What Are You Reading

[Fading Fast]

Glad to hear you are tied in to a good doctor - my girlfriend's dad was in wait-and-see mode for years, then they did surgery and his vision is great now. And, like you, I have insurance that has such a huge deductible and other excuses for not paying that I effectively have (I hope) nothing more than catastrophic insurance (oh well, other than people over 65, I don't know anyone who has good insurance anymore). I'm sure you are aware of the newer migraine medicines - I use Sumatriptan (generic and really inexpensive), but before those drugs came out, I like you, spent many days a year "on the floor." And every so often, the medicine doesn't work and it's off to a dark room to suffer.

Beyond the bias, magazine spreads hardly have the capacity or tone for thoughtful and comprehensive history.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Glad to hear you are tied in to a good doctor - my girlfriend's dad was in wait-and-see mode for years, then they did surgery and his vision is great now. And, like you, I have insurance that has such a huge deductible and other excuses for not paying that I effectively have (I hope) nothing more than catastrophic insurance (oh well, other than people over 65, I don't know anyone who has good insurance anymore). I'm sure you are aware of the newer migraine medicines - I use Sumatriptan (generic and really inexpensive), but before those drugs came out, I like you, spent many days a year "on the floor." And every so often, the medicine doesn't work and it's off to a dark room to suffer.

I swear by Excedrin Migraine most of the time -- but I'd taken so much already that by the end of the night my liver was begging for mercy. I keep a couple of industrial ice packs, those pouches frozen goods are shipped with, in the freezer at work, and I was able to quell it enough with those to get thru the rest of the night. A couple of times I've completely lost my sight for an hour or two as a result of such migraines, which fortunately didn't happen this time.

Beyond the bias, magazine spreads hardly have the capacity or tone for thoughtful and comprehensive history.

True, of course. But for many people, what they see in old magazines becomes the definitive view of history. Read, but verify.

 

[Fading Fast]

I swear by Excedrin Migraine most of the time -- but I'd taken so much already that by the end of the night my liver was begging for mercy. I keep a couple of industrial ice packs, those pouches frozen goods are shipped with, in the freezer at work, and I was able to quell it enough with those to get thru the rest of the night. A couple of times I've completely lost my sight for an hour or two as a result of such migraines, which fortunately didn't happen this time.



True, of course. But for many people, what they see in old magazines becomes the definitive view of history. Read, but verify.

Have you ever tried Sumatriptan? And "read but verify" a variation on Reagan's "trust but verify" - I doubt you were doing that on purpose.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've talked with my doc about Sumatriptan, but I'm concerned about the drowsiness effect -- if a migraine hits me at work, going to sleep isn't usually an option. The Excedrin has quite a hit of caffeine in it which gives me enough of a jolt to finish what I'm in the middle of.

Twice I've gotten sudden migraine hits while driving long-distance -- which is pretty much the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me. Out in the middle of nowhere, with no place to pull over safely, and an uncontrollable urge to throw up. Yes indeedy, good times.

I'm not above quoting Ronnie when the mood strikes. "Where's the rest of me??"

 

[Fading Fast]

I've talked with my doc about Sumatriptan, but I'm concerned about the drowsiness effect -- if a migraine hits me at work, going to sleep isn't usually an option. The Excedrin has quite a hit of caffeine in it which gives me enough of a jolt to finish what I'm in the middle of.

Twice I've gotten sudden migraine hits while driving long-distance -- which is pretty much the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me. Out in the middle of nowhere, with no place to pull over safely, and an uncontrollable urge to throw up. Yes indeedy, good times.

I'm not above quoting Ronnie when the mood strikes. "Where's the rest of me??"

I've never had a feeling of tiredness as a side effect, but of course, that doesn't mean you wouldn't. Perhaps it makes sense to get a prescription (it used to be expensive and now it is silly cheap - the patent rolled off and I buy generic) and try one when you feel one coming on, maybe on a weekend / day off where if you do get sleepiness as a side effect you aren't at work. The reason I am "pushing" is that the medicine really changed my life to where I can now function most of the time when I get a migraine.

I find that movie so disturbing that I can't watch it. The concept is so ugly, so evil and the results so visceral that I simply can't watch it. But I do get a kick out of Reagan as a slacker playboy in "Dark Victory" an underrated movie IMHO.

