over the last several weeks, my rib pain has turned into… skin pain? i guess? i’ve googled it dozens of times and asked my doctor, and she assures me it’s normal. and that nothing can be done until the baby comes out. which seems to be the answer to everything lately.
the top of my ribs, mostly on the left side, where the skin is stretching–apparently your nerve endings do something weird when the skin stretches. so it’s this really numb, tingly feeling. like when you sleep on your arm funny or something. but it’s only on my skin. and it’s turned into this god awful burning sensation that pretty much never goes away anymore. it used to come and go, but now it’s almost constant. the only thing that soothes it is walking around for a while, or a glass of wine. neither of which are things i can do all day long so… that sucks.
it’s gotten to the point now where it keeps me from falling asleep. that and if i lay on my right side, my ribs feel like they’re being clamped together. and if i lay on my left side, the burning feeling is intensified by a thousand. laying on my back alleviates both of these issues momentarily, but then the back pain kicks in and i have to try a new position all over again. stomach is just not an option at this point. i am finally too big. last night i tried using 3 different pillows to prop myself up in certain ways. it took hours.
i even tried staying up late last night. i got an email from some guy asking if i would create a backup application for “amazing alex”, rovio’s new weird physics game. so that was my project last night. i stayed up until 2 churning out the first version with the hopes that i would be so exhausted that sleep would just come naturally and my body would just give up, but no.
so tonight, i am prepared. not only am i still awake and typing this at midnight, but i took a benadryl, and i’m crossing my fingers that it works. i am in desperate need of a good night’s sleep. it has been far too long.
i also ordered one of these a little while ago. sport.woot had a great deal. it’s a stationary elliptical thing that i can use under my desk or while standing up. i haven’t gotten a lot of really good exercise during this pregnancy. if i want to walk, it has to be outside. there are millions of mosquitoes outside. not happening. that and it’s 90+ degrees every day and humid. i have an elliptical machine in the garage, but the only problem with that is the garage is also like an oven, and it smells funny.
this way, i can work out WHILE i work (it is SO quiet, too). in the A/C. without bugs. it arrived yesterday, and i watched an episode of seinfeld this afternoon while i did the workout for 20 minutes. i am already so glad that i bought it. i might have brett throw it in the jeep for me (it’s pretty heavy for how small it is) so i can take it to work and keep it under my desk. if i feel this good mentally after the first day, 20-25 minutes of this near the end of every day should be awesome, and might even help me sleep better.
if you’re looking for a good gift for the geek in your life, or someone who spends a lot of time at a desk, this little elliptical is high on my list. :)