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More Than A Headache, It’s Migraine!
The first time I experienced a migraine, I didn’t know that’s what it was. It began with a dry feeling in my left eye and a warmness on the same side of my face. This strange feeling woke me up earlier than usual. Maybe I was getting a cold or the flu, I thought. It was winter. My nose wasn’t stuffy, and my temperature was normal. I took two ibuprofen, but I seemed to be getting worse. I took two more. No relief, only more pain! I went ahead and took some cough medicine and rubbed my chest with Vicks just in case. My eye kept hurting. It started to feel hard to me as if it was swollen. I told my husband that my eye was painful. The pain in my face, but only on the left side, spread to my forehead and jaw. The throbbing began and it wouldn’t quit. I was thinking of going to the emergency room because the pain was horrible. I couldn’t stop crying, and I threw up. My husband closed the curtains since the light was making the pain even worse. I felt like begging the doctor to rip out my eye to end the pain. Cold wash cloths, ice packs, even a cold shower didn’t relieve the pain. I remembered that I had a bottle of leftover pain medication from my hysterectomy months before. The surgeon had given me refills if I needed them. I was worried about taking the pills because I had taken so much ibuprofen that morning. Three hours went by. I laid in the dark bedroom, suffering from pain so bad that I said it was worse than giving birth or getting an operation. I felt like I was going insane from a HEADACHE! I had to rationalize with myself to take the hydrocodone. What if I became an addict? The label said one to two pills as needed every four hours. I did need them! Before I swallowed two, I said I’d rather die from an overdose than feel anymore pain. The pills dulled my head pain but not my eye pain. I began to be calm and could lie still under my electric blanket with the ice pack on my head. The pain seemed lighter. I stayed in bed until midnight when it returned. Two more hydrocodone, back in bed with nothing to eat that day. I was able to drink warm tea at dawn. The sun was coming up, and I still had pain in my eye, although it was getting less. I remained in bed another day until the pain turned into an ache. Ibuprofen kept the ache away until I was able to see my eye doctor. You had a migraine, he said, and sent me home with a brochure about headaches. Diagnosing migraine is not uncommon for eye doctors. I used to hear people talk about migraine, but I really didn’t feel any sympathy. It’s just a headache, after all! They must be drama queens or a hypochondriac. Now I understand what it’s like to have migraines. I’m not ashamed to use the word suffering. I research about treatment and how to cope. There isn’t one thing that triggers a migraine for me that I can identify. It just happens. A dull pain in my eye has been hanging around for almost a week, and I am praying it doesn’t turn worse. #Migraine #Headache #eyepain #suffering #Opioids #Pain
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Free Books Cheap Books Good Books?
I wish I had an e-book reader that didn’t have internet. I bought my first one because the idea was so amazing. Buy a bunch of books, store them in a small device and read whenever you want! It had a light so I could use it in bed especially when my husband was asleep. But I had to use the cover to hide the light from his eyes since I didn’t want to wake him up. Another thing-I began to buy books just because of the price. $.99 was like a beacon calling me, tempting me to push the BUY button, even when I knew in the back of my mind I didn’t really want to read the book. It wasn’t my type. I preferred other kinds. The covers were gaudy or flashy or just plain stupid. These weren’t the type of books I would choose if I wasn’t under the influence of something. But what is that something? I used to read better, research more. I would find an interview with an author who discussed their favorite book. If I wasn’t familiar with that one, I looked for it. I worked to locate the book. I found it, and the act of finding that one book made it seem more worthwhile. I have to disconnect my bank account from Amazon!
How do I say this but with the truth? Free and cheap books seem like a type of drug, pornography in a way, but only because of the gratification of pushing that buy button.
I read an article recently about how the introduction of the e-book reader led to self-publishing (which is not bad in itself), which led to millions and millions of authors selling their books on the internet. The result is soulless competition to SELL!
I think I’ll clean out my Kindle and delete books that I know I will never read. I don’t have the same problem with physical books. I only buy what I’m certain to read. Also, I need to investigate how to switch off the internet on my Kindle and only turn it on if I really need it. Then I can read books I really want to read.#books #reading #ebooks #MondayBlogs
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Review of Emmie of Indianapolis
“Too many YA authors feel the need to show their adult self in the narrative, where as Castaneda successfully avoids that pit fall. “Emmie of Indianapolis” reads as if Emmie is speaking directly to us, simply, succinctly, sometimes without understanding, and other times with deep understanding; but more often than not a sense of wonder. From time to time Emmie does use words from the adult world, and Castaneda’s prose choices makes it clear that Emmie uses them with a child’s appreciation – as borrowed words, rather than as her own.” Amazon review 5 Stars
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The Last Book
https://bookplaces.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/the-last-book/Has anyone seen the movie The Book of Eli? It’s one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it many times and I know I’ll watch it again. The film is in the category of ‘timeless literature ‘ and yes, films can be literature, the theme is a horrible one. The last Bible, the last Holy Book left on a post-apocalyptic Earth is kept under guard by a man named Eli who has received divine inspiration to ‘go west’ with the book. His journey is explored in the movie. You must see it!
Does the possibility of a world without books concern you? What if there were no more copies of the Bible left? Even for non-religious people, most realize the importance of that book. We have other books that we should also try to keep in print for future generations. Those who argue that books can be stored on the internet such as ebooks have to keep this in mind. You may have spent money for an ebook or received a free download to read on your Kindle or phone or computer, but you don’t really own the book. You paid money for the privilege of reading it and storing it for a certain time, unspecified, until Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and others decide that they want to take back the book. It’s a file, that ‘book’, and everyone knows what can happen to computer files! That ebook came to you when you pushed a button as my dad liked to say, and it can be recalled at the push of a button on the other side. This has already happened in certain cases though it’s not a big news item.
Physical books are long-lasting. Think of centuries-old manuscripts and books written on fabric or stone. Ancient civilizations wrote in symbols on walls and we’re still discovering more. Our ancestors realized the importance of writing for posterity. I own a copy of Lord Byron’s Poetical Works published in 1802. The book is in very good condition. I have other old books although not as old. Do you see books strictly as entertainment, as a temporary thing? If you were asked to leave a list of books everyone should read, what would they be?
