So….the last couple of weeks have been discovering that the medication is working, but I can’t take on the world yet.
I am quickly figuring out what I can and can’t do again. It seems like a never ending process. I am feeling better. PROBLEM!!! I then decide that the floor is too dirty, the toilet needs to be scrubbed, and so on. I take 2 minutes to do 1 thing cleaning wise. BAM! I am hit with exhaustion beyond all belief for a whole day and high blood pressure the next day due to the chemicals. The nurse flat out told me to stop cleaning unless I want to die. Then who is going to do it? There are so many issues with cleaning the house and particularities that it isn’t even funny. To me this is a serious issue. I would like the house to be somewhat clean before I head to Orlando and again when ever I return from Orlando.
Meal Prepping – due to the expense of frozen dinners and high sodium, I have started meal prepping for the week for dinners for Eliud. Recently, I added lunch. That doesn’t sound to difficult. It is actually exhausting. Even though it is just making instant potatoes and boiling ravioli and putting them in the containers with their meat for the week. The next day, getting out of bed is harder than usual. I asked Dr. about it. Found out the muscles in the arms are shorter (okay, I get that) and use more energy to move. So, therefore making me desaturate faster than if I walked across a room. (Hmmmm. Reason not to cook?)
School’s out for Summer – I am supposed to rest. Thankfully, so far that is happening. But, I have learned that when I first sit up, depending upon how long I stare at the wall, will gauge how my day will go. The longer I stare, I have noticed the harder the day is energy and breathing wise. I have had one day of rest. I got to watch movies all day. It was kind of nice. I am looking forward to a couple more days like that. It all depends on what happens in Orlando at the end of this week.
No Emotions Allowed – I kind of knew about this one. But, I had an actual experience a couple of weeks ago. I got mad and sad to an extreme. I almost started crying. Instead, my body decided to start throwing up and turn purple. It took me about an hour to get my oxygen where it needed to be. My husband was great, when he saw what was happening, he brought me a bucket and kept busy until I had returned to being pink instead of purple. Bottom line, walk the middle of the road regarding emotions. I can laugh, but just not a lot. It makes me start coughing. If I seem a little cold, it is because I have to right now. The twinkle in my eye is me laughing on the inside. Maybe after I have new lungs, I can have an all out bawl and laughter fest. We can watch a Walk to Remember to cry and Dude: Where’s my Car? to laugh our butts off.
Watermelon to the Rescue– I have never really had a lot of leg cramps or restless legs until the last 6 months. There was one point where I thought sleeping was for the fortunate. I would fall asleep, left leg would cramp. So, I would sit up and wait for cramp to subside, walk around or massage it. Fall asleep again, right leg next and so on all night. I asked Dr. if anything to help. Maybe meds causing cramps. After researching, cramps in legs from Lupus. I was already taking extra potassium, I didn’t want to get that too high (that causes heart problems also). Medication for leg cramps interferes with heart medications. Yep, no go. I tried stretching, didn’t help. I did try moving my bath time later. That did help some. I don’t bathe every night, so I tried the heating pad on off nights. Again, that helped a little. Then one day I bought a container of watermelon. I ate half one day and half the next. No leg cramps either night. I quickly ordered more for the rest of the week. Again, no leg cramps now in two weeks. I tried researching what was so special about Watermelon. It has the usual fruit vitamins, but I had been eating other fruit (including bananas) and they had not helped. I finally found a little article about how watermelon has some trace amino acids in it that actually helps with leg cramps. But, the scientists can’t figure out how it works. WHO CARES!!!!! It does work. I am unable to find that article again, I wish I had book marked it. I still have restless legs now and then. But not the pain from the cramps. So I have to buy some extra watermelon. I think I can handle that.
I wake up each morning and thank God for allowing me to see another day. I then thank Him for all the wonderful people and things in my life. I try to pick a different circle of influence each day. I don’t have many circles of influence, but at least I have people to be thankful for. My friend reminded me today that I am still here because God isn’t done with me. He has a purpose for me to fulfill. I totally agree.
Thank you for your attention. Understand that I am not a doctor, nurse or any medical professional. I am sharing my experiences to hoperfully make yours better. May you find the Watermelon in your life.