Ouch

I am covered in medicated pain relief patches. I feel like my mothers and smell like my grandmothers. This can't continue. I don't even have children. I'm not even thirty. I'm not even half Mama's age, as she always likes to tease me.

Monday night, I came home after a dinner with an entire wine supply chain, I started feeling ill. I was getting the chills and my stomach wasn't happy at all. Since I had to be up at 4h00 to report live from the wholesale produce market in the typhoon at 5h00, I slept poorly and only for a few short hours. As the day went on, my trapezius (coat hanger muscle around the neck) became really sore, and I kept wanting to stretch it. That night, my head started hurting terribly and I slept horribly again. The following day, the it was stiff as wood and I could hardly move my head. When I laughed, it hurt, when I sneezed it hurt. When I get a rush of blood to my head by standing up or taking a few steps, it hurt. My head was ready to explode. So I decided to take the following day (today) off and get some ibuprofen and sleep it out. But before leaving, I had to finish my bridal industry feature, and it took almost all night. My brain wasn't working and my head was hurting. I was miserable. By the time I got home, it was 02h00.

This morning, Mom called and made me go to the hospital. The sports med doctor wasn't in, so they brought me to the acupuncturist who put no less than 20 needles in me, and I'm not sure if the needles made me forget I was hurting, or it really worked. I can't stand needles. I always break into a cold sweat when I see them. And if I see them being pushed into my skin, I almost always lose consciousness. When I see them get pushed into my skin and blood getting collected, I most certainly will pass out. I'm not a wimp. I'm a princess. Anyway, after a 30 minute treatment, I was back on my feet. The doctor said it's a stress induced trapezius strain, and it's quite serious. Surprise surprise. Need to stretch more and de-stress more.

On the way home, I bought some ibuprofen, which my bloodstream is pumped full of right now, and also some medicated pain relief patches. When I was rowing in college, ibuprofen was my best friend. Some part of my body was always hurting, so there was always a bottle in my backpack and in my rowing bag. I didn't used to use pain relief patches, though. I guess they're an Asian thing. Grandma smell or whatever smell, I just want to make this thing stop hurting.

Here's a tip when choosing pain relief patches: buy those that contain Diclofenac Sodium. It's an active ingredient that is supposed to relieve inflammation and pain. At least that's what GSK told us to say when they paid for an embedded advertising story sometime last year.