Improvement is Evident ...

My neck is definitely improving.

Each day I see signs of improvement.

"And that's a good thing," to quote a nauseating homemaking queen.

My range of motion has increased a great deal and I can last longer each day in an upright position without using the neck brace.

But I have to be careful not to overdo it too.

Yesterday, the "kids" as John calls them, came over and made dinner for us, which was a really nice break from everything.  Jr was able to help his Dad with a few things that needed doing around here, and we always enjoy visiting with them so the day itself was a welcome interruption from the chaos that has reigned around here for the past few weeks.

The extra rest has obviously paid off and this morning, I feel better again than I did yesterday.

Hence, improvement is evident.

However, (there always has to be a caveat, doesn't there?) the reduction in the Cesamet dosage is really starting to impact on my well-being.

My right hip is back to its permanent "throbbing like a toothache" state again, just as it was before I started taking the Cesamet.

And last night, I woke every two hours like clockwork.  Just like I used to do in my pre-Cesamet nights.

Obviously, I am now below my therapeutic level of Cesamet in terms of its pain management benefit to me.

Which begs the question:  If the decision is made to keep me on a lower dose of Cesamet (assuming my appetite returns and any other issues are resolved to everyone's satisfaction), why remain on it at all if it does not afford me the pain relief and the sleeping enhancement that we were trying to achieve by adding it to my arsenal of pain management techniques.  I know what my position will be on that question.

We're heading into Ottawa today, but this time it's for pleasure.

We're going to have lunch with my former boss who is still a very good friend.  He's in town for meetings regularly throughout the year and we usually get together when he's here.  Once, it was brunch on Fathers' Day; another time it was dinner before we dropped him off at the airport as he headed out of Ottawa.  Whatever works for busy people!  This time I opted for lunch and, fortunately, it worked with his schedule.  In fact, he has the whole day free so we can take our time, enjoy a nice leisurely visit and still be home early, before I run out of gas.

He's been out of the country (Greece, Turkey, Italy and God only knows where all else) for the past month or so, and our contact has been minimal.  We made the lunch arrangement via chancy e-mail exchanges which include my reference to a "story" I had to tell him.

Just wait 'til he sits down and says, "So, what's new?" and we start to tell him.