Lots of light going out to all the 'ffistas in pain.

Nice to see you Steph. Much relief, both physical and doctor-wise for ita. Soooo much warmth and comfort for Zoe and her family. May the growth be fully contained and passive.

All my digits are crossed for Zoe.

I'm so sorry to hear about your back, Teppy. You poor thing going from one bad thing to another. Have you been able to go to work at all?

I've only missed one day in the past 2 weeks, thanks to the combination of our weird schedule with Fridays off AND needing to use up vacation time.

I truly don't understand what's going on with my back, because yesterday I was more or less fine, but today the pain is so bad that I can't handle it.

I know my doctor said it probably isn't a disc, but I'll tell you what: although I've had some back pain occasionally since my surgery, that was always minor, but what I've got today? Feels as bad as it did before my surgery.

So much ~ma for Zoe, Kristin, and ND. I'm so sorry.

job ma~~~ maria

So much ~ma for Pix and ND and dear, sweet Zoe.

Teppy, I really hope it is not a disc problem. Do you think the lessening and increasing of the pain could be related to the weather at all? My back pain is often much worse on damp/rainy days.

Goodness, Steph, I hope the back problem is something easier to resolve than a ruptured disc.

Much ~ma for Zoe.

I'm slightly gronked on cold meds, and the desire to work the last 45 minutes of my work day is ebbing rapidly.

Do you think the lessening and increasing of the pain could be related to the weather at all?

Hmm. I know that when the weather changes in one of those weird high pressure/low pressure switcheroos, my sinuses act like a barometer from hell, and I often get bad sinus/migraine headaches.

Maybe my back is getting into the act now. I know we're going from high 20s today to 50s on Sunday, so maybe my back is getting all predict-y. If only it could tell me what the lotto numbers are....

I just took a big dose of percocet ("big" = "the upper limit of what's prescribed," NOT "altering my dosage on a whim"), and I really forgot how loopy it makes me. Kinda fun.

Ha! TCG makes the same joke about my weather predicting body and the lotto numbers.

The weirdest weather-related physical predictor I've heard is from my brother (unsurprisingly). His very first tattoo was the word "IRELAND," across his upper back between his shoulder blades. (Yes, the family is *maybe* 1/4 Irish, probably less. It's not like we just came over on the boat.)

Anyway, the person who did the tattoo -- in big Gothic script letters -- was apparently just learning how to tattoo. I don't know what mistake would lead to this effect, but whenever a big rainfall is on the way, my brother's IRELAND tattoo actually *raises up* slightly, like a topographical map.

Fucking weird, no?