I've done all the requisite bullshit: meds, steroids, physical therapy, chiropractor, second opinions, etc. And I'm finally getting surgery, almost 11 months after the problem surfaces. I go under the knife on Tuesday, March 20th. Finally.

My main problem now is that I have to stay on the anti-inflammatories until then, and they're the only thing that's kept it bearable for the last few months. MY doctor gave my vicodin to keep me comfortable in the meantime. I'm not sure when I last had a vicodin, but I do know I'm les of a fan of being loopy than some, so I avoided taking it for a couple days. Last night, the pain was too much and I dropped one. Within 20 minutes I was feeling uncomfortably weird, and not 30 seconds after IMing exactly that to my girlfriend, I fainted in my living room.

I woke up sweaty, in pain, and with no idea where I was, which is pretty typical for a real fainting spell. If you've never tried it, you simply must. Waking up is like a white light in your eyes, an ice cream headache in your brain, and an exploding guitar amp in your ears.

Maybe it was the booze.
I had had two beers earlier that night, but that was at least an hour before, and with a huge pile of Korean BBQ. I also just got back from hard charging in Austin for SXSWi. I'm sure there was still some awesome stuff in my system. Whatever the cause, I'm a little freaked out about taking the vicodin again, and I'm just starting to get nervous about the surgery. How do I cope with the fear and the pain and the stress? Well, today I ran out the door and came home with an XBOX 360.