pH and meds

So this weekend, at some point, I started to develop a stomach ache. Surprise there.

Before reaching for the tums, I thought that maybe my stomach was overcompensating and producing more acid- a rebound effect from the antacids, if you will. I've read about it but for the most part rejected it. The thought of adding something caustic to my already irritated stomach was inconceivable.

I figured, though, what have I got to lose? I was already headed down the road to upset stomachville and rather than perpetuate the cycle, instead I ate the most acidic thing in the house- a piece of grapefruit. What happened was potentially groundbreaking. While there was not an immediate settling of the stomach, there was also no progression of that stomach ache. I just stayed in that state of mildly upset until it eventually passed.

I tried it again the next day when I started to feel icky. Same response.

Yesterday I forgot to take my morning dose of meds. I felt not great during the day, but ok.

This morning I also forgot to take them. When I started to feel that churny acidic feeling developing, I made some hot water and added lemon with honey (also because my throat is sore). While I don't feel fantastic, I also do not feel the need to lay down in bed with a bottle of tums and a heating pad. I don't feel like my stomach is about ready to jump out of my body. Nothing feels angry; only mildly irritated.

Instead I kinda feel like going for a walk or doing some yoga, NOT taking more pills. I know I might find immediate relief and some days I might need it to function, but in the long run they are not going to do anything for me. I've been down that road before and I'm not interested. Why repeat history?

I'm still all about finding the cause. I'll try more dietary changes. I'll try acupuncture. I'm dead serious about rejecting conventional medicine when it comes to treating these symptoms with whatever medication the doctor is getting paid to prescribe. I've made a follow up appointment with my gastroenterologist to discuss this, and if he still insists on treating the symptoms, I'll find another one. And another one. Until I feel better.

finicky.

Hmm I may really start thinking seriously about this no dairy thing.

I know I always feel a little puffy after my morning cereal, but it's such a small amount I don't worry about it. Even if I eat milk or ice cream all I get is a little puffy, but I've noticed lately that it's getting more noticeable, and more painful.

The other night I shared a banana split w/ my man Jerome, and good thing too because it was HUGE. We didn't even finish it. Almost immediately after eating it, I noticed stomach pains.
Yesterday I grabbed a single scoop of vanilla at the ice cream place on campus, and in class it hurt so bad that I had to discretely hold my stomach and I even considered leaving.
Then tonight my family all gorged themselves on banana splits because Suzy had a craving. I just finished my dairy masterpiece, only to be plagued with stomach cramps again.

Correlation? Yes... but then again all my tests came back negative for dairy. Garr I don't know. Just another episode of "Jen's stomach hurts."

SPOON TONIGHT! *Jams*

listen to your body

I always pay attention to what my body is telling me.

Little clues, neurons firing, signals relayed to my brain. Sometimes subtle, sometimes in-your-face.

With my finicky stomach, I especially pay attention to what my body wants to eat. I always eat what I feel like eating; even if it's living off of ice cream and rice for 2 days. I figure if I'm craving it, I'm craving it for a reason. Everyone always asks if I'm pregnant, but I've always been this way.

For instance, I have been craving rice and ice cream the past couple days. This morning I woke up wanting ice cream, but figured I should eat something with some kind of nutrition. So I made eggs, and they weren't appetizing at all. After I ate them, my stomach hurt. I ate some ice cream, and it calmed down.

And I don't always crave junk food. Sometimes it's pumpkin. Sometimes it's tuna. Sometimes it's pasta salads, apples, or soups. But the bottom line is I always feel best when I listen to what my stomach is telling me- and eat accordingly.

I don't know why I second-guess myself.

attack!

Dude, it happened again.

I was sitting in class, feeling really hungry, when I started to feel lightheaded, weak, and shaky.

Then I felt like I was dunked into a tub of icy hot, and my head started feeling intensely tingly and I knew I was having another one of those strange moments. I couldn't get up and walk out because I was afraid I'd fall down, so I just put my head in my hands and tried to be discrete.

Then I could see the blackness coming in out of my peripheral vision, but I knew that I wouldn't actually pass out because I haven't when this has happened before. I just closed my eyes and waited for it to pass. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't see anything.

I broke out in a cold sweat and I could feel my forehead getting clammy, and my heart was pounding.

