Graphic violence...

...should be outlawed when it comes to our bodies fighting against us. We should get to buy our own TV Guardian to filter out graphic body pain.

A few days ago, Natasha commented on my dental post (and by the way, did nobody notice my Dr. Seuss blog title "Just go Now!" that is a book of his quite blatantly directed at Richard Nixon?) about not being able to talk or think because of excruciating pain from an almost-root-canal. I would have agreed with her a week ago on how bad the pain was.

Not now.

This week has been horrible. I won't count it above an 8 in pain because I reserve 9 and 10 pain to be like actually on fire, etc.

warning: graphic violence ahead

But my throat has been so raw, it's like someone ripped it out, beat it with a sharp, pointy meat tenderizer, put it back in, and then turned on my sensory skills. I haven't been this sick since I got my wisdom teeth out in May 1996 and I reacted terribly to the medicine they used to knock me out for the procedure (though there's a blessing to that nasty, horrible week of my life, and his name is Rob, who came over at the end of that ordeal, and that's the night he first started falling in love with me even though I was emaciated, not-showered, weak, and sick [and did I mention ugly! And it was the first night he noticed I was 'beautiful']).

Please, I just want Strep throat and the flu to both be over.

Daily Gratitudes:
1. A dr. who is WAY smarter than the idiot who saw me in urgent care Sunday night.
2. A lady in my congregation who brought over the last bits of an easter egg hunt to us since we couldn't go. Last night I sat on the lawn bundled up, as did Rob (who also has strep and an ear infection), and we watched the kids hide eggs and find them over and over again, taking turns to be the egg "hider" each time.
3. Darvocet and Ibuprofin keeping the edge off the pain; I usually get to the point where it's very hard to swallow or talk, about every four hours.
4. Sweet Mita, my friend who picked my boys up for me on Monday when I was feeling so worse and questioning the rude Urgent care dr. I'd seen the night before.
5. Kind Tami, who all I could say as I was sobbing on the phone was "check...your...email...," which she did, and agreed immediately to 'watch' my kids from her house by calling in on them every 20 min (so she didn't come over and get exposed to any germs), so I could run down to my own dr. again and ask what gives if I don't have strep.
6. A smart PCP who said I shouldn't be in so much pain if it was viral, and gave me antiobiotic samples.
7. A kind husband who has helped me when I'm at my worst, and I've been able to help him at his worst. I don't think he and I have been so sick at the same time. He took 2 sick days, and he NEVER takes sick days!
8. That Nathan's antiobotics have thoroughly cleared up his strep throat.
9. That there are blessings that always come with the trials. I'm waiting to see what blessing I better be getting.... ; )