Side Effects
© 2010
Dan Johnson

The doctor said it was a side effect
Of a drug I took to lower cholesterol…
The statin drug attached to my kidneys,
Then coursed its way to muscle tissue,
Weakening arms, legs, back, eyes…
To the point that I could barely walk,
Raise my legs, open my peanut butter…
Then I got dizzy, disoriented, drained…
One week of constant IV saline solution,
And we can’t forget the catheter…all this
Capped of with a urinary infection that i
Am still fighting…

Another week spent in rehab, physical therapy
Rebuilding leg muscles, standing, moving sideway,
Backwards, forwards, squats, stretches and a hundred
Other exercise to move forward…

Occupational therapy to help me learn how to dress
Myself, wash myself, brush my teeth. It’s not that
I didn’t know how to do these things before, I had
To learn how to do it s- l- o- w- l- y. It appears
For the for the future, I will mobile myself with a
Walker, slow, stutter steps, slow turns, slow sitting,
Slow rising.

But what the hell, it’s just a side effect from a statin drug.