My week has slid by – Bank Holiday Monday, back to work for a day, and today, my normal day off. I am now half-way through the week with little to show for it.
The experiment with numbering blog posts has, I feel, been a mixed success. It has saved me time and effort but has detracted from the blogs and made me depressingly aware of passing time. This is not necessary – I already have a set of dodgy joints for that.
When you start the day by sitting down to put your socks on and go on to select a strategy for getting your trousers on, you know that time is passing. When the main struggle of the day is not world peace or child poverty, but getting your shoes laced, you know that old age is catching up.
My plan is simple. I am not going to fight, merely let it catch me. I will then ambush it, give it a good kicking and carry on, leaving old age to limp along behind me. I’ve just done my annual Investigating Musculoskeletal Health and Wellbeing survey, and that always leaves me in a bad mood.
Poppies by the roadside
I’ve been looking at illegal drugs lately. There may come a time when I need more painkillers, and I’m not impressed by the range currently available to me. The stuff they give me to apply externally to painful joints is, frankly, a joke. Its main effect is to give me sticky fingers. It doesn’t kill pain and is not accurately named. Aspirin and Paracetamol are not very strong, I’m not allowed Ibuprofen because of the risk of bleeding. Cannabis, in various forms, is fashionable, but I’m not convinced about the oils and don’t intend to start smoking again.
That really just leaves opium. I’m fairly sure that our climate would make production of opium from poppies difficult, even if the police didn’t decide to investigate an allotment full of poppies.
As with most things, you need to be rich. If I won the lottery I’d be able to afford a doctor who could prescribe heroin, and all my problems would be solved. I remember seeing a documentary years ago and that’s what a posh addict said – if you could afford medical grade heroin it was no more damaging to you than drinking gin.
It is also medicinal, being used for pain control and as a treatment for heroin addiction. Yes, I had to read that twice too. It’s like picking up a prescription for vodka to help you with your alcoholism.
So there you are, a post that started with socks and ended with heroin. I only wish my day had been as interesting, but it started with socks and ended with chocolate, which is pleasant, but not quite so much fun.
Poppies at East Leake
Poppies are finished
“My plan is simple. I am not going to fight, merely let it catch me. I will then ambush it, give it a good kicking and carry on, leaving old age to limp along behind me.”, sounds like a good plan, Quercus. 🙂
There are so many different pain remedies out there, with different modes of action, but the trouble is finding the right one to fit one’s personal condition. I wish you best of luck! Here is one more:
https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-to-mix-certo-and-grape-juice-for-arthritis
I imagine you will have an idea why I can’t wait to get into velcro closing sandals without socks now
🙂 Suddenly it all becomes clear . . .
Lovely poppy pictures! And, heroin jokes aside, my mom told me about lidocaine rub. It is a non prescription thing like Ben Gay but it doesn’t stink and it really works. Maybe try that if you haven’t.
I’ve used it on prescription before a biopsy but as far as I know it only works on the surface. There are some over the counter products but thy seem to be surface acting. It is improving greatly at the moment and I will probably be able to forget it for six months or more. There is no pattern to it – just comes and goes and I am never sure why.
I will certainly try the lidocaine next time, just in case it works. If it does I will nominate you for beatification. 🙂
You definitely need to start giving your posts titles again judging from this one. The inexorable passage of time is taking more of a toll on your psyche than it should. On the other hand, chronic pain is hard to bear so stick to the numbers and save yourself a worry.
Tricky, particuallrly when I was so tempted to call this one Poppies, Pain and Paracetamol. Or Poppies, Pain and the Passage of Time. You wait 124 days for a title and two come along at the same time . . .
That is life.
🙂