I’ll be keeping this post update over the coming days as a record of how the pain levels are as I spend a week without the stimulation. As such I won’t keep publishing to my Facebook page nor LinkedIn, but will update the post on my main site.
Thursday 31st August
I switched the device off at about 3pm. At the time the pain level was at what I would call normal for recent weeks – chronic pain across an area just below my shoulder blades, and a frequent stabbing in my left shoulder blade.
After a couple of hours I was starting to feel more of a niggle in my right shoulder blade as well, although the worst was still in the left. This increased slowly over the course of the evening but nothing too drastic.
Friday 1st September
I’d say last night was no more disturbed than normal, but I definitely had more widespread pain when I woke up. As the day progressed it was very much returning to where it was before surgery. I can’t work out whether it has lessened in the lower area, or whether it is just not as noticeable as the upper area. The stabbing in my right shoulder blade was intensifying. By the evening it had got to the point where the chairs seemed to be constantly prodding me in the back.
I don’t know if it’s related, but shortly before going to bed I got quite an intense pain in my left groin. I was diagnosed with a hernia several years ago, but that settled without intervention. I wonder if that has flared up again.
Saturday 2nd
Last night was not great. I was woken every couple of hours with pain. It felt like someone was standing on my back in a pair of stilettos with the ball of the feet in the middle of my back and the heels in my shoulder blades. Laying on my side felt like I was squashing my spine, and laying on my back just increased the intensity. I’ve never really been able to get comfortable laying on my front. It was one of those mornings where I contemplated whether getting up to get my pain meds would be worse than delaying them, but I went with taking them. My foot was also in full-on burn mode all night as well, although that has now eased off somewhat.
During the day the pain just seemed to continue increasing. I baked a cake early afternoon and that wiped me out so it was a case of retiring to the sofa and Xbox for much of the rest of the afternoon and evening.
The pain level plateaued in the evening. The stabbing pains are still very much more intense in my left shoulder blade, but definitely back in the right as well.
Sunday 3rd
I had another rough night. Very much the “stiletto” effect of the previous night. I drove up to Royal Wootton Bassett for a family get together. The drive itself was largely ok but I was pretty uncomfortable most of the day. I was feeling widespread pain on the return journey.
Monday 4th
The week is very much a case of rinse and repeat – pain at night making it difficult to find a comfortable position in which to sleep, and then coping with the pain whilst feeling completely run down.
I had hydrotherapy in the afternoon. I very nearly cancelled because of the pain but figured that was ridiculous. The session itself was great, but the pain a couple of hours later was horrendous. Apart from the stabbing being a bit more intense in the left blade than right, I couldn’t even pinpoint where the main pain site was (old or new area) as it just seemed to be everywhere.
Tuesday 5th
Things did eventually settle a bit overnight but the stiletto effect was very much present. I’m now finding it difficult to find a chair I’m comfortable in as I get the feeling of having those heels pressed into me in even the one I’ve generally been most comfortable in. I struggled to sit through a c45 minute appointment with Occupational Health.
Overall I think the pain has shifted back to the original site although it’s still pretty bad across the middle of back as well.