Sleeping Is Overrated

So I haven't been sleeping well for the past week...pretty much since coming off my arthritis medicine, Celebrex (you can read about why I had to stop taking that here).   I've been so achy that it's been hard to sleep...just tossing and turning all night.  And last night I couldn't fall asleep, which is a entirely different problem.  I think the anxiety of having surgery in two days is building up.  This may have also contributed to the smashing headache I had all day yesterday :(

by Hannah Hillam

I thought I'd sleep in today, since I didn't have any appointments, but I was too wound up this morning despite the lack of sleep the night before.  Nervous energy always translates into cleaning for me...so I cleaned out half my refrigerator this morning.  I would have continued with cleaning (God knows we need it), but my body was angry at the fridge incident, so I will have to look at tinsel on my floor for another day.  

Yeah, we didn't even put tinsel up this year...ugh!

On the bright side, I got to stay in my flannel pajamas all day.  Don't judge.  You know you've had those days too.

Update--Facet Joint Injections Day 2

Yesterday was the day after I had the facet joint injections on the left side of my neck at the C1, C2, and C3 levels.  Read about the injections here.  My neck was pretty sore, as well as the left side of my face a bit. On a pain scale, it was probably a 4-5 by the end of the day.

At least my body is predictable, as I suffer the same side effects whenever I get any type of steroid injection.  This is the third type I've had...the others being: occipital nerve blocks, an epidural steroid injection, and now the facet joint injections.  The three worst side effects I suffered yesterday are:

• Insomnia
• Neck soreness
• Flushed cheeks

I stayed in bed all day yesterday because the night of the injections I suffered from insomnia, probably due to a combination of the neck pain and the steroid.  I was hoping to nap during the day, but my body wasn't too keen on that idea.  Oh, and I felt guilty that I kept my hubby up all night long...and not in a good way.

The neck pain was the worst in the morning and by the evening it turned into more of a soreness...like if you sleep on your neck all wrong and it gets kinked up...except a little worse.  I could move my head right, but when I tried to move it left it hurt.  The site of the injections were tender but not black and blue.

My cheeks were flushed when I woke up and my left cheek got really hot by the afternoon (approximately 24 hours after the shot).  I tried putting a cold washcloth on it, but it didn't help much. It was on fire I tell ya!  I thought my face was going to spontaneously combust it was so hot.  I took my temperature because I wanted to check and make sure I didn't have a fever.  Weirdly, my temperature was 97.4...even though my cheek temperature was probably a million.

Overall, I took it easy but was pretty uncomfortable all day.  The best part of yesterday was that I didn't wear a bra and stayed in my pj's all day.  So that was my "bright side" :)  Hoping today will be better.