Good News: My mom's arm is significantly better. Though the pain is still there, she has regained a level of mobility and dexterity that weren't there a week ago. Due to this, an MRI is no longer recommended. If the problem were a pinched nerve to the degree originally thought, this kind of improvement would be impossible.

Bad News: My back sprain is worsening. I've been strictly forbidden from going to work for at least two weeks, and am not supposed to push myself simply by walking around for even 5-10 minutes at a time for the next several days. Also, while it's worsened, the torn disk cover has begun to pinch a nerve in my lower left back, sending shooting pains from my hip down into my knee. At this point, the agony in my knee often rivals my back pain.

Worse News: Since my line of work is the same as my parents, they feel compelled to cover for me, keeping our household income up. This means that my mother who is barely recovered enough to appear presentable in front of her own clients, must now push herself far beyond her limits by taking on not 9 accounts a week, but 15. This is going to kill her, I know it. Any progress she's made will evaporate. I can't stop her, though. She won't hear it. I feel awful. Spraining my back could have been prevented. My mother even warned me that what I was about to do was dangerous to me in my weakened and overextended state. But, I didn't listen.

Lesson: Don't take it upon yourself to switch the position of two beds in opposing rooms of your house without any help, even if this is done to allow your injured sister somewhere to sleep on a mattress that doesn't give her migraines, and especially if you're a relatively undersized female.

(NOTE: I wrote this in stints, so don't go thinking I've thrown my 10 minute rule to the wayside.)