A Long Post for a Short Run

The GI troubles that I last posted about continued.  By mid-Monday, I was truly miserable at work.  My back started to spasm along with the intestinal spasms.  I toughed out the day.  By night time, I was writhing on the couch between trips to the bathroom.  Tuesday morning Rick asked if I should go to the ER.  I said if I couldn't get into the doctor's office, I'd go.  Fortunately for me, one of the docs in my dr's office had a cancellation for 9:20 am.  I called next door to see if Bethany or Linda could drive me.  I would have been able to if I knew I would have a spasm on the way.  When Beth picked me up she said she didn't think she'd ever seen me look so bad except maybe after Pineland 50.  I said at least then I was happy.  I like to earn my pain.

The doctor was first of all more concern with my back spasms.  They were an obvious problem.  I tried to bring the focus back to my GI issues.  By the time he'd made his diagnosis, I was skeptical, but anxious to get out of there and back to my couch and Bradley Bear (thank you, thank you, Dora.  That thera-bear has brought me sooooo much comfort).  I had Beth stop by Rite-Aid so I could pick up the Imodium.  Rick would picks up the prescriptions after work since we get them at a pharmacy on the way home for him.  One was a muscle relaxer and one was metronidazol, an antibiotic that works on protozoa. Protozoa?!  I don't drink from mountain streams.  I also don't "run in a handwoven pine bough skirt and occasionally gnaw on tree bark when hungry?" (thanks, unstrung :))  When I reported back to Squirrel and the Unstrung One, Squirrel consulted a higher authority, while the other made me laugh with images of  me running through the woods quaffing copious quantities of wood water in various ways.  When Squirrel's sources concurred with my doc, I began to believe.

The amazing thing, the Imodium worked less on my GI than my back.  My spasms decreased maybe 80%!  I could at least drift in and out of sleep.  When Rick brought my prescriptions, he handed them to me as I immediately googled them.  He said when the pharmacy asked if there were any questions regarding the meds, he replied that he was bringing them to his wife who would read all the info and then not take them.  That is my m.o.  I don't take Tylenol, Ibuprofen, vitamins, or anything.  Several times I was given prescriptions for things and just put them in the cupboard.  Knowing I could take them if I wanted was often all I needed. I decided I would take one of the muscle relaxers, mostly to guarantee sleep.  I would give my body one more day to tackle the GI thing on its own.

Wednesday morning, I realized I needed to take the antibiotic.  Another day home from work.  Again, I mostly drifted in and out of sleep.  I was disappointed to still have the same GI stuff going on Thursday.  Squirrel's source did say a couple of days for the meds to work.  I went in to work for 5+ hours.  There were problems in my area.  Friday.  No change.  A full day of work.  Oh, and I hadn't eaten really since last Thursday.  Saltines, bananas, applesauce, white rice, some plain chicken breast, yogurt, but not much of any of it.  Ugh.

Saturday, signs of improvement!!!  I did have to work all day, otherwise I might have, unwisely, tried to run at Brad.  I think I was pretty much over with the illness by the end of the day, but my stomach isn't happy now; I think from the antibiotic.  Knowing that I had to be into work Sunday by 10, I decided to run before around home.

Spot had me up before I needed to be up.  I took her out for her walk and noticed that Linda's lights were on.  Since I went back to work, I miss seeing Linda and Jerry.  I think I wandered over there 3 or 4 times a day before: to chat, to borrow something, or for no reason.  I've started a little ritual of having coffee with Linda on the weekends.  We catch up on our weeks before the men-folk wake and before we go our separate ways.  This morning was going to be more special than usual; I hadn't had coffee in over a week!!!  Oh!  Almost 7am.  Gotta run, Linda.  YES.  I. have. to. run.  gotta.

I was able to get out by 7:30.  It was just 5 degrees and there was a decent northerly wind.  I was dressed well though.  I ran down the drive then turned off heading towards the back fields.  My face immediately started complaining that it was cold.  Shut up.  It's beautiful and the traction is good, very good.  I am moving and I am happy.  The face keeps up its little whiny dialog.  A mile in, the rest of my parts is telling my face to shut up; they are hot.  I take my mittens off 2 miles in.

Oh!  Please, please weather, please give us these conditions for the Fatass.  I didn't even notice that my face had shut up some where along the way.  All of me was enjoying itself now.  I don't think I've ever appreciated the fields as much as today.  I had plenty of creature tracks to wonder about, but mostly I just enjoyed the movement.  It was good that I had to get to work; I think the 6.1 miles was about what my calorie-deficient body had in it, but I just wanted to keep running.

For supper, I almost ate normally.  I made a lightly seasoned chicken fajita/taco thing.  Flavor.  Ahhh.
Coffee was not the only drink I haven't had in over a week.  I had no desire for beer.  Then, the metronidazol can't be mixed with alcohol.  In fact, you have to wait at least a day the last dose to have any.  But I can run.