After a baking fail (took the sponges out too soon, darn it!), I was leaning over to take a photo of said failure, when I felt this excruciating pain spread over my lower back. Curses!
To make matters worse, I was home alone and our plumber was banging on the door to be let in (three hours early, let me tell you). I struggled along with some ibuprofen til bedtime, hoping that I would sleep it off.
Alas, I awoke at 2am in the worst pain I have ever experienced (no exaggeration). I couldn't get out of bed, couldn't walk...nothing. So in the end, O was so worried he took me to the local A&E. It took him an hour to get me out of the house and into the car. He was a total trooper! Had to get me out of bed, get me dressed and then somehow he managed to get me in the car. After some very careful driving, we arrived at the hospital and I was lucky enough to be seen straight away.
The lovely nurse took my blood pressure and informed me that she needed a wee sample (joy). They let us stay in the cubicle, away from all the drunken people in the waiting area and even brought a chair for O to sit on! They then gave me a glorious cocktail of painkillers, which was seriously the highlight of my weekend! After a little wait, we saw an equally lovely doctor who advised that I may have some disc issues, but if I take care of my back, I should be ok. I won't go into all the tests she carried out, it'll put you off your Sunday brunch! I was sent home with some Tramadol pills and strict orders to take it easy over the next week.
I honestly can't stress how awesome my experience was at the James Cook University Hospital. Even on a crazy Friday night, they made me feel comfortable and calmed me down. At no point, did I regret going. So, if any of my NE readers know any staff, give them a big pat on the back from me!
Now, being a Tramadol virgin, I was lured in with it's lovely pain killing ways. I had no idea of any dodgy side effects. Let me tell you about the Tramadol itches and nausea! Oh, the itching! About an hour after taking my dose, my whole entire face was so itchy that I wanted to scratch my skin off. I was worried that I'd taken an allergic reaction to it, but after a frantic googling session, I realised this was a common side effect. Then I got smacked in the face by the nausea. I came out in cold sweats, felt like I was going to throw up and was so dizzy that I kept passing out on the sofa. Not my finest moment! Don't get me wrong, these pills really help with my pain, but lordy, they make me feel like I've got food poisoning and had a fight with some poison ivy! So, I pretty much spent Saturday in a daze, fighting the urge to vomit. Lovely, I know!
Today, I woke up in a bit of pain, but I'm reluctant to take the Tramadol. So far, I'm trying to make do with ibuprofen and paracetamol. I'd kinda rather deal with the pain, than those awful side effects.
I realise that this isn't a particularly glamourous weekend post and I did try to think of something a bit sunnier to write about, but I decided to keep it real and to share my pain with you, haha! I've been very lucky to have O waiting on me hand and foot and I'm currently swaddled on the couch with plenty of supportive pillows and a little slice of the evil victoria sandwich, which started all this commotion!
I'm still hoping that I'll have healed enough to either go to Durham tomorrow or to the Leeds food and drink festival, but O is very dubious...
How was your weekend? I'll leave you with a photo of this very innocent looking cake...