I don't know how long it lasted, but it felt like forever. I am so glad it passed before the lecture was over, but I felt exhausted and shaky and my stomach felt crappy.

I went down to lunch, but I couldn't eat anything because my stomach was so upset, so I left early for the day.

I took a little nap and my stomach feels a little better but now my head hurts.

What the heck is this? I haven't noticed a correlation between the few times that it has happened. Once was driving down the freeway, once was in the middle of the night during a migraine, once was when I was changing my prilosec dosage, and this one was in the middle of freaking class when I was starving.
They seem to be getting less intense each time it happens. Really odd.

trendsetter

Oh yeah, just call me a trendsetter. After I got a neti pot, Missy decided to get one, and Chris also just got one. I'm going to try and get Luke to try it because he is the poster boy for allergy-prone. Me? I still love mine.

It's a little odd. When I use it regularly, like every morning, I have noticed a serious decrease in stomach upset. One thing my allergist told me when I went in was that the upset stomach could be caused not by a food allergy, but by an airborn allergen that creates postnasal drip, which causes the upset stomach.

By flushing out the postnasal crap and allergens and all that, I've reduced the potential offender and have been noticing a difference. And the best part? I don't have to take another (expensive!) pill or icky nasal spray every morning.

This is, of course, just a theory. And, as a scientist, I know that correlation does not denote causation, but either way I'm still reaping the benefits.

organic food and gum chewing

I gave a bum a granola bar today. I always pack a lunch to snack on during ochem lab, and today I didn't get very hungry so I had extras left over. So when I saw her with the sign at the stoplight I dug in my bag and found a granola bar. I felt kinda good, even though it's not the tastiest granola bar.

Another thing. I've tried a lot of "organic" products lately because a lot of gluten free items are made with organic ingredients. Now, maybe it's just me, but organic usually does not taste better. Maybe it's only this way with the gluten free items, but I'm not impressed with the organic-ness of most of the things I've tried. Just sayin'.

I was reflecting today: I have this habit. I chew gum a LOT, but there's a specific way I always chew it, and I only chew one type of gum.

It all started back in high school when my stomach started going berserk. Before I knew about the godsend of pepto bismol pills and lived on rolaids.

Well, the peppermint in the gum would sort of soothe my stomach, so I chewed it whenever it was upset, which was pretty much constant. It turns out that it's kind of an old wive's remedy. I picked this type of gum because I read in a magazine that it contained the most amount of peppermint than any other gum. And because I chewed it so much, I started chewing half-pieces to make a pack last longer. That, and a whole piece of gum just felt like it was taking up all the space in my smallish mouth. So I developed a habit of chewing my half pieces of gum pretty much constantly.

Even when my stomach isn't upset, I still chew a lot of gum. Especially when I'm studying or thinking hard about something. I can go through a whole pack of gum in a few hours of studying. It's such a habit that I actually get anxious when I run out of gum and I stockpile it when it's on sale or I'm at Sam's.

I've been reading about addictions and stuff for psychology, and I wonder if this qualifies? I mean, I have no desire to stop but I wonder if I could if I had to.

Meh. I'll let myself keep my gum. No one's perfect.

hip things

Day 6 post-op. I really miss walking.

Currently on the couch shackled to the cpm machine for the countless hour. Supposed to do 6 hours every day. It's a full-time job.

Texas Orthopedic Hospital was fantastic. From admitting to discharge, every single person was wonderful. I had a great care team. 

The procedure itself went fine. I was scheduled as the first procedure of the day, which was great since I didn't have to fast all day. They got me into preop, hooked me up, and gave me a nerve block. Don't remember much from there. I DO remember being in the OR and I asked them if they listened to music and they said, yes, and I asked what kind, and they said Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. LOL.

Y'all they do NOT mess around with drugs there. I had every drug under the sun. Tylenol, morphine, fentanyl, muscle relaxers, I don't even KNOW what else. I was SO HIGH. Not in pain, though.

One of my main concerns about the procedure was controlling the nausea. Last time I had a procedure, I battled it for days and wasn't able to get any drugs to help because it was over the weekend. 

