That's Love

Warning: The following entry may contain graphic descriptions. Reader discretion is advised.


This morning I took my husband to the dentist, to take care of some terrible tooth pain he has been experiencing lately. The dentist was able to identify the problem, but it will be several days before the pain will subside. So, a prescription of Vicoprofen was given, and off we went.

As the hours passed after the first dose, with no relief for him, I decided to play pharmacist and recommend that he take some Tylenol (acetaminophen) with his next dosage. This goes directly against the instructions given with the drug when you pick it up at the pharmacy. Right after the sticker saying you shouldn't drink with the drug, it specifically says no acetaminophen. That is because Vicoprofen is simply a combination of hydrocodone and ibuprofen. Hydrocodone is one of the things that makes up Vicodin. The other is, you guessed it, acetaminophen. Since Vicodin is an addictive narcotic, they don't exactly want you messing with it on your own. The conclusion I came to, however, was that Vicodin is great at killing pain. So let's make some.

Before I continue, I would like to make it clear that the man was in a great deal of pain, and I made him fully aware of the fact that some people (like myself) have unpleasant reactions to Vicodin. Like vomiting. He was willing to take that risk.

So, first dose from my at home pharmacy was successful. As the hours wore by and it was time for the next dose, he complained of being nauseous. I warned him that there was a good chance if he took another dose, he would be revisiting the can of soup he had earlier in a not so pleasant manner. The pain of his tooth won out though, so he took the dose.

Within minutes, he left the room.

And then there was the sound.

It is a horrible sound, one that usually makes you want to move as far away from it as possible. But my wifely instincts kicked in, and I headed for the bathroom, patting him on the back as he kneeled before the toilet. The vomiting was violent, but only lasted a few minutes. In his attempt to be considerate and turn on the bathroom fan (in hopes that I wouldn't hear him and get sick) he was unable to keep the vomit completely contained in one area.

(If you are now thinking, "Ew. That was entirely too much information," all I have to say is a) there was a warning at the beginning and b) I didn't even get into what it smelled and looked like, so stop complaining.)

Here is where the love kicks in. I can't leave the bathroom that way all night, and I can't possibly make the poor guy clean up when he just went through the Vicodin pukes (they aren't fun...if you have never had the misfortune of having them, they control you). So I just finished cleaning the toilet, floor, and wall of my bathroom.

It is amazing how long you can hold your breath when you really need to.

Listening to: The sweet sweet sounds of no more puking
Current Mood: I feel the need to wash my hands again...

Phew!

You will all be pleased to know that I am able to breathe normally again. Thanks to the best chiropractor in the world, I am back to almost normal. (Still not able to sneeze, but all else is good.)

I was even well enough to try out my latest purchase, MTV Pilates Mix. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Spending my time this week plotting out our Nicaragua trip, and searching for a reasonably priced digital camera to purchase and take with us on the trip (then I can show you all my adventures). I will be keeping a paper journal while I am there and will throw some of it on the blog when I get back. ("Finally, we were hoping you would have something interesting to talk about sometime soon!")

Any of you have suggestions on a decent digital camera?



Listening to: Hey Ya by J D Natasha
Current Mood:excited about my friend's new apartment

Progress Report

Typing is one of the many activities which cause me pain at the moment, so this will be brief.

Since the last post, the pain increased, making it impossible to function. I basically just sit in an awkward position watching the DVD collection of The Gilmore Girls (perhaps not the wisest choice, as they often make me laugh, which is excruciating).

The pain has let up slightly, as I visited my chiropractor again today. Hopefully the progress will continue.

Currently Watching: Old Felicity reruns
Current Mood: In pain, and getting sick of being stuck on the couch.

I Will Try Not To Breathe

So I know you are wondering how this morning's interview went.

It didn't.

You see, I find that if you wake up throughout the night finding it painful to breathe, going on an interview the following morning is not such a good idea.

My husband suggested that my back was out of place and causing pressure on my lungs, making breathing painful. So off to the chiropractor I went. He agreed that this could be the cause, made some adjustments, then informed me that it would take a day or two for the adjustment to have the desired affect, that being no more pain.

