Pain On The Go

I am usually pretty excited about traveling out of town to visit relatives as I don't really get to go out much.  I've enjoyed the road trips; mainly the conversations and laughter with my husband and children.  Yet, recently, having to sit in the car for more than an hour is like taking a first class trip to hell.  My poor body is crippled with pain for nearly the entire trip and I develop a really bad case of leg, ankle and foot edema that lasts for at least a week.  We left Virginia for New York early Friday morning around 2:30 a.m.  I was already so exhausted from packing and preparing for the trip.  My back, shoulders and feet were screaming at me and felt like 
they were on fire.  In no way was I looking forward to sitting in the same position for eight hours.  Needless to say, the ride was excruciating.  At one point I just burst into tears.  Mind numbing pain was coursing throughout my entire body and I just couldn't take it anymore.  It felt like fire was shooting from my shoulders down my arms and like knives were stabbing me in my joints.  I kept taking my Inflamma-Tone and Relax-Tone to calm my burning nerves and muscles, but without my heating pad, a warm bath or my bed I was doomed.  At around 6 a.m. sleep finally took over but it wasn't restful or pain-free.  We would have gotten to my in-laws sooner if it wasn't for the snow in Pennsylvania and the slow trucks.  I couldn't get out of the car fast enough when we pulled up in the driveway.  Thank goodness that was over!  The rest of the day my ankles and feet were swelling and getting more and more painful to stand on.  My shoulders were burning with pain.  I didn't get a good night's rest as my dog barked almost all night long.  By Saturday morning I could barely put any weight on my feet without my ankles feeling like they had been broken.  Walking was as if I was treading on broken glass.  My body was beaten and my emotional state was just about to crack.  All I ever want to do is to be able to enjoy anything that I am doing. It was apparent that enjoyment was going to be very limited over the next two days.  I only got about four hours of sleep last night as my dog had become sick with diarrhea and was up most of the night tending to him.  The pain is a little bit better, as long as I stay off of my feet as much as possible.  My mood has been on the gloomy side more so today.  Day after day of pain and lack of sleep has that affect on people.  Tonight we are all going out for dinner.  I hope that I will be able to enjoy that at least before we leave early tomorrow morning to head back home.  It will be raining and snowing in Virginia which means that more pain will be waiting for me when I get home.  So not looking forward to being in the car for so long again but I am going to try my best to enjoy the time that I do have with my family.