27 Nov. 2010

Well, the headache is under control.

I awoke Wednesday afternoon with the headache down from a 9.75 to an 8. I was only able to keep it there with a T3 and two regular Tylenol every four hours. Also on Wednesday, I was feeling better overall; though by the time I'd get home from doing the blood draw [and subsequent errands] I'd be feeling lousy again.

On the labs, I had the usual tests being run (CBC, Parathyroid, UA, Renal Panel, etc.). My blood was dark and extremely cloudy; and my urine was very yellow and smelly (which it has been the last few months). I've got my next appointment this coming Tuesday, 30 Nov. Be sure to check back for the latest lab results either Tuesday night, or Wednesday.

Anyway, after running around on Wednesday I was feeling terrible with extreme vertigo, intense nausea, blurry vision and increased edema. I remained feeling like this the rest of the day.

Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I was still feeling off. I knew that feeling worse was just a nudge away, so I tried everything to keep my body from going over the edge. We had my son and his family over (my Chef daughter cooked the meal!) and I greatly enjoyed my grand kids. I made sure not to push myself in playing; which I was successful at. However, it was Thanksgiving dinner itself that sent my body into waves of nausea and overwhelming blah-ness.

I didn't even finish my small plate before I had to lay down. Before too long I was asleep, and stayed that way for nearly five hours. By the time I awoke, everyone was gone and the holiday celebration had wrapped up. I felt terrible that I had disappeared on everyone; but I was assured that no one was upset and they completely understood.

It ended up that I was awake just four hours before sleeping once again for another six hours. After awaking yesterday, I was exhausted like I'd just gotten finished working a long, physically grueling day. My headache remained barely under control, sitting at an 8.5 all day. The nausea was a bit better; though my appetite was zero. What food I ate (about two cups total) was downed only because I had to have food. Nothing sounded or even tasted very good. The vertigo and edema were both reduced, but my vision was terrible. Overall, Friday wasn't a bad day...though it wasn't a good day, either.

Even after all the sleep I'd gotten over the last two days, I was still asleep by 1a, and slept until after 9a--another eight hours; and I am STILL feeling exhausted. The headache is still present at an 8.5, and my vision is so blurry that I am having trouble reading the text I'm writing for this blog (which I'm reading on a 23" monitor!). I've clearly gotten increased edema in both my legs and hands, and I've been having my heart race a number of times today. About the only good news so far today is that the nausea is acceptable. It's not gone; but it's not causing me problems, either. I'll certainly take that small victory!

The only other constant is that I've been cold, cold, cold! I'm talking freezing while sitting in a 72 degree room, while covered in a quilt; that when I take my hands and feet out, are cold to the touch. I simply can't get warm no matter how much I wear, or how many quilts I'm under. For me, there is no warm any more. I had a day earlier this week when my feet felt like popsicles. I put on a pair of polypropylene socks, as well as a pair of thick wool hiking socks, then covered up with a quilt. Two hours later, my feet were still freezing, and were cold to the touch. That's cold!

And that, my friends, is about all I've got for today. I'm ecstatic that the nasty headache I had on Tuesday/Wednesday is now just painful...that's a huge relief!

As ever, I'm looking towards a better day, and looking at a bright future. Things will get better; I just have to get past this bump in the road before moving forward once again.

Have a great weekend!

Good Health to All!

ScottW