and another...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was fine, mom and bro came Wednesday night and we had a lot of fun playing cards and board games. Cranium is one of our favorites. Unfortunately bro got a little drunk and we had to spend most of the time listening to him cry about his break-up earlier that day. But, just like the last 10 times this year, I'm sure they'll be back together before the week is out.
Other than burning my mashed potatoes, forgetting the cranberry sauce, under-cooking the pumpkin pies, and over-whipping the cream, everything was delicious, and I can call it a success.
Over the weekend, I started feeling worse (with the side-effects). It's been almost 6 weeks, and I thought I was through the worst part. Tuesday I felt worse - racing heart, shaky hands, shortness of breath, and yesterday only proved to be worse. Add to the fact that I hadn't slept at all those three nights, and I was not feeling well at all! Emotionally, I was a wreck. I live in Washington state, near Tacoma. We all woke up to the news Sunday morning that 4 policemen had been executed in a local coffeeshop. A family friend happens to be a sheriff's deputy from the same area, and we spent most of the day wondering if he was OK. It wasn't until later in the day that they announced that the officers were all from Lakewood - not his jurisdiction. It wasn't until after that announcement that I felt I could call him. He is a wreck - he knew all four officers very well. The Sheriff's deputies work very closely with these "city" cops, and this has been a huge blow to our entire community. Thank God they killed the bastard who did this. Details have come out that he boasted over Thanksgiving dinner that he was "going to kill a bunch of cops, a bunch of kids at a daycare, and as many people as he could at a major intersection." The fact that this murderer was even out of jail is an outrage. Google "Maurice Clemmons" and you can find out more about why Arkansas then-Governor Mike Huckabee commuted this man's 95-year sentence in Arkansas, leaving him free to come to our state to commit this heinous act. Whoo - sorry, I didn't mean to go all political on you. Obviously this is something very fresh in all our minds, and it will be a long time before it's forgotten.
So, back to my side effects. Yesterday, I decided to check my blood pressure because I didn't like how my body was feeling. I think you could have knocked me over with a whisper when I sat staring at the numbers 153 over 111. Yes, go back and read that again. Or here, let me just say it again. ONE FIFTY THREE OVER ONE ELEVEN. My heart rate was 96. I'm sure everything shot up another 10 points in the next 10 or 15 seconds. You see, I have one of THE most normal BP's of anyone I know. My baseline is 110/70, and it's been known to be even lower at times. I immediately called my Dr's office, and he told me to quit the Venlafaxine NOW. No gradual weaning of doses, COLD TURKEY. Aw, crap!!! Has anyone done that before? All I can say is, I am going to be very sick for the next few days. He did prescribe some Ativan for me, and I was able to get a little bit of sleep last night. I took my BP before I even sat up and it was 130/100. Now that I've been up and around and writing about Maurice Clemmons, I wouldn't be surprised if it's way up there again. Crap. I was right. 150/110. Well, I have an appointment at 3:30 this afternoon. I'll let you know how it ends up.
Oh, and another cherry on top? In August I got a speeding ticket, and I checked the box on the back asking for a hearing and mailed it in. Yesterday I got a letter saying I failed to appear and my license will be suspended effective 1-14-10. Oh, goody. After calling DOL, I was informed that they had mailed me my hearing date on the 20th of August. My court date was November 24. Since I missed the hearing, I have no choice but to pay the $206 fine. Right, like I HAVE $206. Fortunately they were nice enough to put me on a little payment plan. Yay.