Injury and phd

I'm now into my 4th week of horrid pain from my fractured rib and pain killers rule my waking hours. I don't sleep well at any time and tend to have short sleeps then watch some Star Trek then have more short sleep. 

I'm mid communication with my supervisors about this time off and I know it's going to have an affect on my study, but I can't do much about it. The pain means I can't function and the medication dulls my brain and makes me sleepy, so driving to uni and studying isn't really possible. 

I feel some stress about it, I feel like I'm failing and should just harden up and get to uni. This year has been incredibly stressful and I think this time off gives me a chance to regroup and refocus as well. 

I know I've got my own shit but for some reason this just makes me feel like a terrible person, I'm trying to work through it but I'm just feeling down about it today 

Fractured rib; an interesting experience of doing nothing

Nearly two weeks ago I fell off a spinning circle thingy at a playground onto my back. The pain that arrived the next morning was so bad that moving made me cry - something I don't do much these days. 

After two weeks, two CT scans, physio and a final hand on rib examination it turns out I have a fractured rib and strained intercostal muscles, very painful!!  One of the most painful experiences I've had so far. 

So initially I was in agony in my back from all the muscle damage and my chest from the fracture, and I spent a week in agony in a haze of panadeine forte and only being able to lie on my left side, sleeping on my right side felt like sleeping on knives, at least I know why now! During this time we were staying with my partners sister and brother in law due to bush fires near out home, so I was negotiating a three story town house, not fun with chest and back pain, however I'm very grateful for their hospitality. Fortunately they have a cat, which made me feel better 😃

So now it's almost two weeks I've been in searing pain and I didn't find out about the break till yesterday, least I know what I'm dealing with! 

What this has meant is doing very little, mostly resting in bed and watching movies. Even holding a book hurts as I'm a heavy right hand user and my right lower rib is the injured one. Doing nothing is usually quite a challenge for me but it hasn't been that hard this time, I suspect because of the pain but also because I'm much better at being still these days. 

I've watched all manner of astronomy and astrophysics documentaries and loved them all! 

I've also noticed some disturbing trends in chick flicks and romcoms that may play into rape culture, but I'll talk about that another time,

Over and out

Billy