Heh. DH told me I should be getting something today, adding, "Wow, it's tough to find a stripper in this town that dresses in Napoleonic garb."

ita so glad the head is better. May the pain stay away.

Susan, BWAH! That's adorable.

ita, that's very good news!

Susan continues to make me laugh and laugh.

Today I got to see my father's MRI pictures. We can apparently get a copy of them, so I hope to do that before I leave. Somewhat unfortunately his next MRI is apparently 10/10, which is the day I leave to come back, so I won't get to see them in person. But again, they might be able to send me a copy, or even send the images through email or something. They didn't have the original MRI in that department, so I can't see the progress from the first to that one either. I could clearly see the areas involved in the infection. I don't know how much I'll be able to help him, but I still have some hope at helping something improve.

Sparky, we thought of putting the books in the sun, and we'll definitely attempt that as soon as we actually get some. I apparently brought the only rain they've had all year. Which actually bugs my mom more than it bugs me! Still, I have a very nice view of dusk arriving on the mountains across the way.

what I was calling a 0 two days ago is more like a 3 on the pain scale

Hubby has a revised pain scale too. What some people call a 9 he calls, "Well, I can get out of bed and get to the bathroom, and I didn't throw up, so I'd call it a 5". But he's always been like this. Pain isn't something to complain about unless it physically drops you to the floor and you can't pretend anymore.

connie, I bet he reacts like I do to the question "Is the pain bearable?"

Duh. Of course it is bearable. I haven't exploded yet.

Me, I'd just rather not bear it, all told.

I have never told them it's 10, and I hope never to. There's more pain out there than what I've had--I need to believe that.

I had trouble using the pain scale to communicate with my nurses when I was in labor, because while the pain was close to the worst I'd ever experienced, they asked me to use a scale where 10 was the worst pain I could IMAGINE. I'm a writer. I can imagine quite a bit.

When I went to the ER with my kidney stones, I initially told them that my pain was a 7. Which resulted in a four-hour wait before I saw a doctor. I've since learned to adjust my scale to other people's standards. In subsequent visits, I told them it was a 9, since I wasn't screaming in agony out loud.

connie, I bet he reacts like I do to the question "Is the pain bearable?"

He just laughs sadly. And I tell the story of the time he smashed his ankle when landing badly as a smoke jumper into a forest fire, and he simply cinched his bootlaces down tight and fought the fire for three days. Some people have hysterics at paper cuts. Some people ignore multiple fractures.

Some people have hysterics at paper cuts. Some people ignore multiple fractures.

Totally different kind of pain!

(Not that your husband isn't bad assed. of course!)