Say it ain't so

 My first memory of headaches was 10 years old. I slept in my Mom's room and at around 4:30 or 5:00 she would wake up and sit on the side of her bed. I was across the room. And I would hear it.  The first thing she did every morning.  Strike a match and light a cigarette. A few seconds later the smoke smell would hit me.  I hated it.  I had a headache almost every day.

When I was 12 my headaches changed.  Migraines.  My Dad had migraines, brother 1942, sister 1944 and sister 1949 all had them.  We called them sick headaches back then.  When I began to get headaches nobody seemed to realize they were migraines.  Even though we had a family history of them. Perhaps it was because I was so much younger, I don't know.

But almost ALL my headaches stopped after my total hysterectomy.  It was bizarre.  All the folks saying it was what I ate.  Well, I kept eating the same things I had always eaten and there were NO MORE headaches. Not only migraines but those regular stress headaches ceased also.

Le sigh.  That was late 2017.  I had a doozy today.  Is that the word and is it spelled correctly?  Yep. I looked it up.  For about five years 2018 - 2023 my life was much improved without those headaches.  I had a lot of issues at work in 2024 and I retired that year. I noticed a few more headaches than I'd been having. 

It may be allergies.  I have never had an issue with allergies but they can creep up on a person anytime.  My daughter  pointed it out to me a couple of years ago with a nagging cough that was just driving me crazy.  I began to take a pill but it must have been seasonal because it all stopped.

I noticed myself sniffling today.  For the past three days I have been sneezing a lot.  And then the headache.  It may have been the heat played a part, also.  Since the temperature has come down a bit, I thought I could get away with  not running the A/C.  Not because I want to save money or be "green" but because I freeze the kids out in the basement.  I was also spending more time in the basement with my daughter since she broke her ankle.  I came upstairs today late afternoon and it said 87 degrees.  I was sick to my stomach and my head was pounding.  I can't say it was heat related since I'd spent a few hours in the cool basement but maybe it was a delayed reaction from earlier in the day.  I turned the A/C on and then just now turned it back off (dropping into the high 60's overnight).

I am postponing going to bed because laying down makes the headache worse.  I will have to lay on my left side because that is the side with the pain.  I'll probably have one hand tucked under my head to create some sort of pressure on the throbbing.  I've taken my usual ibuprofen and I even took an allergy pill.  I did not take a migraine pill (Imitrex).  It is too late for that anyway.  They usually only work when you take the pill at the very first sign of the migraine attack.  And for an hour or two it is pure hell.  The pill makes everything hurt and sometimes it can squeeze the chest area.  It no longer does that for me but I do feel pretty bad.  After the initial two hours and if the medicine works - voila!  I am headache free!  I can't jump up and down on a pogo stick, but I can function.  I don't dance, run or bend over.  Just calmly carry on.  No sudden movements, especially the head.  

From 12 years old to 35 I had nothing but OTC headache pills.  My sister did have me try a Midrin (an older drug my older siblings took) but I didn't really like the way it made me feel.  It took the edge off but it was just weird. Then at 35 when my daughter was four years old I reached out to a doctor after seeing a commercial that spoke of new medicine for migraines.  I went through a few and the one that I seemed to do well with the most was Imitrex (sumatriptan).  Well, Maxalt (rizatriptan) was the best but I had a tiny little reaction one day to it and that stopped that.  My doctor prescribed me another one, but I still had prescriptions left of Maxalt and I am sorry to say that I continued to use that until the prescription ran out.  I never told my doctor.  

The reason I reached out when my daughter was young was because it made me angry.  When I had a migraine (which was often) I was no better than a drunk on the couch.  I couldn't move.  I couldn't stand lights, sound or smells.  I was throwing  up.  My head was pounding.  It was pretty much the same as a hangover but you did not have any fun the night before.  I hated that my daughter had to "play quietly" because Mommy was sick again.  Medicine had come a long way since 1972.

Slow going

The basement is a priority compared to my upstairs bathroom. I am still washing wall paper paste off the walls in the bathroom. Tedious job.

Downstairs, they have Clorox'f the floor and added the first coat of primer in preparation for the new carpet.

The smells have slayed me. I have taken a migraine pill and it has kept the fumes from ripping my head apart (just barely). The smells still make me woozy, especially after I come in from taking the dogs outside.

It was a Chinese food fest last night and I don't want to see Chinese food for at least a year or so. Tonight it looks like sloppy Jo's and french fries. That should change the smell factor in the house. Oh, yeah!

Vacation, party time!

Ha! I did not purchase this alcohol. I was asked what I wanted to drink. We were heading South about 200 miles to visit relatives smack dab in the middle of Wild Wonderful West Virginia. I said I would get it at the store when we arrived at the motel. My daughter's beau would not take no for an answer, so I suggested lime-a-rita.

As I predicted we ended up hauling all this liquor down to West Virginia and all the way back to Ohio. I didn't even open the case of lime-a-rita. The Jack, vodka and Bud were missing a few. And the jagermeister is down about 1/8th. Whoop! 

