You are not going to believe this.

I woke up yesterday morning unable to move my head. I can’t remember if this has happened since I have had this blog but occasionally, for about the last six years, I wake up unable to move my head with my neck muscles in awful, terribly painful spasm. It sometimes happens once a year, sometimes several times. It is excruciatingly painful but it is just one of the lovely gifts I get for being the proud owner of my body.

It was even better to wake up like this and find that it was a public holiday. We were forced to call a doctor to come to the house so that I could get some pain relief.

Today I attended the physio to get some help in dismantling the almighty muscle spasms that are making movement almost impossible. This is good. The physio was very helpful, I know that his help is really important. Still I was feeling pretty low.

I was considering taking a couple of days off of breastfeeding Grub so that I could take some serious drugs, including muscle relaxants, which are a huge help in this situation. I was feeling just too overwhelmed by the pain.

Next stop the doctors to get a proper prescription for pain-relief. Today, however, I was not able to see my regular doctor.

Today I saw a doctor who actually examined me and checked a number of things properly.

Today I saw a doctor who was shocked that it has been suggested to me that another year of “just waiting” to see if I get better, all the while taking this pain medication, is perfectly acceptable.

I saw a doctor who told me that it is not right that I am suffering like this. That this is not IN ANY WAY normal*. That we should investigate.That there may be something underlying many of my musculoskeletal problems.

I saw a doctor who has recommended a battery of tests including x-rays and blood tests.

She took my pain seriously. She believes that, even if we don’t find a solution in the first round of tests, I should still probably see a rheumatologist who may have even more ideas as to what is up with my bod.

I feel elated. The names of some scary sounding medical conditions were thrown around. That should be a bad thing but I was almost brought to tears with relief.

Instead of being told just to “manage it” and that “it should get better in time” someone wants to take a real look at what’s going on. At the whole picture.

There is no guarantee of a solution but knowing that someone is willing to look for one is the most empowering feeling.

I am in agony but filled with hope.

*Sounds obvious but when no health professional will acknowledge just how out-of-order it is, it’s a huge relief to have someone say this.

A whirlwind of a weekend, we have had.

Friday evening Pudding got a new and very manly haircut. It is still kind of longish and wild actually but we like it like that. He was so very proud of himself for sitting still (on Beefcake’s lap) while his locks were chopped. He ran  out of the shop afterwards saying

“Did you see how still I satted Mummy??” &  “Did I do a  good job?”

Awwwww. Heart-melty. He well and truly earned his choccie frog.

There was a belated birthday celebration for Poss with her friends. This meant the her room had to be primped and prepared with new cushions and curtains and things. Of course we like to cram a lot in so we had new insulation installed throughout the ceiling Friday and we had shifted all the attic storage into her room. Cue long tedious cleaning and prepping. Still it looked lovely and she was very pleased with her new room.We made cupcakes and decorated them. It was sugar-laden and fantastic. The girls stayed up very, very, very late and Poss has spent the day today at less than her best, slightly snippy with us all.

I have firmly established that no glucose-based products may be stored in the house, whilst I am in this frame of mind. I am unable to restrain myself. It is not safe to be a cake or a lolly in the vicinity of Ali. It is particularly annoying as I had been doing a fantastic job of not eating anything sinful. Today I ate a cupcake and a handfu of m&ms for lunch. Perhaps I should go now to the kitchen and eradicate all sweet treats, that way I won’t be able to indulge tomorrow, I’ll be starting with a clean slate. Okay, I’m obviously deranged. I have asked Rhubarb to hide the from me. Far better idea.

This morning we went to the fabulous Adelaide Showground Farmers Market, which is seriously never disappointing. We have been members for about a year, which affords us a small discount, but even without it it is the most fabulous, fresh produce and it is not expensive. It has such a lovely buzzing energy to it and it always makes me feel really upbeat and filled with energy when we do our weekly fresh food shopping there. I lurve it.

Filled with markety type vigour, I mentioned to Beefcake that I would like him to build the washing machine/dryer cupboard that will allow us to demolish the snakehaveny laundry shed. Earlier in the week I drove past a local salvage yard that had put out some of their less desirable timber etc as “free firewood” on the curb. I sent Beefcake down today and he managed to pick up enough structural pine to build the frame for the cupboard and a door to use for one of the sides. I’m pretty impressed actually at our cheapskate ecostylee laundry cupboard. It cost us about $25 for dynabolts and screws but the rest was completely free. It needs a nice coat of paint (and a roof and a door) to prevent it from looking like a dodgy nightmare DIY monster on the back wall of the house but all in all I am very pleased. Tomorrow we will be able to finish it enough to move the appliances in and start the shed demolition. I heart demolishing stuff and will post a blow by blow. You’ll love it.