to my ear, I'd much rather hear "Ma'am?" than "What?"

I say, "I'm sorry?"

(FWIW, and I would nevereverever advise this, I've stopped the worst of my pain by taking a Perc and having a shot of Fernet. Stopped that motherfucker in its TRACKS. Seriously, it was like an iron wall slamming down and the pain couldn't get through.)

My brother-in-law the pharmacist always says if you're really in pain to take a Percoset with a glass of wine. FWIW.

I always get itchy on either Vicodin or Percoset, but otherwise just happy stoned. The stoned effect is not as pronounced if I'm actually taking it for, you know, PAIN, though. (And it does lessen my pain, so.)

The advantages of a husband with major league spinal damage is you've got access to the good stuff. When I have bad cramps, he'll start pulling out bottles and ask how looped I want to be.

But, damn, he takes stuff that makes me literally fall over on half a pill. I hadn't felt that drunk since college, and that was the feeling that told me I didn't want to be drunk anymore. Forget thinking and doing anything productive, I was focusing just on keeping the horizon level.

I'm in a mood part of it is pms and part of it is fucking comcast.

I don't have a phone line, I'm not getting a phoneline, so fucking dsl isout but I swear to god every time It alk to comcast I get anothe rstor.

I've spent my entire damn evening at this point on the phone with them (granted if Ihadn't ranted then I would have been off the phone longer).

half my apartmnt has to be compnay worthy tomorrow, including my kitchen, becuase my landlord and a repair man are coming.

And I haven't made dinner. I'm tired and I want chocolate and someone to pamper me.

Barb, have you ever tried Ultram? I can't take Percocet, Oxycodone, or even Tylenol-3 without getting nauseated. But I can take one Ultram and function without pain. I take two and it's Happy, Sleepy, Bye-Bye Time. In a good way. I got it when I had shingles and it's the only thing I could take and still take care of the kids during the day.

Y'all are freaking my ovaries out. I haven't had a period for over a year and "BOOM" yesterday, started. The call of Bitches is strong.

My first week in college, I was at some orientation thing. I dropped a piece of paper I was carrying, and the guy sitting across the aisle from me, another freshman, picked it up, handed it to me, and said, "Here you go, ma'am." Totally confused me.

There was an OTC drug back in the early '80s called Cope. I don't know what it is, and it's too common a name to use the Google-fu on, but that was some damned fine stuff. The only thing that would knock down the neuralgia.

I'm starting birth control today, I got a script from the doctor, I thought it was going to be Yaz or something but it look like a generic, but I'll try it and see if it does anythying for the emotional hellish pms I've been having.

I've been getting weepy, panicy, not right thinking, hyper fight or flight the days leading up and that's not good. I kept having to talk myself down on Tuesday (this is just pms, it will pass, this is just pms, this will pass).

Percocet's stil a -codone, it's just oxycodone insted of hydrocodone (Vicodin). For whatever reason, that formulation works better for me. (Vic makes me itchy, spinny, pukey, etc. No amount of pain-stoppage is worth that.)

See, whereas I'm exactly the opposite--percocet makes me a puking machine, Exorcist-style. But Vicodin is my friend.

Careful when drinking with those, though, cause they have acetaminophen in them. Already doing stuff on your liver.

Oh, speaking of drug tolerances and whatnot, I need advice. My insomnia has been fairly bad this week, which is no surprise, after 5 days of vacation where my sleep schedule slid back toward its nocturnal setting, plus PMS and the start of my period.

I have taken Ambien three nights in a row now; a full dose on Monday night, and then half a dose Tuesday night and last night. (Even with the half a dose last night, I still didn't fall asleep until past 4AM, ugh.) I REALLY want to fall asleep tonight, but am a little apprehensive about taking sleepy drugs again. I don't think I'm completely dependent on them, but it still makes me twitchy. But. I want to sleep. Oh lord, do I want to sleep.

Advice?