I had one margarita at the bar. Then ginger ale.

Sigh.

We had 14 show up. Usually it is 20 or more. The young ones who really like to drink were unable to show. That's what happens when you have kids! One niece was kind of excited though because she had not had a drink in....I don't know how long. She had just weaned her little girl and was going to celebrate. She drank two drinks that I saw and got silly. LOL!

We did get to visit with some wonderful people. Our relatives that we visit are just the best. There are others, but we just do not seem to meld with them as well. Not that they are not just as nice and funny. There is only so much time to visit.

Sunday I awoke with a crushing headache. Advil (or the generic form) did not touch it, another migraine tablet and I felt the nausea. I was miserable. My daughter and her beau stepped in and packed me up and into the car and drove me home. As I was resting in the back seat - my headache finally abating (after some weak coffee - caffeine!), I thought to myself "Hey, I could get used to this!"

Note: I am kind of Independent. I have to be the one driving, I have to pack all my own stuff and I have to do this myself and this....it was easy to let things go this time because I was so damn sick.

So, I missed out on the last visit or two. The others went and took pictures. We had a great time. I am going to talk to the doctor about changing my migraine medication. I have been on Imitrex (or the generic form) for about four years and the rebound headaches are killing me. Causing me to take a second tablet the next day to fix the rebound headache. I took another the third day and today I awoke with the same crushing headache.

But, I was home. I had my fan blowing cool air on me. I gulped down three generic Advil (no migraine pill today) and moved around and got my coffee in me.

In no time, the headache was gone and we will see what tomorrow brings when I return to work.

I always take an extra day off after vacation to recuperate. I know from experience that I am drained and can barely function, so I had today off also.

I think I will be ready to tackle getting up and going and having my head on straight by tomorrow  morning.  Whew! These darn headaches just slay me!

Happy you know what

My grand/great nephew posing with a Mylar heart balloon.

I am still here. I am sharing my computer with my sister (1956) who is living with me at this time. You may see a lot of deleted comments on your posts. Well, that is me forgetting that my sister is logged into Google and it comments under her name. LOL!

Adjustment.  Heh.

Been super busy at work, too.

Been running almost every evening after work. Came down with a migraine last night. My body just quit. It said "Enough!"

I am going to try to sleep all day Sunday.

Have to work on Monday because so many schools are using this as a make-up day. I can work from  home, though.

Lots of happenings in family this month and next. SO many birthdays. So many dinners and cakes.

A big seven-oh for my oldest sister (1944) the other night. She held up well with the crazy get together of fifteen people.

Here she is with her husband and one of their three grandsons this past summer. He is the little tyke in the Mylar heart pictured above.

Deep frying the turkey

The "guys" busy at work frying the turkey. Every year the office I work out of has a Thanksgiving lunch where everybody brings a covered dish. We have a wonderful lady who brings a roaster full of turkey with delicious juices. We usually run out and it is too much for her so we decided to supplement with a second turkey. I think they were nervous that the meat be a true 165º that it was a bit dry, but hey - it was delicious! And we had plenty of gravy.

Of course wouldn't you know that the main guy doing the frying is a volunteer fireman. If you are related to -  or a friend of a fireman then you know they are the most dangerous! LOL! I finally talked him into having a fire extinguisher on hand. They are just so daring because 'They've seen it all!'

This year I brought the jiffy cornbread cream corn pudding. I had doubled the batch and it was so creamy when I mixed it I was worried about it being done in the middle. So I cooked it too long and it was dry. Some recipes called for sugar and some did not so I was nervous about the sugar so I added very little. Another mistake. Next time (and there WILL be a next time) I am adding more sugar and not baking it as long.

I battled my headache all day. We were all running around getting our covered dishes ready, many dishes were in and out of the oven all morning in our office kitchen. I had to run back home to get crackers since I had forgotten them. I also take hot pepper jelly with cream cheese for folks to nibble on during the morning as they try to wait until the food is ready and lunch time. With all the fantastic smells we are all just walking around drooling.

We did not have fun and games (I am usually the one who creates the trivia and a game or two) but I told them about my migraine and I just could not do any more. The big laugh though was the fact that I had put my top on inside-out. The office secretary came up to me in the food line and whispered that fact to me. I laughed and said "I wondered why it looked so light today. I just thought perhaps I had goofed and washed it with a load of whites and bleached it!"

It got a good laugh from everybody and I loved it! I finished getting my food, set my plate down and proceeded to the restroom to turn my top inside-right. I quipped "You are all lucky I even managed to put a top ON today, with the way I feel!"

After lunch, I had time to sit quietly and just work. My headache finally subsided enough. But, I had a hair appointment. The good thing about that is somebody is scrubbing my head (always makes my headache feel better) but I was getting the roots colored so the smell was going to be an issue. Waiting for the dye to finish setting I literally fell asleep twice in the chair.

I have no appointments or events this week-end so I can lay low and just chill out. Give my body time to rest and if I want to take a nap, I will.

