and more hugs to all of you ....

Rachael- can anyone do trigger point injections or botox in the meantime while you wait for surgery? They were very helpful to me, though not permenant.

also- consider a cleaning person and weekly massage part of your routine- talk to your husband about how it will help your pain level each day, and work to just make it a regular part of your budget. If you can find a good massage/hellerwork/feldenkrais/PT person to work with you, you can probably reduce your daily pain quite significantly because they can help you loosen those muscles. when I was working before surgery I used to see my hellerworker for a double session each week. It was well worth the time/money for treatment as it helped me to function all the rest of the time. If you consider the options to be disability or quitting work until surgery, it might look a LOT more affordable.

Johanna