Icepacks and Heat by Susan L.

  There's been a bit of improvement over yesterday. The back is still rather tender so another day of rest is in order. I picked up some absolutely horrible tasting, over-the-counter painkillers that have an anti-inflammatory in them and some medicinal/numbing muscle rub. Good thing the pain is in my lower back or I'd never be able to reach the spot that hurts!
  God has provided. When H and I went camping, I'd picked up some of those bags that make ice cubes. Simply fill them, tie a knot at the top and pop them in the freezer. For "some reason" I'd missed one when I'd filled the cooler. Just last week, I'd been shaking my head, wondering how I'd missed it in the first place. It came in real handy yesterday as I applied it to my back.
  I'd love to have a nice hot bath but getting out of the tub might pose a problem. I can see me laughing my head off at that rather embarrassing circumstance. There would be no one to hear me and I doubt Pumpkin would be much help. If anything, being a cat, he'd probably point a fuzzy white paw and laugh right along with me. I'll play it safe and take a hot shower instead.
  It has put a big question mark on my plans for sure. A strong back is needed to build a shed even though that is a couple of weeks away. Heck, a strong back is needed to stand over my sink that's set too far back from the edge of the counter and do the dishes!
  I slipped a disc in my neck years ago pushing a four hundred pound, round bale of hay around. I got good at bench pressing them to flip them over to the round side. (Yes, I was built like a tank.) We didn't have the equipment to move them because we'd rented the equipment to make them. It was all brute force. I'd unroll them like toilet paper and toss the hay down to the various animals in flakes. But that was a long while ago. And again, I am thankful. This is nowhere near as painful as that.
  On a positive note, my anxiety has diminished to nearly zero. The medication increase has done the trick. It is a huge relief, to not have that awful, exhausting feeling gnawing away at my peace.
  "For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name." Lk 1:49