Small things...

This fire safety gal has been systematically pulling down her smoke detectors off the wall to remove the batteries.  Beep.                                     Beep.                                       Beep.  I could not find the last one because I thought the beeping was coming from the one in basement living space.  However, that one is the newest by several months and so I was not sure why it would be beeping.  Lying in bed, trying to sleep, listening to the beeping, I kept thinking it must be from the one I added adjacent to the spare bedrooms upstairs.  Only I was most certain that I planned to add one there but never got around to it.  I was wrong. I did install one outside the spare rooms upstairs.  And it was the last beeping I was hearing!  Yay!

Tomorrow, the replacement batteries will arrive and I can re-establish a proper fire safety threshold in my home.  I will say, it is a very good thing that Becky found me a lightweight and easy-to-use step stool while she was here.  And I will note that I added an annual calendar reminder for October 1st to change out the smoke detector batteries with a one-week alert so I can get them ordered.

I have been working on prescription refills this week.  I got all but two of them done.  It is very, very, very frustrating that the new GP is, seemingly, not willing to learn anything about dysautnomia.  For one, she did not refill the Zofran, saying that there was no need for nausea medicine for me.  I could almost rage against that response.  The other prescription she did not renew was my benzonatate (tesselon perles).

One of the things that dysautnomia has robbed me of is the ability to take normal asthma drugs.  I have given up all standard medications, the b2 agonists, because of the response of my heart and blood pressure when taking them.  Three different ER doctors expressed concern over how ill they made me, my GP in Alexandria no longer wanted me to nebulize at home, and the cardiologist here confirmed that b2 agonists are dangerous for me.  The theophylline I take is an old asthma drug, so I get some help there.  And since I have cough variant asthma, the benzonatate, a non-addictive cough medicine, suppresses the coughing that usually occurs at night and when I sleep.  I can also take it during the day, on an as needed basis, if I start coughing.  It is essentially a numbing medicine.

It BOGGLES MY MIND that the GP would decide I do not need the medication.  I will not be surprised if she gives her reasoning, at my next appointment, as not wanting to be responsible for medication for a pulmonary condition.  I am not interested in spending copious amounts of money seeing specialists  (like a new pulmonologist) to have testing repeated when 1) I already have a diagnosis and 2) I already have a treatment plan.

I hope I do not have an asthma attack before I get a refill....

I petered out before finishing fetching my groceries today.  First, I went to Menard's, of all places, because in Googling the granola bars I like (no longer available on Amazon) I discovered the hardware store still had a stash.  Most of what was at one store is now in my house.

The basket on the top of my refrigerator is full, again.  No more rationing for me!  The rest are in the basement ... stock shelves.

The counter is full of the nonperishables I bought.  I got the perishables put away, although I did not have the energy to separate the chicken into smaller portions and freeze it.  I did rinse and soak my lettuce (the latter helps it last longer).  I thought getting it out of the bags and onto the counter would help with my need for visual rest, but I found all those goods distressing.

I got my "sweets" put away in containers to keep them fresh.  The chocolate are Butterfinger Cups (mini size).  Man!  I like them.  My best friend and I share a love for candy corn, so I bought some to remind me of her.  And, of course, the number one candy in the world is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Mmmmm!

I wish I could finish putting everything away (I think of it as processing my grocery purchase), but I am still incredibly sore from the fall.  And my head hurts.  And I am nauseous.  SIGH.

This was Amos enjoying his weighted blanket (and my pillow) the other night.  Right now, he's curled up beneath it once more, snoring like a drunken sailor.  I savor his snores.  Soothing.  Peaceful.  Hilarious.

I have yet to enter my meds into my medical expense spreadsheet, but they are on the servants' stairs to go up to the bathroom.  I went to two different pharmacies, so I could have the free prescription. Four stores and three hours was far too much for me.  My one victory was that I remembered to get the dishwasher detergent from Target.  I like the Up! brand and I had a coupon on the Cartwheel app. I had forgotten to put it on the list, but I remember that I am almost out.  Small victories.

I hope to rest and rest and rest and rest on the morrow, to see if I can muster up the energy to go to the symphony Saturday.  Sitting in the chair will be hard.  It is the walk from parking that worries me.  Actually, the walk afterwards.

Did you catch the card amongst the groceries?  Emily sent it!  It has a frog!!  I have been moving it about the house to cheer me.  Emily is rather thoughtful in the small things she does to not only let me know that she is thinking of me, but also that she is thinking of me, of Myrtle, who likes the colors GREEN and frogs and botanical things and ... well, the list is kind of long.  Coming down to the kitchen on the morrow will be less stressful, despite the lack of visual rest, because I will be greeted by a frog!