Until I read sister 1944's e-mail. She is very depressed. Me (being me) told her to give me a day and time and I would be there to listen and to paint love all over her. Because that is what family does and that is what sisters are for. I truly believe that those raised with nothing and in poverty conditions have a much stronger and beautiful bond with their siblings. And I truly believe it is more precious than any amount of money and you better believe that I am humbly grateful that I was fortunate enough to be born into such a family. My cup runneth over this Thanksgiving.

Hey...what? Runneth is not a word, blogger?  Aw - shame on you!  Alright - dictionary.com says it is not a word, either. Too bad. I am using it and I am keeping it because I heard it a lot growing up!

Two dollars

Is this not the cutest thing? I have a co-worker who made this at the dinner we went to Wednesday evening. I had very new crisp dollar bills and she showed off her skill. She said her husband is very good at it and kids just surround him to watch him work if he is out in public and doing this.

I have been slammed the past few days. Day and night. Of course a migraine started to creep up on me yesterday. I overslept. Had no memory of turning off my alarm. I was scheduled to drive to a little tiny school 55 miles away in a cow pasture. Just to arrive and find out the tech did not know to try turning the equipment off and then back on. That was all that was needed. I blame myself for part of it because he is new and when I told him to check to see that the equipment had power, they usually turn it off and back on and I neglected to detail that fact.

I was literally falling asleep on the long drive back. I picked a spot halfway and parked the car. I literally crashed for an hour. In the car! Of course it was not a good sleep as I chose Roscoe Village and there were many slamming car doors and the sun had started to come out and I was using my coat as a pillow (must wash coat!) and it smelled.

So, that was my lunch hour. I fired the car back up and went on to the next scheduled stop. This is the juvenile center for wayward young adults. The building is brand spanking new and next to the county prison. The last visit I had there was not a pleasant one. I had many complications getting in and getting co-operation.

This time I must have done something right. I had called and arranged my visit before hand with the right person. I was not given any grief whatsoever - people were as nice as can be. I didn't fix the problem but it was a nice visit. Except for the fact that the wiring closet has no shelf,  no table, nothing to balance my laptop on. Did you know that a lap does not exist until one sits down? Hah!

I had to plop on the very cold cement floor in what I would guess to be a three feet by three foot room. It was freezing in there. I spent about an hour. I moved around a good bit and got up several times.I had to stand outside in the hall with the door propped open to get cell phone service to call the telco to help troubleshoot. If the door closed, I was not getting back in until I went to find an employee. Few and far between. If I stepped back inside the closet the network went dead and I would lose my very precious call to the telco. You can imagine what steps you have to go through to get back into the queue and actually get a human on the other end of the telephone.

Sometimes when you have to deal with conditions like this and then the people at the site are nasty and mean - you just want to chuck it all and go back to your warm office with the fake leather chair and relax. Sometimes it just sucks to spend so much time being this uncomfortable and you just throw in the towel for the day. The only problem with this action is that you know you have to come back out here at some point and try again.

And the stupid headache does not help. It is hard to think in this condition. The day finally ended and I moved on to the grocery store where I needed to get a few supplies to make a dish for the office luncheon we are having today.

I signed up to bring in the creamy corn pudding made with jiffy cornbread.  I don't know why I keep choosing recipes I have never tried before. Sigh.

Baby shower .....done!

The photo above is my grand niece on the right and a family friend on the left. I captioned this one in Facebook as the one in pink saying "Dahling....where did you get that beautiful dress? It's divine!" or something like that.

Babies, babies, babies. My niece is now much more prepared for her baby than she was. The shower was a success. We had it at The Wilderness Center.  The only drawback is the fact that my niece and her husband have been nomads the past couple of years and their friends are spread all over the state and country.  Only a handful of friends could make it because of the distance, but my family more than makes up for it. All sisters were there - YAY!

The only OTHER drawback was the heat. We had an upstairs room and I was roasting. When you are hosting (grinning because of the rhyme) you get over heated quickly because you are stressing and running around doing this and doing that.

I had been dealing with a migraine. It had actually been going on all week. Sunday was a bad one. I took the medicine in the morning and with the time change and the hour of saved time I was able to get all done that I needed to. While brushing my teeth I began gagging. If you have ever taken some strong medicine you know how it can make you nauseous at times. In the car going to the shower my daughter said she got SO worried when she heard me gagging. I was like "How sweet." Until she finished her thought. She said she was worried that SHE would have to take over hosting the shower and playing the games and talking to the group of people. Now I can say it sarcastically "How sweet!"

Rain Pain

I used to love a good soaking rain. These days it is all about pain. Before the rain began last evening I was almost ready to throw up with the sick headache. It was not bad enough to take a migraine med, but I felt absolutely lousy. I was okay in the house with the A/C.  I needed quite a few things, so I did a "quick" run to the drug store. Heh,  heh. I needed a LOT of things.

I had actually been taking the migraine med about every other day (I know about rebound headaches and am not doubting this may be part of the problem).

