Where’re you been?……….

Where have you been?

I been:

– in bed

– pacing the floor in pain in my head

– in the doctor’s office

– in hot showers on my face

– in a pounding head

– in crying spells

– in a bag of M & Ms

-that’s why they call me a human beening!

And, oh, have I got tales to tell! 

Seriously, I have an intense desire to please the Lord and be lead of Him and His Will in every way and area of my life.  I don’t take one iota of credit for this desire!  He, Himself gives it to me freely and the older I get, the more I realize His Grace, Mercy and Peace of this giving gift. 

However, I am not old enough yet not to wonder about some of His paths and His steps.  I plead for relief, none comes immediately.  I plead for what to do next – silence.  Why, as with the kidney stone episode, He can say, “Hold on for this ride.  You will not have to make any decisions – just trust Me.”  And, that’s what happened.  I held onto the van as someone else drove.  I stayed on that stretcher as someone else drove.  I was put out of my misery and I never knew what happened until I woke up.  Then – I could make decisions – and I most certainly did.

This past Tuesday, my great husband! told me he had taken off for Wednesday to take me to the doctor and I was to make the appointment.  Done.  1:00 p.m. Wednesday.  A headache had not let go for three weeks!  I was “worn to a frazzle.”

Hmmmmm……I am wondering how to put this in a nutshell.  Many of you know how difficult that is for me.  🙂

The appointment did not go well.  I somehow failed to communicate – or the doctor failed to listen carefully.  I ended up with a RX for an antibiotic I had not heard of – a “new one,” the nurse said.  (Now, right here you must know that I need to talk to the doctor about my prescriptions.  What can I expect this to do?  Why use a new one as opposed to an older one?  What are side effects?)  Doctor is already in someone else’s room.  He had also ordered an MRI on my head.  I did get to tell him that I would not do one “w/contrast.”  (“with contrast” means they put a heavy metal into your bloodstream to get a better contrast with the magnets.) Can you get the information you need without contrast?  Yes.  I want to know if you have had a stroke or have an aneurism. Okay, but I have general pain all over and the sharp pains skip around.  Wouldn’t an aneurism stay put?  Yes, but…… (actually, I agreed with him that MRI without contrast might be useful.)

Nurse said she would call me with an appointment in just a little while.  At CVS, she calls.  Said they had lots of women with my name at Parkridge. (I had told her about the four with my name at Memorial, so to use Parkridge.)  She needed my SS#.  I gave it.  “Will call you right back.”  This is Sat. morning, no call as yet.

Meanwhile, at CVS, RX is filled.  We take the bag to the van, Bob manuevers out of the parking lot to head home, I read the printout – as I always do:

WARNING:  Fluoroquinolones, including AVELOX®, are associated with an  increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture in all ages. This risk  is further increased in older patients usually over 60 years of age, in patients taking corticosteroid drugs, and in patients with kidney, heart or lung transplants (see WARNINGS). To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of AVELOX and other antibacterial drugs, AVELOX should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

“Bob, I will not take this!”

“What do we do?”

“Take it back immediately and maybe they will take it back – hopefully.  If not, we are out the $60 co-pay.”

BLESS HIS PEAPICKING HEART,  he did – and they did!

In my book, Bob got hundreds of bonus points for this vallant guesture!  Imagine being married to me! 

Anyway, when I checked it out on the internet, the warning said further down in the piece that tendon rupture was a factor at any age and if muscle soreness, etc., call doctor.  Most of the drug studies had only been done on 24 people!

Let’s see, we are up to Thursday and by now you know that “nutshell” business is not going to happen!  However, I suspect you are still reading!!

Thursday, hardly functional.  Afternoon, I gave my funeral wishes to Bob, also asking if we had any “unsettled” accounts.  I’m dead serious!!  We did this.  (And, for the record, I do not want an open casket.  Just drop the box into the ground, go to the church and sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”)  I do have a sneaky feeling this will not be obeyed. 

I thought of our GRANDdaughter, mostly.  I have missed her greatly!  I told Bob to tell her I loved her……………..and the others.  I was not morbid!  We went on to bed.  I slept rather well, considering.  Upon awakening, I knew what to do!  (We are up to Friday morning, in case you are lost in this saga.)

For six hours, on the hour, I took 1,000mg Vitamin C and 2 capsules of Echinacea/golden seal.  Drank LOTS of water.  My nose and sinuses unstopped.  Headache eased – sometimes disappearing.

GO GET THAT BOX OUT OF THE GROUND!   It’s Saturday morning and I have already been studying the connection of faith and prayer.  Ahhhhh…, it’s good to be back, Father.  Thank You!!