May it last...

Christ be praised!

At the moment, I am headache free, though still groggy from my "cure."  The surgeon called in Imitrex for me yesterday evening.  The first dose did not stop the pain, and so I took a second dose.  You are only allowed four doses per headache.  I was already worrying about that.  Then the muscle cramps set in, a side effect of the Imitrex, which resulted in more weeping and wailing on my part, along with heaping amounts of despair.  Then, I thought perhaps a Zanax might help, since a single dose basically knocks me out and leaves me groggy for nearly 24 hours.  I finally fell asleep and managed 5 hours of uninterrupted rest.  [Though, I did have this rather disturbing dream where I left Amos behind at the house alone while I took a bunch of low-income girls camping for a week at a cabin some wealthy person let us use.  We ate French toast for every meal.] I awoke four more times after that spate of rest, but I slept most of the time between 12:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., which has helped my perspective move a bit away from the gutter where it has been.

Yes, muck and mire have been covering all my thoughts.

Last night, I managed to successfully make the rice pilaf packet I purchased.  It required sauteing the mixture in butter first and then cooking it in a sauce pan with a lid.  I was very thankful, at that moment, that a few years ago my mother purchased two sauce/frying pans for me, both of which have glass lids.  This was the first time I used one.  When I moved, I actually contemplated donating them.  Thankfully, I held on to them! There was one bad moment when I couldn't remember if I had put one or two cups of water in, but I guess correctly when I thought the liquid looked only to be about a cups worth.  I need some sort of counter I can use when measuring things so that I am not relying on my brain.  Making the pilaf, even though it was a mix, was hard work for me!

So, around 10:00 last night, I had a 1/3 of a chicken breast and a small bowl of rice.  Incidentally, that is what I had for breakfast today.  [Sadly, my latest batch of grilled chicken is all gone now.]  The rice did not seem to bother my innards, nor did I have my early morning writhing episode.  I suppose you could say that this is thanks to my sister and my mother!

A part of me wants to race to the store to get more of the rice packets.  But since I made two trips to Target for prescriptions in the span of just two hours, I am more inclined to engage in a thorough investigation of how it feels to lounge in the GREEN chair without having a migraine.

In case you were wondering, rice flour is NOT a good substitute for flour in deserts.  I had purchased these oatmeal cinnamon bars that are gluten free, having oats, rice flour, and soy in them.  They were iced and everything, but eating one was like eating oatmeal flavored cardboard.  I mentioned the culinary debacle to Sandra and she suggested Amos might not object to them.  She is probably right.  I shall have to investigate that, maybe see if they could become training treats or something.

Of course, that would mean I need to actually train him some more.  You know I keep waiting for Sandra to  do it for me since she is the greatest Alpha Dog I have ever met!

Amos is very much enjoying the new mattress.  At this point, I am wondering if we need a larger bed...not that I would do such a thing.  He has this decided preference for the middle of the bed.  And somehow he has this strange ability to stretch himself out much, much longer than he actually is.  I find it to be a fascinating phenomenon.  I mean, if you look at him on the ground, for example, you would never have suspected he would have been able to get the butter off the counter like he did.

While you cannot really see it, I am off to the side on the left, lying on a mere sliver of mattress.  What you can partially see is that he has a paw holding on to his Flower Baby as he sleeps.  See the stem sticking up beside his head?

The plain white cotton blanket next to him is how I try to keep warm. I wrap myself up like a burrito to try and trap some body heat when the chills begin and then pile more blanket atop me.

It is very strange for me right now.  I am fearful this non-headache-pain-free existence is not going to last.  Yet I am also marveling how much better life is without the agonizing explosions going on inside my skull.

Ethel has been in pain.  Would you pray for her as you have prayed for me?


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!