One of THOSE People

I realise I haven't written in a month but to be fair I've been sick. Yes, I've been sick for the last month. I can't believe that I've become one of THOSE people who seems to be sick all the time. It started with dizziness then about 5 days later my ears started to ache. Convinced it was an ear infection, I went to the doctor that informed me that it was only viral that it could last 2-4 weeks.

After 3.5 weeks of not doing much but watching TV and improving my Tetris skills, I started feeling much better. This was following by 3 consecutive nights of not being to sleep very well which was followed by 2 very busy days and then I ended up being sicker than before. Bleh. I returned to the doctor in which I was informed, it is still only viral and all I can do is rest. Double Bleh.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching TV and I really am a home-body by nature but I'm sick of being stuck in this house. Yesterday I was feeling that best I have in a very long time. I was feeling awfully restless so I decided to go on the treadmill. I don't know what I did to my neck but by afternoon I could barely hold it up. On top of that I've had tension headaches the last two days*.

As far as the immune system goes, it really isn't a surprise how sick I've been considering the amount of black mold I've been exposed to over the last 3 years. I had black mold in my classroom in Calgary after a flood. After I quit that job and as I prepared to move back to Regina to return to university, I discovered black mold under my bathroom sink. Upon returning to Regina, I experienced increasingly worse migraines, fatigue and various other ailments. My doctor and allergist were just convinced that my immune system just need some time to recover until I ended up in the hospital twice.

Blog posts that I've started in the last month but intend to finish someday:
- Crush of the Week: Whedonverse Edition
- Memorable moments of each year of my life

Sorry this wasn't terribly witty or well written. If I want to get back to writing, I figure I just need to start even if it is awkward.

*I have no idea why because the most stressful part of my day is trying to get past level 9 of Tetris. It really is my own fault since I'm not an ambi-turner.

Waste of a good hair day

I've been a little beat up by life lately. Even though I was feeling sort of shaky on Wednesday I did go to school in the afternoon. On Thursday, I felt so good that not only was I at school all day but I even went bowling in the evening with some friends.* I woke up early Friday morning with the flu and I've been sick ever since. Even through all my vomiting yesterday, I had my only good hair day in weeks.




*It was 10 pin bowling. Since my right arm still hurt from the IV on Tuesday I was bowling with my left arm. Each game I steadily got better and for one game I bowled an 88. Since my previous best score bowling 10 pin was 23, I might have to start bowling with my left arm all the time. That game where I bowled 88, I happen to tie a male friend. It was quite embarrassing for him to get the same score as a girl who had been in the hospital two days before and was bowling with her non-dominant arm.

Then there was the time I spent the day in the ER

As I last blogged about how my eyes were itchy, red and sore last Monday. Later in the morning my condition deteriorated to the point where my face, hands and legs were swollen. When my tongue got tingly and numb that is when we headed to the ER. Please don't be confused as is the time I spent the morning in the ER, not the day. Since my breathing wasn't obstructed in anyway and my throat was fine the ER doctor told me to take anti-histamines and prescribed a histamine blocker (I'm not sure the difference between the two) then sent me on my way. I went and saw my allergist and it was suggested that I wash my eyes every couple hours to clean away whatever I am reacting to.

Throughout the week my condition improved. I woke up from a nap Friday afternoon and my eyes were puffy and red again. The situation grew worse each day. This morning I woke up around 4:30 AM and was pleased to see that my eyes were much less puffy and red than the night before. I went back to bed for couple hours and when I woke up my face was swollen again. I took an antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory and put an ice pack on my eyes and laid down for awhile. As I was pondering whether I should go to school or not my throat started to swell up suddenly. I had problems swallowing but not breathing. Concerned that it would progress to problems breathing, I ask my mom to take me to the hospital.

Last Monday I only had 2 nurses tending to me when I came in, this time I had 3. I'm not sure if that is a reflection on my situation or the availability of staff at the time. I saw the doctor right away and they got me started on a hydrocortisone IV drip and gave me 20 mg of Prednisone. Since I had allergy testing coming up next week, the doctor last Monday shied away from giving me anything that could interfere with the testing. Today the doctor had no choice since my throat was swollen but this just means my allergy testing will have to be postponed. I had to stay at the hospital for several more hours after the IV was complete so they could monitor me.

Things that I am thankful for:

• when my very nice nurse unhooked me from the IV, gave me a robe so I could go to the bathroom. Fact: IVs really make you want to pee.


• when I was finally allowed to put my pants back on even though I was still waiting for the doctor to discharge me.


• my breathing was never hindered during the course of my reaction


• my mommy drove me to the hospital then stayed with me all day


• My right hand and arm are sore from the IV but fortunately I learned how to write with my left hand many years ago.


• my mommy bought me a delicious sandwich from Italian Star Deli

Things that don't help red, puffy, itchy eyes

How about crying for hours? That certainly doesn't help. Big surprise, lack of sleep seems to be a determent as well.

