I Had Wine Last Night

And it was the first I've had since October 3rd, 2009.

You see, as a result of that unfortunate seizure episode on the morning of the 4th of October while we were visiting in Nova Scotia, my doctor had instructed me to adjust my Cesamet dose downward to a certain level.

Shortly thereafter, I asked if I could increase it by .5mg per day to see if it would afford me a little more pain relief and he agreed that I could, "as long as I continued to abstain from alcohol."

So, ever since then, I have continued to not have any alcohol in any amount, on any occasion.

Thanksgiving happened but I was still very much in recovery mode at that point so it was fairly inconsequential to me on that holiday.

We would have visitors for dinner, or we would be visiting friends for dinner, and I would have what we had by then begun to call my "new" special wine:  a glass of milk.  (When I do drink the real stuff, I only drink my own, sulphite-free brew-it-yourself wine -- my "special" wine.)

My doctor has never altered his instruction to me, and whenever I spoke with him, I kept forgetting to ask if I could resume having an occasional glass of wine or two (or three or four on occasion ...).

Then I had this procedure hanging over me and I'm having such difficulty taking in food that I figured I really shouldn't upset the apple cart by adding wine to the mix before we get a diagnosis (or lack thereof).

So, I continued having my new special wine with my dinners.

But last week, when I spoke to my family doctor about this upcoming procedure, his words to me were:  "That seizure was a one-off event.  The chance of all those triggers ever coming together again is just not likely to happen.  All your bloodwork and EEG and other tests are perfectly fine.  You have nothing to worry about."

His office has also since called to let me know that subsequent bloodwork that was done to verify my electrolyte balance indicated that it is good to go; and that both my ultrasounds showed no abnormalities.  The doctor wanted to wish me a very Merry Christmas in light of all the good news; and good luck with the procedure on Friday.

So, based on those reports, and having received a clean bill of health following the endoscopy/colonoscopy, since "all is normal" and "nothing is wrong" and I have "nothing to worry about" I figure:  Why the hell can't I then return to my "normal" lifestyle?

That lifestyle, my pre-seizure lifestyle, involved having a glass (or two) of white wine most evenings.

John and I look forward to our daily "drinky-poo time" which usually happens around 4:00pm each afternoon.

So, I made an executive decision about my body and my health.

Without checking with my doctor (it was, after all, Friday afternoon), I determined that I could safely add wine to my diet.

And last night, for the first time since October 3rd, I had a glass of wine; I didn't want a second.

And, thus far, I haven't suffered any dire consequences.

So, John was delighted to learn I will again be joining him for our daily before-dinner imbibing hour (it took him about a nanosecond to pour my glass of wine last night).

I'll discuss my new intake with my doctor when next I see him early in the new year.

In the meantime, easy is as easy does ... but at least I will enjoy a glass of my "real" special wine over the holiday season.