Several postings ago, I shared with you my decision to post every other Sunday for the foreseeable future. So this coming Sunday is my “regular” posting day. I hope that day to share with you a friendship of fifty-three years between me and Bob Kraske, my first boss after leaving the convent. He became my writing mentor; later, he became my mentor for aging. So I have a lot I’d like to share with you about Bob.
That’s for this coming Sunday.
Today, I simply want to express my regret for being unable to do any blogging for the past few weeks. I’ve visited a few blogs, but visiting has been erratic. I miss reading about what is happening in your lives, but Meniere’s headaches and joint pain have kept me lying low—mostly resting on the couch.
The headaches are like migraines in intensity. However, there is no extra sensitivity to light. Symptoms from Meniere’s can happen at any time, but are more evident when the barometer is bopping up and down—rising and falling precipitously. That especially happens when the seasons change: late March/early April and late September/early October are the most problematic times for me.
This past Sunday, my sister-in-law drove me to Emergency because I’d had one of the headaches for 35 hours and it simply wouldn’t desist—no matter how much medication, prescription and otherwise, that I swallowed. It was, perhaps, the worse headache I’ve ever had. I had a vision of using a machete to cut off my head! Then I broke out laughing as I realized I’d have no way to reattach it!
After an EDG, blood draw, and Cat Scan in Emergency, I was given the first tier of medications. They didn’t do the trick, so I got the second tier—morphine.
Wow! I’d never had morphine before. It’s quite a drug. I hope never to have it again.
But the headache went away and something really amusing happened while I was in a loopy morphine state. I’ll share that with you in a couple of weeks. I hope I can make it as funny as it was. Arkansas Patti is able to not only tell but write stories that make me laugh out loud. I hope to follow her lead and do the same with this story. We’ll see if I can pull it off in early November.
The left-knee pain will soon be taken care of as I’m having replacement surgery on Monday, November 18. First it was scheduled for October 13 and then December 4, but it now seems that the 18thwill happen. I’ve been icing my knee twice daily and taking meds for discomfort. All is well. I’m just tired. I think pain does that—it tires us out.
So, all this is to say that I’m sorry I haven’t been visiting your blogs, reading them, and leaving comments. I hope that all is well with each of you and that you are able to live within the day and find the peace that dwells at the deep center of yourself.
Please be gracious to yourselves as you travel this journey we are all on.
Peace.
ReplyDelete"Please be gracious to yourselves as you travel this journey we are all on."
A wonderful thought. Thanks, Dee. Peace to you too.
Dear Sandi, I'm feeling grateful that my journey is continuing and that I've experienced so many years of friendship with others. Peace.
DeleteI hope you can and will be gracious to yourself. As gracious as you always are to others.
ReplyDeleteFeel no shame (none, nada, zip) about your blog visits. Your health needs to be first priority.
I am looking forward to your Sunday posting and hope the headaches have subsided.
I remember morphine. I liked it. Rather a lot. Painfree and calm is a wonderful place to be...
Dear Sue, well, I have to admit that I liked the morphine also. It's why I became so loopy! But then I didn't feel up to much for the next three days and I think the morphine was still in my system and keeping me disorientated---but loopy!!!!! Peace.
Deletehaving had two knee replacements... I would like to suggest that you have physical therapy and follow the therapists directions !! I have heard that some people do not do this and the final result is a knee that does not work as well as it should!! Good luck !!
ReplyDeleteDear Bettina, thank you for the suggestion of therapy. I have 13 stretches I'm to do every day before the surgery. Then, afterward, I continue those and add others. I will need to do therapy at home because I no longer drive and so the therapist will come here to check that my motion, etc., is improving. I had this done on my right knee nine years ago and all went well and so I'm feeling no trepidation about this venture. Take care. Peace.
DeleteOh my gosh, I'm sorry you had to go through all that pain that ended with morphine but I'm glad it worked to turn off the headache.
ReplyDeleteI've had both of my knees replaced and I tell everyone it was the best gift I've ever given myself. Just do everything they tell you to do before and after. In my opinion, the ones who don't are the ones who have the hardest time in recovery.
Dear Jean, the same orthopedic surgeon who will do my left knee did my right one back in April 2010 and all went really well, so I'm trusting that the same will happen now--IF--I'm faithful to the stretches and therapy. As you say, both before and after. Right now I'm doing 13 stretches to get my muscles in shape for the operation.
DeleteThat morphine med really did the trick! Peace.
Dee, headaches whether migraine or other are awful. I'm glad the morphine worked. As for your knee replacement surgery, my cousin had that done about a year ago. It worked out well, but she did need help. I hope you have someone to help you or can go to a rehab after the surgery. You know we all have you in our thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteDear Rian, my rehab will be at home because I really don't have anyone to drive me to a therapy center. So someone--a visiting nurse I think--will come to see that I'm being faithful to the exercises and improving as I should be. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers. In Oneness, they will bring the healing that we all long for when we experience physical problems--and mental ones as well! Peace.
