Promises
By Dale Angel
My body is self-destructing with my knowledge, but without my consent.
These pills I do battle with every time we meet, which is often, I hate them. It says on the label they may give some relief to my ailments…or they may make matters worse. ‘Prescription’ sounds so authoritative and empowering but the list of side effects will require a whole forest of paper to cover their disclaimers: it can bring on weakness and palpations, and each time I re-up they add more zeros to the price.
You understand why I use the word ‘pills.’ It sounds so unthreatening, like vitamin pills. They offer the best they have, but like some people, they may be undependable or dangerous.
All come with promises.
How close to death do I dance when I swallow these promises?
Watching the world on TV showed the elder of some tribe shoot his darts into the Amazon canopy as high as a mountain and bring down a bird. I asked my eye doctor how come he can see and I can’t? He said, “The Amazon man is just like us. He can see far away, but can’t find his finger nails. He would need glasses for close ups too.’’
I watch these ads that say if I send money, I can learn to see without my glasses. It’s easy, you just throw away your glasses. In a few hours you can see. It implies only stupid people wear glasses. I want to send for the power to do life without them.
But…it keeps rising in my mind that ad that promised unending libido…and my neighbor who climbed out of the motor home window after playing unending…he went to the hospital…she closed up her house and left town. A new updated version shows a man spraying under his arms but warns that at contact she may grow whiskers or lose her singing voice.
Professional assurances…scare me.
Tonight on the world news, it tells us to beware of these wonderful pharmacy products, at the same time it shows people who take them having fun in first class resorts with healthy smiles. They got there with the aid of these promises.
Who to believe?
Dale Angel
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Writers Forum 
In sympathetic response to Dale’s “Fridays with Dale – Promises”, I can generally agree with concerns over listed side effects of prescribed medications and even OTCs at pharmacies. In my growing ‘older age’ I’m taking a couple of prescribed meds daily to make my life go better according to my physicians and most likely extend my earthly habitation. When I read of the possible side effects listed on the drug leaflet for Gabapentin (a minimum of 36 very unpleasant ones), which I’m sure are required by the pharmaceutical companies’ complement of attorneys, it’s enough to make you fall over dead with fear, if the pill doesn’t kill you while curing you. But after reading the possible side effects of the commonly used pain medication Gabapentin, a mere 300 mg, I decided to stick with a fairly effective OTC Tylonol rather than take the physician prescribed Gababentin – all to settle the occasional nightly discomfort of a neuropathic foot condition I have to put up with. Two of the multitude of possible side effects listed on the Gabepentin leaflet were (1) “Thoughts about suicide or dying and attempts to commit suicide”, and (2) “Severe reactions, sometimes deadly”. Well, I thought if that’s the worst of the side effects if I take this Gabepentin then it’s OK – I’ll no longer have this neuropathy condition. Great, I’ll take it! But then I reconsidered, wait a minute, I’d rather stay alive for a while, neuropathy or no neuropathy, I’ll go to my beautiful Dolores later! Dale is right, if this is what she’s attesting to – don’t take “it” if you really don’t have to. That’s my opinion anyway.