Go ahead and laugh, I don't mind...

For those who know me, especially those that have worked with me, you know how clumsy I am. I constantly run into walls, door facings, furniture...anything that has substance. Well I now have the end-all be-all story to tell. Last night I cut my big toe open ON A CARDBOARD BOX! And I mean I really cut it open, as in gushing blood, couldn’t get it to stop, thinking I’d have to go to the hospital to get a few stitches. After about 15 minutes I got it to mostly stop, enough so that I knew the ER wasn’t in my immediate future. That’s got to be the worst paper cut in the history of paper products. I emailed my story to my friend, Melissa, and she said she couldn't stop laughing. Hope you find it funny, too.

By the way, the kitties were very concerned about me and gathered around to make sure I was okay. They can't have the person who provides treats dropping dead, now can they?

Looking to help the homeless...

Lately I've felt compelled to go out of my comfort zone and help the homeless in some personal way. I want to meet them, shake hands, maybe even give a hug (although I'm not the hugging type with most people I know, let alone strangers). I want to do more than write a check or send a donation through PayPal. I don't know, blame Shane Claiborne and his book The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. I want to meet these people who are going through a rough time, to help them, to show them the love of Christ, and to remind myself of how fortunate I am. I'm currently researching ways to help in the Charleston area, and I hope I find the right "fit" for me to help.

Camo kitties...

This is Jiggs (top), Baxter (bottom left), and Nigel (bottom right). Can you tell we purchased our bedding to match the cats?

I can't believe I'm having drug withdrawal...

Okay, I've never done any recreational drugs, I haven't even tasted alcohol, and I of all people am going through withdrawal. My doctor switched me from Effexor to Wellbutrin and coming off the Effexor is a bi-otch. I have intense dizziness, nausea, a headache, my eyes hurt, I'm sensitive to light, and I'm liable to go into a crying jag at any minute. In researching this, I found a list of known symptoms that people often complain about:

Here is your standard list of serotonin-boosting antidepressant withdrawal symptoms...
That Mimic Depression
1. Crying spells
2. Worsened Mood
3. Low energy (fatigue, lethargy, malaise)
4. Trouble concentrating
5. Insomnia or trouble sleeping
6. Change in appetite
7. Suicidal thoughts
8. Suicide attempts
That Mimic Anxiety Disorders
9. Anxious, nervous, tense
10. Panic attacks (racing heart, breathless)
11. Chest pain
12. Trembling, jittery, shaking
Irritability and Aggression
13. Irritability
14. Agitation (restlessness, hyperactivity)
15. Impulsivity
16. Aggressiveness
17. Self-harm
18. Homicidal thoughts or urges
Confusion and Memory Problems
19. Confusion or cognitive difficulties
20. Memory problems or forgetfulness
Mood Swings
21. Elevated mood (feeling high)
22. Mood swings
23. Manic-like reactions
Hallucinations
24. Auditory hallucinations
25. Visual hallucinations
Dissociation
26. Feeling detached or unreal.
Other
27. Excessive or intense dreaming
28. Nightmares
That Mimic the Flu
29. Flu-like aches and pains
30. fever
31. sweats
32. Chills
33. Runny nose
34. Sore eyes.
That Mimic Gastro-enteritis
35. Nausea
36. Vomiting
37. Diarrhoea
38. Abdominal pain or cramps
39. Stomach bloating
Dizziness
40. Disequilibrium
41. Spinning, swaying, lightheaded
42. Hungover or waterlogged feeling
43. Unsteady gait, poor co-ordination
44. Motion sickness
Headache
45. Headache
Tremor
46. Tremor
Sensory Abnormalities
47. Numbness, burning or tingling
48. Electric zap-like sensations in the brain
49. Electric shock-like senstions in the body.
50. Abnormal visual sensations
51. Ringing or other noises in the ears
52. Abnormal smells or tastes
Other
53. Drooling or excessive saliva
54. Slurred speech
55. Blurred vision
56. Muscle cramps, twitches, stiffness
57. Feeling of restless legs
58 Uncontrollable twitching of the mouth.
Cardiac effects are not on this list, but are well known to be associated with withdrawal. Hair loss can happen too.Headaches are very common, can vary in severity, and at the top end, people have ended up in Emergency getting all sorts of investigative tests done.A 50% cut in dose is MASSIVE. Hopefully your doc still told you to take the drug every day though? So many compound the problem, by plunging patients in and out of cold turkey on their miss-a-day instructions.If you've got severe withdrawal, general advice is to go back and restabilise at the previous level (i.e.150mg), then once stabilised, drop by a smaller increment and observe one's reaction to this drop. The approach should ideally be individually tailored, since people react in so many different ways. What one person's physiology can handle, sends another's haywire.This is about physiological dependence,'addiction'. The drug has made major changes, and withdrawal isn't simply about removing the drug from the system. It is about allowing one's body time to try and slowly adapt to the changing conditions - that indicates a gentle approach, listening to what your body is telling you.

I called my doctor last night and tried to find out how long this will last, how much worse will it get, etc. Looks like I have to wean off it even more slowly that I was. After I talked to him, I found one last 150 mg pill, and since I had been on 37.5 mg before going without, I opened it up, divided it into four piles of "pellets", and took a pile. If I had had the stuff in liquid form, I'd have gladly shot it directly into my vein--and for me, that says a lot. Luckily I'm much less dizzy today, and you can bet I'll be going to his office for more pills.

This sucks.

:-)

I am a HUGE smile today. I met with Steve Shaluta last night, and he liked my work! He was very complimentary, pointed out specific things that were good about my photos, and even suggested I enter one particular photo in contests! I'm so excited, and this really gives me the courage to start entering contests, exhibiting, and maybe doing a few arts and crafts shows. He was especially impressed by the fact that I didn't study art in school, and said I have a natural eye for things and that my photos display the "rules" you learn in school. Color me happy.

Okay, I'm super nervous...

...because after work today, I'm meeting Steve Shaluta to show him some of my photography! I'm starting to wonder what the heck I was thinking, but I actually called him up, gushed for a moment (hello, he's the official state photographer!), and asked if he could give me an opinion of my work. What the heck was I thinking? I think I'm going to go throw up.

Halloween party pics...

Daphne and Shaggy, a.k.a. Tami and Travis

A lumberjack and a s'more, a.k.a. David and Kathryn