I woke at 3:30 AM with my eyes were so itchy and sore that I couldn't sleep anymore. I tried working on homework but the itchiness just got worse then the lack of sleep and frustration caught up to me and I haven't been able to stop crying since. On the plus side (?!?!) the constant crying seems to help the part of the skin nearest from eyes from being itchy.

People keep on tell me that it "isn't that bad". I know that I look at it more critically than others but it is bad. It is itchy and painful and it looks it. Last night I went to the casino show lounge to watch the CFL Western Final. I caught a friend of a friend staring at me more than once -- I felt like such a freak.

It is most likely contact dermatitis but since the skin around the eyes is so sensitive it really could be anything that comes in contact with my hair, face or hands. My papa jokes that I might be allergic to him.

Red, Puffy, Itchy Eyes

I don't know what is causing it but for more than 2 weeks the skin around my eyes has been swollen, red and itchy. I thought it might be a reaction to my makeup so I stopped wearing any and it only got worse. It started under my right eye, spread to under my left eye and now has appeared on both my eye lids. The itchiness is driving me crazy and I look terrible. It is to the point where I am embarrassed to go outside. Why does this garbage happen to me? I'm so frustrated with something always being wrong with me. I would like one day where I'm not plagued from some ailment. Is that too much to ask?

Dry mouth is the mother of invention

Last week, I was prescribed medication to reduce the frequency of my migraines. The pharmacist told me I could avoid the expected side effects of dry mouth and drowsiness by taking it right before bed. She told me that it could even help me sleep better.

Problem 1: Doesn't make me drowsy.

Problem 2: The dry mouth is so bad it wakes me up multiple times a night. A little sip of water won't do -- it feels more like dry mouth and dry esophagus. I've been drinking about a litre of water a night and it never seems to satisfy. It is like that episode of Angel where those parasite thingies* were sucking the moisture out of Fred.

Tonight it was so bad I can not get to sleep. Internet articles yielded no useful solutions for the middle of the night. I got the bright idea for a honey-lime concoction since I had heard that honey helps with sore throats. I figured the sourness of the lime juice and the sweetness of the honey should get the salvia going. I am not a fan of honey but I was willing to try anything. It works so much better than anything I have tried before (day or night). I'm seriously going to start drinking this all the time. It's a good thing I'm heading up north this weekend because I'm going to need more honey.

Sorry, this post is a little boring. Still not sleepy and trying to past the time.


* technical term

Consensus: Janny is Broken

Two days ago I had appointments with my family doctor, massage therapist and chiropractor. The gist? Janny is broken. The allergies cause migraines which causes neck pain. The neck pain causes more headaches and tightness throughout the whole back. Tightness in the back causes the hips and spine to go out of alignment. Hips and spine out of alignment causes more tightness throughout the whole back. You can see the cyclic nature of my pain.

As it has been well documented on this blog, I haven't slept well in weeks. It has been determined that my strange sleeping* has aggravated an old shoulder injury. The general consensus is I need to start seeing a physiotherapist for my neck and my shoulders.

I just want to feel better.

*for lack of a better term

Here we go

Since spring sprung early, I've been having problems with migraines. Since I started my allergy shots 10 years ago, the severity and frequency decreased dramatically. For the times when I did get them, my family doctor at the time suggested trying 2 acetaminophen and 2 ibuprofen before he would prescribe anything stronger. This worked for the most part up until the last couple months. What worked before lessened the symptoms at best. I was living with a migraine for about 3 weeks (Mom, correct me if I have the length of time wrong).

I finally saw my family doctor about 2 weeks ago*. She prescribed Naproxen** twice a day until I see her next month and massage therapy. She gave me a trial of rizatriptan benzoate to take at the first symptoms of a migraine. I've been taking the Naproxen for two weeks, had my second massage therapy appointment today and just had to take my first dose of rizatriptan benzoate a couple minutes ago. Let's see how this works.


*Took that long to get an appointment with her
** Basically a stronger version of Aleve

Mixed feelings to strong opinions about a new stadium

At first I was all for improvements to Mosaic Stadium in Regina. I was a little apprehensive about the building of a new covered stadium but I was going to wait until the feasibility study. For months we hear about the strength of the Saskatchewan economy and how this is something we could afford. Suddenly farmers all over the world refused to pay ridiculous prices for fertilizer and the government gets way less royalties from the potash industry than expected.

Before the provincial budget came out this week, we knew there would be cuts. A couple months ago, the government cut some coverage of chiropractic services but never did I expect it to be completely delisted. This is completely moronic -- people who can't afford pro-active services are going to cost the system more in re-active services (i.e., drugs and surgery). If we can't afford partial coverage of chiropractic services then we can't afford a stadium. If the people want a stadium get public money to fund it.

