Too Sleepy

Driving is Difficult

Went to work today for a half day.  Yeah!!!  I would have had MORE than four hours work but it took me over two hours to drive my normal 45 minute commute.  I would drive a couple of interstate exits, and then I would have to pull off and sleep, then drive a couple more, and then pull off and sleep.  Not entirely safe, although I felt I was able to judge the amount of sleepiness (I have had this problem before) and quit driving as soon as sleepy thoughts were crossing my mind.  Going home I did not have this problem. Hoping tomorrow will be better.

My mom refuses to go to the doctor and she feels fine today so convincing her is even harder.  I give up.  I will wait for another time or other symptoms and see if I can get her to go THEN. Arghhh!

We had our weekly television viewing of Antiques Roadshow this evening.  I don't know what we find so fascinating about that show, but it is the one television program we all enjoy watching.  It is much more interesting to watch it in a group for some reason.  We discuss different objects and comment about them like "I don't care how much that is worth, I wouldn't have it in my house" as if we have the type of home where you hang $100,000 paintings over the fireplace.

The duragesic patches are here to stay unless I have some drastic side effect that I can't anticipate.  I know that the patch is part of my sleepytime problem.  One of my bosses suggested I try working from home using Skype.  Hadn't thought of that.  Hoping my internet service stays up reliably so I can give this a try.  My pain levels are up tonight but that is after three days in a row of increased activity, so bring it on I say!  I'm so glad to get out and do something productive today. 

Am hoping for two days in a row for getting to work. I'll be WooHoo'ing big time if I get that done tomorrow!

Today is rare disease day, and The Mastocytosis Society put together a really good video of what it means to have a rare disease, particularily Mastocytosis and mast cell disorders.  I seem to have more than my share of strange, rare or unusual diseases so I am celebrating today as a good day to be alive!

Day 4 Duragesic

WooHoo!

I have started on my second duragesic patch.  I think I am finally becoming physically accustomed to this.  Not sure why my eyesight is so problematic but I think it must be related to my very very high blood pressure going down. Most of the day I have suffered from a lack of depth perception.  I tried twice to drive, once to the gas station about three miles from home, and it was not a great success.  I decided to not put everyone elses' lives in danger by me driving on autopilot 45 miles to work.  I think the curbs are thanking me, as I ran up on a couple at the gas station.

I did drive over to my sister's house this evening and we had a pleasant meal and watched a show on television with her and my brother in law.  This has been a harrowing week in many ways for our family healthwise and since some of the problems are not mine to share just please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We all enjoyed an evening where for a few moments we could relax and forget all our problems.

My mother has not been weathering all the stress (not related to me and my multiple issues - these are old hat for us!) well.  I was glad to get her out of the house (and yes we took all our house doggies with us to play with my sister's puppy Gracie) to just wind down, have some tea, and chit chat.

With me out of commission much of this week, it seemed like the timing for other problems just stank.  I guess there is no good time for bad news but if I was feeling well and mobile I guess I would have felt like I was more capable of helping.  My mind has just been floating along most of the week.  I think I have been typing some things I am not sure even make sense.  Uh Oh, I just realized you might not be able to tell the difference between that and my regular writing!! Sigh.

I do think the duragesic patches are going to be a keeper.  I'll let my PCP know Monday as he was concerned because of my uncontrolled pain.  It seems to be semi almost (but not quite) controlled now - plus today The Headache went back to sleep instead of getting worse yet again.  WooHoo!

400th Post - Woo Hoo!!!

Am I Blabby or What?

I've managed to output 400 posts in about 700 days, with over 11,000 views from 3,200 different computer addresses.  Whew!  What a mouthful of statistics!  I am sure 10,000 of the 11,000 views were me double checking my terrible spelling.

My most searched phrases?? 
1. Headache - no surprise there
2. Bilious Emesis - surprising to me that this has world wide appeal
3. Scintillating Scotoma - this is popular especially in Europe

The post seen by the most disparate places in the globe?
Mouse Hunt from December 2009 - showing that there are mice infestations EVERYWHERE!

Probably the most incorrectly interpreted keyword on my blog:
BLING - I don't think the search engines are looking for a cane when grabbing onto my URL.

The weirdest keyword combo the web crawlers have grabbed:
Hephaestus god of fire - from my oh so classical poooehem from last spring

I did a workup of my post labels to see what I have been writing about for the last couple of years.  Being an  analytical type of nerd I drew up a little pie chart of my research for your perusement.

The majority of my complaining seems to be about The Headache.  Griping about anything in a general way seems to be the next big category. Next on the list is The Belly and all its moaning and groaning. Writing about silly things seems to tie for frequency with complaining about The Legs and all of  my medications. Work comes in close, with The Hives and my various complaints and complements about doctors coming in last.

