Just got back from a lovely weekend in Mendocino with my sister & her daughters. It's been a long time since I was in purely tourist mode, and we had some great food, went hiking, saw beautiful plants, and generally had a fine time.

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I always hated bed time as a kid. I'm still not really fond of it. I always had trouble falling asleep and my brain decides to kick into overdrive. Plus I always get itchy or it's hard to get comfortable in some way.

As a kid I ended up teaching myself a bunch of things to help me relax. Like clenching up and then relaxing muscle starting with my toes and working up. Counting each breathe (in 1 out 2 ) until I lost count snd then starting over. Sometimes it worked.

I also had really horrible nightmares or stress dreams as a kid I never talked about with anyone so that was another reason I hated falling asleep.

For about 6 months after my concussion i found I could easily just kind of "duck around" those thoughts (I have no way to really describe it but it was easier to just slide them to the side ). Unfortunately that stopped.

I also hate waking up in thr morning....because I don't sleep well.

My parents finally went with the..you have to be in bed with the lights out but that is it rule. I could have stuffed animals or dolls or something to occupy myself but I couldn't get up out of bed and I couldn't turn the lights on.

I'm envious of anyone who can just fall asleep. M does that ...he'll be talking to me and then just drift off. And Mom can do that. Just lay down and fall asleep.

I'm seeing Dad tomorrow. He went up to VA to see my brother, SIL and E and he came back this way. He is staying with mom since we don't have room for guests here. Not sure how long he will be here.

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"...and a palliative care specialist."

I would have had the same response! I appreciate knowing this now.

Flopping into the thread after the long drive back to Florida. Got in at 3 AM, but had to get up again by 7:30 to start work stuff. I'll nap later.

They totaled my son's car so dealing with that today. He has to find his title and mail it to the insurance company. Seriously, son is so brilliant, but so clueless when it comes to everyday practicalities. His response when discussing the title business -

"I do not know how to send mail through a mailbox. I will have to go to the post office and make them help me, and it's embarrassing."

I told him I would talk him through the process. At least I know he will remember it after he does it once.

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I'm envious of anyone who can just fall asleep.

So much. I watch DH just put his head on the pillow and insta-sleep. This never happens with me. I'm a lot better at it than I used to be, but it is a process.

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Laura my initial reaction to that was like “wtf how does he not know how to use the mail?” But then I was like “I could see saying “I don’t have an envelope or stamp, I don’t know if I need to write a letter to go with this, or if I need to send like tracked or insured because what if it ends up lost and it’s the only copy…”. So, fair.

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I could never watch a horror movie living alone! Even with the dog now.

They’re my go to movies for plane trips. Nothing less atmospheric than that.

We gad to get a new title for my sister’s car so she could sell it and it was so easy! I was genuinely shocked. The hours spent searching for it, or even just the stress of making sure you know where it is for all those years. Wasted!

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I'm envious of anyone who can just fall asleep.

SAME. DH can do it and I just lie in bed communing with the insomnia fairies.

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I'm envious of anyone who can just fall asleep.

SAME. DH can do it and I just lie in bed communing with the insomnia fairies.

Us, too. Tim falls asleep like he's been drugged, while I, the one who actually takes bedtime meds, stares resentfully at the wall waiting for unconsciousness to take me. Although right now I can't be too resentful of Tim, because he wakes up 3-6 times a night because of his back pain.* Which reminds me —

Did I mention Tim has a tentative date for his surgery? It turns out that his surgery requires 3 surgeons, not 2, and coordinating the schedules of 3 surgeons is complicated as shit. So it's scheduled for the first week of August, BUT the surgeon (surgeon #1 [Surgeon Prime?]) knows that Tim's pain is getting worse and his sleep is really affected, so he's going to try his best to move the surgery forward. Hopefully it can happen in July, or even June.

*(Tim tends to avoid opioids because opioid epidemic, addiction, blah blah blah. He knows I'm a hardass about adequate pain management being the bare minimum a health care professional should provide a patient with severe and/or chronic pain, and sometimes that pain management includes opioids. There's nothing noble about suffering through pain when there are options to treat it. [Obviously I recognize there are a lot of health care professionals who act like anyone who asks for pain meds, even if they have documented chronic intractable pain, are just junkies who are lying. Those health care professionals should quit their fucking jobs.] Anyway. He's at the point where he's going to ask Surgeon Prime about pain meds just for bedtime, so he can get a decent night's sleep. And the fact that he's willing to ask for pain meds means he's in a lot of pain. My poor honey. I know what that pain is like, and I hate that there's nothing I can do to alleviate it.)

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I’m really hope this is the road to recovery and relief!

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I hope Tim gets pain meds and a closer surgery date.

I got home and M's mom said she had to talk to us. Turns out a lady at her church has a Persian kitten she is giving a way and offered it to her. We both said that if she wants to rehome Cheeto or Scrappy she can bring home the kitten but our house is too small for 6 cats even when they are indoor/outdoor and no one wants to add in the expense of more cat food, litter, etc.

"But a Persian Kitten! When can I ever get one again? This is once in a lifetime." Which may be true but our house is full up.

I will say the fact she talked to us about it instead of just bringing it home.

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