Spiders Have Implanted Eggs in my HEAD

Not really, but that's the first thing I thought of when I found these ginormous lumps in the back of my head a week ago. Did you know you have lymph nodes in the back of your head? Me neither.

So going up over the mountains to Phoenix made my sinuses freak out, and typical me figures I'll just ride it out. By Friday, I decided a week of this crap was enough, so I hit the Walgreens Take Care clinic - did you know that some Walgreens have little medical clinics in them?

Anyway, I told them I'm allergic to penicillin.

"But can you take sulfa?" they ask.

"Ummmm, well, I have this weird reaction to alcohol sometimes...." I respond.*

"But are you allergic to sulfa?"

"I don't know....Not that I'm aware of....."

So guess what? I have a reaction to sulfa. I get all red and prickly.** Just like when I drink wine or eat certain foods. The reaction is mild, and I really don't want to get a different prescription at this point (four days in), am I being stupid to just live with it? And do I explain to people that just because I'm bright red and twitchy (the prickles kind of feel like bugs in my hair) that I'm not drunk and/or mentally unstable?***

And since we're on the topic of medications, I found out this week that the med we give our dog for her seizures is some sort of bitchin' get-you-high prescription drug. The vet kept saying it was a controlled substance, but I didn't really think too much about it until my husband LOST two months worth of pills during the move.****

Calling the vet and begging them to call in another prescription to a pharmacy in another state was fun. It's a good thing my vet is awesome and knows us pretty well. They've spent a lot of time with us trying to get the seizures under control so they know we're not just drug addicts using our dog as a cover. I hope. I guess if we lost pills on a regular basis, one would wonder.

Moving on.

We drove by our ex-house last night, and there were lights on and I kind of freaked out. It was weird to leave my husband and dogs in Phoenix. We lived there for so many years, we have so many friends there, it really is 'home' for me. Coming back here where I basically have M2 and her family as my only close friends, where I have no house of my own, where MM is not, where I never really fit in - I feel very much like I don't belong here, like I shouldn't be here. It was very hard to come back. I'm not sure why, but I didn't expect to feel that way. I'm thankful I'm so comfortable with M2 and her family. Even though I don't really want to be where I'm at locationally,***** I do feel welcomed and at home in my temporary residence. How many people can you feel that way with?

We are once again financially stable - with even a little bit of wiggle room. Our debts are mostly paid off, just our (smallish) car payments and student loans left. We have money to live off of, a decent sized income from unemployment benefits, and enough money for a down payment on our next house. We left Phoenix at the right time - when housing prices were near their peak - and we're coming back at the right time - when housing prices have plummeted.

Life is good, what more can I say?



*I get all red and flushed when I drink even the tiniest bits of wine. Someone told me it was sulfides, sulfates, something like that. I didn't know it was all related. But I'd have thought that statement would have triggered more than a blank stare from a pharmacist....Live and learn.

**And not in a good way, either.

***This totally explains the strange looks at the zoo yesterday. I thought it was because I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair again. Does anyone else do that, or is it just me? Because I'm sad to say this isn't the first time.....

****At least I think he lost it. Now I'm thinking maybe someone just stole them for nefarious purposes. Leaving my dog to seize. Bastards.

*****Is too a word.