A word of warning for all you guys who
read this blog: This post begins with many lady-words. Grab a beer,
put your hand down your pants and skim down to the photos if you
wish. However, the photos DO NOT have anything to do with lady-words.
So just settle down.
I have been wanting to update the Coast
for quite some time. I have numerous ideas and photos but as it turns
out, the link between my brain and the actual words has been
disconnected.
My brain has turned to mush.
You see, I stopped my hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) about 10 weeks ago. I was having headaches and
discovered the one constant was the medication I was taking at
bedtime. Stopped the med and the headaches stopped. Instantly!
DISCLAIMER: HRT is a
personal choice and starting as well as stopping should be down after
discussion with your MD. Which I have done extensively for my own
personal issues.
Anyway, once I had no more headaches I
felt great.
For about six weeks.
And then the hot flashes restarted. But
this time they are accompanied by insomnia and freeze flashes.
SERIOUSLY?
It seems my hypothalamus has decided to
play thermo-roulette.
Add to that the ten thousand degree
humidity here on the Coast of Illinois and I can go from zero to five
thousand degrees in 2.2 seconds then just as quickly spiral downward
to negative thirty-two. This sudden freeze is new to me. I have
always been a pretty thermo-neutral person.
It does me no good to put on a sweater
– the freeze doesn't last that long. And as to rolling up my shirt
to air out...well, that is STILL socially unacceptable in most
situations.
Consequently, I have been on the
AttentionDeficit Express.
My sweet husband, in an attempt to
settle me down, surprised me with an overnight stay in Grafton,
Illinois-(more on that in an upcoming post)- and while it was
wonderful and relaxing and delicious, all I could think of as I sat
on the hotel deck on Sunday morning, sipping my coffee and watching
the barge boats, was this: Just how many people have used this hotel
coffee maker to wash their underwear?
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| You know what? I don't care! Underwear coffee is delish. Especially when sitting outside watching the actual working Coast of Illinois. |
A thought put in my head by a
discussion with my so-called friends regarding just how clean hotel
rooms really are.
Why? Why do you people do this to me?
Back to reality, and work, I found that
taking melatonin does help me feel sleepy. However feeling sleepy and
actually sleeping are two different things. On night six of barely
sleeping I was so tired I honestly couldn't open my eyes yet I
couldn't fall asleep. (I highly suggest this torture as a way to
truly weed out our presidential candidates.)
I spoke with the nurse at my doctor's
office, and after she finished laughing at my discovery that stopping
HRT causes a return of hot flashes and insomnia, she offered to send
me out a sleep aid.
I am terrified of these pills.
I feel I would be entirely too susceptible to sleep eating, sleep driving and sleep gambling –
which I can only assume I would be just as bad at as awake gambling.
Being the health-care professional that
I am, I did what most people do. I ignored the doctor's advice and
after working three 10-hour shifts in a major trauma center when the
1000 beds available were all full yet people continue to shoot,
run-over and fail to take actual care of themselves, I returned home,
changed the sheets, bathed in a lavender 'sleep' bath, sprayed the
new sheets with lavender 'sleep' spray. I ignored the news, Facebook
and all other social media, opened the window – as our AC was out
due to a Wizard of Oz worthy storm – and passed out.
It is amazing what an actual good night
sleep will do.
I am still not quite back to normal.
There are some who would argue that I
have never been there.
But I am beginning to feel a little
more like myself.
I have continued to limit my exposure
to the hyper-insane news.
I am hiding everyone who posts
ridiculous, poorly researched news items on Facebook.
I have started exercising again.
And I am making myself sit down and
write.
I apologize if this post is not quite
up to my usual silliness.
Let me make it up to you with this
pictorial.
I call it:
My 70-Something Parents
Meet Their First Food Truck!
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| This is the General Sherman Hot Dog Truck. It stopped at our local grocery store. |
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| This is Dad. He is ordering two hot dogs. And a water. And a root beer. He is fuzzy because it is ONE MILLION DEGREES OUTSIDE. |
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| This is Mom. This outing was part of her birthday celebration. She and I decided to split a dog. Nothing but the best for Mom! |
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| It seems the mustard was a little more difficult than anticipated. You can do it Mom! |
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| While the folks wanted to take their hot dogs home to dine in the comfort of air conditioning, I made them eat outside, standing up like proper food truck hipsters. The dogs were delish. |
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| And then we went in to grocery shop and LOOK! An ice cream sundae bar set up just for us! Don't you love when the world works in your favor! |
Stay cool everyone! This is the time of
year when we must remember – Come January temps in the zeros we
will be praying for July again!!
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| Say hello to Monty! He has finally made his way to his station outside our front door. |
Welcome to the Coast of Illinois!
