More Pain

After Sunday's little excursion down the river, and in light of the fact I still couldn't turn my head without wincing in pain, I decided to take a couple of days off the bike.  This had a two-fold purpose, one of which was to allow for some healing to occur and the other was to keep from being T-boned by a car I didn't see because I didn't turn my head to look.  It's now Wednesday and those neck muscles have been slow to heal.  Along with the excruciatingly slow healing process has come a much more definitive ability to pinpoint the location of maximum damage, which seems to be in the general vicinity of my left rhomboids between shoulder blade and spine.  Totally inaccessible, of course.  Turning my head to the right clearly tugs at something down there in a very unpleasant way.  Although the neck doesn't hurt at all unless I look over my shoulder, those back muscles hurt pretty much all the time unless I'm lying flat on my back.

This morning the temperature had plunged down to 39F or so and there was a strong gusty wind blowing out of the north, all of which helped make the decision to stay home and brew some coffee feel quite guiltless; perhaps bordering on wise.  As I sit here at my desk that particular section of my upper back just aches and aches despite the 12-hour Aleve I took this morning.  I will probably go out for some sort of ride tomorrow morning regardless, if for no other reason than prudent psychological maintenance.

To add to the pain, I had a Vet appointment for our two dogs yesterday afternoon.  The older one, an American Eskimo that is like 110 years old in dog years, left with a cortisone shot, two different varieties of flea control, pain medication and a recommendation to have all of his remaining rotten teeth removed.  The other needed shots and a checkup.  Both needed more heartworm and flea control drugs.  I think we were there about an hour and a half, with the price of escape coming in at a very painful $720.  Today The Daughter is having a cap put on a broken tooth.  That should be another grand or so. 

And people wonder why I don't have carbon-fiber race wheels?

This weekend we are hosting a baby shower at the house, and also will finally be laying to rest my mother's ashes now that the missing title to the gravesite has been found.  I'm rather glad there isn't a race nearby this weekend.

One nice thing is that the new Tulane cycling team kits arrived this morning at my office, and I presume that the new order of NOBC kits that was scheduled to ship out last Friday must not be far behind. The NOBC order includes a long-sleeve jersey and knickers, I think.  Just in time for the cooler weather.