VINCE

August 11, 2014
Thus far I have done the majority of my writing at night.  I have Restless Legs Syndrome and cannot sleep.  And it’s nice and quiet.  This week I will be starting my new medication, Mirapex.

Unbeknownst to me, the guards were doing an informal sleep study on me to prove that I was not faking symptoms to get drugs.  The doctor said that the guards only found me asleep twice over the three nights of the study. They walk by every 30-40 minutes at night.  So my medication was finally approved.  When my pills actually arrive, well who knows…..

August 11, 2014, just after midnight

The biggest downfall of being sleepless is having no food.  I have big hopes for the day ahead.  I need a job.  Working gets me out of my cell and puts a couple dollars a week in my account.  If I get a good job like kitchen or cleaning crew, I would get paid up to $1 per hour after a while.  We don’t get all of that, but it’s enough to buy necessaries.

August 16, 2014

So nice to have paper again, and college rule!  College rule makes me write better than grade-school rule.

I’ve been on Mirapex now for 5 amazing, sleep-filled nights.  When my Ma used the word “miracle” when describing it, she was spot on.  RLS kiss my ass.  I’ve been sleeping all the way through the night.  Dreaming.  And the doc says that my second nose should go away within a month.  Ha!  No side effects to speak of, actually.  So that’s my good news of the week.

[ANNE: RLS is a silly-sounding condition that runs in my family. I, my mother, my brothers, my sister, my cousin, we all have it to one degree or another. It causes an indescribable creeping sensation in the legs, and sometimes arms, as one is falling asleep, which makes you kick about in an effort to make it stop. It sounds silly, but try losing sleep night after night for your whole life, and it’s not so much. RLS is another thing to worry about for Vince—a bunk mate would not appreciate him thrashing about and waking him up 10 times a night—what if he had a violent cellmate? What if Vince ended up having to sleep on the cement floor?   What if, what if? I am impressed and a little surprised that they’ve addressed it so quickly.]