My New Friend Val

My computer is finally back!  I think it needed a new power source and to have thick layers of dust blown off its various fans.  Or something.  Whatever.  It works now and that's all that matters to me.  I have to admit, though, that I was exponentially more productive with it gone.  In fact, I got the kids'/guest bathroom totally redone in this time.  And I'd gladly post pictures, but now my camera has stopped working.  (Maybe there's a tiny little dusty fan in there?)

The other thing I accomplished in this time was developing the mother of all muscle spasms in my jaw.  It's no secret that I clench my teeth when I sleep, but generally it goes in cycles where I have a little discomfort every few months for a short period of time.  But I am all about personal bests, so this time I took it to a whole new level.  As the problem increased, I would lie awake at night consciously trying to unclench my jaw.  This led to insomnia which led to more jaw tightening.  When I would fall asleep, I'd practically need a crowbar to open my mouth in the morning.  During my trip to Pittsburgh, it escalated to the point where I was in pain all the time.  It wasn't the worst pain I've ever had, but its constant presence was wearing me down physically and emotionally.  On Tuesday I got to the dentist who confirmed that it was a muscle issue, as opposed to a tooth problem.  He gave me this awesome jaw massage right there in the chair and sent me home with instructions to alternate ice and heat on it and to continue taking pain relievers.  Oh, and a prescription for Valium to take at night. He said it was to serve as a muscle relaxer, but when I filled the prescription,  the pharmacist looked me over and said, "Ok, so it looks like you'll be taking this to help you get some sleep....or to help with anxiety....?"  I pried my jaw open long enough to stammer that it was to deal with a muscle spasm.  She nodded, but I could tell she thought I was crazy. 

So, now I get to take a Valium every night before bed.  I'd never taken it before, so I wasn't sure how it would affect me.  The first night I noticed that my limbs felt awfully heavy.  I went to scratch my chin and it took like, three solid minutes for my hand to get to my face.  Ritu asked how I felt and the only word that seemed to fit was "agreeable".  Talk about a foreign feeling.  On the second night, I sent the following email to my sister:  I took my valium and now my legs work funny.

The good news is that the spasm is slowly but surely easing up.  The bad news is that eventually I'll run out of Valium.  I go back to the dentist in two weeks at which point I'll probably be fitted with a night guard.  Anybody have experience with those?  Can you tell me how they rank compared to say, nightly Valium?

And I promise I didn't forget to write about my adventures in clumsiness during my weekend (thank you for the kick-start, Sarah!) but did I mention that my in-laws get here tomorrow?  And that David's birthday party is tomorrow?  And Juliana's ballet recital is Monday?  And that Thursday is both the last day of school and the day we leave town for a weekend in St. Louis to meet our new nephew?  Oh wait...do you hear that?  It's the sweet sweet sound of my Valium calling.