On writing and writhing

So cool how things happen.

Yesterday I got an email from a dear friend about a writer's seminar which she suggested I may be interested in. I read the flier, and I *am* interested in it. It is being held in May in Jerusalem, and I told her that should give me enough time to get some of the best blog entries together to bring with me there.

Then I go to write this update, and I see an intriguing message from the folks at "blogger.com" about different ways to view one's blog. I tried it out. It is *exactly* what I need to do this project of gathering blog entries together. Check it out: http://lifeafternf.blogspot.com/view/timeslide. There are also other ways to view all the entries at once. Ain't computer technology Grand?
So I hope to attend this seminar. I hope it'll give me some more tools and direction for my book.

Now, to use my artistic license to write a very un-artistic segue...

You are not going to BELIEVE how much pain I am in. One wrong move and I am yelping out. Ten days now of *crazy* pain in the neck. And no, I am not referring to the phrase used when a particular person or activity gets on your nerves... I am referring to honest-to-goodness neck pain. And shoulder, and under-shoulder-blade pain. It feels like a combination of muscular and nerve pinching pain, and it's not going away fast enough! And I am really, really trying to cut down on my Advil consumption because of the kidney problem, but only NSAIDS can relieve the inflammation enough to let up the pain a bit. It is what people usually call a stiff neck; I've had them before. But they don't usually last this long without letting up. I have had two good, long, lovely professional massages in effort to work out this kink, and as much as I loved the massages, there was no change in my pain afterward.

I am still on my doctor strike, so I really don't want to go to a doctor about it. I don't want any more x-rays or CT's. I counted- I've had 13 CT's in the past [almost] four years, and countless x-rays. I could light up Manhattan in a pinch.
I just don't want more doctors.

We went to a wedding last night. It was at the ocean side, with the waves of the ancient city of Casarea splashing right before our eyes. It was *lovely* and... loving.
How is this relevant to the neck/shoulder pain?
I spoke with a good friend there. He is a doctor of anatomy, a professor at Ben Gurion University here in Be'er Sheva. He said that he has a doctor-friend who is the most expert diagnostician he has ever met. He thinks that I should go to him, and possibly get a suggestion about what I could take for the pain that is kidney-friendly, and also get an opinion about what is causing the pain, and how to really get rid of it.

Again, do I want to meet *yet another doctor* and deal with the whole thing again? But then again, this pain is really insane and interfering with my life in a big way. I am so, so, so entirely against going to see any doctors now. This aversion came on me fast and furious after my week of three doctor visits a few weeks ago (I wrote about those here, here, and here).
I will probably wait this out a bit more and see if it just needs patience to return to normal. But if there is no change, I gotta get help... doctor strike or not.