Dr. Raab Visit #6

Got up early this morning and went to Dr. Ponti's where she drew more blood for hormone tests. Then to the neurologist Dr. Raab for follow-up. We made a plan that this next cycle I would start the Imitrex sooner, start the Klonopin sooner, and if I was queasy and nauseous to take the Compazine twenty minutes before the ibuprofen or Imitrex, not to exceed one Compazine every eight hours.

Still awaiting porphyria tests and Dr. Raab concedes she is as puzzled as I am about the non-stop right-sided head pain, and its relation to right back/shoulder and upper right abdominal pain. She says if nothing else, I should probably start the nortryptalline soon to try to combat that right-sided head pain.

She wonders if my body pain might be from Lyme but says one has to be careful with what labs you use as "there is a lot of quackery in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme." I tell her I will send her the results when they come in.

My bp was 122/86.

At least it is good to have a plan. It is as if I am going on a solo mountain climbing expedition in a remote place, and we know the dates, and that I have no choice but to go, but at least this time I am being sent with new gear, "try this set of ropes, these boots, this pick-axe."

And then I will see her again in three weeks.

Meanwhile, I feel quite good today. My beloved and I had a quick picnic at the park on the Navesink River and now he has left to catch a plane to St. Louis for the first day of his new job.

The sunshine is delightful and I find myself compelled to get more flowers for the garden. Something ate all of the pansies and petunias. The Wild Blue Yonder rose we planted last year for Mother's Day is blooming and the foxglove is high and the hollyhocks and the beebalm have come back.

There is no money for flowers but I still cannot stop myself so I dig out an "emergency twenty" from its hiding place and forbid myself to spend more than that. I go to Sickles and amusingly, the Exact Total is $20.00. Exactly.

But I am richer than that. I now have a fig, a teddybear sunflower, an Ikarus sunflower, and a six pack of orange-red marigolds to greet me in the mornings.