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Everything hurts

It's been a week and one day since the halo came off and everything hurts. My body feels as though it has the flu. Achy all over.

My head/scalp hurts. It feels as though I've been wearing a hat or ponytail too long. My head hadn't touched a pillow in ten weeks and now it has become very sensitive. My hair style hasn't changed much so I can't blame the hair for the cause of the pain. I can only think its the pressure of lying on my head again when sleeping.

My upper spine hurts when I lean back onto a hard chair. I think because its been protected by the vest and now its touching surfaces for the first time in awhile. My upper back muscles feel stiff as well as my lungs/ribs are soar. I'm moving about more and I think that movement is straining my body. I guess I haven't moved much in ten weeks!

My neck is soar as well, but that was expected... this all over body pain is draining.

I wish my pain meds worked better but still allowed me to be functional. The stronger stuff works but makes me sleepy and stoned. I have clients to deal with and work to do still so I can only take the lighter weight pain medicine. Nothin like being in pain and sweet talkin a client!

For the past ten weeks I have worked as much as my body would allow. While in the hospital I called clients and put projects on hold. I lost a few who were unwilling to wait and gained a new respect for the ones who said they would wait as long as necessary and then sent flowers. When I returned home and still on strong pain meds I worked...but it was a struggle. Not just physically, but mentally. The work I was producing wasn't as good and my clients and I both knew it. It took me longer to create something worthy, one week instead of one day. I stretched my deadlines to their extremes and then some. I became exhausted and settled for 'okay' work too often and I don't want to go back to that again.

Ten weeks in and the pain is tolerable without meds. I don't weep in sheer agony and can still find the energy to get stuff done, although it may take three days to put a pile of clothing away. My leg and ankle pain comes in sharp pierces now rather than all over shooting pain. But again, its tolerable for the few minutes that its around. I have pain meds that I take when its really bad and know I just can't take another second. I just wish they didn't take 30 minutes to work! 

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