DeleteI look forward to your post, but I do hope you realize that the timing is not as important as taking care of yourself. I hear you about Arkansas Patti. She tells a great tale and makes me laugh out loud, too! :-)
ReplyDeleteDear DJan, I've decided to post tomorrow about the looniness as I'm not quite ready to write about Bob yet. When I think about you losing your son I find myself lost in awe--at those who experience the death of beloved son or child or son or daughter. For me, it is the experience of the death of a friend or a beloved feline companion. I've never known the deep and abiding love of being a mother or a spouse and I can't quite get my mind around how someone survives that grief. Peace.
DeleteHello, Dee. Thank you for the update. I am very irregular at checking blogs anymore, and my auto-immune related pain is part of the reason; I sure agree that pain is a big part of exhaustion. But these things, unhealthy and difficult though they be (I'm sure sorry about your headaches!) provide us with a means for healthy, inner struggle and contemplation. Take care, dear writing friend. I look forward to reading more from you soon.
ReplyDeleteDear Deanna, yes, pain is exhausting and leaves its scar on our psyche. But you are right that it provides us with a bridge to growth in the human spirit. And that growth can enable us to be present to others when they experience loss. Right now, I find myself lost in the contemplation of the circle of life and death. Grieving, as a friend of mine said, is a holy madness. I hope to share her thoughts in a posting sometime in November. Peace.
DeleteWith all best wishes for the best knee replacement ever! Pain is quite the inhibitor.
ReplyDeleteDear Joanne, I so agree with your. Pain really is an "inhibitor." There's been for me quite a bit of pain in the last 10 years. And I know that you have had to much to deal with in the last few years, especially after your fall. So both of us have been, I think, slowed down by it. My face has become sort of a map of the lightning strikes of pain. But I hope my inner self has learned something from it that will be helpful to others. I think that has truly happened for you. I see it in your postings. Peace.
DeleteDear Dee,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to read that the headache eventually desisted with the help of morphine, a mighty powerful drug. And may you never need it again!
I look forward to your post about what it was like being in a loopy state. I'm sure it will be humorous.
Take care,
Bea
Dear Bea, I hope to write the loopy-state posting tomorrow! I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before trying to do justice to the friendship that Bob and I shared. He truly was a mentor to me.
DeleteAnd yes, that morphine is a "mighty powerful drug." For three days after taking it, I think I was feeling its effect! Hope all is well and that you are being good to yourself. Peace.
I totally understand all consuming head pain. Till I outgrew them, I had 4 day migraines that drugs only knocked them down enough to keep my head out of the oven. Never thought about a machete though and smiled at your concern about reattachment. Just delighted you eventually found relief and can't wait to hear about a loopy Dee. Sending thought, prayers and hugs that the surgery and recovery in Nov is a wonderful success.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the lovely shout out. I am so happy that you found a few healing chuckles in my posts.
Dear Patti, I truly--I mean truly--can't imagine such a headache for 4 days. Oh, Patti, how did you survive! In the midst of a Meniere's headache, I've never thought of the oven, but I have thought of bopping my head against the wall and knocking myself out. I seem to have more violent images than you!!!
DeleteDid you just grow out of the headaches eventually? When did they start? and When did they end? Mine didn't start until I got Meniere's Disease in 2006, when I was 70. Up until then I rarely had even a "normal" headache. So I feeling awe about you!!!!! Peace.
Oh, dear, that headache for 35 hours makes me cringe! I’m glad they were able to finally give you relief at the hospital. I have had migraines since I was 11 so I know the desperation of wanting to do anything to making the pain end.
ReplyDeleteI’ll be waiting for the account of your knee replacement as I will be following in your footsteps so to speak on December 11. Take care.
Dear Cynthia, I never had headaches until Meniere's came along and so I don't think I ever truly appreciated what a migraine felt like. When a friend said she had one, I expressed sympathy, but had no real idea of what she was going through. Now I know and my heart aches for someone like you who has them on a regular basis.
DeleteAs to the knee replacement. Please get in touch after November 18th, and I'll fill you in on the procedure and the recuperation. I hope yours goes well and that your recovery also will be an easy one. I do think that doing the suggested stretches and exercises is essential. Peace.
Oh dear me, poor you. You really are in the wars!
ReplyDeleteI hope at least some of the pain will go.
Yes, I’ve had morphine, I dislike it and would rather take plain painkillers. Morphine makes me so seriously nauseous.
Dear Friko, morphine truly must have many different ways of affecting people. One friend told me that she began to shake and it continued for some time. Peace.
Deletei am sorry for you re dealing with pains dear Dee
ReplyDeletei used to suffer with migraine when i was in my late teens but thank God no more since almost thirty years
i am glad that your knee replacement will erase your knee pain soon
i just left comment your latest post that brought light to my evening :) what a wonderful sharing ,i so enjoyed it
please take great care and don't worry about visiting blogs we all know you will when you are healthy :)
hugs!
Dear Baili, I'm so glad you no longer have migraines. Pain can be so debilitating. Take care. The joy you take in life enlightens my life. Thank you. Peace.
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