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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
        
(Message started by: SommelierCH on Nov 15^th, 2002, 2:37pm)

Title: I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
Post by SommelierCH on Nov 15^th, 2002, 2:37pm

profession). I had asked for Maxalt MLT 10 mg., but this time insurance wouldn’t cover it, not even the 6 tabs a month. At $92 for 6 tabs out of pocket, I felt another pain, so I went back yesterday and he gave me a script for Zomig ZMT 5 mg. (which I will pick up this afternoon). From what I’ve read, it seems to have the same properties as Maxalt and this is the (relatively) new dissolving tablet like the Maxalt MLT. However, not wanting to take a chance that the Zomig would be ineffective, I bought 6 more Maxalts (he gave me 4 refills on each one) just in case. Good news is they were only $72 this time, and can we ever have enough back up during a cycle? The dissolving tablets are placed under the tongue and hit your system fast. It works for me. Here’s the routine. I get the Big One about 2 hours after I fall off to sleep. In the past it would creep up until I awoke with it in full force, this time my body wakes me up while it’s building, so I pop a Maxalt MLT under my tongue, stumble into the living room with my one working eye, hit the Oxygen @ 10 liters per min., which seems to hold things in check until the Maxalt MLT kicks into high gear. I am overjoyed to report to you, that this combination has kept the Beast under kip 8 and around 15 min. max. If I’m at home and feel the shadows building up force, I just hit the Oxygen @ 10 L./min. until they fade away, it really works for me.

Now, here’s the insidious side of the Beast. I’m a professional Sommelier (basically, I get paid to drink wine). I run the wine program for a major restaurant in Beverly Hills, do consulting work for other restaurants in the area, I consult and stock wine cellars for private homes and right now I’m putting together a wine cellar for a 16,000 sq. ft. Las Vegas supper/nightclub and ALCOHOL of any kind or quantity, is my major trigger. Go figure. All those years it was alcohol triggering my daytime attacks. It was hard to piece together because there is a 6-10 hour lag between ingestion of alcohol and the attack, but I realize now, there was always an attack. My cycles are apx. 8 weeks long, and less than 2 yrs. apart (it used to be 3 yrs.) so, from the moment the first one hits, I go dry. (Except, 2 Saturdays ago I got overconfident and had a non-alcohol beer….BIG MISTAKE) People who have known me less than 2 yrs. can’t believe me when I tell them I’m not drinking wine, after all it’s my hobby and passion as well as my career. I have resorted to cutting and pasting together a one page handout from this site, briefly describing CH’s and the pain. I give this to the owners at work, fellow employee’s who can’t understand the change in my normally outgoing and jovial personality and friends who weren’t around the last cycle. It really saves a lot of repetitive explanations.

The new shrooms page is excellent. Great work! Hell, I haven’t tripped since before Jerry died, what a great excuse.

Knowing that we are not alone is somehow comforting, yet, at the same time it’s so sad, knowing that others are suffering so much. I know I’m one of the lucky ones and my heart goes out to all of you.

Thank you so much for being here, it really helps.

May you all find comfort,

SommelierCH

Title: Re: I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
Post by rick on Nov 16^th, 2002, 2:12am

I'm feelin' yah...

I'm not a sommelier, but I work at the largest wine bar in Chicago. I just went dry for a year. Shroom therapy seems to be keeping the beast in check for me at the moment, and allowing me to consume light whites and reds again. I've done alright so far with my pinot grigios, albarinos, pinot noirs, gamay, etc., but haven't put big reds to the test yet. I know that Bob Wold(PinkFloyd here on the board) once told me he was unable to drink wine at any time without trouble until he began shroom therapy. I'd really consider it if I were you, and let us know if you have any questions.

I'm moving to L.A. within the next year, we should talk further.

Peace,

-Rick

Title: Re: I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
Post by SommelierCH on Nov 17^th, 2002, 6:13am

Rick,

Another wine geek/cluster head. Never thought I would ever meet one.

Thanks for your reply, it got me thinking: A lifetime of pinot grigio….hmmmm… shroom therapy it is! Just kidding, I’m at the point where I could be totally satisfied with just a non-alcoholic beer. Once I’m out of my 8 week cycle, nothing bothers me, but wouldn’t you know it, that this week one of our guests offered me a glass of the 1990 Chateau Latour he brought in. This is one of only 2 wines that I have ever given 100 points to (the other is the 1959 Chateau Latour), I had to be content to just smell it. Now, I know that 90% of our taste comes from the olfactory sense (i.e. when you are stopped up from a cold, you don’t taste much of your food) but that was like kissing my grandmother (or is that supposed to be “like kissing your sister”? Dang, I don’t even know your sister). It seemed like it was going through a dumb stage (bottle variation or maybe some slight cork taint stripping it of it’s fruit?), but still, holding it my hand, lusting after it……. no way in hell. Amazing how pain can be a lifestyle modifier (maybe Robert Downey Jr. should try the clusterhead cure, it could put Betty Ford out of business).

Definitely let me know when you move to LA. If you don’t already have a job lined up I would be glad to help, I have a lot of contacts around the area, and we are always looking to hire clusterheads because they don’t drink the profits. Other than finding a job, the toughest thing about LA is finding reasonable housing in a decent neighborhood, that doesn’t take 2 hours driving to get to work. Again, been there, done that, and would love to help out.

Great to hear from you and let’s stay in touch,

David

Title: Re: I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
Post by pjbgravely on Nov 17^th, 2002, 10:49am

Now I get it, Reply the same as part 1, you will need to find some really good preventatives and shroom tasting is a great career change. Bill the Cat

Title: Re: I drink wine for a living....AARGH! part2
Post by rick on Nov 18^th, 2002, 1:38am

David,

I was able to taste some larger reds on Saturday afternoon, and no sign of any cluster. I didn't actually have a full glass of anything, but I took enough sips to amount to about a half a glass.

The last time I got popped with a CH was last Monday after 2 1/2 months pain free thanks to the fungus. I dosed again on Monday night and have been OK ever since. You can read more about it in my "Shroom Update" thread futher down the Meds, Treatments, and Therapies page. Before I started therapy, I went to a tasting and tried to stick to smelling only, but inhaling the vapors of the alcohol as it burned off was enough to mess me up. Not cool. How far along are you in your current cycle?

I could most definitely use more advice on moving out there, thanks for the offer of help. I'll send you my email address in an instant message so we can rap more.

Peace,

-R