A busy happy shopping day
Aug. 6th, 2012 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightlotusmoonCharlotte came to get me for our shopping stuff, and we ate at the Original Pancake House (Eggs Benedict with potato pancakes for her, French Toast for me), and I was finally able to treat us with my own cash. After that came Pepco (with coupons for Nature's Variety and Before Grains dry cat food, plus Soulstice canned cat food, Arm & Hammer cat litter in a 40 pound box, and new metal bowls to replace the cracked glass bowls for the upstairs food). Bed Bath And Beyond was next (a plush new Turkish bamboo cotton bath towel and hand towel just because I could, SteroPod toothbrush caps; I may go back for another Tree Bark bath towel with another coupon, because bamboo is awesome).
Charlotte helped me load everything into her SUV. I lifted one of her 28 pound litter cardboard boxes from cart to trunk, and we were extremely proud. I mean, I couldn't do that last year.
We came back to her house and spent some time, where we chatted about her grandmother's wake and funeral last week. The funeral had been Catholic, the priest made Charlotte extremely uncomfortable and annoyed since he didn't even discuss anything personal about her Nana, and Charlotte made sure to visit her grandfather's headstone as well as the fresh one. Her family even treated her very well, considering that for all of Charlotte's life she had been the black sheep of her mother's family. I, too, miss Nana deeply. What an awesome woman she was. But she had been ready to go, she had stopped fighting the brain cancer and wanted to be with her husband, and she's already haunting Charlotte because she promised she would, so it's all good. Nana's two tabby kittens, Smokey and Punky, are living at Charlotte's separated from the three adult cats until Shadow understands that she is not being replaced and she is still the queen, and that her two children, Buster and Baby, are staying as well. Now, Nana's house across the street will most likely be bought by a cousin to keep it in the family. I know Charlotte wanted Adam and me to buy it but there's no way, especially not now that we've been renovating the townhouse.
When we came back to my house, I got a call from my physician's assistant regarding the Tramadol I had discussed with Dr. Carolyn last week. Dr. Carolyn had approved of my trying the drug but wanted me to get a pain specialist beforehand, who would then handle all my medications and treatments. But I couldn't get through to any of her referrals nor anyone else, and when I finally got one they weren't taking new patients. On Sunday night, I was in such amazing pain that I left a tearful voicemail for the office and explained that I just wanted to try the Tramadol now, and when I finally found a specialist then it could be handled. The assistant, Kevin, told me that he and Dr. Carolyn had gotten my message and had quickly called the prescription into my local CVS; they had known me for a decade and knew damn well when I was serious. Kevin had said that the doctor had been worried and empathetic. Which is why I love her. I thanked him a few times, and Charlotte drove me to the shopping center.
I picked up the Ultram for under six dollars for forty tablets, while Charlotte bought some makeup, and since she so rarely wore makeup I was happy to help her choose colors. Since she is severely allergic to aloe vera in all forms, we have to check every ingredient list of every product that comes near her. It's one of the reasons I started researching holistic skin care. Whenever I know I will be hanging out with Charlotte, I try to use aloe-free products, or if I use products with aloe I make sure that I don't touch her until the products with aloe absorb fully. She gets blistered and reddened, which is the exact opposite of what aloe is supposed to do. The fact that for her aloe causes the very symptoms it is meant to heal is extraordinary. Aloe allergy is not unusual, but it is kind of rare. I myself am very relieved that I can use topical soy.
So, I am highly satisfied. For the first time in years I was able to buy things I wanted freely, with money that was mine from my own bank account, and I happily treated myself as well as the cats. And that first dose of Tramadol, which I took an hour ago, is working quite well! I am in almost no pain, with no foggy or dizzy side effects like those from the codeine. This pleases me so much.
Charlotte helped me load everything into her SUV. I lifted one of her 28 pound litter cardboard boxes from cart to trunk, and we were extremely proud. I mean, I couldn't do that last year.