I found several different doctors listed under their various pseudonyms:

Dr's. Dunce (1, 2, & 3)
Doc Optimist
Dr. Hawkeye
Dr. Sassypants
Dr. Gnome
Dr. Bellyfixer
Dr. Calm
Dr. Dense
Dr. Hannibal Smith (and the A-Team)
Dr. Jock Biodude
Dr. Welby

I also have mentioned Dr. Nagy Mekhail of the Cleveland Clinic, who does not need a pseudonym: he is the wonderful pain management doctor that installed my occipital stimulator.

Of them all, Dr. Gnome is the one that makes me laugh when I think of him.  If I ever met him when I was not drugged or sedated I probably would be greatly disappointed as his shiny gnomish blond curl on his forehead was probably a figment of my imagination, and he probably is a tad bit over three feet tall.  Sigh.  But his cheeks were so appley red, and..and....I just need to get over it - he REALLY isn't a gnome.  Sigh again.

Trying to get myself back in my old positive mood.  This fall has taken its toll on my body and my mood.  Just tired, I think, and The Belly is throwing a fit this evening just when I thought it was safe to ignore it.  I am surprised I have had enough to say and write about to make it to 400 posts.  I am sure there is a lot of repetition because in my life there is a lot of repetition.  Was that phrase repetitiously redundant?  I think I am too tired to care!  I have met a lot of interesting and wonderful people in the last two years doing this, and love my "virtual" community.  I hope to remain an active citizen in this community for at least a little while longer!

PS:  Just a side note, but really REALLY are there THAT many people out there in the world interested in bilious EMESIS???

PPS:  Just thought after rereading this (see what I mean about 10,000 of the 11,000 hits were my own??) that I should explain that on my pie chart WORK is not really a complaint category - it is sorta like the silliness category, although I suspect there are some complaints about hotel rooms and bugs thrown in there.

Showers of Saltines

At Last Something To Eat!

Woo Hoo!  All is looking up in my dreary world of nothing by mouth except ice chips and medication.  I have graduated to real fluids and SALTINE CRACKERS!!!  No Fat Saltines at least bring a bit of salt and flavor to the feast.  Had a little lemonade with ice chips too!

I stayed home almost all this week.  I need to be at work, but finally realized after the ER doc giving me a talking to that if I didn't rest my body I was going to end up back in the hospital.  I would do almost anything to avoid that!  Not sure if anyone has been hospitalized for pancreatitis out there in blog reader land but it is a combination of the most boring experience I have ever had and the least rest I have ever had.  You basically get the worst food in the world when you can finally eat because you always start with a liquid diet, and you are sick enough and drugged enough it is difficult to concentrate or read.  They did issue me some ear plugs to use so at least I could sleep a little bit,  because the noise and turmoil get to me.

I called today and cancelled my trip next week to Cleveland to finish the study.  My study coordinator (who is the sweetest lady in the world) said she would see if I have to reschedule or if I could return the diary through the mail.  The study sponsors have to OK it.  I told her I just couldn't face traveling so soon.

I am having trouble staying awake.  This is getting especially dangerous for driving - another reason to stay off work this week.  I have been having to pull off three or four times in a 45 minute commute to sleep five or ten minutes before I can drive onwards.  Very unusual for me - it was happening at longer distances where I had to drive over an hour, but now I can't seem to be able to drive more than short distances before I have to sleep.  This is without any pain medication in me, not sure how bad it would be if I tried it with pain meds.

Going to bed now, and hopefully sleep in again tomorrow.  I have been able to go all day today without any pain medication and still eat a tiny bit.  Am ready to dig in and get going at work next week!

Woo Hoo!! My 200th Post!

Who Woulda Thunk It??

This is my 200th post. I started this blog in January and I wasn't sure if I would keep it up. I thought it would be stressful to write and a chore to do. I found blogging to be exactly the opposite.

When I have been at my lowest points writing and illustrating another entry has kept me moving forward. When the pain is at the point that I am plumb wackydoodles being able to read different blogs about how others cope with unsurmountable obstacles helps me work through the pain and the panic. When yet another doctor appointment looms or more bad news comes I know I can toss my cares away into another posting and feel more optimistic. Comments by persons passing through my blog space keep me humbly grateful that there are so many kind interesting intelligent and funny people in this world, and that I get to interact with them. I am educated, entertained, saddened, and inspired by the many blogs I follow - impressed by the excellent quality, diversity and inventive nature of my fellow bloggers.

