Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Popping in for an update....
Today was the last day of 40mg of prednisone. I go to 20mg for three days, then 10 for three more, and that's it. Had horrible insomnia Sunday night, then sleep like a zombie last night because I took 10mg of Ambien instead of my usual 5mg (at the doc's suggestion). I'm getting really yucky headaches from all this.
Work is going all right....it's still a struggle in spite of the prednisone. I'm truly amazed how very sick I was before last week. I feel like I have my brains back for the moment....made ZERO mistakes last night and only one tonight. I'm able to walk fairly easily but do occasionally get sharp pains that feel like they're coming straight through my bones. This will sound bizarre... but I actually have a sense of less inflammation, not that I was aware of any real swelling earlier. It's as if I have gotten thinner somehow between my outer skin and my bones. I suspect I really did have mild but widespread inflammation of blood vessels and perhaps other tissue.
Knowing now how bad I had gotten before I went on leave makes me realize how very careful I will have to be to preserve my ability to work. I'm giving up any computer time during lunch break so I can elevate my feet, and I will have to severely limit my home computer use during the week as well. I'm going to miss blogging and e-mailing my friends, but I must get this edema under control. I'm also resorting to daytime naps, even if they screw up my night time sleep, just to make sure I don't doze off at work.
I can feel my feet getting hot, which means they're swelling. Better tear myself away and get to sleep.
Pain level: 5
Fatigue level: 4
Work is going all right....it's still a struggle in spite of the prednisone. I'm truly amazed how very sick I was before last week. I feel like I have my brains back for the moment....made ZERO mistakes last night and only one tonight. I'm able to walk fairly easily but do occasionally get sharp pains that feel like they're coming straight through my bones. This will sound bizarre... but I actually have a sense of less inflammation, not that I was aware of any real swelling earlier. It's as if I have gotten thinner somehow between my outer skin and my bones. I suspect I really did have mild but widespread inflammation of blood vessels and perhaps other tissue.
Knowing now how bad I had gotten before I went on leave makes me realize how very careful I will have to be to preserve my ability to work. I'm giving up any computer time during lunch break so I can elevate my feet, and I will have to severely limit my home computer use during the week as well. I'm going to miss blogging and e-mailing my friends, but I must get this edema under control. I'm also resorting to daytime naps, even if they screw up my night time sleep, just to make sure I don't doze off at work.
I can feel my feet getting hot, which means they're swelling. Better tear myself away and get to sleep.
Pain level: 5
Fatigue level: 4
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