My jaw hurts; like toothache but it’s not that. The result of surgery nearly a week ago. Ibuprofen holds it at bay but it returns. Hurts so I can’t think.
Seventy years ago, when I lived with my Mum, she had a slender volume on her shelves: The Problem of Pain, by C. S Lewis, better known for Narnia, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Perelandra, etc. Lewis was a literary Christian and TPOP tries to explain why bad things – like pain – can routinely exist in a world controlled by a so-called loving God. I never read it but guessed at its contents. Didn’t reckon it could help.
These days I’m slightly better informed. Pain is the body’s way of letting us know there are things within that deserve our attention. Or that the body has deteriorated to such an extent it’s now too late for help or hope.
Ibuprofen has its benefits and is not wildly addictive. Even so it’s an analgesic and, if possible, I prefer to avoid such druggy stuff. Besides, it only addresses the symptoms not the root cause.
I concentrate hard on writing this (Hey, it’s not exactly Big Lit.) and for tiny periods it seems I suppress the ache. Not enough to let me get back to sleep but, never mind, a minor triumph.
Despite pain’s continuance I get a kick out of these duller moments. That I, an 87-year-old, long-retired, hack journalist, who has brought little benefit to the world and is probably no more than a practitioner of poltroonery is going ten rounds with a force of nature and scoring a point or two, here and there.
Mankind fighting back.
Yeah. Go for it.
Go for it indeed RR and keep fighting back. I find Ibuprofin constipationary. Naproxin helps me when my old prostatectomy wound bothers me - as it still does occasionally after 25 years.
ReplyDeleteAvus: Thanks for the encouragement. As the subsequent post suggests, I may now be off analgesics. Alcohol-free drink must, however, endure for another four months. Tried booze-free Tanquerary gin last night; it's just about tolerable provided one doesn't pretend it's gin.
ReplyDeleteI too am booze free due to medication - I miss my G&T (tonic water is no substitute) and decent red wine..
ReplyDeletePoltroonity! Geez o Freakin' Pete, that's a good word.
ReplyDeleteJust finished tidying up the kitchen after a session of braising this year's Kraut dish (using my great-grandmother's grandmother's recipe). I nailed it this time and thought of you. Doesn't require a lot of chewing and has a delightful Rhein Wein taste & aroma (the alcohol has all cooked away).
ReplyDeleteweirdly, my comment above was chalked up to 'anonymous' but with the Rhein Wein bit, you know who it is!
ReplyDeleteZu Schwer: Not too many recipes suggest Riesling or Müller-Thurgau for cooking. I'll give it a look.
ReplyDelete