browser life

I feel better mentally today. I am fortunate that I don't generally become depressed for long periods of time; I tend to have a single day when I am really down, and then I vent and think about what I can do about it, and then things usually seem better the next day (but I know that if this lasts for more than a few weeks to seek therapy).

I did use the albuterol once, and the effect was pretty impressive. My lungs felt bigger! I'd had NO IDEA that the heaviness in my chest, the shortness of breath and chronic cough I'd been experiencing was actually treatable.

Now that I actually know what defines an asthma attack, I've been thinking back to when I might have had the first one, and I believe it was FIVE YEARS AGO! Dan and I were visiting his parents for their anniversary in 2003, and we were helping set up a party for them when I walked past a room where a woman was smoking. I immediately began coughing and could not stop, and it felt like my lungs were on fire for the rest of the day.

I'm on day two of the Advair. It did increase my tremor and make my heart pound a bit on the first dose, but that went away with subsequent doses. I am aware that it contains a steroid, though, and I want to make sure I fully understand the long-term implications for my diabetes when I talk with my primary care doc in a few weeks.

I am going to wait to start the Imuran until next week, so if I have any reaction I'll have some idea which med is the culprit. I'm going to do some research on its effects on Sjogren's syndrome so that I might have more realistic expectations. But I suppose a little hope wouldn't hurt.

Will do my best to have a good life somewhere in between all that maintenance. I just wish the window of opportunity was larger.