I am my own worst enemy

[gwyn]

Would anyone be willing to beta a Pacific Rim story for me? It's kinda sorta vaguely a sequel to the first one I wrote, and I'm working on it now and it's around 5,200 words, but knowing my tendency toward verbosity, I'm sure I'll rack up some more words in that count.

Man, I have been having some fun with health lately. First there was the lingering effects of the cat bite, namely, that the intestinal issues from the antibiotics were really kicking my ass and I was beginning to fear they wouldn't get better. If I never drink another glass of keffir, or acidophilous, or kombucha, or eat yogurt, it will be too soon. Then on Saturday I developed this searing pain in my back, as if I'd been scalded. At first I thought it was the tightness of a new bra, but it just kept getting more and more painful, until Monday I had to finally call the doctor. I mean, I figured that unless the bra was poisoned or something, it didn't explain the burning pain that couldn't stand even the touch of sheets on it.

My trainer had developed shingles, and I thought, well, that's what I must have, because I'd heard about the searing pain they caused for many years from my dad. But when I looked it up, they said shingles weren't contagious, yet the symptoms I had were exactly as they described. Fortunately I got in to the doctor and she said that the width of the sensations was a good sign it wasn't going to develop into the rash (apparently many people experience pain up to a week before the rash appears) -- it only happens on one side of the body. She said I could be the one in a million, though, who had it jump to the other side, so I was supposed to watch it for a week and see, but in the meantime she prescribed excellent painkillers (damn, I wish I'd taken these for the cat bite when she prescribed them for me just in case) and alternating ice and heat, and total rest, and so far that seems to be going well. She's concerned I might have injured on the disks in my spine, since all the thoracic tests didn't show anything.

I'm tired of having stupid problems with my body. Every time I make progress with my workouts, I get sick or injured. Bleh. And it makes sleep just this completely unobtainable goal, and me very very miserable.

I need to think about what to offer and request for Festivids. It's hard because there is really only a handful of things I want to vid or to watch right now, but I feel like I should spread out the possibilities as much as I can. But right now all I want to do is vid Luther and Pacific Rim, NOW, and not wait until next year!

I need to talk about this season's TV, but I'm having mixed feelings about a lot of stuff, and sometimes I don't want to piss on other people's fun stuff. But it's like it's all bubbling up inside me.

Comments

[raine]

I'd love to beta for you!

Re: health: ((hugs)) hope you have a mild case and it goes by quickly.

[king_touchy]

Sorry about the health and hope you're back to snuff soon.

I could read your Pacific Rim story. And am happy to talk TV, though I don't know what you're watching. I'm watching a LOT more than I usually do; it's odd and amusing, though I don't know how long I can hang on to so many shows. And I'm open to any flavor of opinions.

[umbo]

*hugs*

[gwyn]

So it's kind of dark -- not grimdark, but it's mostly Herc going off the deep end with surprise!happy ending, so there's that, but I know dark angsty stuff is not everyone's cup of tea.

[gwyn]

I actually took two things off my season pass yesterday -- I just cannot seem to watch more than a few minutes of them when my favorite characters are on, and there's way too much to watch, so it was buh-bye Arrow and Boredwalk Empire, er, Boardwalk. Plus I have like 40 movies piled up on the tifaux, and now I have a Roku and whatnot, so it just seems pointless to keep all these shows I don't pay much attention to.

So the PR story is basically Hot Dads, really though it's dark Herc stuff post movie, and that's not everyone's thing. There is surprise!happy ending, though.

[raine]

I once wrote a not-happily-ever-after trilogy for Ray Kowalski, so dark angst is OK with me. :) email it to me at wenchita at gmail whenever you're ready. :)

[king_touchy]

I'm easy. I'll read anything. And I prefer drama, generally. Mail it to kingtouchy at gmail whenever you'd like.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Did your Doctor not give you any anti-virals?
"Treatment with the antiviral drug acyclovir is best administered as early as possible, preferably within 72 hours of the first sign of a rash, to shorten the course of the disease and prevent the severe symptoms that ClappSmith experienced. Anti-viral drugs, if taken early, can reduce the severity of subsequent post-herpetic neuralgia, but starting anti-virals after PHN develops is of no help."

There is also a vaccine to help stop or reduce the pain of future attacks. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/health/03iht-snbrody.1.7730476.html?pagewanted=all

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

I can beta for you. I hope you feel better soon.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry that you're still having so many health issues. {{{{gentle hugs!}}}}

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I had shingles! It sucked. I hope you don't get the rash. I was given some good alternative support for mine, so if you're inerested I can dig p that info for you. I had the rash, though.

Also, you should talk about what you need to. If you put it under a cut and warn, people are just bringing it on themselves if they look. :)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

No, I don't have the rash yet. I only have the pain, which some people get before the rash, but some don't. It's looking less and less like I will get the rash. So yay, dodged that bullet.

I guess the vaccine isn't recommended for people under 60 because it's incredibly expensive and insurers don't want to pay for it. So my insurance won't, and I can't really afford it right now. My dad wasn in the clinical trial of the vaccine, so I've been aware of it for a long time, I just didn't realize how expensive it was.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

So the PR story is kinda dark -- it's Hot Dads sort of but it's mostly just Herc after the movie going off the deep end. Though there's a surprise!happy ending, it's probably not going to be for everyone if they don't like seeing someone kind of harm themselves and grieving.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

But what about the anti-viral? Is it too late for that?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Hay, at least I'm not going through what you're going through!!! I keep meaning to see if you want to get together, but then something stupid comes up. I think I'm in a lot better space right now, how's by you?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Oh ack you poor thing!!! I'm really glad that so far it's looking like I don't have it, but we'll see, I still have a couple days of watching to go. I had always though that, being a virus, it would be contagious, but I guess it's only contagious if you have open sores and someone who hasn't had chickenpox comes in contact with the open sores. Weird!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

We don't yet know for sure if I have it -- only if/when I get the rash can they give me the antivirals because then they'll know for sure. What I've found out is that I guess some people get searing pain before the rash, some people don't; some people get the rash and have searing pain, some don't; and most people don't ever get it again, but some do. I was like, wow, could everything be more vague and unhelpful?

So still no rash, but I have a couple days to go of watching for it, then if I see the signs I call her and we do the antivirals and up the pain meds.

[sperrywink]

Feel better soon, I hope!

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Not too bad. :) Using up my migraine meds, but otherwise still truckin'. Been super, super busy with work, though. I was hoping we might get a little break at the end of the year like we did last year, but NOT SO MUCH.

[mystic-savage.livejournal.com]

It's good to see you here, shingles or not. And yes...excellent painkillers are excellent. Most excellent.

[mackiemesser.livejournal.com]

Yuck--sorry about the health issues. :(

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the caveat. I'm still up for beta-reading. Email is my LJ username @ gmail dotcom.