I got into the store and I got sick. I made the mistake of picking up my daughter's prescription near the end of my trip and they had to prepare it. "This will take about twenty minutes." UGH!

Why didn't I stop at the pharmacy counter first? WHY?

I had everything in my cart except for the milk, so I sat down and waited. I really started to feel lousy. I could feel the sweat start all over my head. I had to wipe it away several times on my forehead. What is wrong with their A/C?  I can only imagine what the other customers thought. "God, she IS sick. I hope her medicine she is picking up works." 

When I went outside to put my purchases in the car, I realized that the drug store DID have their A/C running. You could have cut the air with a knife. It was so humid and thick. My head pounded.

The A/C in my car gets  a work-out.

I arrived at home and I unloaded the car. I tried to relax.

About an hour later (no medication involved) - poof! It was gone. I was typing away on the computer etc.. Before bed I took the dogs out and it was pouring. I stepped off the porch in an effort to get the timid boxer out and into the rain. He thinks he is a sugar cube. I let the rain just pelt me. I knew I shouldn't get this wet this close to bedtime but I didn't care. He did follow but he didn't dally around. He quickly peed and zoomed back onto the porch.

I just stood in the rain and wondered about headache pain and the weather.

Mmmmm....pineapple

I think this little one ate at least 15 pieces of pineapple and strawberries. He kept going back for more. Then one time I was over there and he held up a blueberry and told me to try one - "They are good!"

I went to a big family get together on Sunday. The migraine hit while I was holding a sweet little tiny baby girl and I refused to give her up (she was sleeping) to take any medicine. Lucky for me I have a sister who will wait on me hand and foot. She got me my medicine and some water.

It was too late. I was miserable and even had to take another pill the next day. It was Tuesday before I felt like myself again.

I no longer go to bed when I have a migraine. Laying flat slays me. I have to use my TV chair and nap. My head has to be in an upright position any more. I have no less than four U-shaped neck pillows and one is almost always within arms reach.

Ugh. I didn't want this to be yet another headache post.

So back to it. Kids are just the best!

Architecture

I have decided for my next job - I want to work here. I have no idea where "here" is. I just like the building. LOL!  There is a school that I go to and when I leave, I have to shoot out this little back alley and this day I decided to snag a picture of the building.  Found it. Superb Industries.

On the home front  - ha! My washing machine died last night. Ain't that the way? One thing after another? I had just watched a National Geographic documentary about Hurricane Sandy and all the flooding and mud mess those people had to deal with, so when my washing machine died, I said to myself "It could be worse."

The tree has been cut down. Four branches have been cut off from the other tree. They almost took the wrong tree. I told them it was the tree with the roots as big as a barrel forcing the sidewalk to push up like the roof of a house. I am hoping they come back to grind the stump. I can't recall if the city said they would do that or not. Seems to me like I would have mentioned it since that is the key to stop the roots from growing.

Discovered the reason for my lack of energy and headaches this past week-end. And the super migraine on Friday. Thank-you Mother Nature!

The bar back then

Maybe 2006? When  my niece lived with us and my daughter had friends over and they all congregated in the basement.  OMG! I just realized that somebody hung that Happy Birthday sign upside-down. LOL!

I sort of had a meltdown last week. I was tired and overwhelmed. I felt like things were moving too fast and I did not or could not deal with any more. I wanted all those guys out of my house. The noise, the smells, the stress was too much for me. I was wiped out all week-end. I planned to move stuff into totes and out and into the garage. To prepare for the next stage which is to pull up all carpet on both sides. I had water damage on the other side a couple of years back and I never did get it taken care of.

Nothing happened over the week-end. I was wiped out. The migraine monkey hit me hard on Friday. I had to take two Imitrex to get it out. I met friends Friday evening and I felt wonderful but hit a blinding snowstorm coming home. The meeting with my friends fell flat. They chose a restaurant that was so crowded and so dark. The waiter said they could not do anything with the lights because they are on an energy saving plan and they have no control over it. Everybody was tilting their menus towards the window to read them.

Most of my friends are struggling and either out of work or had to take a job that is way below what they were doing for the past 25 years. The company we had all worked at and met at folded. To hear them struggle and try is so depressing. We are all over 50, now. I got out in the mid 90's. They stayed. They were on unemployment for a while. Some received free schooling. Some did not qualify. I have no idea how that works.

I awoke Saturday morning with a smashing headache. Not a migraine but a huge pain in the back of my head. I swallowed three Advil every four hours to keep it at bay. I can work with a sore back and sore arms and sore legs. You just rest for a bit and the soreness fades and you can go again. Not so with a headache. Bending, lifting, hauling - you cannot do it with a headache. Any movement starts the pounding. Sigh.

Screw it. I guess there is no hurry. I am not going anywhere.

Blah, blah, blah

When did January turn into February? When I wasn't looking? I did enjoy the R&R Hall of Fame. I especially liked reading where the artist wrote the song(s). Usually on a yellow notepad. Bob Seger has the most mechanical handwriting. Like an engineer. And some of the words were much different when first written on paper. "And here's to you, Mrs. Roosevelt."   Not Mrs. Robinson. Heh, heh.