So they gave me like 4 different anti-nausea drugs. I still felt sick, but as long as I remained motionless I was okay. It wasn't until they made me get up and use the bathroom that I felt really dizzy and got a wave of nausea. In a matter of seconds, I was given a barf bag, a cool towel on my neck, some water, and an alcohol pad was held under my nose. <--- now that's a great trick. Not that I would have been able to really puke because my stomach was empty except for water and pills, but it passed.

Once we got home, I was able to climb the stairs no problem. I'd been practicing for weeks and I'm SO glad because as loopy as I was, muscle memory was key there. The rest of the day was spent lying on the couch, trying (unsuccessfully) to eat something, and sleep. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to eat until the anesthesia was out of my system, so that wasn't a surprise. I went 36 hours without eating. Applesauce was the first thing I could get down.

The day after surgery, I had physical therapy. They want you to start moving right away. The exercises are very small right now. You gotta move, but in the right ways- no bending past 90 degrees, can't smush the grape (or put more than 20lbs of weight on that leg), and you can't sit still for more than 30 minutes at a time. Plus 6 hours on that machine and ice packs every 2 hours.

The meds: 4 different kinds of pain pills. I didn't have to take the narcotics, which is great for the nausea and constipation, but the NSAID is a pretty high dose. Even if the pain isn't bad you still gotta take it because it helps control abnormal bone growth. They give you omeprazole to help with the stomach upset, plus you're taking a low dose aspirin to help prevent blood clots. So many pills. But, surprisingly, no antibiotics. Apparently the guidelines changed in 2023 and I love that. The appetite comes and goes so I have to force myself to eat something when it's time to take meds so they don't tear up my stomach. Trying not to take the zofran because I don't want to add to the constipation.

One thing that I didn't expect: They gave me a scopolamine patch to help with the nausea, and damn that stuff is strong. I'm sure it helped, but they said to keep it on for 3 days and on the second day the side effects were so bad that I took it off early. It gave me horrible dry mouth (which probably helped keep me hydrated because I was drinking water like crazy), made me dizzy (which kind of counteracted the whole purpose and made it harder to use crutches), and blurred my vision (which was fucking weird). The dry mouth and dizziness lasted for a couple of days after removing the patch, and my vision is still a little blurred up close but it's improving. That drug is wild.

I figured out pretty quickly that using crutches is hard. You can't carry anything with you, so I busted out an old fanny pack and keep it strapped on all the time. Plus it takes a TON of energy. Fortunately my office chair has wheels so I've been scooting around the house on that most of the time. Still, energy levels get depleted surprisingly fast and everything takes way more effort. I made myself breakfast the other day and nearly passed out before I realized I was getting tired. I suppose when you think about it, your body is putting a lot of energy into healing so simple tasks like taking a shower are exhausting.

I'm trying to be as independent as possible, because that's just the way I am, but thank GOD for FH. There is no way that I could be alone and take care of myself right now. At this point I've figured out how to do basic things, but in the beginning I was useless and my energy level still tanks at random times and I need help. I hate having to depend on someone else to care for me, but that's the way it is right now. I feel very lucky.

Let's see what else. I'm sleeping in the brace because it prevents me from rolling over on that side. There are 4 little incisions stitched up on my leg. I have a stack of magazines and books saved up to keep me sane during the cpm sessions. I can get myself on the back porch for some fresh air, but FH won't let me go up or down the stairs by myself. I try to go down with him in the evenings to say hi to the chickens and get a change of scenery. FH is taking over chicken duties and he's not thrilled but we don't really have a choice haha. He's also been taking me to my appointments because obviously driving myself is not an option. We are having the maid come weekly for now, because damn the house gets dirty fast when you can't maintain.

I noticed my foot was turning blue, probably from not using that leg and keeping it elevated in the cpm machine 6 hours every day. Flexing/pointing wasn't really helping, so I added a resistance band and that seemed to help out a lot. 

The first week is probably the hardest, right? Uphill every day.

state of the belly

Tonight I had a cupcake and it didn't hurt my stomach. This is significant.

I think after many, many years of struggling and feelin so sick, I finally have a handle on things. Well, most days. Some days the belly hurts and I can't figure out why, but bellies are weird sometimes. But being able to eat a cupcake and not pay for it afterwards is huge in my book.

