One day at a time

Like the title says, "One day at a time" that is how we are taking it. My wife finally decided to not continuing to step down on her dosage when she got to a half milligram after a few days at that. She stopped taking them altogether. Today is the third day she hasn't taken any Valium. We finally got her blood sugar to level out by taking a protein drink every two hours but now she has a head cold making her vertigo keeping her from walking at all. Since she can't stand up or walk, I cooked her breakfast then propped her up in her recliner with a book to read along with getting her to take a little medicine for her head cold. It looks like another one of those days where she can't do a thing for herself. I don't mind doing all this for her, because I love her. That is how my day is going, how is yours?  You can understand her frustration at having to ask me for help even getting to the bathroom, she has been an independent woman for so long, it is difficult for her to ask for help doing anything.
Now, on to other things. Join me on this site http://marsocial.com/groups/Lightning-Chronicles/ where I discuss my SiFi books and I am currently running a contest where the winners get signed copies of my Chronicles of the Marauder or a PDF copy. Join the group and nominate your favorite SiFi author and your favorite SiFi book. Instructions on on the site.
I am close to finishing the "Lightning Rages" the final book my Dystopian/Apocalyptic series called Lightning in the Tunnel. I hope to have it published by December. I know I can finish it soon unless my wife prevents me from doing it. She is more important to me right now. Getting her back to normal and helping her until she is. "Lightning Rages" is the sequel to "A Need for Lightning" that received a five star rating on Shelfari.
Once in a while I will write a little on Chronicles of the Marauder-Book Three and will finish it in a few months. If you haven't read any of the Chronicles of the Marauder, check out my author site at http://www.amazon.com/author/agmoye Have a great day. Talk back to me, I'm listening!

One step at a time!

Life and changes come one step at a time, no matter how much you want something to change or end, if it has a hold on you for years, it takes time. My wife is getting better each day as she kicks the Valium habit. She is down to 1 mg per day and Monday she will drop to 1/2 mg per day. We found that her hypoglycemia has been throwing her a curve ball that she didn't catch thinking it was just withdrawal problems. It was dropping her blood sugar down into the 40's and 50's unexpectedly. Now, we are struggling to control it and keep it above 80 or as close as we can get. Her attention now is on me, the stress of her going through all this has sent my blood sugar out of control up into the 300's and some times higher. I started walking three miles a day but it is higher after I walk and keeps climbing. Forced to go to the Doctor's, he had to put me on insulin trying to help the pills that no longer seemed to work. I only take one shot a day at nighttime hoping to lower to start my day letting the pills take over after that and control my blood sugar during the day. I eat very little and try to avoid sweets with walking a lot to keep it down but so far it isn't working. I just had two pieces of toast (Multi-grain bread) and it shot up to 306 on the glucose meter. This is only day three of being on insulin, maybe in a couple more days it will stabilize below 180 and not cause me anymore health problems. I know it should be at 140 but I can live with it as long as it is below 180.
For those readers out there that want to learn more about my SiFi books, I have a discussion ongoing about them at http://marsocial.com/groups/Lightning-Chronicles/  join my discussion group. The more the merrier, this site is where you will get insights and some of the parts of my books to read free in Word. Come Join me! It is at no cost to you, except your time! Talk back, I'm listening!

The Battle

As we approach day thirty in my wife's struggle to over come the withdrawal symptoms of her Valium dependency it has been tough on both of us. For those that never had to help a person come off something they have been on for eleven years, it is tough on those around her to understand her mood swings, frustrations and anger. She is mad at herself for ever getting on the drug and mad at the Doctor's for prescribing it to her in the first place. Being a diabetic, the stress level tends to drive my sugar out of control during her most frustrating times. During those times, I help her around the house since she also has chronic vertigo and is hypoglycemic along with that. Her blood sugar tends to drop unexpectedly making her vertigo worse where I just about have to carry her. I don't mind doing all this for her because I love her and know she would do the same for me if I needed it. She has always been there for me and I'm there for her. She is determined to get her life back to what it used to be before the drug ruled her life. I worry she will never be like she was before, all full of energy and doing things constantly. In her battles with the three problems she has, she has sat around reading constantly or watching TV, that has robbed her of her muscle tone and she is very weak. But things will get better, I know it as she struggles to make herself do things. With my help she is walking around the yard several times trying to get her strength back.
On the flip side, like this blog I used to write three times a week, it has dropped to once a week. My writing has slowed down considerably. I still try to find time to do a little blogging and promoting my books. This month I have dropped the price of my ebook of "A Stranger Comes Crawling" down to .99 on Amazon and Smashwords along with Nook and other places. To help promote my paperback, I have reduced the price and offered a ten percent discount on Createspace using this code. 56Y278VV. Offer on ebooks ends September 1, 2013. My paperback will run until September 15,2013. I posted a link to the paperback http://www.createspace.com/view/4057632 for any of my other books. Check out my author page at http://www.amazon.com/author/agmoye

