Dealing with the Rough Days

One of the things that goes along with chronic pain is learning how to deal with the rough days.  This has been one of those days for me.  I could feel my back pain revving up last night.  I tossed and turned all night and just couldn't get comfortable.  When my alarm went off at 6 am, I felt like I had been beaten with a baseball bat!  Almost as soon as I woke up, I took my pain medication and started praying that it wouldn't take too long before it kicked in.  I knew it was going to be one of those days.

I could also tell that bad weather was moving in.  I've had the ability to predict the weather for years.  I started off with my knee, and has now moved into most of my other joints.  Nowadays, my back is usually the best predictor of bad weather.  It doesn't even have to be cold weather.  I can predict rain, snow, wind, any type of change.  I wish I didn't have this ability, but what are you going to do?  We have thunderstorms predicted for tonight, but I could have told you that yesterday.

Most of my day has been spent trying to get comfortable.  I have moved from my bed to my recliner several times.  I've tried walking around and lying down.  I've tried a hot soak in the tub and using my heating pad.  I've taken my pain medicine every time I was allowed to, and all any of this has done is take the edge off things.  Right now, the pain in my back and hips is almost unbearable.  Nothing seems to be helping.

I had promised my 16 year old son that we would go practice driving every day this week, but something has gotten in the way each time.  When he got home from school, the first thing he asked was if we could go out for a drive.  I told him that I just couldn't again today because of the amount of pain I was in.  He said that he understood, but I could tell by the look on his face that he really didn't.  So, we got in the car and drove around the neighborhood three or four times.  I thought I was going to die from the pain, but I didn't let him know that.  The happiness he got from it was worth it to me.  This isn't my normal way of dealing with the rough days, but I'm glad I did it today.