The husband is had a great week. He won two awards for work performance. The prizes are trips to Ireland and Switzerland. 

It was also his birthday on Sunday. Happy birthday sweetheart! Sunday, we had a few friends over to celebrate.

Pinched nerve news-- this morning was the first time I haven't felt pain since December. The tingle and numbness is still there. Overall, things are headed in the right direction.

80% of my therapy is proper posture. 20% are exercises to help muscles weakened after decades of slouching. Good posture is tiring, especially at the end of the day. I just want to chill and watch a little TV. No laying back or slouching for me. I sit like an alert student.

Work is going through a reorg, but in a good way. My org is growing. In addition to my existing teams I will pick up a team in Toronto as well as the team in Sydney Australia.

I am looking forward to visiting my Australia team.

In all honesty, one of my strengths is in dealing with geographically diverse teams. It helped that I travel to Toronto regularly for family. 

I'm more optimistic about my pinched nerve. The physiotherapist has also given me a few good exercises. I'm only prescribed to do them once a day. One of them feels so good  that I'm doing it four or five times.

The THC infused ointment helps. It's relief lasts five or six hours.

When I told the husband that I was taking the topical THC painkiller he made a joke about rubbing it all over his body.

With this I am back to a state where I can get mostly decent sleep.

Tommy writes.. 

usually the the block last 6 to 12 months sometimes longer depending on the person and the nerve. its an injection that some of my friends have had.

I hope it doesn't last that long. I have started with physiotherapy and go back to my regular doctor for more scans in about a month.

I have also bought a THC and CBD infused, topical pain relief ointment. It smells like menthol. I haven't told the husband that it's THC infused, but I don't think he would be concerned given that it's only topical. 

I am flashing back to all the times I've smelt menthol and eucalyptus on old people. I don't want this yet here I am.

The should pain, the pinched nerve, stays with me non-stop. Sometimes if I contort my body a certain way, then it will let up. However, one can only contort their body for so long. So far I've been to my regular doctor, a massage therapist and a chiropractor. No relief. Acetaminophen works ok.  A take a dose before I go to bed.

At work we are having a reorg. Oddly this is an easy time for me. We are not laying people off, though that comes to everyone's mind. It's my job to answer questions and to assure them of their future. 

Palm Springs was a pleasant weekend get-away. The weather was sunny and 65ish while we were there. The husband and I had a chat about moving to Palm Springs. We know many people who spend part of the year there.  It's a popular place for gay retirement. I can see why. The weather is pleasant in the winter and the homes are more affordable than Seattle.

It's also insanely hot in the summer. One couple said they spend over $1000.00 per month on AC during the hot times of the year. Neither the husband enjoy extreme heat.  

We are down in Palm Springs for a few days. It's Allen's birthday. He wanted to celebrate there and he invited us along.

I have a pinched nerve somewhere in my back or shoulder. I've had it for a two or three weeks. I'm not in great pain. just a constant ache with intermittent finger and arm tigles. I've gone to the doctor about it. In the short run there is not much that can be done--improve my posture, stretch regularly, exercise. While I have a pinched nerve, I don't have a loss of strength or coordination, so this may be something my body just has to work out. If the pain continues for a few more months, then we can start scans. 

And back to work today. 

Aside from my Uncle's death, the holidays were festive. We had friends and family over for dinner on Christmas and New Years eve. We attended the brother-in-law's birthday party. We ate too much, especially cookies and cake. 

I'm not going to weigh my self till ext week. Let's see what the damage is after a week of normal eating.