1/12/14. The post where I tell you about pain levels

January 12, 2014:  well, so much for the Lyrica working.  Things started going south yesterday afternoon and by 6pm I had given up on my evening plans and made a date with the couch.  Surely some mindless TV would take my mind off it.  By 8pm, it was clear the TV therapy wasn't working and the pain was excruciating, so I got in bed and took my Lyrica, hoping it would at least knock me out.  That plan didn't work, either. The good news is that after a very fitful night, the pain is back down to at least a bearable level.  I thought about sending a post in the middle of the night when I was awake and miserable, but decided pain blogging is probably similar to drunk texting (something that seems like a good idea at the time, but that you regret later), so I didn't.  You're welcome.

Those of you who have experience with pain management doctors know about the 0 -10 pain scale.  This is how they have you describe your pain, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine having.  I am terrible at this game.  I can imagine a lot of pain, so I'm always concerned about starting too high on the scale and having nowhere to go.  "Pass" is not an acceptable answer to the question, though, so I told him that on my best days it's a 5, on my worst days it's an 8, and most days it's in the 6-7 range.  Last night was a solid 9, although the Russian judge only gave it a 6.2. (A bit of Olympics humor in honor of the upcoming winter games.)  Please, Lord, don't let there be anything over a 10...

As I got ready for church this morning, I did a mental checklist of side effects.  Dizzy? Check. Blurry vision? Check.  Dry mouth? Check.  Wait, what? I didn't remember that was an option.  I looked it up, and it is. This stuff had better start working soon, because it has several strikes against it already.

I got ready and went down to the kitchen, still feeling like a zombie, to eat breakfast before leaving.  That's when I saw it on the counter.  A bag of dark chocolate-covered pretzels I found in the pantry yesterday.  Chocolate releases endorphins.  Pretzels are healthy and have basically the same ingredients as toast.  Yes, I just found breakfast.  This might explain why people gain weight while on Lyrica.  They should add "loss of good judgment" to the list of potential side effects.

Win for the day: I drove to church today, my first driving experience since November. I got there and home without injuring myself or others.  Looks like I'm good to go to work tomorrow.  I could use your support, because I have a feeling it will be overwhelming.  Whatever you're into - prayers, good thoughts, chanting, special potions.  All are appreciated.