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would you like some cheese with that whine?
27 October 2009 @ 12:30 pm
25 October 2009 @ 05:10 pm
When I saw my rheumy last time I asked her if I should get the flu shot, along with the pneumonia shot. She said I was a candidate for both seasonal flu and H1N1 along with the pneumonia shot. So I called my regular doc's office last week to see if they had any available. The receptionist said they had run out of the seasonal flu shot and didn't know if they'd be getting any more, and they had no idea if/when they would be getting the H1N1. They did have the pneumonia shot, which I guess is only typically given to old people. When she asked my age she was like "why are you getting this?" Because I don't want to get sick! I've already had bronchitis twice since starting immunosuppressants and I really don't want to get pneumonia. So I'll be getting my pneumonia shot tomorrow afternoon. Because they didn't have the flu shot I started looking around to see if there were any local flu clinics coming up. I knew it could be hit-or-miss because I'd heard on the news that lots of clinics hadn't received their shipments of vaccines. Luckily there was a clinic scheduled Saturday at the Somers HS, so I decided to give it a try. I honestly think I was the only person there between the ages of 12 and 70. But it was completely covered by my insurance, AND there were free cookies and apple cider. I didn't feel the needle at all, which was a nice bonus. To bad blood draw weren't like that. Hopefully the pneumonia shot will be pain-free, too.
23 October 2009 @ 12:24 am
I've really been struggling to get out of bed every morning. I know part of it has to do with the weather changing and the coolness of the air in the morning. But most of it is definitely the Sjogren's. Possibly even from my kidneys. A little over a month ago I got my lab results and my kidney function had dropped from 41%, where it had been consistently for quite a while, to 38%. I wasn't too worried because it had dropped to 38% before and gone back up for the next round of labs. But the next lab results showed a further drop to 36%. When I was at my sickest and I had the biopsy my kidney function was 31%, so I started to get worried. Of course, I am one of the world's biggest procrastinators so I decided to wait 2 weeks until my next round of labwork to see if there was any improvement. 36% again. So now I'm realizing that it wasn't just a lab error or I just didn't drink as much water that day. I saw my rheumatologist the day after I had the bloodwork done and she wants me to see the nephrologist. All my other test results have been consistent.
Sigh.
Hopefully all I need is a higher dose of Cellcept. I don't even want to think about what happens if that doesn't work. I'm stuck at 12.5mg of predisone until this problem gets better, and therefore stuck being fat.
I need a loooong weekend. And a couple of extra days in the month to get all my work done.
Sigh.
Hopefully all I need is a higher dose of Cellcept. I don't even want to think about what happens if that doesn't work. I'm stuck at 12.5mg of predisone until this problem gets better, and therefore stuck being fat.
I need a loooong weekend. And a couple of extra days in the month to get all my work done.
25 August 2009 @ 11:45 am
I start classes again next week. Ugh. So sad. It really feels like there never was a summer this year. It has only been hot the past 2 weeks or so. The weather was so-so for my vacation. I went to Saratoga to see the horse races on Monday, then I went camping in NH Tuesday-Saturday, and I ended up at the beach Saturday afternoon. It rained a little every day while camping and it wasn't dry enough to have a fire until our last night. I did, however, get to eat Jiffy Pop every night. So it's all good. We drove around and played in mountain streams on Wednesday, waterpark Thursday, and Mt. Washington Auto Road on Friday. Driving up/down wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and the weather was nice that afternoon so we spent a good part of the day up top. If I ever get my ass in shape I'd like to trying hiking up there. I got a pretty decent tan from the few hours I was out in the sun (with my spf 70 on), accompanied by a lovely rash. The rash has faded, but I still have little bumps on my arms. Odd. I'm not sure if it's from the sun or from the meds.
I have an appointment with McDreamy tomorrow. Another ultrasound of my kidneys, so hopefully there's some improvement since March. And I totally need to get prints to put on my fridge.
I have an appointment with McDreamy tomorrow. Another ultrasound of my kidneys, so hopefully there's some improvement since March. And I totally need to get prints to put on my fridge.
