I started to make a list of foods that I plan to have as special treats when I get better. Then I realized I would be listing so many foods I would probably take a year to get through them all. The highest on my list is biscuits and gravy, my favorite breakfast. I also miss pizza. And everything chocolate - although I can have dark chocolate and tiny amounts of milk chocolate. Pies. Pasta in rich tomato or alfredo sauces. Cheese. Ice cream.
I got a pair of compression socks and was even able to put them on, but due to the advanced swelling and the lack of going out, they didn't help as much as I'd hoped. I actually had a very good Monday, and was expecting to go to a blood test, but the orders didn't get sent to the lab, so I ended up staying home. Tom on Facebook suggested getting "donning gloves" to help put the socks on, and after looking at some Amazon reviews, someone suggested using latex gloves if you don't have anything else. As I have a small box of latex gloves, I just used those and it worked.
Unfortunately, I way overdid it Monday morning, and by evening was crashing hard. The next day was awful, but Dr. Inkwell was on the job with some serious purr therapy all morning long. He also learned that "Sorry kitty" is code for "Mommy has to get up and you need to move off her legs right now because she's getting up whether you like it or not." He has been responsive to that phrase ever since, jumping off me almost as soon as I say it. He also started to shadow me to the toilet and back again in the middle of the night, which is not usual behavior for him. He's being a good doctor cat.
A friend sent an Amazon gift card, which went a LONG way toward helping with a variety of needs that I would have delayed on otherwise. The results have been extremely useful, and saved me a lot of headaches. I've already used the entire card, but every little bit was of extreme value to me. Thanks, Stan.
My worst problems were a lack of listening and reading comprehension. I can read, but it takes four or five tries to make the words make sense. This is extremely frustrating. Worse is the fact that I cannot listen to podcasts for the same reason. I'll hear the words, but they won't make sense. It's harder to go back and "re-read" a podcast, so I'm getting way behind and deleting a lot of podcasts. I also still have conjunctivitus, so my eyes are wobbly, which is extremely annoying.
On Thursday, Jan 30, the doctor decided to try to up my main medicine. This would involve doubling it for a week and seeing what happens. The first double-dose was that night.
The afternoon of Thursday, we opened a bunch of windows to air out the upstairs, which was getting rather stuffy. Inkwell was delighted, but it was a little bit cold. The next day we opened more windows and Inkwell spent a lot of time running up to me and chirping and meowing. I assumed he was telling me about all the cool smells, because he'd immediately run away to another open window to enjoy it.
Friday night's double-dose of the medication, my third, was followed by intense side effects that were as horrible as unexpected. I immediately messaged my doctor to let him know I was going back to the single dose because there was literally no way I could survive the side effects if they continued. I listed them for him, and last time I saw him he was startled and a little worried about it. The worst problem, though, was the minor skin irritation that suddenly turned into a raging rash that consumed the entirety of my skin between my stomach and thighs. To say it is painful is an understatement. It very literally knocked me out.
The big problem is that treatment requires me to increase the dosage of the main medication. I must get it up to a triple-dose in order for the treatment to work (and to get off the awful prednisone). If I cannot even handle a double-dose, this is a major setback. Right now, we are concentrating on getting the rash under control, then we will make a decision to either switch to the less effective medication, or try again.
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