Today was the next step in this drawn-out process of trying to heal my nerve pain. I went to a spinal pain doctor who lightly sedated me before giving me a big old shot of steroids down into my spinal cord via the C6 & C7 discs in the neck. I was told by many that it would be no picnic, but honestly the procedure was quick and painless. I was actually a little disappointed in my lack of loopiness afterwards; realistically I felt like I could have just gone right back to work. Alas, it was to be a day of R&R on the couch recovering.

At first it was fun. I was binge-watching Silicon Valley on HBO Now, playing my OOTP baseball simulator, and drinking Coke and Topo Chico. I was even moderately productive by scheduling a landscaping quote and an AT&T service call. But eventually that all came crashing down. Around 1pm my heart began racing and then I got extremely weak and drowsy. At 3:00 I had no choice but to concede and lay down, where I fell asleep on the couch for a full hour. I woke up soaked in sweat but feeling much better. So, glad I wasn’t at work for that crash, which the doctor’s notes said was a distinct possibility.

There’s no guarantee this all helps, but if it does, I should expect to feel better starting three days from now. How long it lasts is anyone’s guess. Some say it wears off pretty fast, others have been fixed permanently.

There will be no exercise, lifting, twisting, lunging, or any other such nonsense for a few days while my tender spine recovers.