27 July 2009 @ 02:11 pm
Heavenly cupcakes. I only had a piece of the Devil Dog and the Caramel Apple, but they were sooo delicious. The apple cake was so moist it was unbelievable. Too bad the closest shop is in Westport. But I will have to swing by next time I'm down that way.
23 July 2009 @ 11:34 am
I've noticed that on days that my kidney hurts I lean to the left to offset the discomfort. Most of the time I don't even notice the pain, I notice that I'm leaning. Then I realize I'm in pain. The pain isn't too bad, it's just uncomfortable and I wish it would go away.
Today my everything hurts. I realized on the drive to work this morning that I forgot to take my plaquenil and the citrate for my kidney stones last night at dinner. I don't think this will have any major impact on anything, but I think maybe the missed plaquenil may be contributing to the extra pains. I've also been having more and more trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and today was especially hard because my whole body ached. I'm just so tired and I can't stay awake. This is a drastic change from when I was on a higher dose of pred and I couldn't stay asleep and I would wake up before my alarm even went off. Lately, with the combination of my fatigue and the fight over the shower with my mom, I don't get up until about 7:30/7:45. I did manage to get up before 7 yesterday so I could snag the shower before my mom and leave early enough to get my bloodwork done before work without being later than usual. Good thing I forgot my meds AFTER I had the bloodwork, huh?
I'm taking vacation time next month and I don't know where to go or what to do. My sister has the same week off, and last year we went to the Jersey Shore, which was a lot of fun. I was thinking this year we could head north to NH or Vermont and go camping. Like, for real tent camping. I don't think I've camped in a tent since I was 3. I keep hearing about this trip to Lake Champlain when I was 3, and we had a big green canvas tent with cots, and our dog got sprayed by a skunk. I don't remember that, I just remember the sharp black rocks on the shores of the lake, and that they didn't go well with flip flops. Anywho, my sister doesn't think all the gear we'd need for camping would fit in my car. I think it would. And camping would be much cheaper than a hotel or motel, so we'd be able to stay longer on the same amount of dough. I honestly don't know how to start a campfire, but the though of making Jiffy Pop is getting me excited. Places I remember from when I was kid and I'd like to go back to are: Lake George, Lake Champlain, White Mtns. NH. I have no idea where to stay in these areas so I better get a move on with the research. And Harriet's post about the alpine slide has me wanting to go to one of those too.
Current Mood: 
Jiffy Pop
Jiffy Pop10 July 2009 @ 10:47 am
Um, yes. Today at my rheumy appointment the medical assistant did a double-take when she went to enter my weight into my chart. I've gained about 25 pounds over the past few months from the prednisone, and today was the first time she noticed. Odd. Aside from my weight everything else is good. I don't know how, but my kidney function is up to 44%. It had leveled off at 41% over the past several weeks and I didn't expect it would improve any more. I don't think my nephrologist did either, so we'll see what he has to say when I visit him next week. I get to taper down to 20mg of prednisone tomorrow, so hopefully that goes smoothly. The only thing that didn't look great was my sed rate, because it was higher than last time, but she said she'd ignore that because I feel ok and everything else looked great. My rheumy said that if my labs continue to look the way they do over the next 2 visits (6 weeks) then I probably won't need to see her so frequently. My checkbook will like that! Don't get me wrong, I love having health insurance, but $15 every 3 weeks adds up. Plus the prescriptions. Right now I'm spending around $100/mo.
Oy vey.
I need to remember to ask McDreamy about switching to mail order for some of my meds. I want to make sure he's not going to change the dosing on them anytime soon. I love that my doctors do everything electronically, but mail order is still a pain. I have to fill out a form to mail in to Aetna to register, plus mail in a written prescription for each medication from my doctors. But in the end it saves me 3 copays per year (I will pay 2 months' copay for 3 months of meds through mail order). I'm curious to see how the new insurance handles the Cellcept. The patent ran out on it in May, so my last refill at the regular pharmacy was a generic substitute. I tried looking it up on Aetna's website for pricing and it said it was a specialty pharmacy order and a month's supply was like $450. Um, I don't think so. I hope this is just a pre-authorization issue again. I also don't know what's going on with my kidney stones. I was reading about the dosing for the Urocit-K that I'm taking. The last time I was tested my citrate was still too low, so McDreamy upped the Urocit-K to 9g per day. The manufacturer states that doses of 10g or higher have not been studied and is not recommended. So I don't know what the next step will be if the higher dosage doesn't make a change. So many things to remember. And I only get 15 minutes with the doctor! And the doctor charges $145 for each visit. I should be a doctor. Oh wait, I failed chemistry. Maybe not.
