Accomplishment Day 5

My accomplishment today was realizing that I look like crap.

I left off the vicodin last night in preparation for driving safely to my doctor’s office this morning – my first time behind the wheel in 6 days. I dressed successfully in the sweat clothes I slept in last night, put my hair in the type of ponytail I wear when its time to scrub the toilets, and then capped the outfit with good black work shoes. (I can’t bend to tie laces and the work shoes are my only slip-ons.)

I was so concerned with GETTING TO the doctor’s office that every bit of personal pride I’ve ever exhibited about my appearance went right out the window.

Well, I made it to the doctor’s office all right, avoided physical therapy when I assured him I still had the exercise cards from last time and will be using them as soon as the pain lets off enough for me to lie around on the floor in awkward, painful positions twice a day, and was issued new drugs. No more floating on valium for me, he prescribed flexeril as a muscle relaxant.

Seriously, though, these four days have given me a better understanding of my father’s mother. She’s dead now, but as a young mother she spent several years hooked on valium and eventually went into rehab to get off it. She was a nurse and the prescribing physician was someone who had known her all her life. Niether of those facts spared her a very painful addiction.

I’m going to go spend this afternoon like I have the last three: watching Sopranos re-runs and avoiding pain. My physical accomplishments include plans to stretch out my calves at regular intervals, practice squatting at various locations around the house because you’d be surprised at all the stuff you drop on the floor when you’re stoned on valium, and go downstairs and look for a mailing box. I made a baby blanket for my new second cousin  (while her mama was pregnant, not in the last three days) and I want to get it packaged for mailing.