I totally ganked that from Fuuko's LJ.

I think it brings up an interesting topic, though. I don't usually talk about politics, as I have a strong aversion to them since being reared by a conservative republican who tried to pressure me into voting for whichever big name republican he was supporting. My dad loves talking about politics, and will proceed to do so even if you have stuck your fingers in your ear and begun reciting the constitution.

Truth is, it's an election year, and one can't take a piss without hearing some babble about one candidate or other. I'm sickened to know that there isn't a single candidate I actually agree with and have faith in who will be on the final ticket at the end of this year. On the democratic donkeys this year are reaching soaring heights of bs. The republican elephants are fundy pricks... . except for one, and he's not even a real republican.

I would love more than anything to see Ron Paul become the President of the USA. It will not happen, but it is still what I want to see. He's the only candidate that doesn't make me gag when I hear him speak. He's the only person running whom I believe when he tells the world what he believes.

Eh, he won't be the President. I shudder to think which moron we'll be stuck with for four more years of idiot politics.

For the first time in a long time, I feel a quietness and calm. I couldn't begin to understand why, considering I've been all jacked up lately. Even with my screwed up back and non-stop earache, I feel pretty certain that everything will work out and be fine.

I'm supposed to be on "light duty" at work but have pretty much been thrown back into my normal work activities. I figure management either doesn't care because they're a bunch of wankers or doesn't care because they don't have proper coverage in the entire store. Both are probably true. In any case, I've been trying to adhere to my restrictions as much as humanly possible, as I don't want to aggravate my back. If they don't like it, I suppose I could always call HR and the claims rep and fill them in on their inability to place me properly upon return from an injury. Case in point, I'm not supposed to stand more than 30 minutes at a time, yet the only time I sat down during my shift yesterday was when I was on break and lunch.

I have 1 hour until work now. Woe.

And let me just throw this out there: decongestants that don't contain pseudophedrine do not work. At least for me.

And now to go stretch and get ready for work.

So, I had an appointment today at Med Works to see what exactly I can do when I return to work. I was prescribed more naproxen, told to keep putting ice/heat packs on my back, and told that I can return to work on light duty until my next visit (next Thursday). No bending, twisting, standing more than 30 minutes, climbing ladders, lifting more than 10-15lb, or reaching. In other words, I'm going to be stuck door greeting or answering the phone until the doctor says otherwise.

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being no pain and 10 being OMFG-kill-me-now pain, I got up today feeling about a 2 or 3. As the day progressed, and I went from work (for paperwork) to the doctors and back to work (turning in paperwork and filling prescription) to just walking around & waiting for my pills to be ready, the pain jumped to a 4-5. I wish this were all over and done with or that it had never happened, but wishing is about as productive as planting a palm tree in Nova Scotia.

I'm giving my ears a few more days to correct themselves, otherwise I'm going to schedule an appointment with an ear-nose-throat doctor. These are two things I despise most in the world: doctors and spending money. Knowing my fantastic luck so far this year, my eardrums have probably ruptured and my brains are leaking out. Said leaking has stopped for the moment, and my ears are dried up and hurty. Lymph nodes are still swollen, though not nearly as bad as yesterday. I can't hear for shit.

I'm thinking about writing a short novel, How to be a Gimp in Less than Ten Days.

Remember that lymph node thing I mentioned before my back got all fucked up? Well, as of yesterday, both of my occipital lymph nodes (the ones behind the ears/at the top of the neck/behind the jaw... I don't mean to sound like an ass, I just recalled their names from anatomy. My brain is full of trivial knowledge like that) are swollen as fuck and liquid is leaking out of my ears. What the flying fuck, Batman? Must be a sinus infection.

As for the back, after talking to the worker's comp claims person on the phone, she wants me to have a follow up visit with one of the many doctors/places she listed. I'm supposed to go back to work this weekend, but if I do so, then they won't pay me for this week (I wasn't expecting them to, anyway, really). If I see a doctor and they advise me to light duty, I could ease back into work and make up some of the money I lost from being out this week. Ugh.

