Pain, everlasting, never-ending, pain

I usually wake at 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning (and dammit Sully knows it and jumps up on the bed even if I wasn't going to wake up).  For a non-morning person it is solely for taking pain killers.  And sometimes something for the anxiety a higher degree of pain is causing me.

When one is having a lot of pain and then one gets all riled up about it, it triggers the adrenal response of fight or flight, pumping more pain and your brain gets locked in the pain cycle.  The miserable g.d. pain cycle.

Watching my SIL in so much pain this past weekend has made me acutely aware of how much I've come to know about pain and managing pain, despite all I still can learn (another reason I want to be a patient at the U of U clinic so much).

This morning I couldn't stay lying here listening to my favorite podcasts or music or the things that usually calm me down and lull me back to sleep.  Instead I chewed up a "chill out" pill and am hoping for peace soon.  It's been about 10 hours since my last pain killer so I am also in withdrawals.

The other night I fell asleep chanting my prayer for my SIL.  Maybe I'll go try that again.

Or I'll try counting my blessing instead of sheep.  Like how I have a dog who jumps up on the bed at five AM and who will sit there when I pet her and belch loudly without opening her mouth.  It's actually one of the "Rules of Zombieland": enjoy the little things.

Those little things might get me through the pain hurdle this morning.  I'll worry about tomorrow when it comes.  And now, for fun:

"Rules of Zombieland: Enjoy the Little Things"

(There are no zombies and this segment is rated G)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYDcRb_GzQ&feature=related