"Burning The Candle At Both Ends...........(Delete -- ' The Candle' --! ).............."

Good Afternoon;

So....sorry about the lack of posts the past few days, but I've been pretty miserable...to put it mildly.

And if it bothers you to hear about 'bodily functions', you may just want to skip it and wait 'til the next post...lol! ;-) 

Starting on Thursday I was just feeling achy in all the 'long muscles', (arms, legs, back..) and my joints and vertebrae, and tired from a poor nights sleep. After trying and failing to get hold of my doctor by phone I went to the Giant for coffee and to wash up and then I made my way to Hunt Valley by bus, Metro subway, and Light Rail to meet Jenn. I got there about 2:30 pm. and we went out to her place in Monkton. I watched the grandkids Thursday night so Jenn could go with Tom to his Home Group and help him celebrate his 9th anniversary. Other than a general malaise and feeling bloated I was able to deal with the little monsters okay and spent time playing with them and then putting them to bed. 

After eating 'dinner' around 11:00 pm. I watched a little TV and then tried to go to sleep.......but,....just wasn't happening. Although I felt exhausted, insomnia and a steadily worsening case of indigestion kept me up all night until I finally fell asleep about 6:00 am. Which was when the cats started with their 'Feline X Games' competition, of which I was unknowingly part of the arena/playing field. After bribing them with their breakfast kibble I fell back asleep just in time to be awakened by all the commotion revolving around getting Ed up and ready for school. At this time my indigestion had turned into the nastiest case of 'sour stomach' I have ever had, (and which is still lingering, though only a memory of what it was), and the Tums had little effect. I managed to fall into a doze, after Ed and Jenn and Tom all went upstairs, and was just slipping away into sleep when  I heard "Hi Pop-Pop" and opened my eye to see Devin's face about 3 inches away, with a goofy grin and her tongue sticking out. I tried to go back to sleep, but, when the 'Princess' declares it's time to play 'Tea Party', normal mortal needs and bodily necessities take a back seat!............lol!

Friday the sour stomach gradually worsened and I became tethered to the commode. Jenn made the offer of another night's stay if I would keep an eye on the kids again that night so they could go to a meeting in Stewartstown and I jumped at that. Another night of insomnia combined with

diarrhea that got to the point where it resembled the 'total system flush' from the magnesium citrate laxative I had to take before the colonoscopy, requiring constant re-hydration, which fueled the cycle again......

On Saturday, after Tom left for work and before Devin, (who has gone from sleeping until 10:00 am.or later everyday to the 'dawn patrol'....lol), got up, I was able to get 45 minutes straight through sleep, and my 'intestinal distress'...(Hah!...)...seemed to be tapering off.

NOT!

After searching for the least irritating thing I thought would have a neutral effect on my system, I ate some animal crackers and continued with the mass quantities of water. I needed to eat SOMETHING because I was starting to get a headache and what I assumed were 'hunger pangs' for something solid.

NOT!

After just saying to Jenn something along the lines of,'at least things aren't getting any worse', the 'hunger pangs' revealed themselves to be the beginnings of retroparastalsis. For the next few hours it was a case of "which end is (coming) up" , as I proceeded to evacuate my entire digestive system....repeatedly. Jenn went to the Giant in Hunt Valley and while she was gone I was to keep an eye on the kids and shower and pack up and she would take me back to the train. 

Well, I was able to keep an 'ear' on the kids, who blessedly were having a good day with the minimum of attempts one trying to control the other, with the accompanying verbal and physical actions and reactions.....but shower and pack.....wasn't happening.

So again Jenn and Tom were able to attend another meeting together, and I did not have to get more than 20 feet from a bathroom. The vomiting finally tapered off and ended about 8:00 pm. Saturday night, after one last session, (after a 2 hour pause which almost caught me off guard and out of range), and except for the expected soreness from the unaccustomed repeated muscle action I felt 100% better. The bowel movements continue to be what in others would be called 'irregular', but because of my messed up and jury rigged intestinal system fall within the bare minimum of 'normal for me....barely! 

One of the major worries I had  during this whole 3 day ordeal is that with the buprenorphine I am taking, my intestinal system should have slowed if not stopped totally after taking my meds, (which I did right after the first incidents, but to no result). In trying to determine what possible vector was the cause of this bout of nastiness, 4 come first and foremost to mind;

1) reaction(s) to the ongoing internal abdominal issues involving gallbladder, liver, spleen, and/or ulcers

2) intestinal flu, stomach virus of some sort

3) food poisoning (by cross contamination due to touching improperly cleaned/disinfected counter tops, utensils, or outside of containers, ( umm, yeahhhh, there's a whole post that could be written on Jenn's struggles with trying to get her M-I-L to understand and follow common food safety rules)

4) a case of 'precipitated withdrawal' brought on by a bad batch of Suboxone. (Too much of one component,(Naloxone), in the compound, or uneven distribution within the tablet-which I break and use in quarters-, could cause these symptoms, which is it's purpose, to prevent abuse of the buprenorphine component. It is also used alone in cases of OD.)

All of which could cause the symptoms.
I have actually eaten a bit today and kept it down, and had some coffee and not had it immediately flow through and exit my body, so hopefully whatever it was has passed....for the moment. Tomorrow...or Tuesday most likely, I'll be going to JAI to see the podiatrist so I may as well sign in on my PC doctor's sheet and wait to see her also.

I'm just grateful that I was at Jenn's, not in the shed, and that our relationship is repaired and restored to the point that I can ask to stay another night, or two. And it figures that it was the warmest nights that this event occurred over.....lol. And...as much as I appreciated spending time with the grandmonsters, I really did want to get back to the shed to check it out because on Thursday when I passed by on the bus heading to the subway station I saw a car and a truck in the parking lot and the truck was lettered with the name of a contractor/company advertising 'board-up' services.....which has had me wondering exactly what is going to be boarded up, if anything, or is it another contractor giving estimates?
I'll find out in a couple hours....maybe, but hopefully not. 

Anyway, it's 5:00 pm. and it was 11:00 am. when I ate, and I'm hungry....so....over to Whole Foods to decide what looks least likely to bring about a return of yesterday's fun and games.

Later....................Dave