A Pain in the Neck

Two days ago, I woke up with a slight kink in my neck. I’ve had these before, but being familiar with them doesn’t make them any less annoying. The discomfort seems to come and go, and is only bad when my head is pointed or moves in a certain direction. The best description is that it feels a bit like a sharp-ish, eloganted pain from the top of my neck down to my right shoulder.

I chalk these moments up to “sleeping wrong,” as it usually manifests in the morning after I wake up. They usually go away on their own after a few days, so I’ve never thought much of them.

The first day, I knew something was amiss with my neck – and just let it be. It seemed to get worse as the day progressed though, which was an odd thing to me. Maybe I had never noticed this before now, but it was definitely hurting more at the end of the work day.

Liz rubbed my neck and back a little bit, and I just let it be. The next day, the issue seemed to continue – and wasn’t any better. In fact, the back of my neck was very tender (and hot) to the touch. Taking a shower this morning seemed to help, but it was about the same all day.

After work, Liz gave me a small packet of frozen peas – and tucked it into my shirt. The photo (above) is me with my incredibly scientific and medical frozen pea compress.

Here’s something totally weird: at the end of the day, a small area at the roof of my mouth (near the teeth) went a little numb. On the way home, my front two teeth felt a little ache-y. I’m convinced this is related to the neck stuff, as it’s all happening in the same area – but honestly I have no idea what this is. On doing a quick search for this symptom, all roads lead, unsurprisingly, to cancer.

My body feels like it’s breaking down. Part of me thinks it would be better to just have a headache or stomachache, as that stuff seems normal by comparison.

The plus side is that later in the evening, after the frozen peas and a few Ibuprofen, things got better. Not 100%, but markedly improved.

Liz is convinced I need to go see a chiropractor, and I remain convinced that the issue will go away eventually on its own (as it always has). I’m thinking it’s a pinched nerve, but that’s me taking a wild guess.

I don’t know what my hesitation is with chiropractors. I’m just less familiar with what they do, and view them in a different category from doctors and regular medical professionals. Maybe this is all due to my first exposure to chiropractors: the documentary film Jacob’s Ladder.

I know a lot of folks who have gone to and swear by chiropractors. I just seem to find them, and their practice, a little weird.

But what do I know? I’m a guy with a pack of frozen peas on his neck, so who’s the weird one now?

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A Cough, a Sneeze, and the Ignominy of Back Pain