My back is still in pain, especially if I haven't taken a muscle relaxer. After I take a pill, I can move around more without noticing pain (though I still can't bend over to pick anything up or otherwise over extend myself). It's getting better, so I assume that it was just a strain and nothing to do with my spine. Backs heal quickly, at least, that's what I've read.

I need to find something else to write about.

Men are oversexed! Too much stimulation is to blame for the 2 minute man! Chew on that for a while.

I'ma try to ease off the muscle relaxers tomorrow to judge just how hurty my back is now. Today was a hell of a lot better than yesterday. I attribute most of that to the happy pills, but I still feel sharp pain from moving around too much. It's hard telling yourself not to move around, though... especially if you're feeling all Woooosh.

Anyhow, enough of my gimpness!

I don't know about you, but I'm crying into my soup over the lack of writers for the Oscar show. Seriously, who gives a shit? This writer's strike is slowly going no where and it hasn't deterred me from watching television. I watch as much as I did before... that is, hardly any. Aside from the very few prime time shows that I am actually interested in (Lost and Heroes), the only things I'm watching on TV are documentary type things on nature or DIU channels. Those can rerun 'til the cows come home, and there will still be something on TV that I haven't seen before.

Meh.

My dad is planning a trip to Florida in March. He wants me to come... but I've been down that road with him before (well, actually, that road went to Maryland), and I'm not eager to repeat it.

Oh! I got my very first credit card. Yeah, what the hell? Hopefully, I can start establishing credit now and not have to worry about things in the future, such as buying a car or house or sexy, queen-sized, heart-shaped bed. Right.

O_O Killer ants on the Discovery channel!

I got my dad to take me to the ER. I got there at 8:50pm... didn't leave 'til 1:15am.

Here's the rundown: when I finally got to see a doctor, she examined me and diagnosed a possible strain, saying that I would have to see another doctor in 2-3 days if I'm still in awful pain (could be a bulging disk... which I hope it isn't). They gave me 2 shots (phenergan and demoral) and a pill muscle relaxer, then I had to wait 20 minutes to see if that had any adverse results. I was still in monstrous pain, but didn't really care... So, then, they sent me to the lab to have a drug screening done (which is the norm for worker's comp situations).

And this is where the trouble started.... My employer had to be present for the drug screening (bring in paperwork). I called work and basically got bitched out for not going to the hospital yesterday because they should have escourted me or some such. I had called them earlier in the day to find out if I had to follow any special instructions or go somewhere specific. The manager I spoke to said I could go to any ER; it didn't matter. They said they'd send someone with the paperwork to the hospital. Two hours pass from that point. Apparently, the person management sent came and went after the receptionist told her I had been discharged. I found that out after calling work again and asking what the hell was going on. They sent the person out again, I took my pee test, and now here I am.

I have 3 prescriptions to fill tomorrow (might skip one of them), and I'm not supposed to work for a week.

While I'm slightly fuzzy around the edges now, I'm still in a lot of pain. I slept off and on from midnight until 3pm, waking up and whimpering every time I turned in my sleep. I expect much the same tonight. Alternating from heat packs to ice packs is fun. For the love of all things holy, I hope this is just a strain... 'cuz it sure as hell feels like something worse.

Huff. I can't fucking move. I sound like someone getting fucked on a bed of nails every time I do.

So, out with the bored-and-can't-move research! Tonight's topic is redheads. As a redhead, I get a lot of undesired attention. Though I see redheads more and more these days (or maybe I'm more aware of them), our numbers are actually dwindling. Some studies suggest the recessive gene of red hair is actually disappearing completely.

Anyway, here are some random articles about redheads:

Redheads Suffer More Pain

While this article suggests redheads can withstand more pain than others. I've read other studies which indicate redheads require more anaesthesia not because they suffer more pain but because they have a higher tolerance to drugs. This has been attributed to a number of theories... some saying we have smaller capillaries and others believing it's something specifically in our genome (or blood or lymphatic/endocrine systems).