The official list of foods I avoid to achieve belly harmony is:
gluten (duh)
dairy
oats, bacon, peppers & tomatoes (I like them but they do NOT like me back)

A few other foods that seem to help:
kombucha, specifically flavors containing ginger
sauerkraut- a forkful with breakfast seems to make things happy
prunes, 2 with my coffee every morning
these herbal supplements, with coffee every morning just to get a good start, and sometimes as needed if the belly is cranky
raw carrots. It's weird, but if I can't stomach anything else, carrots will sit well.

Adding almond milk to my coffee every morning has made a huge difference (dude apparently coffee is brutal on my stomach), and overall things are so much better. 

I'm so happy I've been able to identify and eliminate the foods that have been making me feel so crappy, and add in foods that make me feel better.

What it's already Thanksgiving?

I keep running out of cat food. Finally signed up for auto-deliveries so I can stop getting death stares and meows when I dare to serve dry food.

The month of November flew by in a blur of installing 4 new instruments over an hour away. I thought that because so many people are now working from home, traffic would go away. Not the case. 

This project will wrap up just in time for our trip to Cancun. Moderately concerned about what I'll be able to eat, but I figure I'll either find a way to adapt, or be hungry.

We went camping for Suzy's birthday and you know what? It was fun! It helps that FG's idea of camping involves an air mattress. I think the key is also to camp when it's cool out. Hot, muggy weather while camping is miserable. I'd like to say that the cooler weather made for a bug-free experience, but apparently the bees are extra ballsy this time of year.

My stomach started to get cranky again, and as an experiment I tried putting plain almond milk in my coffee. I prefer the darkest, strongest coffee (I hate those sweet flavored creamers), but the jet fuel seems to hit my empty stomach pretty hard. After adding the almond milk, I immediately noticed a huge difference in how my stomach feels. So even though I enjoy it less, it's how I take my coffee now.

I'm really excited to start decorating for Christmas this year. Maybe because it's a "new" house? Also since I have 8 bins of decorations and I no longer live in a neighborhood known for excessive lighting, I can downsize. That's been a theme this year.

I think I'm going to soak in the hot tub before breakfast. Gobble Gobble.

running, gardening

I have become aware that when I run, I do not run alone. I have two angels sitting on each shoulder. On one shoulder, I have a fit, athletic angel. On the other, a lazy, slothful angel. As I'm running and I start to get tired, they start arguing. My internal struggle goes something like this:

"Whew, I'm starting to get tired."
"No! Keep going!"
"But I'm tired- listen to my heavy breathing!"
"In the nose, out the mouth. You can do it."
"But it's hot and I'm sweating. Can't I just walk?"
"How are you going to get any better if you stop the second you start to get tired?"
"Huff, puff, gasp, etc"
"Okay, you can make it to the end of the bridge/ to the park/ that crack in the sidewalk up ahead."

That's how I've managed to walk/run a mile most days this week. I'm running about 60% of the mile, so that's not bad. Much better than when I first started and a quarter mile nearly killed me.

It doesn't hurt that Chris has been trying to get in shape before he leaves for the Marines in January. I decided to work out with him some days, and he doesn't put up with my excuses when I try to be lazy- exactly what I need for motivation.
He's also been good for my eating habits. When I'm about to grab something that he knows will make my stomach hurt, he gives me a look or asks if I really want it. He will also remind me to slow down when I don't realize I'm wolfing down my food. I guess it takes someone else to remind me when my terrible eating habits become so routine that I don't even think about it. And, of course, when I don't eat that pint of ice cream or that bag of chips, my stomach isn't upset. When school starts and food is not constantly available, this will be much easier.

Speaking of school, I am rapidly becoming broke again, and have no idea what's going on with financial aid. I also have to get some lab math quizzes done before school starts, and of course I'm putting it off. I plan on doing it next week when I'll be there anyway and feel more motivated. This is my last weekend of summer and I plan on doing nothing. :o)

One more thing to note: Most of my garden has failed. The pea plants hung in there, until a couple weeks ago they all just shriveled up and died, despite extra dirt and plenty of water. I guess it's just too hot for peas. The zucchini also died, but I can try planting those again soon for a fall harvest. The peppers are hanging in there. They've gotten bigger but don't show signs of either flowering or fruit. I blame the dying plants on these super hot days and the drought.

