring out what baby gear I can give her - she's getting Jonah's pack-n-play, the Johnny Jump-up, the bouncy seat, my copies of "What To Expect The First Year" and "She's Having a Baby, I'm Having a Breakdown." We're going to have a cookout tomorrow and possibly going shopping at Meijer's. It's been a long time since I had some girl-time, so I'm really geeked about it.

Anyone reading this, please send some positive healing energy my grandpa's way. He's a pretty sick guy right now, and even though he's tough (Irish), every little bit will help. Check my facebook or leave a comment if you don't already know what's going on.

That's about all I've got for tonight. I'll take plenty of pictures tomorrow and post them.

Much love,
Megan