August 27, 2008

Busting My Ass In School and Causing a Nerve Flare

I am literally busting my ass in school. I work full-time and this semester I'm taking two classes. I normally only take one. Given the circumstances, I have to sit in a classroom for 4 hours a night, 3 days a week. Only 2 days in and I'm starting to feel the pain. Vulvodynia and academia don't mix.

I've got a manageable setup in my office: I've got me kneeling chair and my standing desk. I can get through the day without too much discomfort. My pain increases over the course of the day, but by 5:30, I'm usually home and reclining to take the pressure off my nerve.

I no longer have that luxury. I leave work, get in my car, drive to class and then plant myself in a rigid desk. I can't usually contort myself to tolerate an uncomfortable seat for a small duration of time. But last night, there was no comfortable position.

By the time I came home, I was in bad shape. I'm going to have to start bringing a cushion to class. Hopefully that will be enough. I don't want to draw negative attention to myself, but I don't have a choice. I'm not going to sit back and cause myself unnecessary pain.

Last night I found myself feeling frustrated and discouraged. I realized how much my pudendal neuralgia and vulvodynia have progressed over the last 2 years. They're getting worse and I don't know if I have the ability to stop them.

I still believe I made the right decision to put off the pudendal nerve decompression surgery, but I know it's on the horizon. Maybe I should try another nerve block.

2 comments:

jziegleramaa said...

I totally empathize. I have the same problem from sitting at work all day. I used to sit on one of those inflatable neck pillows that people use on planes, and it really helped. So much so that I eventually stopped needing it. My pain is flaring up again though, so I will probably have to go back to the pillow. I was embarrassed about using it at work at first, but I told people that it was for low back pain. Good luck with your class situation. It's so frustrating when pain gets in the way of living your life.

Tired said...

I have been just diagnosed with vulvodynia and i dont want to believe it. Seen 3 doctors and a visit to er. No one wants to give me anything stronger than tylenol with codein but i can hardly take the burning and pain anymore. Tylenol with codein work after 2-3 pills and make pain somewhat manageable. I have 4 kids and hubby to take care of..ugg!