Thank you, natalie dee, for this perfect visual of my gardening.

Status

You know how I said last week we were going to start our workout routine?
Well, the stomach bug had other plans. We joked that I got sick just to avoid working out.

Still feeling pretty meh. The tummy is not back on track. Random bouts of I can't even think about food, and stomach pains. I've eaten maybe the equivalent of two full meals in 6 days, which is probably why I still feel so tired & worn out.

In other, better news, kitty figured out how to use the cat door! ...Halfway. The other day Chris left her outside to run an errand, and when he came home she was inside. Then he actually witnessed her do it the next day. So she can come inside on her own, but I think she has yet to figure out that it goes both ways. Hey, I'll take the baby steps! I really want her to figure it out before we move and throw her world out of whack again.

We found a hydrangea plant at the grocery store today for 6 bucks. So I now have a hydrangea plant. I LOVE it. I can't wait to plant it at our new house. The house process has taken a tiny baby step, but is essentially still in the same part of the process that it was almost 3 weeks ago. Trying. To. Remain. Patient.

Anyway, it's Sunday and I'm worn out and it's rainy outside and I think it's nap time.

NOoOooO

Oh my gosh. Today = feeling like crapola. I thought I woke up feeling better because my sore throat was gone, but my sinuses started to feel worse on the way to school. I dragged myself through the practical this morning, not even really caring if that cell was a monoblast or a lymphoblast. I flew through slides and I just wanted to get out of the lab and go eat a little something and lay down.

I ate some chicken soup that made my stomach feel funky, and then forced myself to study with Kathy for a couple hours- feeling terrible. I seriously wanted to do nothing else but lay down but instead I tried to remember that theophylline is a broncodilator and it metabolizes to caffeine. I finally took some meds and my head cleared up a little, then a little while later my stomach calmed down.

I still feel bad. Just a stupid head cold but my appetite is lame. Even if I feel sick tomorrow I'm going to take that exam. No point in worrying about making it up when I've already been studying for it. So tired...

In the mean time, my momma loves me. I love coming home to treats on the counter, which has been a lot lately. Yesterday it was a box of fruit snacks and a ton of GF granola bars. Today there was a box of Honey Nut Chex, a smoke alarm (so I don't die an accidental firey death), and a box of herbal teas which I think I'm going to partake in very soon. <3

Friday whew

My stomach is bothering me and I'm out of CBD so I tried one of those edibles that we smuggled back from Vegas on our last trip. Well, about 1/20th of an edible. I'm so cautious about stuff like that. I'll be taking a personal drug test tomorrow and in the meantime, hoping that little nibble is enough to settle my stomach. I don't want to get high, I just want some digestive relief!

House/Relationship update:

I think it's odd that I've been keeping an eye on the real estate market since January, watching cute houses come and go in FG's neighborhood, but now, when I'm ready to buy one, there are NO houses on the market. What the hell. FG says the universe is telling me to move in with him. Not only would it be financially better for both of us, but I would get coffee in bed every morning. And when the mortgage is paid off in a few years we can get a lake house. Great plan, right?

Well, we had another talk about that and I openly aired all of my concerns. After our talk, I feel better. If I moved in I, he agreed that I can change whatever I want, redecorate, organize, make it more "ours" instead of "his," and he's ok with it. I can probably deal with that but I suppose we'll see what the universe has to say. 

Right now I would really like my own space and I don't really want to make Pumpkin (or myself) live with a dog.

BUT first- I have to wait out this option period. I've heard nothing since the inspections, and I'm trying not to get too anxious.

Work update:

I worked my last scheduled 5am shift and holy shit I'm tired. I hit a wall today. I can't do this anymore and I'm glad it's over, or at least I get a break. I have a couple of things scheduled for next week and then I'm hoping to get some office days. 

And THEN, I'm on PTO for a week and we're supposed to go to Key West. We considered rescheduling due to the covid madness, but things are opening up and we need a break. Even if we have to hang out on the balcony socially distant with grocery store wine, I think the change in scenery is necessary. 

