Good News – Bad News

The bad news. I left work early today with severe bouts of nausea that would cause me to go from feeling pretty good to being sure I was going to barf all over my office in about 3 seconds.

That, in turn, caused me to try to leap up out of my chair (to avoid putting a stain on my carpet which would without question smell pretty sour for weeks). And THAT, in turn, caused my back to seize up in such fiery agony that I forgot to barf until the pain subsided.

Then I hobbled quickly to an outside door, figuring that barfing in the parking lot was MUCH preferable to that stinky stain on office or hall carpet.

Once outside, salivating violently and feeling my gorge rising, I would stand in the breeze and sunlight (it was in the mid 60s here today) and eventually I’d feel better. And lunch stayed down.

At that point I would hobble back to my office via the water cooler for a big drink, ease my aching back into my chair, and try to get some work done.

This was repeated every 20 minutes or so for nearly two hours before I gave up, drove home early, and passed out in bed.

Two hours later I awoke, and...

The good news! My back, though I still feel soreness when I put my body in certain positions, is actually much better. The pain is at about 50% lower level (roughly 4.5 on the Richter scale) than it was earlier today.

It is now past our normal supper time, and I still have no appetite... but I can move about with some freedom for a change.

Maybe there’s a chance I’ll be able to ski in a week and a half after all. What in the WORLD is up with all of this?

I assumed the super-drugged codeine pain pills had caused the nausea (which is listed as one of the possible side effects, along with cardiac arrest, cessation of breathing, and death — not necessarily in that order). Now I’m not so sure. The pill’s effects should have worn off by now, but I’m still feeling a little dizzy. (No, I’m NOT a blonde!)

But hey, if the back pain will continue to subside, I’d say it’s worth it. (At least I’d say that now that it’s over. When I was straining to get to the parking lot I might not have felt this way.)

Oh, some additional bad news. The literary agent who dislikes the 60s (which was probably just her “nice” way of saying, “I don’t like what I see of your writing,”) did offer up another agent’s name in her office as a possibility, but half-heartedly, ending with, “I’m not quite sure who this would work for over here…”

Plus another agent at a different agency also said she’d pass.

But don’t worry. I’ll keep plugging away. It’s early yet. Yada yada yada.

Sigh. It’s hard to be sanguine when you’ve had a day like today. But my back doesn't hurt as much! Gotta look at the positive.