I'm tired and I don't really have many pressing thoughts at the moment.

Last night I had dinner with Anne, Peter, Dan, and Laura. We had chili and cornbread muffins, and everything was fantastic. Afterward, we had great conversation, and Dan told some really great stories. David wasn't able to come to dinner because he had to work at Ivy Tech.

I was also tired but extremely happy yesterday because it was my third straight day without any lung spasms. Yes, lung spasms. Evidently this is a little known health problem associated with acid reflux. Most people just get heartburn, but I get lung spasms. The acid flows up my esophagus and spills out in my lung wall. This makes my lungs go crazy. All of this started in late January-early February. I went to Arnett Clinic several times where they told me my chest pain was just stress. That is the most irritating and insulting answer a doctor can give. I have no doubt that my condition was brought on by stress, but that doesn't mean that my pain isn't real, and it certainly doesn't mean that there is nothing they can do about it. Since February, my spasms have been getting progressively worse. I would have them every day. Then, after we returned from Europe, I started having spasms continuously. All day, every day. I finally went to PUSH because I was having trouble breathing, and I decided that the spasms might be related to my asthma. After two unsuccessful asthma medications, my doctor put me on Nexium, an acid reflux medicine. And there you have it. My spasms reduced almost immediately. Now I'm spasm free. I still have a little trouble breathing, but I have no doubt that it will improve in time. I really feel like I've gained a part of my life back. I'm even going to start exercising again as soon as my breathing clears up completely.

So, I'm thankful for Nexium. I'll even be able to have caffeine again soon. See, caffeine makes acid reflux worse, and that in turn made my spasms worse. Maybe then I'll be able to wake up.