Ok, I'm starting to feel more relaxed. G'nite.

tummy troubles

Blah.
Woke up last night at 2am with a hurty tummy. Took meds, curled up with a heating pad, and got back to sleep within an hour. Ate a small amount of oatmeal this morning with a sip of coffee, and headed to school. I started to feel better so I ate a banana and a bag of those baked cheetos. Bad idea- just as lab started my stomach started to feel hurty. I took a pepto that did nothing, and I felt light-headed and dizzy, and I broke out in one of those cold sweats again.

I was all in my PPE, and when I took off one of my gloves it was covered with sweat. I started to feel sick like I might gag or throw up, so I took off my lab coat and other glove and walked outside, even while the teacher was explaining everything for the practical. I got to the bathroom and, [this will tell how how bad I felt] I sat on the filthy floor by the door and brought my knees up to my chest, and just sat there. I felt so terrible that I couldn't even move.

For probably 5 minutes I was debating going in there and telling the teacher I felt too bad to do the practical, but I really didn't want to have to make it up, especially during finals week. So I forced myself off the floor and went back in the lab. It took so much effort to get up to do anything. As long as I was sitting and perfectly still, I felt ok. Once I stood up or tried to move, my stomach felt horrible. Several times I had to leave the lab and go sit on that nasty bathroom floor for a few minutes and stabalize.

I got through the practical, although I don't think I did very well. I don't know what the culprit is (gluten? stress? bad food?) but I'm feeling a little better now. I'm pretty scared to eat anything but some white rice, slowly. I hope I feel better soon because this shit had better not happen all week.

not again

I woke up this morning looking forward to a glorious day of shopping with Mom, Ash, and Calvin. Unfortunately, I spent most of it trying not to puke in Kohl's.   womp. womp.   Expectations squashed.

No clue why the stomach rebelled. Right before we left to go shopping, I ate some of that new Chex GF Oatmeal. Maybe the oatmeal was somehow contaminated? Would they really let gluten get into the product?

Whatever the reason it was this time, I tried not to let it ruin the day. I didn't want to spend yet another day sick and lonely with a bottle of pepto and a heating pad, and I especially hate being the one who ruins everyone else's good time. I felt a little better after taking the one last Zofran I had stashed in my purse, leftover from the stomach flu. After a little break, we went back out to do a little more shopping.

Still, it was one of those days that no matter what, the tummy was not going to stay calm. You'd think after so many years of this I'd be used to it, but the longer this goes on, the more frustrating it is. I'm so discouraged and worried. Maybe it's time for another round of doctor's visits, get yet another opinion. Hey, at least this time I'll have health insurance!

The first day of 2020

Hi! There is a cat on my lap and a glass of wine next to me and a fire going in the fireplace. I'm pretty happy about all that.

It's January first and I spent most of the day in my fluffy pink bathrobe lounging around FG's house. We did go to the NYE party, and I'm so glad we did because one of the couples there got engaged! It was so cute, he worked the proposal into the (rigged) White Elephant game. Then around 11:20pm, FG looked at me and said he wanted to go home, so I drove us home and it turned midnight while we were in his laundry room, after cleaning up dog pee because Rosco was terrified of the fireworks.

We soaked in the hot tub and were asleep before all the drunks were on the roads. Solid night.

The last few weeks have been fairly indulgent; I happily and consciously consumed chips, sweets, and alcohol with abandon. As a result, I have noticed that my stomach is a lot more grumbly than normal. Can I blame it?

I've also noticed that when I eat dairy, even when I take those lactose pills, my stomach seems to get upset. I think it's time to cut it out completely, because I'm tired of feeling sick. It's not really an issue unless I'm staring at cheese dip or my mom's pecan nut cups, and those are not daily things so I should be okay.

I considered doing another Whole 30 to re-set my eating habits, but I'm going to Vegas in 10 days and... let's be realistic.

Instead I am going to attempt a very loose version of it. I'm not buying any more chips, the cookies in the freezer are gone, and I have prepped a beautiful salad and froze some chili, so that I have quick, healthy meal options. Also going to make a point to drink more water, since that's never a bad thing.

There ya go, I've outlined a few short-term goals. Go me.

wake up call

There is this game that Pumpkin likes to play. At 4 or 5 am.

It starts when I feel her pounce on my stomach, crawl up towards my face and emit a series of very loud, insistent "meows" in my face. This will go on until I move. The second I make any movement, she leaps off the bed and tears around the room. I don't know how such a small cat can sound so large running frantically around the room. Then after a minute or so, just as I've fallen back asleep, I feel the THUD of a cat on my stomach and the cycle continues.

