the tortoise and I are one

It's taken me five hours, but I've gotten two loads of laundry done and half the delivered groceries put away. VICTORY!

fibro games

There are a ton of games you can play with a chronic pain syndrome. Today's game is Where Did THAT Come From? It goes like this:

1. Wake up in the morning. (Or afternoon. Your call.)
2. Roll a 1D20 (also known as a 20-sided die to the uninitiated).
3. Compare to symptoms chart to figure out if you're going to get out of bed today.
4. Roll again.
5. Compare to symptoms chart to figure out if you're going to puke today and how many times.
6. Roll again.
7. Compare to symptoms chart to figure out if you're going to pass a field sobriety test today.
8. Roll again. Repeat as many times as you like or until you decide to yield to the whim of the universe and cancel any plans and ambitions for the day.

The highlight of my game was the random and unexpected dizziness that had me lurching all over the house like the best drunks do. Forget about a field sobriety test. The walls were dancing! People PAY to impose that effect on their brain. Bet they're jealous.

cranky with a side of bitter

Time change. Throwing a little extra zip into the daily pile of medications.


...If I don't screw this transition up, it'll be a miracle.

cryptic wasn't one of my goals

So that last post didn't quite carry through as intended. I missed on explaining the middle step.

It's an unfortunately real commentary on how fast fibro symptoms can change. At this point, I'm caught in a spiral that usually leads to an ER trip -- pain levels get too high, I start to throw up from pain, I can't keep my maintenance meds down, I get dehydrated, and then I end up in the ER getting an IV for fluids and to get meds back in my system quickly.

It's frustrating to go from the "real life" goals to the "I'm a patient" goals in the span of an hour or two. I feel like I'm living a double life. I don't need a reminder that my body has a hitch in its functioning. I get that every day. But I get the swift kick version of a reminder multiple times a year anyway. Today's one of those days.

an exercise in flexibility

Original goals for the day:

• weed around lilac and peach treelings
• put away laundry
• wipe down dining room table
• sort mail
• read up on starting seeds
• a little yoga
• play with the kids

New goal:

• stay out of the hospital

The One

Everyone has their One. That one episode of Dirty Jobs that just turns your stomach. It's my favorite show to watch any time I'm in the hospital or ER, because it's damn distracting and comes with a hefty silver lining. I mean, instead of being in a hospital bed tied to an IV, I could be doing THAT. But tonight I found my One. Hagfish, aka slime eels. That much snot should never exist in one place. Beyond nasty. Yeeeuch. Thank you, Mike Rowe. I have found my gratitude for the day, and it's that I never have to catch, sort, or process slime eels. Ever.

self-love

I'm sitting here petting myself. Wrist to shoulder, ankle to hip, over and over. Go, go lymph drainage. Don't hate me because I live an alternative life style.