Le Bron James

I had a massage, this evening, to celebrate my birthday.

Wait. You had a massage? That sounds lame. Yes, thank you for your ego-boosting, dear reader. For a brief few minutes, this morning, I considered getting together a few people to hang out for the evening (hang out = drink), but then I realized I wasn't up to it.

No, I'm not that old, I'm just suffering from a migraine hangover. It's like a regular hangover, but without the knowledge that you were hammered and had a rollicking good time the night before. And you don't usually go to a neurologist every 2-3 months because of hangovers.

Yesterday's migraine didn't have a headache along with it, but it was the worst aura I've ever had in my life, and I threw in the towel after two hours at work. In theory, it shouldn't have happened at all, as I could feel it coming on Tuesday evening, so I took my "rescue" migraine medicine as a preventive measure.

The rescue medicine failed. BIG TIME.

So today, my birthday (Thursday), I was exhausted, and had a little headache, and my shoulders were all tense and achy. I called and booked a 90 minute massage appointment, and scarfed down my birthday cupcake, and went about my business.

My masseuse was new to me. Dell - "Like the computer" she said - was a tall woman. And by tall, I don't mean she could have been a supermodel. I mean she could have started for the Miami Heat.

The tallest fellow I've ever dated still would have had to look up at her, and he was 6'-5". Tall man, short relationship.

Dell knew her business, though, and my muscles are looser than they were this morning. She asked me if I had a high-stress job, and I told her I'd had a migraine Wednesday, and that I had a pinched nerve in my back that gave me trouble by the end of most days.

That's something else I've noticed about the massage therapy thing: my left side - the one afflicted by the nipped nerves - is much more sensitive than the right side. My left knee and foot are ticklish, but not the right. My left thigh hurts disproportionately when massaged, but not the right. It makes sense, I guess.

As an update, my neurologist told me I could try taking an extra neuralgia pill at night if I was in pain. Tried it, and I was so groggy I couldn't function. So now, I'm off to see a pain management specialist. We'll see what he has to say - and what he recommends - when I go see him. After I make the appointment. Which I will do in the morning.