When I finally drag myself out of bed, she goes and hides under the table or the futon. She sits with her head poking out just enough to fool me into thinking that I can grab her. If I make a move towards her, she is one steap ahead of me. She wants to play.

Sometimes I can open the door and she'll go right out. Other times I have to get more creative. I tried pulling out a can of wet food and pretending like she was going to get some to lure her out, but that only worked a couple of times before she realized I was just tricking her. She won't come out until she hears that bitch OPEN.

This whole game completely sabatoges my hopes of crawling out of bed in my half-asleep zombie-like state so I can just fall right back asleep once she's out. But noooo. These mind games make me wide-awake.

I need a cat door man.

Tips to get rid of a sinus headache

I get these headaches. Had them since I was a child. They hurt just behind my eyes, or my forehead, and they suck the life out of me.

I don't know what it is- when I get this particular kind of headache, I become nauseous and useless. Technically these particular symptoms describe a sinus headache. I always thought that was odd because typically I do not experience any noticeable sinus congestion along with the headache. The term is misleading!

I had a coworker once who also got them, and she was convinced it was because of barometric pressure. She said that when it would finally rain, the headache would go away.
Oddly enough, since I started paying attention to it, it started to make sense, but there's not much we can do to control that.

Since I'm not the only one who gets them, I figured I'd share a few things that help.

Depending on what is available, and the severity of the headache, I use any combination of these. Yes, they work.

1. Hydrate. Drink some water. This doesn't usually take the headache away, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Eating something small can help as well- sometimes hunger can make the headaches worse.

2. Aleve. Plain old Aleve. I used to take ibprofen, but it would upset my stomach. A stomach ache on top of a hellish headache? Not ideal. Aleve relieves the pain a little quicker, too.

3. Sudafed. Or, the generic brand the drugstore sells works just as well. But make sure it's the kind that comes without a pain reliever, and it's the good stuff- pseudoephedrine- you have to swipe your ID and sign for at the pharmacy. The other stuff- phenylephrine- just doesn't cut it. Read your labels.

Note about the drugs: I usually take these only when I do not have the option to try the others- for instance when I'm at work.

Generally I'll start by taking just 1 Aleve, and see if that works. If not, I take the second one.
If the headache is still there after a while, I'll take a Sudafed. I try not to take too much of the Sudafed because sometimes they make me jittery and shaky.

Also, check for drug interactions before taking this or any other combo! It can be very easy to OD on over the counter medications if you do not pay attention to what you're taking. Moving on:


4. Acupressure. I swear this works. Place pressure on the web between the thumb and pointer finger. Like you're pinching the area.

It's easy to do to yourself. I've also tried it on coworkers a few times after they've been unable to relieve a headache. They laughed, but came back to me later telling me their headache was gone. Boo ya.

5. Vick's vapor rub. Rubbed under the nose, on the forehead, and under the eyes. The combination works best when a warm heating pad is placed on the face.

6. Heating pad. More specifically and preferably, a rice heating pad. The warm rice sits on the eyes/forehead/cheek region. It stays where it's put, and it conforms to the shape of the face. Ahh.

7. A neti pot. Sometimes this will help wash out the sinuses and prompt them to clear, even if you don't have obvious sinus congestion.

8. Similarly, a hot shower. Let the hot water hit your face. Can help relieve some of the pressure.

If these don't take my headache away, it's usually at least to a manageable level. At that point it's just time to suck it up and wait for it to rain. 

Scopey McScoperson

It has only been a few hours since I came out of anesthesia, and already I'm blogging about it. It's boring "resting."

We got up early and drove to the surgical center, then filled out forms & gave them money. Shortly afterwards, I was taken to preop and changed into a gown and nubbly socks. I'm glad I was wearing full-coverage undies because there was a definite breeze in the back of the gown.

I was outfitted with sticky things on my back, a blood pressure cuff, and an IV. I was freezing so I got an extra blanket, and they even had this super cool bed warmer thing. It was kind of like a giant vacuum cleaner hose that had warm air coming out of it. You just stick it under the blankets and everything gets nice & warm.

