1,000 mg. Would you say that was a lot?

[f4f3]

That's how much paracetamol there is in a Lemsip Max. At the moment, it's all that stands between me and running out of the office screaming "The Pain! The Pain! Make it go away!"

I know, intellectually, that I don't have toothache, that what I have is pain as a result of swelling of various parts of me due to a low-grade fever. I know this because my neck, my back, my knees and my head also hurt. However, the pain in my jaw is what woke me up at hourly intervals last night (the paracetamol I took at 10 wore off about midnight, so I was up at 12, 1, 2.20, 4 and 6. Ok, not quite hourly, but you get the picture). Rinsing with Oraldene numbed things up enough for me to get back to sleep, but that seems to wear off even more quickly. I suppose I could have taken more drugs at 2.20, but I didn't think of that.

However, I made it into work, broke out the Lemsip, and presumably I'll be fine until 11 or 12, and I can take another at 1. If this is the usual bug that's making the rounds I should be over it by tomorrow, which is good news for unblinkered , since it means I'll be on good form for our visitors, and for me, since I'm fencing tomorrow.

I put on my shiney new lame last night, and had, um, lets see... about 5 bouts. I won one (yes, there's someone who's even more of a beginner than me) and scored in all the rest of them, including two points against a left hander who is much, much better than me. I tried out an attack which more or less calls for you to dislocate your wrist to the right so that your foil comes in at a squinty angle and not the one they're expecting. Yes, there is a more technical name for the attack and no, I can't remember it, but my opponent was sufficiently flabbergasted by my attempt that I got through twice.

Oh, and was also taught a valuable lesson in another bout, when the ref said "Fence" and my opponent walked up and stabbed me. She did it so casually that I thought she was walking over to test the scoring box or something, Verrrry sneaky :)

I have my own foil back now, and very lovely it is too. One of the slightly disapointing things about proper fencing as opposed to the Lord of the Rings and The Princess Bride is that you don't have a sheath, (ideally with the sword's lineage traced in Feanorian runes of mithril, and a sekrit poket for leambas) but I do have a bag now, which gives me somewhere to put my mask as well as all the other bits and pieces. I'm going to have to use a duffel, too, or my wet towel will start to rust the blade.

I had some body wire issues last night again, and although the chances are that they were down to a faulty box I'm still not fully confident that it will work properly on Saturday at the tournament, and I'll be all mortified and embarrassed. Well, we'll see.

munchkinstein gave me some invaluable advice, which was to bring along LOTS OF FOOD AND DRINK. Apparently the place is in the middle of nowhere, and you're pretty much there from 9-5. Given my "don't make me hungry, you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry" metabolism, this would be a bad thing.

So, should be a fun weekend.

Unblinkered gets back this afternoon (Yay!)
I go off fencing on Saturday morning (Yay! Stab! Boo!)
Visitors arrive on Saturday afternoon/evening (Glug! Glug!)
We take them to the cottage on Sunday (Vroom!)
I drive back to Eurocentral on Monday morning on my own (Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!)

See, I can't afford to be ill...

Comments

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

And yet all I can think of is "Wait, is that Cerebus the Aardvark?"

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Well does it look like any other aardvark you know?

[rwrylsin.livejournal.com]

One of the slightly disapointing things about proper fencing as opposed to the Lord of the Rings and The Princess Bride is that you don't have a sheath, (ideally with the sword's lineage traced in Feanorian runes of mithril, and a sekrit poket for leambas)

Can't help with sekrit pokets, but a lot of people like to use a bit of pvc pipe as a sheath for their weapons, keeps the wet towels away too. I'm sure you could add some runes of permanent marker to it for effect.


I had some body wire issues last night again, and although the chances are that they were down to a faulty box I'm still not fully confident that it will work properly on Saturday at the tournament, and I'll be all mortified and embarrassed. Well, we'll see.

Honestly, new wires often fail, it's because the screws haven't been put in tight enough to break through the wire insulation.
First item for your fencing tool box - small jewellers screwdriver.

And yes, food, drink, plasters for blisters, and a fold-up seat are my standard competition survival kit.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Damn, wish I had time to get a fold-up chair...

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

Hm. What would look more impressive, dark PVC pipe with silver runes, or white PVC pipe with black runes?

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

I did see a few lengths of pipe dotted around the hall on Saturday. I need to visit my local DIY shop and see what they have in black PVC...

Or wait a minute... I have a friend who works in leather...

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

Leather would be great. :)

[psychochicken.livejournal.com]

1) 1000mg is the standard dose of 2 paracetamol tablets.
2) Paracetamol will not help toothache. For that you need an anti-inflamatory such as ibuprofen - you'll find a relatively small amount will help more than all the paracetamol in the world.
3) You can take paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time. Just don't try and do anything much. I didn't tell you that.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Yup, switched to Ibu last night, with good results. I'd have used it yesterday, but there was nothing handy but parrot eat em all and the lemsip with parrots etc.

Shit, now I'm sneezing...

[made-of-paradox.livejournal.com]

Some folks advise separating the ibuprofen from the paracetamol by 2 or 3 hours or so. If you're trying to drive down a nasty fever and keep it down, start with the maximum dose of paracetamol, then a dose of the ibuprofen 3 hours later, then more paracetamol 3 hours after that, etc. (I have used this trick on one or two of my children at various times.)

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Sounds sensible. I double dosed at around 7.30 this morning, so I'll take the ibuprofen at 11, and then some paracetamol at 1.00.