Laid Up

I know that I owe 3 more entries about my crazy weekend in Ohio, and I do have them outlined. Unfortunately, health issues have taken center stage for the moment. Last week, I had two tests related to my MS diagnosis - an evoked potentials test and a spinal tap. The evoked potentials test was boring at worst and might have been quite entertaining if I had been hallucinating. I was allowed to sleep for the auditory part, so that almost made up for the fact that I had to wake up at 6am to be there on time. All in all, not that horrible.

The spinal tap, on the other hand, has been nothing but horrible.

Ok, that's a lie. The actual moment when there was a needle in my spinal cord was fine. I didn't feel a damn thing, and it only lasted about 4 minutes. However, I had to spend the entire day in the hospital, where the incompetent staff proceeded to:

1) Lose my chart and force me to wait for 2 hours before anyone came to see us.
2) Place my IV in the crook of my elbow so that no matter how I held my arm, it hurt like a bitch.
3) Tell me that I could have nothing by mouth after midnight the night before, so I was dehydrated and in caffeine withdrawal for most of the day. (Which, interestingly enough, brings us to the next item...)
4) Do a crappy enough job that I have been stuck with a spinal headache since Friday (usually alleviated by drinking lots of fluids PRIOR to getting a spinal tap).
5) Forget about me and discharge me an hour late.

I laid down for 3 1/2 hours, flat on my back after the spinal tap. I went home, laid down, and slept for 4 hours. Then I laid down for the rest of the night. I woke up the next morning, went to breakfast, and had to leave because my head hurt so much. Then I spent all day and night Saturday on my back (missing Fred's going away dinner and bar excursion). Sunday, repeat Saturday (missing my PAW meeting). I am so friggin' sick of tv and movies, and reading is difficult (holding the book above my head). Typing this hurts (laptop propped up on my stomach). I called my neurologist, but he is out of town. His receptionist told me to go to the ER, and then told me that I *have* to go to the one where I had the spinal tap done and pay the $12 for parking there. No, thank you. So, I called my regular doctor, and I'm waiting to hear what he has to say. I'm hoping it's something like, "I'm sorry for all your troubles. Here is some amazing pain medication."
Did I mention I'm supposed to spend this weekend in New York?

Here's what I have to say: Spinal tap - turning the pain in the ass-ness up to 11.