News of Extended Silence

I know, I haven't written in almost a month. I looked on my camera and I haven't taken a picture since Christmas.

Help, I've fallen on my couch and I can't get up!

You see it all started at Thanksgiving. When we passed around one of the gag gifts and took our blood pressure, I suddenly realized why I was having a lot of headaches. Woops! So off I went to the Dr. and started on my Toporol prescription. The Dr. said, "Now I hesitate to say this, because sometimes, when a person hears about a side-effect, they'll think they have it. But that being said, Toporol sometimes makes people feel tired or fatigued." So sure enough, as soon as I started taking it, I felt tired. But really not so much tired as sleepy. But I thought "Well, maybe I'm making it up, or maybe I just need to get used to it." By the end of the month it had not gotten any better. No matter how much sleep I got, I still felt like I needed to go back to bed as soon as I got back from dropping off the kids.

I called the Dr.'s office and told them the deal and they called in a new medicine for me. I felt IMMEDIATELY better! I even started back to the gym. And then two weeks later I broke out in a rash.

Yeah.

So then I went back to the Dr. got a steroid for the rash, and a new blood pressure medicine. The next day...back on the couch. Rash free...but on the couch nevertheless. But I don't usually put two and two together right away. I spend a few days to a week thinking I'm crazy before I realize, "Oh, maybe it's this medicine I'm taking!" Another week on the couch and I'm back in the Dr.'s office having my blood drawn, and learning about Beta Blockers, Calcium channel blockers, and something else I can't remember. We decide I need to go back on the second medication to make sure without a shadow of a doubt that I'm allergic to it. So after two weeks of struggling to do ANYTHING, I take the medication, take the kids to school, come home and do three loads of laundry, make every bed, pick up every room, do two loads of dishes, vacuumed the living room including under the couches and chairs, and I never broke a sweat.

That night, you guessed it, I started itching. Technically, I don't have a rash yet, but it's not looking good for the Calcium Channel Blockers.

In the meantime, life has gone on. I hope to catch you up with some pictures of my new curtains, an exciting tale that includes cops, and more stomach flu - because I know you love a good vomit story.