Cobaye

Guinea-Pig. I am going to be a Guinea-Pig. Tuesday evening I recieved a call from a research center that is a part of my doctor's office. It seems they are doing a study on women that suffer from migraines that they believe are linked to their Estrogen levels. I, as some of you may know, am afflicted by this problem as I have a week of migraines most months. There isn't currently a drug on the market that is capable of delivering the right hormone levels without causing Estrogen-withdrawl migraines. My doctor gives me a lower level patch that helps to control the migraines but that amount of hormone is still too much for me to have a normal cycle. This new study is attempting to combine two drugs that are FDA approved and currently on the market in the hopes that it will provide the appropriate hormone levels and not cause migraines. I thought it sounded like an interesting study and anything that would help me to have a normal functioning body and not give me mind-numbing headaches is something worth being a part of. The study also has a couple of perks... two doctor visits, free drugs, and $25. My first doctor's visit is tomorrow (Friday) and is a complete physical. They said it would take about an hour and a half and will be a total check-up including an EKG. I think it's pretty neat that I get free doctor visits, something I took for granted back in my carefree insured days. They also said that if the drug combination works well on me, they will be able to perscribe both pills until the combination pill goes on the market. Otherwise it would be pretty sucky to find something that works and then not be able to use it until it's mass produced. The 25 dollars isn't bad either...I'd never pass up free money. The woman on the phone said she used to tell people that they buy you a tank of gas...she said now they just buy you about 5 gallons, lol. I'm not looking forward to spending that long at the doctor's tomorrow, but I'm excited to be a part of the study anyway.

In addition to my $25 for the study, I made a random $10 yesterday at the peach stand. I sold a pocket knife that my dad gave me. It wasn't any heirloom or anything, just a knife he bought after he lost his, and then he bought a better one later and he never really liked this one. I thought it was cute, so I asked if I could have it. At the stand we have a sample peach that people taste before buying our fruit...I forgot the usual cutting board and knife that we use at home where it was being washed one day, so I just used my pocket knife and a paper towel for the sample. This woman saw the knife and became obsessed with it. She asked me where I got it and was looking at it and everything. A few days later she asked if I would sell it because she hadn't been able to locate one like it. I didn't have it with me that day but I said I'd think of a price and bring it some other day. She came back the next day, and after talking to my dad who thinks he paid between 5 and 15 dollars for it, I decided to ask for 10, and she paid it! More easy money, haha.

I haven't really written about the West Virginia trip yet, I know. Since we got back I've been working from 7:30 AM to 6:45 PM (and not actually getting home until about 7:30PM). We have been having record high temperatures with the heat index around 105 degrees! So, when I get home I'm much more concerned with a shower, food and bed than with my blog. I've missed writing regularly, but at least my sister is finished with Summer classes, so for the next couple of weeks I won't be working quite as much. I do plan to eventually post some pictures of the family reunion as well as some pics from my recent Florida trip. As far as writing about WV, there really isn't much to say. It was dramatic and tiring, although it was nice to see alot of family members we haven't seen in a long time. My Mom's cousin, Jerry Lee, had a heart attack at the reunion, so that was a major event. The attack was severe with a 99% blockage in one artery, but he was fortunate that not much damage was done to his heart and we just hgot word that he has been released from the hospital. Praise be to the Lord.

We were constantly harassed by this stupid old woman that wouldn't recognize a good time if it walked up and slapped her in the face! Mamma and Dora are living in a senior citizens apartment building that has a code to get in the door. Each tenet gets a code that they use to get it...and originally they were told they could give it out to whom ever they deemed trustworthy. Consequently, they gave it out to the many family members that came and went out of their apartment throughout the weekend. This crazy old bat would stand in the lobby and watch to see if people entered a code and then tell them repeatedly that the letter said no one but residents were supposed to have the code (an intersting side note is that the letter didn't appear until halfway through the weekend when everyone already knew the code). Also we stored some chicken and eggs in a downstairs refrigerator and when two family members went to retrieve it, Crazy asked them if it belonged to them and they told her "yes" and then later the woman told us that they were very hostile...I guess they should have said "yes, you crazy old stick in the mud, it is our chicken!" haha

One other note-worthy moment was when my Mom and I sang karaoke! I've never done that before in my life and almost chickened out, but ultimately decided it would be more fun than embarrassing and it's just family anyway so who cares? Our song of choice was one of our favorites and a number often featured in our home singing sessions..."If I Had $1000000" by The Barenaked Ladies. If you don't know the song, you should, it's funny. We were surprisingly a big hit, and we earned many cheers and applause at the conclusion. Later, Mom, Jenny, and I joined several other family members to sing "Lean On Me" and of course "We Are Family" although it quickly became clear that everyone knew the chorus much better than any of the choruses. It was starting to get addicting by the end...I can see how people go sing it all the time. It was crazy, fun and nerve-racking...much like the rest of the weekend!

In other news, my friend Stacy stopped by my stand yesterday on her way from WV back to Florida. She wasn't able to stay long, but it was really nice to see her, and to meet her friend, Joe. I'm glad that so far I've been able to maintain some of my friendships since moving to SC. I don't get to see or even talk to my wonderful friends as often as I'd like...but know that you are always on my mind, even if I am terrible at picking up the phone! Take care friends, and thank you for hanging in there and reading my sporadic entries!