Then a bunch of people came by; anesthesia, nurses, etc. Everyone who would be involved in the procedure. They talked about what would happen.

Then we waited for a while. Chris tried out the oximeter that goes on the finger, trying to get his heart rate up. Then we waited some more. I got up to pee.

Then they came to wheel me into the procedure room and I started getting super nervous. Just seeing the room freaked me out. I'm used to being on the OTHER side of things. Not laying on the table.

So they told me to lay on my side and then they sprayed this stuff in my throat to numb it. Actually, twice. The numb throat feeling totally freaked me out. I felt like I was going to suffocate or something. Then this oxygen tube went in my nose, and they put this thing in my mouth- it reminded me of a ball gag with a hole in the middle. But less- bally. At that point I was seriously uncomfortable and very un-calm, and the doctor came in and asked if I had any questions and I was just like, "ARH," meaning put me under already because this sucks. Fortunately a few seconds later I started to feel the anesthesia kick in.

Next thing I know, I'm waking up in pacu. I freaking love anesthesia. I didn't wake up in the middle of it this time, either. Nothing but a good nap. As I came to, the nurse gave me ice chips and chatted with Chris about the procedure. I don't remember a lot. While Chris went downstairs to pull the car around, the nurse helped me put my clothes back on and go to the bathroom. Really sweet people at that place.

Obviously, I didn't get much information but the doctor came out to talk to Chris about how it went. Some acid problems in the lower esophagus, the villi looked pretty good (celiac stuff), and he took 8 biopsies. The large number of biopsies makes me nervous, but like I said I didn't get to ask questions because I was pretty loopy. The pathology results will come back in 7-10 days. Long.Ass.Time.

I had a surprising amount of gas afterwards, I think because they put air in the stomach to see around better. Also some stomach discomfort but that's nothing new and it was probably because I hadn't eaten anything. And just had a camera down my throat and small intestine. And there are 8 tiny wounds in there. But yeah.

I ate a little bit and I'm tired, but other that, nothing dramatic. I have to take it easy today (and apparently can't shower or do any online banking), but tomorrow it should be business as usual. With that, the couch is calling my name.

P.S. I haven't told my mom about this because I don't want her to worry for no reason, and it's so damn hard not saying anything.

can't sleep

After a long day and a relatively mellow night with friends, my bed is calling. But my protesting stomach says otherwise. I forget sometimes that I can't eat and drink like most other people without having stomach discomfort. I've been taking advantage of these wonderful life-saving proton pump inhibitors, forgetting that they are not 100% effective and they are only a temporary fix. So, my late dinner combination of spicy gumbo and wine are giving me painful reminders of what life used to be like 24/7. I can take it every once in a while.

Tonight was spent at a tattoo parlor, providing moral support to V. Then we headed over to 59 Diner since we were all pretty hungry. I didn't know if we were going to end up at a bar or a club or what, so I wore my new top that I got on sale at Express a while back. I've been wanting to wear it. It's one of my favorites, shows a lot of cleavage but otherwise isn't too slutty. We ended up at Agora and had drinks. I love the atmosphere of that place, and the fact that they add tiny chocolate brownies to the saucer with my soy chai lattes. Oscar met up with us there, but E didn't. (I wonder what he ended up doing? He sounded like more in the mood for a club anyway.) Then, coincidentally I ran into T and her friend who had just come back from the mixers thing at the museum. We all hung out and talked, that museum thing sounds like fun. It was kinda strange at first hanging out w/ T kuz it's like, "hey, you're kinda dating my BFF Dave." But it was all right, I like her.

Thursday I got a new desk. I got the one from work for $15, which is a fantastic deal, because a desk this size new usually starts at $250. It's in good shape too. So I did a lot of rearranging and cleaning and moving stuff back up into the guest room for storage. When things settled down it was funny to watch Pumpkin sniff everything and climb on top of the new things, scoping things out. I like it, I have plenty of room for books and studying and all that.

It is going to be SO strange living here during the semester. At this point I'm usually making plans to move again. I have a feeling I'll be losing a lot of the camaraderie that comes with living on campus. I felt this way last summer and things were completely different, in fact they all went downhill. I think maybe the change is what I need. It's time to move on and let go, in a lot of areas in my life.

I think I can go to bed now. :o)