Monday, June 29, 2020

Kidney Saga part 112

Two steps forward, a half a step back?

I'm making progress, I think. I feel healthier, and have gotten used to walking around without needing the walker at all. I can sleep through most of the night now, although I'm having restless leg issues. I have been able to exercise a little - which is nice. I might even be able to go outside into the yard at some point.

But I have setbacks, too. Yesterday was tough. One of my medications (probably the Prednisone) gives me some digestive troubles that lead to severe pain every week or so, and yesterday I had an attack. Add in a massive storm that came through at the same time, triggering my other issues (I always have muscle pain during bad storms) and I was in horrible agony all day yesterday. I had to use the walker again to get around, which depressed me quite a bit. Even the excellent lentil soup my hubby-Eric made for dinner wasn't enough to pull me completely out of it.

Still, overall I am getting healthier. I am stronger, I usually don't hurt as much, and I can move, which is a big deal. I can also think and read, which is a huge deal. For weeks I was unable to understand anything I read, which was frustrating on so many levels. Now I'm zipping through magazines and comics like I'm insane. It feels SO good to be able to comprehend concepts and words again. Now I just need to get my writing back on track. I've looked through some of what I wrote while sick and... um... yeah, I'll hold on to it but it isn't all that great.

I'm on track to reduce the Prednisone again in a couple of days, then the final reduction will happen at the end of July, leaving me with the lowest dose through August. At the end of August I will be off the evil stuff and we'll have a good idea whether or not the chemo worked. Until the Prednisone is gone, we won't be certain. Fingers and toes crossed, though.

Mentally, I'm doing better than most. As a confirmed introvert, the enforced solitude isn't harming me as much as it hurts other folks. And thanks to Twitch and Twitter and the usual suspects that I've mentioned many times before, I have some human contact that I am comfortable with and keeps me sane. Inkwell the cat also spends enough time annoying me to keep me on my toes. I try not to pay too close attention to the news on an emotional level. It would easily drive me insane.

So. After we deal with the kidney problem, then it's time to worry about the Lupus and what impact it will have on my life going forward. I won't know for awhile, and in the middle of this pandemic I'm not willing to think about it too much. But at least I do seem to have a future to look forward to now. A few months ago that wasn't a sure thing.


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