Pig roast tomorrow! I will be testing my SPF 70 sunblock.
Oy vey.
I need to remember to ask McDreamy about switching to mail order for some of my meds. I want to make sure he's not going to change the dosing on them anytime soon. I love that my doctors do everything electronically, but mail order is still a pain. I have to fill out a form to mail in to Aetna to register, plus mail in a written prescription for each medication from my doctors. But in the end it saves me 3 copays per year (I will pay 2 months' copay for 3 months of meds through mail order). I'm curious to see how the new insurance handles the Cellcept. The patent ran out on it in May, so my last refill at the regular pharmacy was a generic substitute. I tried looking it up on Aetna's website for pricing and it said it was a specialty pharmacy order and a month's supply was like $450. Um, I don't think so. I hope this is just a pre-authorization issue again. I also don't know what's going on with my kidney stones. I was reading about the dosing for the Urocit-K that I'm taking. The last time I was tested my citrate was still too low, so McDreamy upped the Urocit-K to 9g per day. The manufacturer states that doses of 10g or higher have not been studied and is not recommended. So I don't know what the next step will be if the higher dosage doesn't make a change. So many things to remember. And I only get 15 minutes with the doctor! And the doctor charges $145 for each visit. I should be a doctor. Oh wait, I failed chemistry. Maybe not.
Pig roast tomorrow! I will be testing my SPF 70 sunblock.
Current Mood: 
is it 5 o'clock yet?
is it 5 o'clock yet?17 June 2009 @ 11:58 pm
My intestines sound like thunder. I should probably just sleep on the toilet tonight. I guess adding a Z-pack to 3 other medications that can cause diarrhea really is the straw that broke the camel's back.
03 June 2009 @ 11:47 am
My company designates employees' birthdays as a floating holiday, and my birthday is Friday so I have a 3-day weekend coming up. I guess this is kinda nice, especially since mine falls on a Friday this year. They used to give us the day after Thanksgiving off, which I REALLY liked, but it cut into production too much going into the Christmas season when camera repairs are requested a little more. They are even pretty lenient if you want to take a different day instead of your birthday. Last year I used my floater on a Friday in July so I could go to the beach. But this year I have nothing planned. I don't even know what I want for gifts, and my brother keeps asking what I want. I'm going to see Dave Matthews on Saturday night, but I have nothing planned for my "big day." I feel like I should do something but I don't know what. I mean, it IS the beginning of the last year of my 20's. I can't really go out and party because I'm not supposed to drink. Such a downer. Any ideas?
Current Mood: pensive
pensive31 May 2009 @ 12:31 am
Results are in and appointments are done. My kidneys are functioning at 41% and it looks like that is as good as they are going to get. McDreamy assures me that this is maintainable, and he has kidney transplant patients who have been on CellCept for a long time and he thinks that I can stay on it for 20-25 years without problems. There's just an elevated risk for cancer. I guess I should be happy that my kidneys were able to recover from 31%. McDreamy said that if they hadn't caught it when they did and I had waited 6 months that there probably would have been too much damage and the drugs would not have worked. So that's pretty scary. I'm down to 30mg on the prednisone. Hopefully things continue to look good with my bloodwork and I'll be able to go down to 20 or 25 in 3 weeks. This is frustrating how long it takes. And once I get under 20mg it will get really slow, trying to get my body to start producing cortisol on its own again. I know going off it is a big deal and can be really dangerous if it isn't done right, but I am soooo sick of gaining weight. My face is so round, and I keep biting the insides of my cheeks because they've gotten so big. Argh!
