Help, I'm gonna die

When Milhouse's remote control airplane crashes on the roof of a mysterious house, Bart climbs up to get it. He slips and grabs onto a gutter, then a caterpillar steps on Bart's fingers, tickling him and making him lose his grip. "Help," he laughs, "I'm gonna die."

This was more or less me last night, though I wasn't falling off a roof but a bed.

My right leg started jumping, and as I often do, I sat up in bed. I hold onto my chair fo balance and just sit for a little. It works.

Last night, though, holding the chair didn't help me keep my balance. It actually hurt me because when I started falling back, I continued to hold on. The result was that my head was pulled off the bed. I was also holding on so I could not activate my watch to call for help.

Fame was an option, but unless people are up hearing her a floor away is dicey.

So I let go of my chair and slid a little farther off the bed. I was laughing, too, which sent me even farther, but with a free hand I activated Siri on my watch. Perhaps because of my positioning, it didn't understand who I wanted to call. Meanwhile, I kept sliding farther and farther.

At this point, I started asking Fam to bark. She did but was so excited by the prospect of company that she was barking with a stuffed animal in her mouth.

At this point, I was on the floor so I called my sister without Siri. But my sister heard Fame and shoed up to help before the call went through.

Help, Buffy

 As I was finishing a critical episode of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (who am I kidding? In that season they are all critical), I noticed that my left foot was so cold it ached. This after two hours under the covers.

Then it started jumping.

I eventually had to call my sister to put socks and foot warmers on me.    

This, I think, illustrates a bigger problem with taking a sleeping pill than the previous issue.

If it works,  a big if, shouldn't we be solving the things that keep me awake? The sleep mask drying my mouth or just being uncomfortable,  restless and cold legs. The use of a pill seems like just knocking myself out instead of trying to fix  me.

Buffy never went for that kind of laziness.

Fame cries wolf

I knew I was in trouble as soon as Fame barked.

I was off today. My sister was working. My niece and nephew were upstairs tele-learning. My brother-in-law was around but wasn't not available at the time I am about to describe. 

Because it was raining, Fame and I couldn't go out to play. That didn't stop her from stealing one of the house dogs balls when we were headed back to my room.

So I started tossing her the ball. Apparently, I was not fast enough because she barked, just once.

But then I heard thumping upstairs and someone running down the stairs, and my niece appeared in the doorway.

Whoops. 

I'd rather be up late

I am OK with doctors not knowing Friedreich's ataxia. It is not a common disease, so explaining it is all right with me.

For instance, this new sleep doctor I saw last wouldn't even know why I was in a chair. Well, unless he read my chart.

He prescribed a sleep aid, and I explained some of my concerns. He said not to worry because it has a very short half life. I told him I was going to check with my neurologist. I also decided to ask my personal care physician. But before I did that, I decided to find a drug information form on the drug: Ambien.

And I learned, from a page on a government website, that ... Ambien (at least the generic) can cause ataxia in non-disabled people the day after taking it. Really.

[zolpidem can cause] prolonged reaction time, problems with coordination the day after you take it, and may increase the risk that you could fall.

I won't be taking it.