Extraordinary amounts of pain

In the event that you're not someone who already knows me, this post should shed some light. So, the other night I slept on my back wrong and strained a muscle going from my right shoulder up my neck. I do this every few months (always the same muscle), usually in response to stress. Considering the unusual amounts of stress I've been having lately, both personal and professional, this was perhaps understandable. So ow ow, neck hurt etc etc. Moving on.

Quite separately, I decided that I'd try the hundred pushups challenge. It's a fitness program designed to get you doing a hundred pushups in six weeks. Step one is an initial test, just do as many pushups as you can, and use that to determine how you're going to do the challenge. I decided, in my infinite wisdom, that it'd be a good idea to do this initial test last night. I thought it'd give me a few days to recover, so I could start fresh on Monday morning, and I didn't think the thing in my neck would be an issue. And hey, I did my test (and actually pleasantly surprised myself) and my neck didn't hurt any more than normal.

Until about 5 am, at which time my world was pain. I don't know about you, but when I have deep muscle pain wake me from sleep, I am like a wounded animal. I'm in pain, I'm VERY confused, and a little scared, and I don't know how to make it stop. Somehow Google (yes, the company) got mixed in with the half-dream state I was in.

So today I am in even more pain than I was a couple days ago, which is a big win for me. I've been trying these Icy Hot patches, which are 5% menthol and supposed to relieve the pain. In practice, this means that in addition to being very stiff and sore, my neck is now also chemically warm and cold at the same time. Somehow this is considered a benefit worth spending actual money on. Can't say I understand that.