Well, I guess it was time to pay the piper.

Ray helped me thrash around, cleaning up and getting ready for my small group meeting and party here. We had a lovely time, each reading a holiday story (two about Hanukah). I read Nellie's Christmas Eve. I thought it would be funny. I thought I had gotten past the point where it would make me cry, maybe tear up a little. I bawled and could barely get through it. I should have picked something else. I guess, the fact that my Mom is "what some people call dead" made the story more emotional. We exchanged white elephant gifts. I love to pass something on to someone who will enjoy it. It would have been more fun if there had been more than five of us. Only four stayed for a holiday lunch. It was interesting. Deb brought a green salad. I made winter squash, someething we serve at Christmas. Heather brought frozen pigs in blankets, which were tasty (from Steaks of Omaha), and Victoria some pita chips and purchased hummus. So there was some variety. I also had made apple muffins for the group to eat. Heather brought her coffee maker and coffee. After lunch, three of us went to visit the piggies. It was a good walk and we stopped at the Community Center briefly. The facilities committee was meeting, so I officially requested to rent the building for a wedding reception March 31. They will get me a usage form as soon as they make one up.

After Deb and Victoria left, I tidied a little and then sat down for a while. My Dad arrived soon after and I rested on the couch and knit some. I began to realize my back was hurting and later it developed into its full-bore throbbing spasms. The last few times, I have been able to bypass the worst of it, with heat, I guess. I wanted to be cooking and doing other things I had been too busy for, but all I could do was sit, lie, walk and cry. My Dad left and Ray came home. I asked him to make dinner that I had planned. I didn't want to take my strong medicine because I was supposed to do my second sleep study. I still thought I could get it to go away on my own. At 7, I called the doctor's office and got the on-call service. They told me I had to wait until 8 when someone would be in the office--or I could leave a message someone would get in the morning. Not  helpful. I took the muscle relaxant, thinking that would be less likely to mess with the study. I wasn't sure it helped at all. I ate a little. At 8, I called and got the same recording. I called twice more and never got to speak to anyone. So I packed up my things and Ray drove me there. The same technician, April, let me in. I told her about my back and asked if I could take the hydrocodone. She called and let a message for the doctor, but he didn't call her back either. She decided I should go ahead and take it, since it didn't seem like I would be sleeping without it. It took a long time to take effect and I could still feel the back pain come and go, but I got sleepy. So she hooked up my wires again and put a mask over my nose. It blows warm air into my breathing passages to keep them open. You have to breathe through your nose, which was not hard. I slept well--of course, it could have been the drugs. Ray came back and got me at 5:30 this morning and we both went back to bed.

I am up now, stiff and sore, but no spasms.