Sunday, May 16, 2004
Catching up....
Have been so exhausted lately that I haven't been keeping this blog up to date. Have had to resort to waiting until the weekend and then trying to remember what it was that I did all week.....
Went to the ENT on Tuesday about the vertigo and ear problems. Had my hearing tested, and it is not my imagination....I actually am losing hearing in my left ear (my right one has been completely deaf since I was 7 years old). The tinnitus is louder than ever. My outer ear looks good, so the ENT thinks the problem involves the inner ear, especially since it is affecting my balance so much. The likely culprit is inflammation caused by Sjgoren's. He said that probably was also causing the nasty spasms in my left ear. He gave me a prescription for some anti-vertigo meds. They do seem to help somewhat, and the good part is that they don't appear to be terribly sedating. I am scheduled for a test on Tuesday of my balance. I think they will intentionally make me dizzy, which I am not looking forward to. I have to discontinue several of my medications for a few days prior to the test, so I know I'm gonna feel like poop. I'm taking a vacation day from work the day of the test so I can recover.
Wednesday was a weird weather day. I got really achy even though it was only raining. I couldn't figure out why until the rain turned into snow, the most huge snowflakes I've evern seen! After the snow turned back into rain, I felt better. By the way, the Vioxx (anti-inflammatory) seems to be a go. It doesn't work quite as well as the Bextra, but it doesn't give me headaches like the Bextra did either.
Thursday was not pleasant. I was feeling fed up with being so sick and trying to push myself through yet another shift at work that seems totally pointless. I wanted nothing more than to go home and pig out on junk food. The night shift ordered from a barbecue place, and I had to sit there smelling that lovely sauce and not being able to have any, which made me even grumpier. And Dan kept saying that he needed a vacation, and all I could think of was being stuck in a permanently sick body and never being able to get away from it. I couldn't even go on a walk during my lunch break because it was 40 degrees outside, and my joints won't tolerate the cold. I guess you could say I was feeling particularly copeless that night.....
Yesterday, we had the entire ventilation system in the house cleaned and sanitized in the hope that Dan, Chip and I would breathe a little easier. I hadn't had it done in five years, and even though we did have it done the year after the house was built, the guys that cleaned it before had not done a good job because the guy yesterday was finding all kinds of construction debris the first guys had missed. I need to keep on a regular cleaning schedule so it doesn't ever get that bad again. I think next week I will look into getting the carpets professionally cleaned. We've never done that in the six years we've lived here (ewwww).
Today started with my local fibromyalgia support group meeting. We celebrated the facilitator's birthday (I skipped the cake and had some cheese and fruit instead) and chatted amongst ourselves for awhile. Then we all took turns telling how we were doing. Some of the topics that came up included some local "cure" scams, what sort of exercise helps and where to find a good disability lawyer.
Then tonight, I went to the comedy club with Dan, my sister and my cousin. There were four comics in the lineup. Three were local, which of course gives them plenty of material. One called himself "Hippie Man" and did a hippie superhero act that had us practically rolling on the floor. The headliner was someone I didn't know named Eddie Gossling. I liked one of the bits he did about what would happen if someone who had flunked math in school went to work for NASA.
After the show (we'd gone to the early non-smoking one), we decided to get some supper at an Asian place a few blocks away called PF Chang's. I'd never been there before. I was having trouble figuring out what I could and couldn't eat and mentioned this to the waitress. She said they had a special gluten-free menu! Does that kick ass or what? They even cook it separately from the food that has wheat in it. I ordered the ginger chicken and steamed broccoli with brown rice. It was such a relief to know what I was eating was safe. I'm going there again.
By the time we headed back to the car, I could hardly walk because I'd spent too much time sitting in uncomfortable chairs. I've also got a raging headache as well as the tireds and the dizzies. It was worth it though. I'd rather endure it as a result of having fun than suffer because of working too hard. I have priorities after all, ha ha.
Pain level: 7
Fatigue level: 9
Went to the ENT on Tuesday about the vertigo and ear problems. Had my hearing tested, and it is not my imagination....I actually am losing hearing in my left ear (my right one has been completely deaf since I was 7 years old). The tinnitus is louder than ever. My outer ear looks good, so the ENT thinks the problem involves the inner ear, especially since it is affecting my balance so much. The likely culprit is inflammation caused by Sjgoren's. He said that probably was also causing the nasty spasms in my left ear. He gave me a prescription for some anti-vertigo meds. They do seem to help somewhat, and the good part is that they don't appear to be terribly sedating. I am scheduled for a test on Tuesday of my balance. I think they will intentionally make me dizzy, which I am not looking forward to. I have to discontinue several of my medications for a few days prior to the test, so I know I'm gonna feel like poop. I'm taking a vacation day from work the day of the test so I can recover.
Wednesday was a weird weather day. I got really achy even though it was only raining. I couldn't figure out why until the rain turned into snow, the most huge snowflakes I've evern seen! After the snow turned back into rain, I felt better. By the way, the Vioxx (anti-inflammatory) seems to be a go. It doesn't work quite as well as the Bextra, but it doesn't give me headaches like the Bextra did either.
Thursday was not pleasant. I was feeling fed up with being so sick and trying to push myself through yet another shift at work that seems totally pointless. I wanted nothing more than to go home and pig out on junk food. The night shift ordered from a barbecue place, and I had to sit there smelling that lovely sauce and not being able to have any, which made me even grumpier. And Dan kept saying that he needed a vacation, and all I could think of was being stuck in a permanently sick body and never being able to get away from it. I couldn't even go on a walk during my lunch break because it was 40 degrees outside, and my joints won't tolerate the cold. I guess you could say I was feeling particularly copeless that night.....
Yesterday, we had the entire ventilation system in the house cleaned and sanitized in the hope that Dan, Chip and I would breathe a little easier. I hadn't had it done in five years, and even though we did have it done the year after the house was built, the guys that cleaned it before had not done a good job because the guy yesterday was finding all kinds of construction debris the first guys had missed. I need to keep on a regular cleaning schedule so it doesn't ever get that bad again. I think next week I will look into getting the carpets professionally cleaned. We've never done that in the six years we've lived here (ewwww).
Today started with my local fibromyalgia support group meeting. We celebrated the facilitator's birthday (I skipped the cake and had some cheese and fruit instead) and chatted amongst ourselves for awhile. Then we all took turns telling how we were doing. Some of the topics that came up included some local "cure" scams, what sort of exercise helps and where to find a good disability lawyer.
Then tonight, I went to the comedy club with Dan, my sister and my cousin. There were four comics in the lineup. Three were local, which of course gives them plenty of material. One called himself "Hippie Man" and did a hippie superhero act that had us practically rolling on the floor. The headliner was someone I didn't know named Eddie Gossling. I liked one of the bits he did about what would happen if someone who had flunked math in school went to work for NASA.
After the show (we'd gone to the early non-smoking one), we decided to get some supper at an Asian place a few blocks away called PF Chang's. I'd never been there before. I was having trouble figuring out what I could and couldn't eat and mentioned this to the waitress. She said they had a special gluten-free menu! Does that kick ass or what? They even cook it separately from the food that has wheat in it. I ordered the ginger chicken and steamed broccoli with brown rice. It was such a relief to know what I was eating was safe. I'm going there again.
By the time we headed back to the car, I could hardly walk because I'd spent too much time sitting in uncomfortable chairs. I've also got a raging headache as well as the tireds and the dizzies. It was worth it though. I'd rather endure it as a result of having fun than suffer because of working too hard. I have priorities after all, ha ha.
Pain level: 7
Fatigue level: 9
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