 

[Harp]

I swear by Excedrin Migraine most of the time --

Migraines struck in law school, I went to the Veterans Administration and had a cat-scan to rule out possible concussion effects
caused by explosive ordinance; cleared by the scan the VA issued Midrin, which I stopped and began Excedrin Migraine which always works.

 

[2jakes]

As soon as I feel the headaches coming I take one which helps to tone it down.
But when I wake up with the pain at full throttle.
I can take practically " whole bottle" & all it does is give me nausea.

The headaches last for three days .
When they go away....life is beautiful once again !

 

[Benzadmiral]

Just finished the 1942 John Dickson Carr novel The Emperor's Snuff Box. It's not one of his pure "locked room" stories, and it doesn't feature any of his regular detectives. Plus I couldn't figure out what time period the story was supposed to be set in. There's no mention of any war past or present; there are regular airplane flights from the south of France to the London area and back. And a strong custom of propriety informs the plot: a divorced woman having her ex-husband visit her (just visit, nothing more intimate) at night in her bedroom is considered to be not only something to keep private, but also shocking. And automobiles mingle on the streets with horse-drawn carriages.

Still head and shoulders above most mystery novels for surprise, fair clues, and atmosphere.

 

[AmateisGal]

I have had a constant headache for the last 20 years. It's usually a dull roar, but some days it gets really bad. Many docs have diagnosed me with chrinic tension hadaches. But no medicine ever gets rid of it. And I have tried almost everything under the sun to cure myself. Medicine, chiropractors, acupuncture, massage therapists, physical therapy, a neurologist, and most recently, I got two occipital nerve blocks done in my neck. Nothing brings siginificant relief. Taking Tylenol is a joke...doesnt even begin to touch the pain. I just live with it now.

 

[AmateisGal]

Yay! I'm in the reading mood again! I picked up a novel off my shelf that I haven't read yet called The English Girl by Margaret Leroy. Set in 1930s Vienna.

 

[2jakes]

Yay! I'm in the reading mood again! I picked up a novel off my shelf that I haven't read yet called The English Girl by Margaret Leroy. Set in 1930s Vienna.

Great !

I have a constant high pitch ringing on my right ear. When I’m tired at the end of the day, the sound gets more
intense.

Too bad I can't program a nice tune instead !

 

[Fading Fast]

I have tinnitus - came on out of nowhere a year and a half ago - now I live each day with a constant low-roar in each ear (almost like I'm holding a seashell up to each ear). Once it a awhile it will throttle down - my God is that nice, you adjust when you have it, but when it throttles down, it reminds me of how much tension it causes / how nice it would be if it went away. But as I'm sure most of us do, I remind myself of how much worse it could be and I just carry on. Reading helps me not notice if for a bit, but if the book is boring and I can't get into it, I notice the tinnitus more and find it reduces my patience with the book.

 

[Harp]

Culled off the internet: Whatever Happened to the Novel of Ideas? by Pankaj Mishra and Benjamin Moser,
International New York Times, September 15, 2015

A 'Bookends' piece, the opening comment struck: "Compared with the Russians, the novelists of our own place and time look
so thematically shallow." Indeed.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have tinnitus - came on out of nowhere a year and a half ago - now I live each day with a constant low-roar in each ear (almost like I'm holding a seashell up to each ear). Once it a awhile it will throttle down - my God is that nice, you adjust when you have it, but when it throttles down, it reminds me of how much tension it causes / how nice it would be if it went away. But as I'm sure most of us do, I remind myself of how much worse it could be and I just carry on. Reading helps me not notice if for a bit, but if the book is boring and I can't get into it, I notice the tinnitus more and find it reduces my patience with the book.

I've just recently developed a very faint 1 kc tone in my right ear -- it sounds exactly like NTSC color bars -- and I'm dreading the possibility that it's going to be permanent. My best friend -- who is otherwise deaf -- has had tinnitus all her life, and it eventually developed into Meniere's Disease, so I don't like to think of the possibilities.

 

[2jakes]

I've just recently developed a very faint 1 kc tone in my right ear -- it sounds exactly like NTSC color bars -- and I'm dreading the possibility that it's going to be permanent. My best friend -- who is otherwise deaf -- has had tinnitus all her life, and it eventually developed into Meniere's Disease, so I don't like to think of the possibilities.

