Glimmer

So of course after I'm all, Things are shit, and getting worse!, then a hopeful glimmer comes along to brighten things up and remind me to keep breathing. My dearest husband (whom I will henceforth refer to by his initials, NSA, since "dearest husband" seems so cliched and since NSA not only stands for "no strings attached" in personal ads, but also the National Security Agency, which is kinda cool) had a very good appointment with his general practitioner, Dr. Overworked Asian Chick. Now, having had health issues all of his life, NSA has had many, many bad doctors and bad visits, especially, it seems, when it was very important and when he most needed to be heard. This time, though, Dr. OAC actually took the time to read through his file, consider his specialists opinions, and listen to what he had to say. Will wonders never cease?? She agreed that since there's not much that can be done to cure him right now, stepping up the level of his pain relief would be a good thing. Yay! After years of suffering and stress, I get my husband back!! Not 100%, but definitely more than the 5-8% he's been.
Dr. OAC prescribed him a narcotic patch, constant-release through the skin, so he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night and have to wait for pills to take effect. This is a pretty big thing, both being able to sleep, and bypassing his devastated stomach. It means that we should be able to do things together again, simple things, like movies and dinners out. We'll have to see how well he tolerates it, but I'm allowing myself to be cautiously optimistic.