27 May 2009 @ 11:31 am
So far I am doing pretty well today. I got up at 6:45 and STAYED up. Usually I hit snooze, take my empty-stomach meds, and go back to bed for 30 minutes. Today I stayed up, got in the shower at 7, and was actually ready to leave for work at 8:05. Part of this is due to my mass ironing spree on Monday night. I think I actually have entire outfits to wear for the rest of the week, if I so choose. Today I am wearing a skirt, a rare occurrence. But then again, I am seeing Dr. McDreamy this afternoon.... I'm bad. I wonder if any of the other young doctors in his practice are single? Anywho, I got to the lab for my bloodwork by 8:30, and I was at work before 9 (another rarity). I'm hoping the rest of the day (and week) continue to go this way. I'm nervous about my appointment this afternoon. I doubt all my labs will be processed by then, so I won't find out until my appointment on Friday whether or not my kidneys have improved at all. But I think we'll be going over the 24-hr collection results, which I think were not so good (seeing he already upped my kidney stone meds). It's all so frustrating. Why does my body suck so much? I'd appreciate a little cooperation!
Current Mood: 
hopeful
hopeful21 May 2009 @ 02:17 pm
I chomped on the inside of my cheek last night REALLY hard. I was chewing some delicious teaberry gum to keep myself from eating more after dinner. And CHOMP! I bit down really hard. It's not uncommon for me to bite the inside of my cheek, but I really bit it good this time. Then I bit it twice more when it started to swell. I haven't had any gum today because I'm afraid I'll just keep biting it, and I had a few close calls when I ate my lunch. I know my cheeks are obviously swollen from the prednisone, but it almost feels like they're bigger inside my mouth, too. So instead of chewing gum I'm actually using my Numoisyn lozenges. They don't taste very good, but they do help my mouth water. I wonder if there's something I can do to help it heal faster?
I finally went and picked up my contacts yesterday. I haven't really been wearing them because I was supposed to throw my last pair out like 2 months ago. I wore them the other day and they didn't feel too good, so I decided it was time. My eyes don't feel 100%, but they feel a whole lot better than wearing my glasses with all this oak pollen flying around. The other day my eyes were so red they looked like they were going to bleed.
I finally went and picked up my contacts yesterday. I haven't really been wearing them because I was supposed to throw my last pair out like 2 months ago. I wore them the other day and they didn't feel too good, so I decided it was time. My eyes don't feel 100%, but they feel a whole lot better than wearing my glasses with all this oak pollen flying around. The other day my eyes were so red they looked like they were going to bleed.
Current Mood: 
doot doot doo
doot doot doo19 May 2009 @ 04:59 pm
No change in the pred for now :( I kinda figured as much, because my creatinine went from 1.5 to 1.6, causing my eGFR to go down from 41 to 38. I wonder how long it takes for the CellCept to completely take over? I hope it's not much longer. I've seriously gained 7-10lbs and I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in my clothes.
Also, she thinks I may have a UTI because there was bacteria present in my pee. Just what I need! So far I don't feel like I have one, but it's entirely possible. But then again the first sign for me is usually kidney pain, and my kidney always hurts a little bit. Because I'd like to add a few more pills to my box....
19 May 2009 @ 01:55 pm
Sadly, I think I have to upgrade to 2 pillboxes to hold all my daily meds. McDreamy's assistant called to say my latest "collection" showed my citrate is still low, and he wants me to start taking one of my meds as 3 pills 3 times a day instead of 2/2. I tried rearranging what I have so I'll have the correct number for the next few days and they don't all fit in the box. Now my daily pill count is...20? Right now...that's only because I swiped some of my grandmother's potassium supplements because I ran out of refills over the weekend and had to wait for a new Rx, and I had to take 4 instead of 2 (different brands) to get the right dose. So when I use those up I'll be at 18 pills. But still, that's kind of a lot!
Doing the math in my head and looking at the last time I refilled this med, I won't have enough to last me until my appointment next Friday. And insurance won't let me refill it early. So I'll have to call McDreamy's AGAIN to ask for a new Rx.
Seriously, I am so sick of phone calls. And my leg hurts, because I'm a clutz and I walked into a table at the library last night and I now have a huge bruise on my huge thigh.
Doing the math in my head and looking at the last time I refilled this med, I won't have enough to last me until my appointment next Friday. And insurance won't let me refill it early. So I'll have to call McDreamy's AGAIN to ask for a new Rx.
