Where I Take a Valium

So, I took a valium for the first time in my life. That was last night. Because my jaw really hurts and right now they’re thinking it is stress related. I’m thinking it’s probably something else, but for now I’m willing to play along with it.

What I’m thinking is that somehow I’ve got a trick jaw now. On the darker side there’s something growing in there that doesn’t belong, but until somebody x-rays my head or does an MRI we’re not going to know.

Until then, there’s valium and Advil.

Why I think I’ve got a trick jaw is that sometimes my bite is off and it really, really hurts to try to force my teeth to come together in the way they usually do when my mouth is shut. Easy, right? Wrong. It hurts.

So, the dentist said to me don’t take the valium on a weekend. This was because I took the day off yesterday and magically the horrid pain I was experiencing went away by the time I sat my sorry little (big) butt down in the dentist chair. I said, “It’s so strange. I mean, this really hurt yesterday, but when I woke up this morning it had gone away. Go figure. But, if I do this….(proceed to push my lower jaw in)….it hurts. And, this is where it did hurt….(shoving a finger into the latch system beside my ear where upper jaw bone meets lower jaw bone).” After I did those demonstrative moves the pain did return and I left the dentist’s office hurting. So, they told me to have some time for myself and try to relax more.

Now, my ear hurts too. Crap.

So, last night I took a valium. Even though it was the weekend I wanted to see how I reacted to it. I didn't want to be taking one Tuesday evening and then not be able to see straight on Wenesday at work.

My father used to take lots of valiums for his bad back and for his shoulder pain. He’d come home from work and take one and then we’d see him an hour later taking another one and so it would go all evening long. He also drank and it used to worry us, but he’d get mad at us when we said anything.

The valium I took didn’t seem to do a damn thing for me. I took it an hour ahead of when I took my nighttime meds and the only thing was that I felt a little sleepy.

Today, however, is an entirely different matter. I’m still in pain, but I’m loopy. And, I’m sleepy. I slept longer this morning than I normally do and I even went back to bed after breakfast for another couple of hours. It’s 2 in the afternoon and I still haven’t gotten dressed. I have had a shower, though and did manage after some effort to balance my neighbor’s checkbook. I still have our checkbook to balance and I may leave that for tomorrow when I’m a bit more on the ball.

Thank goodness I don’t have hemorrhoids or I’d be telling you about them.

Now, who wants a psychic reading?