Bruises, Medicines, and Exhaustion

Today was definitely a battle of the wills: my body’s will and my mind’s will. I think, at the end of the day, my body ended up winning out because I am paying the price of having had a long day. I feel as though I have been run over by a semi-truck, which then backed up over me, just to make sure I was nice and squished, because running over me once wasn’t good enough…just a little salt in the wound.

My day started off with a visit with my primary doctor, Dr. M. I like her; she’s very attentive and concerned about me. We even had a laugh over the fact that, out of all the patients that she sees, she remembers the date of when my illness began. That just shows the staying power I have in my doctor’s mind…though, that may not generally be a good thing, but I’m trying to take it as a positive. At any rate, she was impressed with the fact that I have somehow managed to keep my nutrition level JUST inside the normal range, despite barely being able to eat anything. I told her that it’s common sense and a nurse for a mother, but I know the real reason is God! She ordered more blood work and continued me on with a couple of the meds that I have been taking for a while that help a smidge; at least they take the edge off of the vertigo and the nausea. Then it was off to Target to do a little time-wasting shopping before I saw my Neurologist, Dr. H. He changed one of my meds to one that he says that he really likes and has proven to help with migraines and vertigo. It was kind of like “why didn’t you just put me on that in the first place?” moment but I took it in stride and smiled. So we’ll see how that medication pans out. This is really his last ditch effort before I decide to ask for a 2nd opinion. This has been going on for almost 3 months and, while I’m a patient person, there’s only SO MUCH patience that I can have when it comes to feeling the way that I do.

Next came time to go get some lab work done. What a lark that was! My veins are a mess because of my stay in the hospital, my nutritional status, and my hydration level. I have bruises up and down both arms from the IVs that I had in the hospital…I look like a druggie, but I know the real reason I have the tracks on my arms. The one on my right arm is a dilly! It’s my favorite! It’s the most color my skin has had in years! Lets be frank: I’m whiter than any member of the Cullen family or any of the Volturi put together, so having a nice bruise on my arm gives the illusion of a tan! Anyhow, the poor phlebotomist had to bust out a heating pad and thump the snot out of my left hand before she could get a vein good enough to draw blood from…I think she was quite shocked herself at how difficult it was. But, in the end, she got what I was there for and we shall see what the test results show.

After that Mom and I went for a mani/pedi session, most of which I slept through because I was so bushed. I felt bad for my ladies that do my nails because I wasn’t worth much, but my nails came out nice and, since that is what I go in there paying for, that’s all that matters. Then we had dinner at Coco’s and I ate ½ a cup of broccoli soup, but that turned out to not be such a good idea, because I am still paying for that transgression. It’s definitely got my tummy on urp mode, so I’m fighting some pretty serious nausea right now, but I shall prevail! Now I am just waiting for my meds to kick in so that the moment I hit the pillows I am OUT! If I flip-flop too much I will end up being awake for most of the night, so I try to wait until I am cross-eyed before I go to bed.

I have definitely learned my limit. An outing that is anything more than a couple of hours long is not such a good idea for me. I could hardly walk by the time I got home this evening and, considering I wasn’t walking well this morning to begin with, that’s not such a good thing. I guess you live and learn by your mistakes, so I have learned and will keep that in the back of my mind until my body has recuperated.

I think that is all for tonight. I will give one last piece of parting advice: make the last thing that you eat chocolate because when you barf it up, at least it’s guaranteed to be chocolate-y coming back up and makes the experience a whole lot better!