A Pain in the Arse

I’m currently sitting at the desk, writing this on our main desktop PC. It’s something I haven’t done much of recently. My RSI-type shoulder and neck injury means that sitting here is quite uncomfortable, even more so with the new aches and pains that have come into my life in the last few weeks.

These past few weeks really have been a pain in the backside in more ways than one, but after today’s GP appointment I’m finally getting some answers, because after getting the big negative with the tests for cancer I’ve got a big positive for a case of sciatica.

Let me take you though what’s happening in that department in case you’ve never experience anything like this. Imagine if someone had stabbed you in both of your legs, just below your backside, and the blades had gone in so deep that they’d become embedded in either your thighbone or your tailbone.

You then have pain moving upwards towards your abdomen. Your groin area feels really tender, and there are times when your balls begin to feel numb, and this is when you’re standing up, not when you’ve been sitting down for a while.

The pain then moves up to the right-hand side of the ribcage which hurts like hell whenever you cough and sneeze. You can’t get comfortable either sitting or lying down, and sleeping is very difficult because no matter what position you try to adopt you’re always in pain. Oh, and lying down on that right-hand side is now impossible because of the pain there, so impossible in fact that it brings on dizzy spells, even though you’re already lying down.

Then there’s the other little factors as well. Going to the toilet can be a bit painful because of the condition of the muscles in that area, and there are sometimes there’s an unexpected production of gas, something which could be quite humorous at times, especially if it happens when someone you don’t like is walking by.

The upshot of all of this is that I’ve been referred back to the physio once again so they can help me with my new problem. No doubt they’ll give me another thorough examination before determining if I’ll need any further tests.

But that isn’t the end of things. Not by a long shot.

You see, I’ve also had a very nasty cough for the past couple of weeks. I’ve lost count of the coughing fits I’ve had over the past few days, and these have often led to bouts of vomiting and nausea. My appetite levels are nowhere near normal, I feel tired all the time, my head has been hurting, and I really haven’t been feeling that well.

So having been told that I’ve got a case of sciatica I was told I’ve also got a chest infection. The GP suggested I take a covid test but thankfully that came back negative. It’s probable that the cheeky little bastard saw me in my somewhat weakened state and snuck in unannounced, leaving me, as the great Ralph Wiggum would say, with two oww-ies to deal with, and another two weeks off work as I try to deal with the umpteenth chest infection I’ve had in the past five years or so.

Let’s end this post by giving credit to Dr. Jacob at the Cromer Group Practice. Once again she was more than willing to listen to all of my concerns and to set my mind at ease, which is a lot more than the reception staff were willing to do last week.

Now I’ve got more time on my hands as I try to get rid of this chest infection. What should I do with my time? Not spend too much of it sitting at the desk because it’s a right pain in the backside – literally.