panic attacks=addiction

Eleven years ago, my wife bless her heart was suffering from panic attacks after we lost our business. After I obtained a new job and was covered by insurance, she went to the Doctor to see about what could be done about her panic attacks and bouts of vertigo. The Doctor put her on Valium and things seemed to calm down for a long time. We never discussed with the Doctor what would be the withdrawal effects from the drug. Now, eleven years later, her Doctor moved away that she had been having her prescription filled by besides handling her other medical problems. My wife is also hypoglycemic as well. When she went to find another Doctor, no one would take her around here because she was on an controlled substance. We didn't know it was on the list from the DEA as being a control substance. Suddenly, she found herself being weened off it but not through what they prescribed as a step down program prescribed by a doctor. Instead she found herself doing one after being warned not go cold turkey but step down. When she looked up the withdrawal effects of Valium, she panicked again. Seizures and other things! So she had enough pills to began a step down program on her own. She had been on 6 milligrams three times a day and dropped down to 4 milligrams per day for nine days then to 2 milligrams per day. That was when all hell broke loose, her vertigo went crazy making her unable to walk and had to be carried to the bathroom. She has not found a happy medium yet after two weeks on 2 milligrams. I have no idea what is going to happen when she drops to 1 milligram per day. One minute she is berating the doctor's for forcing her off the crap. The next she is upset at being given this stuff to start with. I just help her all I can being her legs for her and hope each day she gets a little better so she won't wind up losing her ability to walk or stand when she is finally off this crap. So if the doctor wants to put you on Valium, find another alternative. It is hell for the patient and those around her trying to help her through all this! Talk back, I'm Listening  

Crossroads

There comes a time in every writer's writing career that they sit back and wonder whether their writing is good enough. After being stung by what I thought at the time was a traditional publisher where I signed a contract for seven years, thank goodness the contracts will end in 2019, I went the Indie route on the rest of my books. Being a writer, I can't stop writing. Just the other day I was sitting down with my wife and mentioned the outline of a new book. She remarked that I hadn't even finished Planet of the Midnight Mist along with the sequel to "A Stranger Comes Crawling" both her favorite books. She can never stop talking to people about "A Stranger Comes Crawling" because of the strange ending of book one. It blew her mind when she read it and said that I need to push this book more so I did. For the month of August, I have dropped the price on Amazon and Smashwords to 99 cents and offered a ten percent discount on the paperback using this code 56YZ78VV on Createspace for those that prefer paperbacks. This made her happy doing this because she believes that the more people that read the book, they will love it!
Speaking of my wife, she had been on Valium for eleven years for panic attacks and didn't realize that it was so hard to get off it. The withdrawal effects have been very bad. I am hopeful this week is the peak of the withdrawal effects since she dropped down to 1 milligram twice a day. She will hold at this level for fourteen days then drop to 1/2 milligram twice per day for fourteen days then quit altogether. Her body is fighting hard not wanting to accept the fact that it is no longer going to depend on this drug. Going from 6 milligrams per day to 4 milligrams was not that hard but when she dropped down to 2 milligrams, her body rebelled and she is having a rough go of it. Like I said, she will drop to 1 milligram a day in another few days. It is not easy on those that love her especially me. She is unable to walk some days and I have to hold her up to do things. Her legs don't want to support her and with vertigo on top of that, it makes for a very trying day for both of us. But she is determined to get of this addictive drug and get her life back. I will do whatever it takes to help her even if it means not being able to write as much or blog as frequent as I used to. Talk back, I'm Listening!