There’s no cure that I know of so far. And it does increase in tone as you get older.
I’m hearing it right now . I have learned to block it out by staying active .

I read somewhere that an artificial tone can be applied & the brain will pick this up . In time your on tone will
subside.
Then the artificial tone can be reduced in levels so that eventually you can have it down to zero volume.


I don’t know if I read this wrong or just plain wishful thinking , but don’t dwell on the possibilities.

Btw: love the saddle shoes .

 

[Fading Fast]

I've just recently developed a very faint 1 kc tone in my right ear -- it sounds exactly like NTSC color bars -- and I'm dreading the possibility that it's going to be permanent. My best friend -- who is otherwise deaf -- has had tinnitus all her life, and it eventually developed into Meniere's Disease, so I don't like to think of the possibilities.

I am sincerely not making light of this (truly, sincerely not) but there is some painful irony in being deaf but having tinnitus - that is just wrong.

As to Meniere's Disease - I have had, my entire life, incredibly bad motion sickness, so I appreciate the fear, but absolutely will not worst case all my medical ailments or I'll just shoot myself. Take it each day as it comes - the tinnitus is not fun, but manageable (as are the migraines and back issue). None are fun - and they can defeat me mentally for a day or two. But if you get to know someone close - it seems that everyone has some health issues they are dealing with, so I just try to put it in perspective and carry on.

I assume you know sign language if your best friend is deaf?

 

[LizzieMaine]

A little bit. She doesn't like signing and prefers to lip-read, so when I'm with her I am careful to always look at her when I'm talking and articulate my words carefully.

The Meniere's has basically disabled her, and her life has not been pleasant as a result of it. My mother also has inner-ear problems, which were due to an untreated ear infection as a five year old -- her parents couldn't afford to have it treated -- and she's essentially deaf in that ear. So between the two of them anything wrong with my ears tends to make me very very nervous. The other night, I had some bleeding in my right ear, and nearly went to the emergency room before I discovered I'd had a tick in there. Go figure.

 

[Fading Fast]

A little bit. She doesn't like signing and prefers to lip-read, so when I'm with her I am careful to always look at her when I'm talking and articulate my words carefully.

The Meniere's has basically disabled her, and her life has not been pleasant as a result of it. My mother also has inner-ear problems, which were due to an untreated ear infection as a five year old -- her parents couldn't afford to have it treated -- and she's essentially deaf in that ear. So between the two of them anything wrong with my ears tends to make me very very nervous. The other night, I had some bleeding in my right ear, and nearly went to the emergency room before I discovered I'd had a tick in there. Go figure.

I appreciate your concern and that had to be a relief - a tick in your ear is not fun, but always great to know the reason and to know it is not worse / chronic / etc.

I have had motion sickness my entire life. And not - oh, I get a little queasy on boats - but really bad, debilitating motion sickness. While it ebbs and flows a bit, I have times where I cannot ride in a car - period. Boats are all but out for anything over ten or fifteen minutes on calm water (I can do the water ferry here on calm days - but that is it). Planes aren't as bad as boats, but can be. That said, Bonime (an over-the-counter motion sickness medicine) helps for cars and planes, but not so much boats - but it definitely makes me tired. The only thing I can ride on without an issue are trains - which, along with there Golden Era tie-in, probably explains my insane love of trains.

 

[Harp]

Giacomo Leopardi's Zibaldone. A continuous struggle but quite enjoyable.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Hurry Up Please, It's Time," by Elizabeth Hawes, a summary of her experiences as a United Auto Workers organizer in the years bridging the end of the war and the start of the postwar era. Hawes is one of my favorite people, a high-end fashion designer in the thirties who grew so repulsed by her clientele that she abandoned the fashion business and found new fulfillment working in a factory in New Jersey and subsequently for the UAW. She's quite candid on the issues facing the union at that time, especially for its female members, but remains committed to the cause.

Her earlier books, dealing with fashion subjects, were very popular during the late thirties, and she was very much the darling of cafe society. But after she walked out on all that, her writings got a little too near to the bone for the postwar mood, and she ended up hounded out of the country by the blacklisters. Her later books are very hard to find, and I was quite pleased, when I picked up this one, to discover that it was signed by the author.