.... woke up in a weird way this morning. I was in bed (obviously, well maybe not, depending on your point of view!) but somehow in my sleep I'd managed to turn myself completely around so that my head was at the base and my feet were on the pillows. My alarm was going off and crappy song came on the radio - I don't remember what it was - and after a second or two of thinking WTF? for the way I was sleeping, I moved to hit the snooze button.

A split-second later I was screaming, swearing and crying all at the same time. My neck is so sore I can't move my head at all without screaming.

I have no idea what caused it, I do have a little recurring problem with my neck - there's an extra piece of bone on one of the vertebrae which traps the nerves in my neck a lot - but this is so much worse. The fingers of my left hand are all tingly and there's pain right down my back. Kinda like sciatica but starting in my neck.

Ow.

I managed to get up thinking maybe a hot shower would help it. Getting out of bed was fun, I had to keep one hand behind my head and kinda squirm across until my feet hit the floor and then roll/fall the rest of the way. The hot water did help for the length of time I was in the shower but as soon as the cold air hit me it was back to being damn painful again.

So I found a neck brace I had years ago when the trapped nerve thing was at its worst and managed to put it on. Swallowed a handful of brufen and decided I could make it into work. I've driven with a neck brace on before, it's not easy but it's do-able.

Get to work, still in a lot of pain but coping. Sit down at my computer and my neck starts screaming at me again. Really. It's like those Askit powder ads where there's a little bugger hammering the guy's skull until he takes an Askit to make it all better. Except this little bugger is more the slicing and dicing variety rather then your blunt instrument toting one. And no amount of Askit is going to get rid of this.

Swallowed a few more brufen there but they aren't kicking in yet.

So screw the deadline, screw the guilt trip. Once it's past rush hour and it's easier to drive - I'm going home.