Another Friday has rolled around, and with it comes one of the most important days of the month—medication day. To be honest, I couldn’t be more relieved because I have officially run out of painkillers. It’s a reminder of just how much I rely on these medications to get through each day and manage the ongoing pain that has become a normal part of my life.
As I write this, it’s only 1:30 in the morning, and once again I find myself lying awake, unable to sleep. Unfortunately, this has become a regular occurrence for me. No matter how tired I feel, my brain just refuses to switch off. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and after so many sleepless nights, you almost become accustomed to it, even though it never gets any easier.
Since there is no point in staring at the ceiling, I’ve got some music playing in the background while I’m cooking a few party pies to satisfy a late-night hunger craving. It’s not exactly the healthiest meal, but at this hour, they’ll certainly do the job.
In just over five hours, my day will properly begin when Chaice arrives. Around the same time, I’ll also have my monthly phone appointment with my GP to organise my regular prescriptions. That appointment is fairly routine these days, but it always serves as another reminder of how expensive managing chronic health conditions can be. Once the prescriptions are sorted, it will be another trip to the chemist and another significant bill to pay.
I’m hoping I must be getting close to reaching the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net by now. It feels like I’ve spent an absolute fortune on medications over the past several months. I’ll have to give the chemist a call this afternoon and find out exactly how much further I have to go before I qualify, because every little bit of financial relief helps.
As usual, Friday is also our weekly shopping and household day. Chaice will first collect all of my monthly medications from the chemist before bringing them home. After that, he’ll head over to Woolworths to collect the weekly grocery order. Once everything is unpacked, it’ll be time to start cooking lunch for the week.
This week’s menu is sausage stir-fry. I know that combination probably sounds a little strange to some people, but it’s honestly one of my favourite meals. Sometimes the simplest comfort foods are the ones you enjoy the most, and it’s something I always look forward to.
Once the cooking is finished, there are the usual household jobs to get done before the day winds down. If there’s enough time, I might even send Chaice to grab me a bánh mì for lunch. I’ve become a huge fan of them lately—they’re fresh, filling, and always hit the spot. We’ll sit down, have some lunch, spend some time chatting, and before long, another Friday shift will have come to an end.
Looking ahead, tomorrow is Saturday, which means it’s outing day with Bodie. Those Saturdays have become something I genuinely look forward to each week. Getting out of the house, even for a few hours, makes a real difference after spending so much of my time at home. Bodie and I were talking the other day, and we’ve already decided that we’ll be grabbing bánh mì for lunch tomorrow as well. I certainly won’t be complaining about that.
For now, though, it’s back to my music, my party pies, and hoping that sleep eventually decides to make an appearance before the day officially begins.
Note: written with the help of ChatGPT