Despite the wondernment that I have had enough nonsense in me to write 200 entries, today has been a bad day. The Headache has been trying to come alive, he Belly feels like my pancreas is taking nips out of my innards, I had an incontinent episode at work (went home 45 min drive changed and drove back 45 mins) soooo embarrasing, I only slept two hours last night, and I feel like I don't even have enough energy to move because The Legs aren't cooperating. I feel exhausted. I have taken a cocktail of benedryl, phenergan, and trammadol and it is just barely decreasing the pain. I am going to change the settings on my stimulator one more time to see if it can put The Headache to sleep for the night.

On an upnote, Diana Lee at Somebody Heal Me has done it again and has put together another great Blog Carnival! I don't know how she gets these all organized and perfectly done each month, but I am so happy she does!! This month's theme is alternative therapies. I found some intriguing information, makes me wish that I lived in a more metropolitan area where some of these resources are available! A very interesting post was from MaxJerz at Rhymes with Migraine discussing the difference between alternative and complementary medicine or treatments. I definitely have been using these terms incorrectly as interchangeable! There were some other great links on other subjects too.

If this post is full of typos and misspelled words I am going to blame The Headache and The Meds. I've proof read it a couple of times, but when The Headache kicks in that is a gesture in futility!! I've got the jimmy legs so will be dancing with pain again tonight. Pain wouldn't be such a bad dance partner except he keeps stepping on my toes!!

Worked All Day for the Sugar In My Tay

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Whipped out several projects today, including one that has been bothering me for a few months. My poor old brain was so overloaded with The Headache the logic circuits where flaking out on me. Now that The Headache is fading the logic is coming back - didn't know if it would!

Perhaps my logic wasn't working because I wasn't able to do my "thinking" walks. Since I began working many many moons ago when I am stuck on a problem I take a "thinking" walk to mull over my options. If the problem is really bad I will wait overnight, and give my brain instructions to fix the problem while I sleep. Until The Headache came along, my brain was a pretty obedient instrument that responded well to these techniques. The Headache bolloxed all that up.

One of the bosses today said I was becoming more and more of a coder (as in programmer). Sigh. I enjoy the problem solving bit of coding because it is like a puzzle, but to sit and spin out code every day is not my forte. They are such nice folks to work for I just can't complain. We are short handed while some people are on vacation and others are on FMLA and others are working conversion projects. At least my mind is working at almost my old pace. I think by next week I may be up to speed. Woo Hoo!!!

The Headache is still getting more painful at certain times of the day/night. Not sure if any remedy will completely rid me of that. The Headache wakes me in the wee hours of the morning and sometimes I can't sleep. Last night and tonight and Sunday night have been problems. Then I fall asleep getting dressed in the morning. This plays heck with me getting to work on time. I wake up in the oddest places, but mostly I fear falling asleep while driving. I almost went through a red light yesterday morning because I was so tired. Next hurdle to jump - fatigue.

Life's Been Good to Me So Far

Singing at Work

Worked a nine hour day today! Woo Hoo! And I'm still doing good! Joyous day!

I realized this afternoon that I was singing while I worked. I used to do this all the time but its been over a year since my natural bubbliness had come perculating out unforced. What was I singing? Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good".

Being spontaneously happy made do my crazy dance down the hallway at work. Ah, if you could only have seen the footwork! A fantastic day all around.

My Ford Taurus doesn't do 185, but if I hadn't paid my speeding ticket from last winter I would have lost my license and not been able to drive!

Celebration Saturday

Woo Hoo!!!

I'm having a quiet celebration at my house. My happiness is because today - with no medication whatsoever - I have been able to do major cleaning at my house! I have gone up and down stepladders, removed curtains, washed curtains, cleaned windows, swept and mopped floors, all without The Headache interfering. I can feel The Headache there, but instead of getting worse as I have stepped up physical activity (as it has for almost two years) it is just staying the same.

My poor windows - I have 16 single hung windows in my sunroom - oh the dirt! My poor valances - not sure if they will ever be white again, but I'm trying to get them clean!

The last time these were cleaned was when my niece was here visiting several months before The Headache began. Auch der Lieber! The grime - eeeek. The spiders - eeeek. The spiderwebs - eeeek. I'm not completely through all 16 windows but only have a few left. Hoping to finish before it rains! Taking a quick break to blog and then back to Windex! Maybe the curative powers of Windex have healed me. Who knew??

My mission this weekend is to clean the sun room and rearrange the furniture. I hope to report "Mission Accomplished" tomorrow evening, but I'm making no guarantees.

I'm embedding a YouTube video of a Japenese high school band playing Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate!" It's like a mix of field routine and orchestra - wish I had something like that when I was in high school band! And they play really really well despite the gyrations..makes me feel like dancing around too! Woo Hoo!