Your pain level is?

Right now, mine is at 7. " Severe pain that dominates your senses and significantly limits your ability to perform normal daily activities or maintain social relationships.  Interferes with sleep."  Yes, it's a 7. I'm trying to type and it's a chore. I miss words or thoughts as I type. And sometimes, I just sit here and try to use my mind to fight it off. Meditate. I can't; not with every neuron firing and synapses overloading with signals from those neurons.  Impossible.

This being tuesday, I really wanted to go back to my group of friends that meet to paint on that day; every week. Our group, the Tuesday Painters, meets at the art center to paint...obvious! So I asked my wife to help and I got dressed. Then a short drive to the center where I use the handicapped parking. Now I'm faced with a real struggle and one I had not anticipated; the handicapped ramp. Up we go! That was hard work. And I even stopped midway to rest as we rose some 6'.

I met with everyone and I was very glad we had come. I also came to thank one and all for the special 'get well card', a painting by one and then all of them had signed it on the back. I had found a frame and had framed it and I wanted them all to see i

t framed before it went on my wall. Here you can see it if you double click the image.

Now you know why I was there. But, oh! the pain! The walk up the ramp had hit some spots that were now very irritated. We all talked for about twenty minutes and then my wife whispered in my ear "ready to go?" I nodded and then we finished up our conversation and headed back to the car.

The walk up the ramp was a piece of cake compared to the walk down. Now I was hold back the weight of my body with each step down the ramp. I was in agony when I reached the bottom. I recovered some on the drive home and I am now safely within the embrace of my recliner while I type.

Now here's a photo of my new walker...















That's it, I'm through for the day...