Historic Health Care Bill Passes The US House Of Representatives...

and wears out one lupus patient.

I couldn't leave something this important undone, but it has been very hard to try and sift through all of the information, opinions, and passions.

Here's what I've come up with as being as representative as I could get over the past two days on The Bill:

http://donaldburr.com/healthcare.pdf

This health care reform campaign has been very much of a rollercoaster ride and I do not for one minute think it is over.

It is especially important that those of us who live in the U.S. and are coping with autoimmune disease in ourselves or our loves ones inform ourselves on how the bill might affect us and to let our representatives in the federal government know what we think about what is happening.

If you wish to contact your Senator about the bill quickly (the Senate has not yet voted on it) you are advised to phone or to fax. Email has been sent in large enough volumes that it may not all be being read quickly, and I'm told that mail to the Senators at their Washington addresses is still subject to the delay of search for anthrax or other dangerous substances.

My lupus is supposedly "fine"

But I've had some very hard times with health recently. I feel like all of my "diseases and conditions" are now on some kind of collision course with the side effects of the medications and of the enforced poverty and maybe even having to deal with being a bit older while still having to cope with All This Stuff...I don't know. I'm just incredibly tired! Like I could sit down and close my eyes and maybe feel like I'd had enough rest and be able to open them again after...a year.

Costochondritis

Costochondritis is considered to be harmless. I disagree. It can be entirely too painful, and pain can wear a person down to where they feel they are not even really alive...as well as turn a perfectly nice person into a bitch from hell.

Costochondritis also hard to spell. Frankly, costochondritis sucks. It truly does. I swear on a stack of Bibles that it is TOTAL SUXOR.

You heard it here first!

Things I Hate, #1038485

Migraines.

Oh how I hate you, migraine.

People say I never complain about them. That is not really true. I don't complain often, but I do complain...to the poor guy who lives with me, and sometimes to doctors. But since I know that I have to endure them, no point in complaining, really.

But that doesn't mean I LIKE them.

I hate the pain.

I hate the "down time" enforced upon me.

I hate the nausea.

I hate the interference with my vision.

I hate the vertigo.

I hate the sensitivity to light, sound, smell.

I know they can show up with lupus. I don't exactly like lupus, either. But again, no point in complaining. Just an occasional vent once in awhile to let the emotions out.

Just Enough Low-level Pain To Be Annoying

I'm not in agony, and I'm glad about that!

But I'm having trouble getting much done today and I finally figured out that I'm having enough pain to distract me and just kind of wear me down.

I think one fingernail has a mild infection partially underneath it due to the nail having broken...and immunosuppression from my meds. It is fairly painful when I type, so this may not be a long blog entry ;)

My joints hurt all over, and I have pain when I breathe that is probably good old pleuritis. My head hurts and there is some pain behind my eyes. Some of my muscles hurt as well.

Because this isn't knock-me-completely-off-my-feet pain, I didn't realize the pain was a problem until now, and it is almost 5 pm...I was blaming myself all day for not being able to get anything finished which I started.

I definitely hurt enough to qualify for being in bed asleep or doped but since I have a nasty case of lupus and fibromyalgia as well, I've had to learn to get by with misery that would probably shock someone with normal health status. That's just the way it is; something I've accepted. But I want to learn to forgive myself when superhuman endurance has taken the day off.