It's all downhill after 35 (boohoo!!)

Ok so I turn 35 a few weeks ago, and I have gone to hedoublehockeysticks.

I've got a horrible cold - which started from 2 weeks of a hacking, dry cough - that I just presumed was allergies since I didn't feel bad - I just couldn't stop coughing- and I just figured it would go away. It was like an itch/tickle in my throat. I finally couldn't take it (nor could my poor family, I was keeping them up all night in coughing fits) and I practically had a straw in the Robitussin. Seriously, I was taking Robitussin every two hours, alternating that with NyQuil and Tylenol cough and cold and Benadryl. One day I went to Target and spent like 30.00 on every possible cough suppressant thing you could find - none of which helped. I can't believe I didn't overdose, though I probably gave myself an ulcer or something!!

So I FINALLY go to urgent care, because I can't get into my regular doctor - she's out sick for two days and they tell me her schedule is overbooked because of that and they recommend I go to urgent care. They do an x-ray of lungs and all that, prescribed me antibiotics, steroid cough inhaler, nasal spray, cough syrup with codeine and tell me to take Zyrtec daily. (Ok that's about 100 bucks in meds) and I've hardly stopped the coughing.

So earlier in the week, I pulled a muscle in my neck - probably from coughing so dang much!! Right under my hairline on my right side - and I finally couldn't take THAT it was hurting so bad - and I ended up in the freaking ER yesterday - with an IV pumping in muscle relaxers and painkillers - and two more prescriptions (another 70 bucks) for more muscle relaxers and pain meds. And the muscle pain is still there. What the heck!

This is what I have (see green):

Splenius Capitis > Occipital neuralgia and "word processor headache".
Splenius capitis and splenius cervicis (below) are almost always injured in auto accidents, regardless of the direction of the blow. They are commonly injured in "head rolling" movements in exercise classes, always strained by head forward position and by computer use or other reasons for sitting with head held forward and turned to the side. Splenius capitis (shown below, right) typically causes a pain at the top lateral side of head.

Splenius Cervicis > Neck pain, eye pain, and blurred vision.
Splenius cervicis (above, left) is strained in all the ways as splenius capitis (above, right) but the results are even more brutal. A trigger point high in the neck portion of the muscle sends pain through the head from the occiput and into the eye. Even without the pain, there may be blurred vision.

It's awful because it's the neck muscle right under my hairline on my right side and to touch it or move it sends this shooting pain up the right side of my head and into the back of my eye. WEIRD. AND - nothing is helping the pain. I guess it has to work itself out for awhile, but the muscle relaxers they sent me home with and painkillers (nothing very strong) is helping.

I TELL YOU GETTING OLD SUCKS! SAM, I PROMISE, NO MORE OLD JOKES!!!

Well, I'm going to bed......have a good night. Pray I feel better tomorrow...it's BUNCO night with the gals!! :)

xoxoxox,

Rachel