Down and out

Well, we recently got dumped on with a ton of this white nuisance called snow. First we get about 8 inches, then 3 inches, then warmer weather, thunderstorms, then 16 inches if this fluffy goodness. All is great until you have to clear it away. My snowblower is useless on anything over 1/2 inch of fluff, so the chore of clearing 16 inches was not a challenge it was up to. Through the process of ramming the roaring wimp through snow drifts only to dig it back out with a shovel, I somehow used back muscles I never knew existed. No biggie, no pain, no gain they say. A few ibuprofen later and I never even knew that my muscles ached. That is, until the next afternoon when I sat in my chair at work. Needless to say, I saw stars! My coworker graciously walked with me out to my car after work to ensure all was OK (while moving at the pace of a snail). Alas, I had to make a few stops though, which required getting out of the car and walking into stores; a very tedious task at best. I got home and my wife was ever so helpful to make be comfortable. Bless her for not only taking care of our daughter, but me in my burdensome condition. The next day, the pain was so great I was nauseous. Time to call the doctor! Painfully, I traveled the 18 miles to the Dr office (try to drive a stick shift with back pain!!) and was prescribed the ever delightful cocktail of muscle relaxers and pain meds. After getting the script filled (they sure work quick when you are sitting in front of the pharmacy counter moaning and wincing), I quickly popped a few of the better living through chemistry gifts. Hmmm, not much effect. So I made a quaint little home in my bed for the rest of the day. Today, the muscles used to compensate for the strained back muscles ache, and the meds just take the sharpness off. Hopefully, things will repair quickly so my wife can take a break. Luckily (for good or bad), I am on furlough from work next week, so that should give me time to recoup, but it is not the way I planned to spend my unpaid leave.