The 69 Adventure
Chapter 23 - October 1: Solo
After rain last week, it was a gorgeous day for racing....even PK said so. I wanted to attempt a trip to Atco on my own....a test of whether the car could get me there and back without incident. And I needed practice. And I wanted the independence of being able to go without having to worry about an escort. I was off the medication, dealing with the withdrawal, and finally felt good mentally. PK offered to drive over to escort me back, but this was a test. I asked him to be near a phone if I got stuck though!
When I uncovered the car, the first thing I noticed was the missing rearview mirror - no hanging moose! The mirror had fallen off the windshield !! And after how many tries at getting it to stick - it had been good for 2 months! I couldn't figure out why it fell - it hadn't been particularly hot. A moose antler had broken in the fall too. I took this to be a bad omen.
I made it over to the track, having to break for one deer and almost hitting a second 10 minutes later, and stopping for gas. The car ran great. Assigned to Lane 10, I parked it in the staging lanes and called PK.
PK showed up a few minutes later, refreshment in pocket and gave me a few sips. The wait for a run was over an hour, as Atco was running a Gambler's Race. The run was uneventful - a 12.8 and still under 109 mph. I had to have the driver behind me read me the slip - not enough light for me to see it. But it was just a warm-up run and I was happy with it.
PK joined me in the 69 and we chatted. Chatted doesn't describe it. We talked about all sorts of stuff, but mostly serious life things. I told him how I had 'accidentally' found out about the new side effects of the medication, how I had started to research it all over again but now looked for bad experiences. They weren't on the epilepsy sites, but I had found them on the migraine boards. He listened while I told him how I thought they might be causing the boob problem, the blood in the urine, the deterioration of my vision, the lightheadedness, the loss of words, all the symptoms that we had attributed to the migraines or something totally unrelated, but all were now listed as side effects of this drug. I told him I stopped taking it that day and the weekend had been rough, but I finally felt mental clarity I hadn't in a few months. I wasn't sure if the medication was the culprit, but I was going to find out and the only way I knew was to stop taking it. PK was a sweetie and said my eyes sparkled again!
Then I told him how angry I was; angry that I hadn't attributed the confusion, crying spells, mood swings to the medication sooner; angry that the drug company hadn't made these findings a bit more obvious; angry that I have 5 doctors checking this stuff and they never put it together; angry that no one who saw these changes in me bothered to say anything or cared enough to ask me what the hell was going on; but mostly angry that whatever was going on had affected a lot of people, not just me, and I had been too paralyzed to see the relationship between starting the Topamax on April 8th and everything that had gone wrong physically since then. PK is a great listener, and he understood. He also confirmed the change in my disposition.
The wait was exactly 2 hours between my runs. Boy was I glad I had PK for company! Actually, spending the evening talking with PK made the ride over and back worthwhile if I hadn't raced.
I thought I did a good burnout. PK said I failed Burnout 101. I launched at 1100rpm - I didn't feel like I could hold it much higher than that without red lighting. I spun when I launched and squealed! I know this isn't good for the time, but this is good for me....because I felt the spin. I was disappointed that it was only another 12.8, but all-in-all the night was great!
I headed home after promising PK a couple of beers on a rain-check. The car ran ok and I didn't need to stop for gas! A couple of hunks in a pickup were impressed with the car and when I wouldn't play, they yelled over about going to a bar. I passed. I was convinced I could hear a detonation over 3200 rpm in second gear and I wanted to check into that more. The driver side rear axle is still leaking, and the leak seems to be getting worse. PK mentioned a line lock for my burnout problem and gave me a number that might be able to help with a rollbar. There was some more tinkering to do - not to mention the rearview mirror.
Icebox had shredded a screen, even getting the 4x5 foot frame off the window by the time I got home, and we played tug-a-rope till 12:30am. The one-antlered moose hadn't done too badly. I was definitely feeling better - about me and about the car.