More on that theory. In my personal experience, I do require more drugs to feel ease from pain. And a few months ago, they doctors and nurses said it took a while to get me under and then out of anaesthesia. Even as a small child, I remember taking adult doses of tylenol for headaches. :x

More on Mc1r, the redhead supergene

Redheads have more sex

More on the red head extinction ;;

And some stereotypical jokes completely for my own amusement:

Q: How do you know when you've satisfied a redhead?
A: She unties you.

Q: How do you know when your redhead has forgiven you?
A: She stops washing your clothes in the toilet bowl

Q: How do you get a redhead's mood to change?
A: Wait 10 seconds

I think I'm going to bed now. This should be fun....

I hurt my back at work today. Just before 4pm, I was moving one piece of storage off the bottom shelf and replacing it with one of these. At least, I think that's the same model. Anyway, it's not that heavy (45lb), and I've lifted them before without incident. Today, I wasn't so lucky. When I went to pick it up (using proper lifting technique--I'm not stupid), I felt something in my back "pop." It was like something slipped out of place, and I was literally stuck in a bent over position, like something you'd see on TV when some character in a show's back "goes out." A coworker had to help me raise up, and I was frozen in pain. Tears were spilling out of my eyes like someone was cutting an onion under my nose.

After hobbling back to the office, taking very tiny baby steps, I filed an accident report. Then, my dad came to get me because I'm in so much pain that I can't even drive. Just getting into and out of his car made me want to scream. Toni, bless her heart, took my dad back to my work to get my car.

The woman that helped me file the accident report gave me some heat packs and told me to switch back and forth between those and ice packs. Toni also brought me some heat packs (which are lovely, thank you). I was lying flat on my back until a few minutes ago, when I came back here to sit up in my desk chair. No matter what I do, I'm in pain but sudden movements make me want to throw up or cry or scream or all three at once.

I am officially lame.

And now I'm going back to the couch, because I don't have much choice.

I'm home on lunch right now... and the lymph thing is still bugging me. Actually, my right side has been bothering me also--right around my right ovary--so, I'm guessing some cysts and bursting and that's what my lymph nodes are dealing with. It's unusual for the pain to occur on my right side, though. As a result of all this discomfort, I feel sluggish and short-tempered. I want to stomp on small children and drink a 5th of something hot and sweet... hrmm.

I've been looking more at academic programs... but I think I'm going to have to start looking at UK, which I really can't afford unless I take out a loan. I'm not precisely sure, but I don't think BCTC has anything to offer me.

I wish I didn't feel so bad right now. I just forced myself to eat a sandwich, and every bite was disgusting. I had thought that my pcos was slacking off since I have occasionally been having a period (though not last month), but apparently it is still wreaking havoc on my endocrine system.

I just want to jab a knife in my neck and squeeze all the hurty out of my lymph node. Annoying pain.

Almost time to go back to work. I hope it's not the clusterfuck that it was the other day. Tuesday night, I was ready to murder anyone who crossed my path. Feh. The last few days have been delightful.

Swollen lymph nodes hurt like a motherfucker.

Rarrr grouchy. Self-confidence.... splattered on the windshield. And yet, I feel fine.

Back to the lymph thing... Maybe I'm sick or have an infection that I don't know about, thought I don't feel particularly sick or anything. All I know is that the occipital lymph behind my right ear is so tender that I couldn't sleep on my right side last night. I got a solid 5 hours of sleep, anyway.

Now I'm off to work. Woopdifuckingdoo.

Murr.

I had some thoughts to type out, but they've flown out the window....

It was so windy yesterday, and it rained through the night. I had a window open until it got too cold inside. The roaring sound of the wind and rain was hypnotic and peaceful. It felt like spring in January.

Fucked up weather.

Let the floods come, let them wash away all your bullshit.

Take a new lover to bed and shower on them all the affection swirling through your veins. Find someone worthy of your appetite.

Yeah.

Still, that won't sweep away the brain clutter. I can't stop imagining the worst. If I could untangle my fingers and rear back to slap.... Pah. In the words of a writer much more eloquent than me, I just made you up to hurt myself.