So I am spending my day being acutely aware of every single breath I take. When each one hurts, you pay attention.

I'm off to take pain killers and lie down.

Currently listening to: Aside from the sound of my own breathing? All This Time by Sting
Current Mood: IN SO MUCH PAIN. Whatever you do, don't make me laugh. Or sneeze. Or hiccup. Or move.

I'm OK With That

The latest in what is going on:

Last week I found my lost passport (yay!) and sent it off with the appropriate paper work for a name change (my passport still had my maiden name on it). I will be booking our flight to Nicaragua sometime this week. This also means that I need to find a doctor (haven't found one here in FL yet) so I can get some immunizations and such before I head down there.

Last week also brought with it the rebirth of actually using that gym membership I pay for. Suprisingly, I didn't die when face to face with the elliptical as I suspected I would. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, so I figure getting back to excercising regularly may help with that.

Ants have found their way into my apartment, so my project for today (among other things) has been getting rid of them. I purchased a cinnamon broom that I plan on breaking into pieces and dispersing throughout the place, as I have read that ants despise cinnamon. I love cinnamon, so that seems like a good idea. In addition, I have just finished pouring some sort of ant-death-powder all over the carpets and will be vacuuming it up shortly. Note to self: Next time wear socks. My feet are starting to itch from walking over where I powdered.

Tommorrow, I have an interview. ("But Amber, we all thought you enjoyed your unemployed status...sitting at home watching reruns of 24 and ER and eating Bon-bons....") It's for a freelance writing job, which would mean I could continue my non-scheduled lifestyle AND get paid. So I figure I will give it a shot. My chances are slim, considering my lack of paid experience in the field o' writing, but hey, chances were slim I would get an interview, so we shall see what happens.

10 more days until my dining room table arrives - which means I can finally have friends and family over to eat. I am very excited, since it has been quite some time since I have been able to have a proper dinner party. Time to dust off those Gourmet magazines.

Speaking of cooking and all things domestic, my sister and I were helping some friends move into their new house this weekend. The previous owners had been smokers, so she and I went about cleaning fixtures, windows, screens, and the kitchen. One of the guys who was helping with the heavy stuff stopped and said, "Who woulda thought you girls were so domestic?" We love the guy who said it, so we took no offense. I just thought it was an interesting comment. My sister and I both have a very independent way about us and stayed single longer than a lot of our friends (which is amazing, considering we got married at the young age of 23), so I am assuming that those qualities are what give the impression that we lack the ability to be domestic. Who knew taking care of yourself meant not being well equipped to take care of others.

Anyhoo...I need to vaccuum up the death powder in here before I suffocate. Perhaps I will post later about my observations of how people dress in Florida v. Washington, and who makes the more egregious choices.

So there is my post. I never promised excitement.


Currently listening to: Letter Read by Rachel Yamagata
Current Mood: Good. Except for the suffocating...

In Memoriam

A dear friend passed away early this morning after battling with cancer. He was an exceptional person, a good and faithful man, and he will be missed by many.

So Much To Say...

Hey everyone.

I have sat in front of my computer several times in this past week or so, thinking about what to say on the blog. A lot has gone on, so it seems that there would be a lot to talk about. But everytime I thought to sit down and talk about what was going on in my own life, it seemed so trivial when compared to what is going on in the Guf Coast.

I can't watch much media coverage anymore - maybe that's selfish, shielding myself from reality because it is depressing. Watching the interview with Aaron Broussard on Meet The Press or Kanye West going off script about how the media distorts what is going on in New Orleans, its all so heartbreaking.

We have felt the effects here with high gas prices and efforts to conserve energy. (Our local grovery store keeps some of the lights off in an effort to conserve). But none of that seems to matter much.

We are waiting to hear more about the efforts to rebuild that will be organized, and will be seeing if we can donate some of our time to go help.

It seems sad how so many have turned it into social commentary or a debate over politics. I have nothing particularly poignant or thought provoking to say about what has taken place. It just seems to emphasize to me more where we are in the stream of time, and how we need to really focus on the important things in life.