Remember I said I had some neck pain? I needed some new prescriptions from my doctor and what would have been a telehealth phone call, a COVID innovation, I wanted to see him personally about my neck pain. Is it a cancerous growth pressing on a nerve? Doc sent me for an xray and it seems I have osteoarthritis in my upper spine.
Isn't that just so terrific to be diagnosed with an incurable disease! Some of you know what that is like.
Last evening I took two pain killers which gave me some relief. As I woke this morning at 5am to go to the toilet, my neck was fine. At 7am I cried out when I tried to raise my head from the pillow after further sleep. It has been like that most mornings for the last few weeks. I sat on the balcony in the cool morning air and I couldn't turn my head left without great pain. A hour later, almost all pain had gone and my neck just felt stiff.
I am not sure the doctor's diagnosis is correct and I feel like the pain will go away in time. I am trying to learn to ignore it, but to be on the safe side, I'm learning about arthritis from Dr Google. I am also remember that five years after a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, my father died at my age. A pain in the neck is better than death.
I saw a physiotherapist yesterday, one who I saw a few of years ago after I injured my back. She knows her stuff. My doc has put me on a five visit care plan for no cost using our public health system for chronic medical problems, so physio visits won't cost me for a while. Physio is not normally covered by our health care system.
Arthritis or not, I am not going to let it stop my life, but gosh it can hurt at times.