It all started that fateful day two months ago, when we needed a new pillow and went to the best bed and bath store in town, to buy one. It was all nice and fluffy and I was happy with my new pillow. I just thought it was a bit uncomfortable because it was new and needed some breaking in.
Life was very busy then and I failed to notice that the crimped neck and shoulders in the morning that I started having, began at that point in time. I attributed my symptoms to sleep deprivation that is the sad lot of mothers of newborns or maybe some ill-adjustment to co-sleeping. I did notice my slightly stiff neck and its rather limited range of movements, from time to time, and wondered if I was developing arthritis. Or maybe it was one of those subtle signs of aging that creep up on you. I considered all this but still the new pillow did not make my list of differential diagnosis till the very end.
Then suddenly, four days ago, something satanapped on the right side of my neck. Even a slight movement brought on a lot of pain. I finally had my diagnosis: neck strain due to a new, over-fluffy pillow.
Needless to say, that pillow has been ditched and I am getting by with the help of a boatload of painkillers and muscle relaxants. It is day four now and the pain has not let up yet. I am told it can take up to two weeks to heal.
Hopefully, this story will have a happy ending for both me and the pillow. Once I get better, I intend to rip its guts out (that sounds so good) and remove some of the fluff. Meanwhile, I am left to ponder on the lesson we can take away from this story, one that my husband has been considerate enough to point out _ all that glitters is not gold. I am so not going to that store anytime soon.