We came back to her house and spent some time, where we chatted about her grandmother's wake and funeral last week. The funeral had been Catholic, the priest made Charlotte extremely uncomfortable and annoyed since he didn't even discuss anything personal about her Nana, and Charlotte made sure to visit her grandfather's headstone as well as the fresh one. Her family even treated her very well, considering that for all of Charlotte's life she had been the black sheep of her mother's family. I, too, miss Nana deeply. What an awesome woman she was. But she had been ready to go, she had stopped fighting the brain cancer and wanted to be with her husband, and she's already haunting Charlotte because she promised she would, so it's all good. Nana's two tabby kittens, Smokey and Punky, are living at Charlotte's separated from the three adult cats until Shadow understands that she is not being replaced and she is still the queen, and that her two children, Buster and Baby, are staying as well. Now, Nana's house across the street will most likely be bought by a cousin to keep it in the family. I know Charlotte wanted Adam and me to buy it but there's no way, especially not now that we've been renovating the townhouse.
When we came back to my house, I got a call from my physician's assistant regarding the Tramadol I had discussed with Dr. Carolyn last week. Dr. Carolyn had approved of my trying the drug but wanted me to get a pain specialist beforehand, who would then handle all my medications and treatments. But I couldn't get through to any of her referrals nor anyone else, and when I finally got one they weren't taking new patients. On Sunday night, I was in such amazing pain that I left a tearful voicemail for the office and explained that I just wanted to try the Tramadol now, and when I finally found a specialist then it could be handled. The assistant, Kevin, told me that he and Dr. Carolyn had gotten my message and had quickly called the prescription into my local CVS; they had known me for a decade and knew damn well when I was serious. Kevin had said that the doctor had been worried and empathetic. Which is why I love her. I thanked him a few times, and Charlotte drove me to the shopping center.
I picked up the Ultram for under six dollars for forty tablets, while Charlotte bought some makeup, and since she so rarely wore makeup I was happy to help her choose colors. Since she is severely allergic to aloe vera in all forms, we have to check every ingredient list of every product that comes near her. It's one of the reasons I started researching holistic skin care. Whenever I know I will be hanging out with Charlotte, I try to use aloe-free products, or if I use products with aloe I make sure that I don't touch her until the products with aloe absorb fully. She gets blistered and reddened, which is the exact opposite of what aloe is supposed to do. The fact that for her aloe causes the very symptoms it is meant to heal is extraordinary. Aloe allergy is not unusual, but it is kind of rare. I myself am very relieved that I can use topical soy.
So, I am highly satisfied. For the first time in years I was able to buy things I wanted freely, with money that was mine from my own bank account, and I happily treated myself as well as the cats. And that first dose of Tramadol, which I took an hour ago, is working quite well! I am in almost no pain, with no foggy or dizzy side effects like those from the codeine. This pleases me so much.
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no subject
Date: 2012-08-06 11:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 01:38 am (UTC)Have you ever taken Tramadol, or have there been patients on Tramadol who you've seen?
no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 01:43 am (UTC)I do run into quite a lot of chronic pain patients who take it, however, and it seems to do very well for them. Down here it seems to be either Tramadol or Norco-10 that ends up prescribed, and I see people taking less of the Tramadol than of the norco.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 02:30 am (UTC)Ah, I don't think I've ever taken Norco-10. How strong is it, compared to, say, codeine, hydrocodone, etc?
no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 02:35 am (UTC)Norco is just another name for hydrocodone - norco 10 is the dose, meaning that it has 10mg of the narcotic, and 325mg of an NSAID. Vicodin and hydrocodone and whatnot are never just the narcotic; they also contain an anti-inflammatory. Typical doses that I see are 5, 7.5, and 10, though apparently you can get it up to 15mg of the narcotic component.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 03:13 am (UTC)Oh, okay! Yeah, I was given Tylenol 3, which has 30 mg codeine and 500 mg Acetaminophen. Adam has Vicoden with 500 mg Ibuprofen and 5 mg hydrocodone. I forgot about the whole "norco" bit.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-07 03:44 am (UTC)And yeah, I think they were on par - Spring Branch closed, so maybe the grave will too!