Feeling a bit more up to things again

[mmegaera]

To the point where when friends offer to take me places, I can go. I tire really easily, but we've found ways around that. Up to and including my friend Judy, who has a conversion van I can sleep in the back of while she takes me places, so that I have the actual energy to enjoy them when I get there. Is that a wonderful friend or what?

And that last post was the first blog post I've written since I got sick. So yay, me!

I'm settled into my new place, and I feel safe and comfortable here. Also, not having to figure out what kind of food I can eat and just having it there for me has made all the difference. I've stopped losing weight, for one thing [g].

The symptoms are starting to gradually get worse (whatever Power That Be who decided the main symptom of the endometrial part of this would be the equivalent of really bad menstrual cramps all the time needs to be shot in the kneecaps and left to die), but that's just the way it is. It would be nice to have a working internal thermostat again, too, but hey. At least I still have a brain.

I am so grateful to my local friends, who have bent over backwards to help me out. You have no idea. Seriously. And my long distance friends, too, who have done all sorts of things to keep my spirits up. I have the best friends on the planet. Period.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

**hugs**

Yay, writing blog posts! Yay safe and comfy and friends with a good van! BOO TO CRAMPS.

[mmegaera]

Yeah, I wouldn't wish these cramps on my worst enemy. Ibuprofen knocks them (the opiates don't touch them because they're not anti-inflammatories), but only for 4-6 hours at a time. Which makes an uninterrupted night's sleep difficult at best.

[archangelbeth]

Ugh! Insurance wouldn't let you have the uterus pulled now, I take it? Just for comfort?

[mmegaera]

I don't know. At this point, recovery from surgery would be a pretty big percentage of the rest of my life [wry g]. Plus, my health care directive says no invasive procedures, and I am not inclined to want to change that. Plus my immune system is not what it should be at this point, and my chances of getting an infection/whatever from the surgery would be pretty high.

So, no. I don't want to go there.

[archangelbeth]

Understandable. I wonder if there are any longer-time-release ibuprofens around that might keep the cramps in check...

*hugs*

[mmegaera]

I asked the nurse about that and apparently not. The next step would be Aleve -- except that if I take Aleve I might as well be eating candy. I wonder if taking more Aleve at a time would have a better effect, though? I might try that.

The next step after *that* is farther than I want to go (more different kinds of narcotics) at this point.

Somehow I think I had a different vision of what they meant when they promised me they'd keep me "comfortable" than they did. For me, a large part of being comfortable is keeping my clarity as well as not being in pain. I don't know if they understand that (I've tried to explain it), or if it's just not possible to have it both ways.

[archangelbeth]

Unfortunately, it might indeed be a tradeoff of painfree vs. mental clarity. O:( (Darnit, you'd think they'd have better time-release advil, though! HMPH.)

How much Aleve at a time were you trying? (And have you tried the tylenol/ibuprofen pairing? Though that probably won't help for the sleeping part... *mutter*)

[mmegaera]

Tylenol makes me throw up [wry g]. Just two Aleve, IIRC. It's been a few years since I last tried it. I may pick some up when I go to the grocery store tomorrow and experiment. I *can't* give up my mental abilities yet. It's only been a month and a half since I was diagnosed, dammit!

But this evening was the worst cramps yet. Something has got to give, but it's not going to be me. I don't deserve this, therefore I'm *not* going to accept it.

[archangelbeth]

If Aleve is 200mg of ibuprofen per pill, then 2 at a time is the over-the-counter dose, and 800mg (4 at a time) is the prescription dose. I... would think you can take the prescription dose, yes?

*sends thoughts of aiding determination!*

[mmegaera]

Yeah, that's what the nurse said. 400 mg of ibuprofen during the day and 600 mg. at night (they're worse at night) does take care of the cramps for 4-5 hours, so I'll try at least that much tomorrow. Wish me luck!

[archangelbeth]

Luck luck luck!!!! ...keep the next dose right by the bed with water, too. >_>

Sent from my iPhone

[mmegaera]

Yes, ma'am!

[ndrosen]

{{{Hugs}}}

I don't have the minor of being one of the local friends who are doing so much to help you, but I'm glad that there are people who are stepping up and doing it.

[mmegaera]

Long-distance friends are good, too [g]. Trust me on this.

[dfledermaus]

I'm glad your friends are helping you stay active, mentally and physically, as much as you can.

I completely understand how it's important to you to stay alert and not be foggy from drugs. I kind of hope they just don't understand, because you can fix that, but if there's nothing that exists, then you have to spend time and energy balancing pain vs. clarity.

[mmegaera]

No, alas, they do understand. There just isn't much in the way of alternatives that a) I can take without ending up asleep most of the time (foggy is a not so charming vast understatement), and b) that I can tolerate (my opiate tolerance is -- interesting, in the Chinese sense). So it's really frustrating. I keep wishing I had someone who would ask me if I'm okay, so I could say no, and they would have the ability to say, okay, let's fix it, and *fix* it.

[kk1raven]

I'm glad you're finding ways to get out and that you have good local friends to help. I wish I was close enough to help you.