The headaches came back. They started and once they started did not stop. The doctor told me to start taking my Nerontin three times a day and then in a month back to twice daily. The increase in medication barely worked. I have episodes almost daily. It felt as if somebody had stuck a steak knife into the corner of my right eye yesterday. I had to leave work. I broke down and took my migraine medication. A few hours later I was pain free. Now, I am concerned about the rebound. Almost 48 hours after I take the medication the misery starts again. Stupid hormones. Stupid weather.

I have a big family get together Saturday. Sunday I have to go out of town for work until Wednesday. I hate that. I hate not sleeping in my own bed. I think this is the last one I will go to. I will let somebody else go. I am supposed to go every other year but I am dreading it so much. I've made myself miserable.

I watched "Hitchcock" a while back. As always I get S Johansson mixed up with J Biel. I think they look alike. I "googled" pictures of Hitchcock's wife after I watched the movie. She was a very homely woman. They tried hard to make Mirren homely. Sorry. Didn't work. She is a fine looking woman. I liked the movie. I am not certain I would have liked Alfred and Alma in real life. They guy playing A Perkins - nailed it!

And did he really buy up all the copies of the book so nobody would know the ending? Is that part true? Can that be done?  I don't think they could use that tactic today.

Games

My family enjoys playing Left,Center, Right and Tripoley after the Thanksgiving meal. I notice that football was scratched from the menu this year. I did hear somebody  mention it, then somebody else said "Wait until after this play" as they were watching football on TV. They never got back to the actual going outside and throwing the ball around. One person did duck out at six and go shopping. She came back by nine with stories to tell us about the chaos.

Left, Center, Right is safe enough. We play with nickles. Only about five of us played that. When the Tripoley board came out, though - it turned to eight and nine. We only play with nickles and it always take a few rounds for us to get into the "swing" of things as we never remember how to play until two or three hands in.

I tallied up that if I had never won any of the money on the board and if we played (I estimated) 25 rounds, and having to pay an average of ten cents at the end of each game the most one could lose was about  $12.50 total. Not too bad if you are working, but for those not working it may be hard. I think the only one we had not working this year was the six year old. My sister made certain that he had his little satchel of nickles, though. He was slow, but most of us were patient. The trick is to wait out the players. Most had to bundle up and leave and the die hards that stayed until the end had the best chance of winning. I was spending the night so I was in for the long haul.

The meal was fantastic. We had way too much. My corn pudding went over very well. As did my cheese ball and tray. The tray consists of various sliced cheeses, pepperoni slices and trail bologna sliced up with spicy mustard. I must have picked out the extra hot jalapeno cheese this year as a lot of people were loving it. Not one of my favorites. I prefer brick/butter/muenster cheese.

Another hit was the cranberry nut bread that I made. I may make more of that today. It goes very quickly.

Today I plan to bake a turkey with all the trimmings. I don't feel like it. Yet. I slept in until 9:00. That is so rare for me. I did not sleep well the night before (being in a strange place) and now I am out of sorts. My head hurt all day yesterday and by evening we were getting a light dusting of snow. The day had started out at 51º . It became colder all day. And, yes - I did have to take a migraine pill later in the afternoon. Ugh!

Sister 1956 and I had planned to spend the night and chat with sister 1944 after the dinner because she is always so sad when it is time for everyone to go and she and her husband and my oldest brother are left in the house. Sister 1954 had to work Friday and was going back that evening until she got wind that we were staying. She was drunk before she even go to the dinner so she was determined to stay. She did until 3:30 a.m. and more or less ruined it for us. Again. She picks at things with us trying to get a reaction. I try to tell the rest of the family not to believe what she says. She starts rumors about family members etc, and my other sisters believe her. I told them the next day not to.

Side note: sister 1954 had a driver and she lives over two hours away. Whether she made it to work on Friday or not  has not been determined. I am almost certain she did. She only had to work 9 to 1 and she usually can function well enough to get by when she is hung over or drunk or both. She has had enough experience doing both.

Now, to go and get that turkey in the oven and peel some potatoes. I can't believe it is 10 o'clock and I have not even had my first cup of coffee. What is wrong with the world? My head will be in a fog all day!

Shoot the Sterno!

Sigh. Huge migraine today. I attribute it to the time change.

My daughter was my hero. Not only did she bring me my migraine medicine but she came into my office, closed the door, turned out the overhead light and massaged my scalp.

She stayed with me for over two hours to make sure I was okay.

It was a day that I could not leave the office. I was "chained" to my desk. I had scheduled working with tech support on the phone and a conference call later in an effort to solve some on-going problems.

She talked with me, joked with me and had me laughing. The pain finally went away and I got to head to the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning. Yay!

I sent her a big thank-you on facebook.

