I called the spine doctor�s office yesterday morning, and the secretary was most apologetic over his negligence. She said he disappeared at 4:00 pm on Monday, without telling anyone he was going to leave. To further complicate matters, he was in surgery all day yesterday, and therefore wasn�t in the office at all, meaning my urgent request for advice is still sitting on his desk unanswered.

I also called the law office again, and finally got to speak to someone. It wasn�t an attorney, but this woman was well versed in legal matters, so maybe she�s a paralegal� Anyway, after hearing me out, and reviewing the documents I had faxed over, she agreed that this is quite a mess. The attorneys weren�t in yet, so she called one of them on his cell phone to get his take on the situation. He advised that I continue to try to get in touch with my doctor, and at least get him to give me a note to cover these additional absences.

To top things off nicely, I�m in quite a bit of pain. When the physical therapist saw me yesterday, she said, "You look terrible." (Gee, thanks!) She went on to say that I seem to be doing worse now than when I first started. She told me (off the record) that she doesn't think I should be going back to work yet. She suggested that my primary care physician get involved. I explained that he won't see me because he doesn't handle worker's comp cases. She shook her head in disbelief. I�ve been doing a lot of that myself, lately.

Ms. PT also expressed surprise that I haven�t been sent for EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies. That surprises me, too, considering that the L5 nerve root is affected. Finally, Ms. PT asked if anything has happened to aggravate my condition, and was bewildered when I said no. I was in so much discomfort, she decided to skip the gym exercises, and sent me home after the moist heat and ultrasound massage.

I had to call a taxi because my appointment was too late in the day to take advantage of Dial-A-Ride. It took 45 minutes for the cab to get there. Standing in the hall for such a long period of time caused me to be in severe pain. While I stood there, I wondered how in the world I�m going to return to work in an unrestricted capacity. My job requires that I spend a lot of time on my feet. It also involves bending over students at computers, which is another activity that causes an increase in pain.

Mornings are the worst time of the day for me. The pain is extreme. This morning, I screamed at Penny because she wouldn�t go to the bathroom when I took her out � she wanted to walk around and sniff. I, on the other hand, most definitely did NOT want to walk around.

Being in constant pain makes me very short-tempered, and not just with the dog. Somebody has got to do something for me, and soon. I just can�t imagine who or what that will be.

Song of the Day: Help by The Beatles

HELP! I NEED SOMEBODY, HELP! NOT JUST ANYBODY, HELP! YOU KNOW I NEED SOMEONE, HELP!