I'm tired and frustrated and I don't want to do this anymore

Do you know how hard it is to do relativistic energy proofs when you have a migraine? I have a midterm tomorrow so choice do I have? I just want to curl up into a ball and cry. Drugs help relieve the pain but not the other symptoms.

I'm going to put on my new shoes, maybe they will help.

The Nose Knows

Today is the eighth consecutive day I've been sick. It started with a sore throat on Friday night then migraine Saturday then flu/cold by Sunday. My stomach is feeling much better but now it is just a dreadful head cold. I think my nose is playing tricks on me. It seems to start running like crazy whenever I've just washed my hands or if I even think of going to sleep.

Headache: Day 4

I've had a migraine since Saturday. I have times when I feel better but it never really goes away. It is difficult to not spend the afternoon sleeping when you need to stay perfectly still in a dark room with your eyes closed to feel better. You can't worry about being to get to bed a reasonable time when you are trying not to puke from the nausea.

It is 1 AM and I am WIIIIIIIIDE awake. This will not help the chances of feeling better tomorrow morning.

Lingering Effects

I woke up with a headache so I took some Advil. The head feels better but my eyes are wonky (for lack of a better term). Whether I have my glasses on or not, my eyes can't seem to focus properly. Not being able to focus makes my eyes sore and make me completely useless to get anything done. So how is a girl supposed to treat the non-head hurting symptoms of a migraine?

The Problem With Sleeping In

it is hard to fall asleep at a decent time.

Two days ago, my bus hit a car that slid into an intersection. I barely felt the impact but I had to brace myself as the bus driver slammed on the brakes. It isn't whiplash but my neck and back tensed up.

Yesterday, my back and neck were still tense which lead to a headache. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen and Shaun of the Dead did not help much. Fortunately I'm done my lab work for the semester so I did not have to be at school until 1 pm. I shut off my alarm so I could sleep as long as I needed to.

This morning I woke up with the headache sort of lingering in the background (if that makes sense). The longer I was awake the worse I felt. Eating pizza, ibuprofen, acetaminophen and Shaun of the Dead did not help much so I went back to bed.

I woke up feeling not great but functional. I headed to school and a cup of Earl Grey tea helped tremendously. I was able to finish all of my homework and then take the evening off.

Now I lie awake after sleeping 13 hours last night/this morning. I don't regret sleeping earlier, I had no choice but what to do now?

Porcuuuuupine!

I've been swallowing baby porcupines again. My throat is ouchie.

Insurance in America

I was reminded that there is one thing that health insurance companies absolutely hate - sick people.

Sick people have the audacity to require treatment, which not only eats into profits, but upsets the accountants' balance sheets. Too much of that and you could completely spoil their day.

- David Willis, The US health system 'headache', BBC News Online, 12:55 GMT, Saturday, 7 November 2009

Classic Janny: Memories from My Sister's Wedding

My sister had a horrible cold in the days leading up to her wedding. She was so ill she couldn't drive herself anywhere or finish any of her errands on her own so I was her helper. I had a little notebook with our list of errands so I started to record the pleasant things we saw to help put her in a better mood. I finally posted these notes about 5 months later.

Day 2: Lack of Options

Today I had a super early appointment so I didn't have time to make lunch before leaving for school or eat breakfast. Huge mistake, it was hard to find anything at the university. I was eating a lot of fruit, vegetables and cheese through out the day. I'm craving salad dressing of all things. Today I didn't use the dip my veggie tray came with and it was taunting me. On the way home I saw A&W and it made me crave Thousand Island dressing.

Next week I'll plan better. Mom and I are making up a meal plan for next week and tomorrow we'll go grocery shopping. When I was a beginning teacher, living up North, I made everything from scratch and rarely ate processed food. What I am doing now is a variation so I've been there before. The difference between then and now is more temptation in the city. There were no good restaurants in my small town and processed food was super expensive. Making food from scratch in large quantities was the cheap and easy thing to do.

So far I have consumed no refined sugar today. Yeah me!

Day 1: No Sugar (almost)

Did you refined sugar is in almost everything? Oy. The only refined sugar I had today was in some salad dressing but it only occurred to me after the fact to check the label. I wanted to have a smokey tonight but then could find no non-refined sugar condiments in my fridge. I came across this website earlier in the day about cooking without sugar but I didn't have any of the right ingredients to make any of the recipes. I improvised my own condiment out of laughing cow cheese, honey and garlic powder.* This is going to be tough.







*I don't know if it was the cheddar smokey, the cheddar I put on top or the sauce I made but the combination was revolting.

Sugar, ah honey, honey

I decided to cut refined sugar out of my diet. My sister was telling me how much refined sugar reduces the immune system so I did a little research. A single can of pop can decrease your immune system by 25% for about an hour, a frosted brownie by 60%. I know I am sick all the time because of allergies but my immune system needs all the help it can get. Let's see how that goes.