Oh, I almost forgot. The Sterno. My building has many events and many times food is catered in. To keep the food warm, the caterer uses those nasty burners that smell something awful. For a migraine sufferer, this is torture! Today was one such event with the sternos running full blast. No ventilation in our building. Grrr!

Still playing

 I used Photo! Editor (free download)  to modify this picture. The original is below with the gray background. The modified one has the gold tones to it. The original was modified a bit with an automatic color adjuster so it is not straight out of the camera, either. Both were given a rounded edge frame from the (also free) program Photoscape.

Headache update. What can I say? Not a single migraine since I began the Neurontin (Gabapentin). I don't like the monopoly of pharmaceutical manufacturers but I do like not having any migraines. I'll just say it as simple as that. It is what it is.

You can read more here and here.

My home has been very active the past month. I have my daughter back living with me and her beau (from Florida). I have my niece and her husband staying (she is 9 weeks pregnant). It is fun to look up what the baby looks like and what is forming. We go here.  The way my daughter talks, this may be the closest I get to participating in the "grandmother" role. That is fine by me. I have lots of nieces and  nephews, I get a share of baby time. Don't get me wrong. That is not near the same as having your own grand-bambino/bambina, but I respect my daughters' wishes to not have children if that is what she chooses. If I wanted to guarantee that I have grand babies, I should have increased my odds by having more children.

Let's throw in a movie update while I am here. The Hunger Games. Lots of confusion in this story. I will skip reading the book unless I get laid up in bed for months at a time and need reading material. I know that the movie is geared towards the young adult. **Possible spoiler alerts - stop here***.  

To me, if you are trying to survive, you do not hang around or walk out in the open area. You keep your ass hidden in the trees and you keep moving. When a "friend" dies, you do not just hold that person (while the other killers are possibly close by) and sing to them and then bury them. Your enemies are all around you tracking you.

Many instances of this practice in the story. I am not clear why it got the publicity and acclaim it did. It was a good watch. A lot better than some of the shows I have seen. We like how they chose lesser known actors (that could have been a monetary decision) but this made it look a bit more real. For the girl to have short and dirty fingernails (not bitten) made it so much more believable than some of the better known actresses who may have insisted on having perfect manicures.

I did not care for them gussying the girls up in prom dresses during the ceremonies. Really? Have we not progressed beyond this sexist image? Apparently not. Will I watch the sequels? Perhaps. Maybe to see if they have more of a story line for the W Harrelson character.  And we always love Stanley in anything.

Survived

Survived another family reunion. This time with extended family members is so special to us, but alas - not everybody feels that way. Our attendance was so low this year we doubt we will have it again next year. Or, we need to change the format to a much less activity-based event.

Our first year we had over 150 attend, this year - maybe 38. It was our fourth one and the heat was so intense I believe some of us suffered a mild heat stroke. So many were dizzy and we just sat around limp. Not to mention the body odor. It was a good idea to choose burgundy color shirts for our matching tee shirts but not healthy. The heat was intense and with a dark, thick tee shirt on - well, you can imagine. Some of my family members refuse to wear them and opt for spaghetti straps and what not for a cooler outcome.

I certainly will have to do something next year. I have expressed my desire for an air conditioned building and having it inside. That seems to be the major reason for absenteeism. The blessed heat.

The party on the patio at the motel was rather tame, also. Just a few who wanted to burn the candle at both ends, and the staff finally moved them into the lobby because of motel visitors complaining. I had gone to bed long ago. I do not party any more. Especially since I am on this medication. I asked to try the bud light lime a rita. It was so delicious and I only drank 6 oz. but it knocked me on my butt. (Medicine intensified, I am sure). I am not one to follow the rules, but when I felt woozy - I stopped cold. I don't push it too much. (Any longer).

We had two siblings that could not make it this year. The first time all 8 of us have not been to the reunion. Well, the first reunion sister 1954 could not make it. Not because she did not want to, though. Most of us find it difficult to understand why they would not want to come to the reunion but you have to let stuff like this go and let people be. Their "excuse" was that they had to work but we all knew about the reunion months in advance. The actual date, anyway. And the ones who could not make it got days off just prior to the reunion and another one - they are going to the ocean in a week or two. So it isn't like they CAN'T get time off. They just decided not to. We held the reunion on a Saturday this year to make it easier for folks who have to travel and get back to work on a Monday. That backfired. All the ones who requested that option, did not show anyway. Claiming they had to work. What is up with that?

Whoops. I am not letting it go, am I?  My daughter showed up and the ones that did show - we had a fantastic time. When the heat was so bad, we got out the water balloons and the mister (sprays water). I find it nice that we have coolers full of water bottles in the same amount as soda. I did not drink one soda, all water. I crave a soda once in a while - but drink water all day.

The food was fantastic - a lot less to choose from - but there is still plenty to go around. Desserts were almost non existent this time. Some cookies, pies and nut bread and that was it. I made calico beans. Once I heard my nephew was bringing a generator (my sister told me he was bringing it for me so that I can have a fan on me) I grabbed the chance to make my beans. The generator would run fans and a crock pot or two on low. I am just grinning to think that he would bring that for me. I love that boy (he will always be my little boy to me) so much! Even though he and his mama are very close and I am so happy they are. For all the hell they have gone through with each other they are so very, very close. It just makes my heart burst.

