WinterBurr of Celeste

We're watching The Amazing Race in an attempt to stay awake long enough not to mess up our schedule by falling asleep too early. Neither one of us slept long enough last night. In my case, it was partly because I'm experimenting to see if I can survive without my PPI. My prescription ran out and it took forever to refill it, so I thought I might as well try doing without. I'm experiencing some pretty bad heartburn, which I never had before. And I have now learned that doctors actually know about this. PPIs cause your body to make more gastrin, a peptide hormone that makes your stomach secrete more acid. Your body also proliferates the cells that make acid, all in an attempt to overcome the artificial reduction of acid caused by the PPI. So, as soon as you go off the PPI, you experience a horrendous rebound effect, which can go on for four weeks to three months before it normalizes. Aaaack. They never tell you this stuff because they don't think it's relevant. I am irritated, as well as dyspeptic.

I had to be up early so I could go to an 8:50 appointment at the eye doctor to have more measurements taken, preparatory to my eye surgery. We had 8 inches of snow overnight, so I had to do a lot of shoveling before I got the car out. Fun to be out shoveling in the frosty dawn, which happens about 8:13 these days. Fun to start the day with vigorous exercise, followed by driving through the ice and slush, followed by people shooting beams of bright light straight into your eyes!

Once that was over, it was pleasant to stay inside where it was warm, watching more snow blow past so thickly that you could hardly see the other side of the street. Eventually I cooked some green beans and some mashed potatoes--the last of the 15 pound bag I bought before Christmas. I actually used them all up! I'm pleased with myself. We ate some leftover ham and sausage, and I boiled the bones of the giant chicken for broth. I need a day when I don't have to go to any appointments!