June 27, 2008

Car Accident

I haven't made any blog posts about this but on Friday the 13th of June Eli and I got rear-ended at high speed on the interstate. The neon is dead, which is a blessing. That car needed a lot of work and now its gone. We bought a new car (brand new WTF) and its a 2008 Honda Fit. We love the damn thing so much.

Aside from that I've been injured. Its not a terrible injury as far as they go and I didn't have to stay in the hospital or anything. I thought I would be fine for the first few days after the accident I didn't even really feel too bad. Then the neck pain started. Its been crippling me more every day since then, with constant aching pain interrupted by sharp stabbing pain when I try to do normal things like bend over or pick up the cat. My work has suffered terribly, as my capacity to unravel the sweaters has gone way down and I fear I'm making it worse by continuing to try to work. I push my self too hard and injure myself. I do that kind of thing a lot.


I've been to the doctor twice and every drug that they have given me I can't take. They switched out the muscle relaxant that made me doped up and stupid for one that gives me stomach aches, terrible nervousness, and makes me slightly dopey. They switched out the relatively side-effect free ibuprofin for the diarrhea causing naproxen. It feels like I can't win.

I've just started physical therapy yesterday and I'm going again today so I hope that helps more than the other things I've been trying. Yesterday though, I had to cancel going to the farmers market because I hurt so bad afterward. I can't even get a massage because my muscles are so spasmed that I scream when anyone touches them. I've been crying a lot. All I want to do is work. I want to make my business grow and prosper and I was starting to do that and now I've been knocked down. I can sell as much as I can make it seems, but I can't hardly make anything.

This is the first time I've ever been so badly injured. Its really really difficult for me and for Eli. Its hard too, because I don't look like I'm injured, or sick or anything. I look just fine, like I should be able to do anything, but it all causes me so much pain. Even typing this is making my neck kill. I'm beginning to think I would have been better off with a damn fracture. At least with that you put a cast on it and wait for it to heal. Muscle damnage is so very hard to deal with. All the body's compensation methods actually make it worse.

So I'm hoping that I start to heal soon, and that I can have the strength to let myself do so. I hope everyone sends some healing thought my way. I could really use them. Hopefully I'll have a nice post soon with all the lovely projects I've been working on and all the new equipment I've been able to buy.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Beth - I'm so sorry. Hang in there and just try to take it one day at a time. Physical therapy will hopefully work wonders for you. Try to think that this isn't going to be forever...it WILL get better...with time. Please let me know if there's anything I can do.
Hugs, Carolyn

CassieMarie said...

Hey Beth-- I'm sending healing vibes your way!
I don't know if it will help, but whenever I get bad neck pain I use Icy-hot all over my neck and shoulders. Maybe that would help the pain a little bit?
Anyways, I'm so glad nothing terrible happened to you!
Honda Fits are nice too. :)
--Cassie

Anonymous said...

Bethn - I'm so sorry to hear that you are feeling worse. If there is any way I can help, just let me know.
Tracy

Beth Wolden said...

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement everyone. I spent all day yesterday just laying down in my bed getting my muscles to relax and I think combined with my physical therapy that it helped. Oh and watching a 'The Office' marathon. I feel a little better today.

Teri said...

Beth - I think it's wise to WARN YOU - DO NOT let that neck injury go untreated properly! I say this - Because I nearly broke my neck at 17 in a swimming pool! Fracturing & dislocatiing THREE cervical discs! It went UNTREATED for YEARS! Then in 1986 - MY luck ran out! I blew TWO discs & had to have a surgical fusion! Then LESS than 6 months later - BLEW the disc BENEATH the two already FUSED = ANOTHER Fusion! So HALF my neck is fused & there IS no decent pain relief. Anyway - DON'T let that go UNTREATED! Get to a Neurologist & GET an MRI! It MAY save you decades of unrelenting chronic pain! BEEN THERE -&- AM STILL THERE at 56!!! Teri!