Pain in the Neck

Literally. I have been out of commission the last 5 days with severe neck pain. Not so good when I'm supposed to get on a plane to Russia this Saturday! I didn't do anything to it or sleep on it wrong - it just decided last Tuesday evening to lock up and not move. I've been on pain meds and muscle relaxers which make me super groggy and loopy but don't really help anything. Luckily, I found a great chiropractor that has been working on me everyday. I feel soooo much better than I did this weekend but I still don't even have half the range of motion in my neck. I have 4 more days to get it better before I leave and I just hope it doesn't lock up again when I'm in Russia. The bones in my neck aren't curving like they're supposed to and it is causing my spinal cord to be pulled. It's probably been building for about 5 years and this week was the breaking point probably induced by stress. Perfect timing!

On a happier note - I leave for Russia on Saturday! I'm not even close to being ready since I haven't been able to do anything for the last 5 days. My mom came and stayed with me a couple of days and did a ton of stuff for me though - she mowed my lawn, did the dishes, scrubbed my kitchen floor, planted flowers, mulched the flower beds, cleaned my bathroom. She's awesome! So now I just really have the packing to do and get my work stuff finished up. I'm still not sure how I'm going to fit everything in one bag but I'm gonna try!