I find it strange to hear stories about other families that do not step in and take a child if their sibling is having trouble or problems in their life. My sister has been in and out of prison and I had no problem taking her daughter into my home.  Her son was old enough to be on his own. When she moved back home in the early 80's I was working a daylight job. She was tending bar at night. I watched her little boy every night and cared for him. This is family. Her children are my children. That is how I feel. My sisters ALL feel the same way.

Anyway, reunions are a special time for me. I grumble about them. I grumble about the heat. I grumble about the work. I grumble about the money - not so much because to me, complaining about money is vulgar. If you want a wonderful time - sometimes it costs a lot of money. But (to me) you cannot put a price on family and love.

Last, but not least - headache update. Although I did not have a migraine, I had a very bad headache through out the week-end. I attribute that to sleeping (or NOT sleeping) in a motel, the heat and the upset in the schedule. And driving long distance. If I were still on my migraine medication, I certainly would have taken one. Although the pain I felt was not a classic migraine, it was bad enough to warrant a migraine pill. The migraine pill would have knocked it out of the park. Alas, I did not and just kept taking Advil which was not touching it. Many more of my relatives were suffering, too.

This morning. No headache at all. I have taken this Monday off from work (recovery day!) and will releax, wash clothes and enjoy my daughter and her beau's company. The laughter is rocking the Peruby household once again. Quiet time is over. And... the dogs come back today. Ugh!

Celebration

However you celebrate it  (Independence Day) - have a good one.

As for me - quiet today.

A crew is coming in on Saturday (the 7th) to grill. I told them I was not 'doing' the fourth this year. Sigh. They said they will bring everything. Go for it.

I am on some new medication for migraines. And am scheduled for an MRI. I called earlier in the week when I got yet another headache. They are not full blown migraines but my quality of life really sucks. I am trying to find a solution to this "staying home and staying quiet all summer" theme that I have committed myself to. Until I find out what the hell is causing this or what is going on, I am laying low. If it is menopause then I may just have to deal with it until it all passes, but I am not taking it laying down. I will fight but only when I can muster up the energy to do so. I look like shit.

The ones coming in this week-end do not get headaches. I love them and I hope I do not get grouchy. Screw fire works. I hate the noise.

Okay, enough for the negativity. My new med is for seizures but also is believed to help with migraines. Anticonvulsant. Two days in and so far so good. Time will tell. I am certain the MRI will tell nothing, but at least I'll have gotten it out of the way. They seriously asked me if I had any pins or bolts in my head. Really? What am I? Frankenstein? I said the only metal I had were teeth fillings and my mouth is full of that. That is another story. Welfare children do not get to pick much from the dentist arena. Every dentist I have been to since I turned 20 has cursed the dentist that pulled one of my molars at 12 years old.

Okay - back to quiet. Seriously - have a good one. Grill outside if you must but get back into the shade or the Air or a big blue pool. God Bless America. And anything/anybody else who wants to bless us. Every one.

I think I'll go online and try to find an American song by Andy Griffith. I like to hear him sing.

Oh, and wonder of wonders. My computer sputtered on me this morning. I swear! Every fourth of July or close to it (you can go back in my archives and look for yourself) this damn computer crashes. WTF? It is back up and running but it gave me a good scare. I immediately backed up a lot of stuff. I am running out of external hard drive space. Prices are coming down, I think I'll get a 2 TB one.  Newegg has a WD for $129.

Nobody move!

I wanted to title it: Don't nobody move, but what bad English. I know I should have titled this blog "Headaches R Us".  I sneeze and I panic. I take the dogs out in the heat and I panic. A car horn blares, I panic. Do not move too quickly. Slow movements. Slowly ascend the stairs.

I awoke yesterday with no pain. Well, a slight tightness around the head - but nothing that needs medication. I tread carefully all day. Funny how when you don't have a headache all the other pains (normal getting older pains) come to the surface. 

Since I had no headache I watered flowers, I puttered and pulled weeds. Ah, the back ache. Back inside. All laundry done. All dishes done. Move slowly, move carefully.

Oh, Friday was hell because that is the day I had to bite the bullet and NOT take anything. If this last rash of headaches were due to a rebound effect then I have to flush it out.

It is one thing to have pain and no medication. It is another thing to have pain and medication that will take the pain away. But to have the pain, the medication that will take it away and not being able to take it is another matter entirely. I knew if I took my migraine meds the pain would go away and I would feel good and be able to function. If only for 12 to 24 hours.  I opted out. I took Friday and just let myself be miserable. I had to flush out this mess if it was rebound.

Well, it was rebound or the weather changed or my hormones evaporated. Sinus pressure dissipated? Something. Day two of not having to take medicine. Well, not yet anyway.

