I'll start with the latest... A lady I've known since I was a teenager, one I've called "Ma" for the past 25 years, or so, got sick with a UTI on Christmas Day, and passed away this week. Her name was Dorothy Case, mother to Gene and Bill, loving wife to Thurle for close to 70 years. I met her when Bill asked me over to watch a KC/OAK football game, a clash of two AFL power houses. Bill introduced me to her, and I took an instant liking to her, and over the years, we developed a relationship that I don't think Bill or Thurle were aware of... mostly due to my friendship with Billy. She asked me, a long time ago, to not forget about Bill, and to stay friends with him, something that has changed me significantly.
Billy is a great guy, and I've never gotten any special favors, or money, for being friends with Bill Case. Sometimes it isn't easy, as he's a bit of a worry wart, and can fret on command. He's a technological Neanderthal, doesn't own a computer, laptop, tablet, just a cell phone, and while it has a browser function, he doesn't go near it. Add to that, the complete lack of any desire to learn or have one, and you can begin to see where it can occasionally be a frustrating friendship. Of course, he gets just as frustrated with me, because I keep offering him one of my older (but functional) computer systems, and he's running out of reasons to refuse.
In amongst all of that, I tried to switch medications for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), since about 2005, I had been taking a Parkinson's medication called "klonopin," or Clonazepam, in the Valium family, and while it has worked just fine for the past 11 years, the FDA has clamped down on prescriptions for controlled substances (which includes klonopin), allowing a doctor to prescribe only 30 days at a time, and requires a face-to-face meeting to get a renewal for another 30 days... A doctor in Pain Management took control of all my controlled meds (Norco and klonopin at the time), and he's a hard SOB to track down sometimes. I had had a reaction to Requip the first time I took it, but it turned out to be Lipitor that caused the problems, so I decided to try it again, just so I wouldn't have to make appointments every 30 days...
Ropinrol, the generic Requip has a side-effect that can be made worse if taken with Benadryl, and I've taken Benadryl every night since I can't remember, as a sleep aid (if you need a sleep aid, diphenhydramine - generic Benadryl - is in all of the "Night Time" versions of cold/flu/fever medications you can buy OTC). It is, perhaps, the least toxic form of sleep aids, too, as it is often given to children, for the aforementioned conditions... With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I screwed up by not taking Benadryl with the Requip. I was so concerned about the side-effect that was mentioned.
According to the Patient Information, ropinrol can cause Narcoleptic-esque episodes, where the person taking the drug can go to sleep, never feeling tired, not knowing, and not remembering. After 11 days, I had a little "episode" with the med.
I was playing an EA Sports golf game on my PS4, and was just about to start a new game. I looked up at the TV; then scooted up to the edge of the couch for a better playing posture. I was interested in how long it would take me to play a full 18 holes, so I looked at the clock, it was 3:07pm, I looked back at the image on the screen, moved my thumbs into playing position, looked back at the clock, and it was 5:19. I don't think I played; I can't remember. I was still poised on the edge of the couch in "attack position," but two hours had passed, and I have no idea what happened.
I didn't tell Mary. I was supposed to drive our son-in-law to the airport on Sunday, in the worst rainstorm to hit the area in decades. I knew I'd be OK going to the airport, but had serious concerns about being alone on the return. The fact that it's a Tuesday, and I'm writing this is proof that miracles happen. As soon as I got home, I took a Benadryl, and passed out on the couch. I've stopped taking Requip, and gone back to klonopin and Benadryl.
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