The photo above is not mine. I lifted it. This is the way my head feels when I have no pain. Crystal blue. I found myself yesterday wanting to cry. With relief.

If the article is correct, then I am certainly a candidate for MOH (medical overuse headache). It would take longer than two or three days to kick the over the counter meds. The migraine medicine I can go for long periods of time without taking them. During menopause the migraines have increased. I am on a daily beta blocker. It is supposed to lessen the number of migraines or perhaps the intensity. Well, I sure would hate to see what would happen if I didn't take the beta blocker. 

I hate the beta blocker! Side effects are horrible. You know that 'second wind' you get when you need it when hiking - especially up a hill? You cannot get that with a beta blocker. It does not let my heart beat harder. The first time I experienced this I could not figure out for the life of me what the heck was going on. I loved to walk and hike and I always had that extra burst of energy to walk fast and get up that hill. No more.

Am I in menopause? Ha! The average time for women to experience menopause is 51/52  years old. I am 52. This menopause can go ten years or longer. Migraines are supposed to ease up after menopause. I am taking cues from my sisters who also get migraines. The oldest one said her 50's were the worst for migraine. Nice.

There is a test the doctor can do to determine if you are experiencing menopause or not. A few years back when I had blood work taken for other tests, she asked me if I wanted to test to see if I was in menopause. I said sure. Not thinking. A few weeks later I received a bill for over $70 - insurance does not cover this test. Arrgghh! I had not even thought of that. So the medical diagnosis from an actual doctor will remain a mystery as to whether or not I am. I have no night sweats. Not yet. That would be horrid. I do get hot very quickly and have to have a fan on me constantly. That could be anything.

So anyway. If only for a week or so, I hope to be medicine free. Of course there is the occasional regular headache you get from sitting at a computer too long, or lack of sleep. Sleep problems are also a sign of menopause. Heck, I had lunch with an old friend and she said that memory loss is a sign of menopause. I had not heard that one. I thought it was my medication. Hmmm. I see no documentation that states memory loss as a symptom. She also said we crave calcium. I don't recall hearing that one and I cannot find any documentation to back it up.

Back on the carousel - or merry-go-round, or roller coaster.

I'm back in the saddle

This festival of hippies? You can have it. I was not impressed.  Quite the opposite, in fact.

The wedding was wonderful.

I am just posting a few sentences because I had a massive four day migraine hit and am just now able to function thanks to First Care and tramadol HCL.  No thanks to my doctor's office who would not see me until 10:30 tomorrow morning. Boo!

I have been a patient for over ten years. Maybe four or five times have I called in those ten years asking to be seen right away due to some pain or ailment. I think they could have done better.

My migraine was not responding to any Imitrex or Advil that I would throw at it. I had a thunderclap episode that I have had before but not as severe. It was followed by severe vomiting and a massive migraine. It scared the bejesus out of my daughter. I was beside myself with pain. It was 1:30 a.m.

I am stubborn about going to the ER.

I will post more about the event when I am feeling better. The highlights for me were the people who brought their dogs.

It is a fact

Ever since I was little I had issue with words. I did not know it at the time, but it could have been a fore runner to my migraines. One symptom of migraine is the speech (dyslexia, I call it) aura. Your brain thinks one thing and the words that come out do not match.

When I was little my family used to laugh at me because I said "cob on the corn" or rolliavi.

I have had I believe, all of the symptoms. Two times (and only two) one eye has completely lost sight. That was weird. I can't recall if it was the same eye each time. The episodes were a couple of years apart.

Anyway, the speech can be quite amusing. I am known to be rather clownish and funny anyway, but this speech issue can really create some havoc.

My medicine takes care of the nausea and pain. Eventually. I am left with what I call a migraine hangover. I am not feeling great but I can function.

A co-worker was introducing a new intern in the tech department. I asked her what her background was and she said "Web page design."  I replied "What did you use, html, frontline?"  The other tech laughed. He said "Frontline? That is for fleas!"  We got a good laugh at that one.

Usually I get words switched. For example, if I want to say - "It sure is hot in the car"; I may say instead "It sure is car in the hot." Things like this have happened all my life.

Later in the day was the real kicker. As you know a few days ago I watched the pilot to Gilligan's Island. The regular theme song form the television series has been stuck in my head for days. I walked downstairs to use the restroom and then off to the mail room to see if I had mail. As I walked back through what I thought were empty halls I was singing "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.." I turned a corner and there in front of me was one of the younger fellow psychologists. He was always shy and never said much.

Being a tiny bit self conscious that I had been caught singing, I barked out "I've had Gilligan's head stuck in my I...."  That is when my mouth stopped. My brain was saying WTF are you saying? Stop, stop, stop - you idiot. It was too late. My mouth had spit out the switched words and stopped. The poor guy was texting. He glanced up at me and I was trying to backpedal as fast as I could by talking quickly and saying "I mean the song Gilligan's island has been stuck in my head!"  He was long gone, having returned to his texting.

Yep. My daughter is right. They are scared of me.