Seriously, I am so sick of phone calls. And my leg hurts, because I'm a clutz and I walked into a table at the library last night and I now have a huge bruise on my huge thigh.
Current Mood: 
deflated
deflated19 May 2009 @ 12:08 pm
I called my rheumy yestereday and the receptionist said the dr. would call me back. So I hesitated to even use the bathroom because, seriously, people only call me when I'm away from my desk. One day I was waiting for the dermatologist to call me back with test results, and I waited until after 5 to pee because I figured they were closed, and they totally called while I was in the bathroom. So I was really quick yesterday and didn't miss the call. I waited until a little after 5, but I know the rheumy sometimes has appointments at 5, so I made sure I had my cell in my lap as I drove to class so I'd feel it vibrate if it rang. I had to plug it in because the battery was low. So tell me why I'm driving on I-91 in Windsor and my phone suddenly beeps because I have a voicemail? It didn't even ring! My phone is so crappy. When I plug it in at home, even though it's set to only vibrate, it gives this shrill ring when I get a text. So annoying.
So I practically caused a few accidents while trying to listen to the voicemail. Bascially she returns calls between 5-6pm so if there is an alternate number to reach me, blah, blah. So I should probably call to tell her to try again, give her my work number, and stay late so I don't miss the call. I don't have to be to school until 7:30 for my exam. Or I could sit in my car somewhere and study until she calls, hoping my cell actually rings this time. The funny thing is, last night when I got home I checked my call history and it didn't show up at all. It wasn't in missed or incoming calls. Strange. But then again, Sprint blows. I only stayed with them because their service is considerably cheaper than Verizon or AT&T. I'm holding out for the Palm Pre because it's snazzy. If only they'd actually release it. Stop saying it will be released before the second half of the year. You know you're just going to release it June 30th.
Ironically, the dermatologist called this morning because I got sick of playing phone tag with them a few weeks ago about my mole biopies. They were both benign, yay. I wish they would hurry up and heal already, very dry and itchy (but looking much better).
Current Mood: 
sore
sore18 May 2009 @ 02:46 pm
I just got a memo from HR stating that the company is changing health insurance providers effective July 1st. Since I was diagnosed and treated within the last 6 months, does this mean my diseases might fall into the pre-existing condition exclusion? I know this would be the case if I was starting a new job, but I'm not so sure since it's my employer that is making the change. It really pisses me off that they don't give any details about the coverage in the memo. And they said there is a link to the new company's formulary on the intranet, but there isn't. My company is so ghetto. All of my doctors accept the new insurance, which is great, but it won't help me any if what they're treating me for isn't covered.
And just this morning I was looking at all my medical claims since the beginning of the year, marveling at how out of almost $16k in doctor visits/procedures I've only had to pay $165. I guess that's probably going to change. AWESOME.
P.S. My face hurts. I decided last night that I couldn't stand my 14-year-old-boy 'stache anymore so I waxed it off. It still stings a little. I'm off to call the dr. to see if my latest bloodwork will grant me a 5mg taper off pred. Maybe it will slow down the Teen Wolf effect it's having on my face.
And just this morning I was looking at all my medical claims since the beginning of the year, marveling at how out of almost $16k in doctor visits/procedures I've only had to pay $165. I guess that's probably going to change. AWESOME.
P.S. My face hurts. I decided last night that I couldn't stand my 14-year-old-boy 'stache anymore so I waxed it off. It still stings a little. I'm off to call the dr. to see if my latest bloodwork will grant me a 5mg taper off pred. Maybe it will slow down the Teen Wolf effect it's having on my face.
Current Mood: 
pissed off
pissed off13 May 2009 @ 01:13 pm
Aside from exams, the semester is over. Thank you Jeebus. I rocked my formal presentation as well as I could, and I think I did pretty well considering I didn't finish the Powerpoint until 10 minutes before class. I am a world-class procrastinator. I even strategically chose to go after the kid who had the worst presentation last time so I looked awesome by default. It sounds like our final is going to be pretty easy, and it's only worth 10% of our grade so I think I have a fair shot of getting an A in the class. So far I have an A in my accounting class too, so I just have to read the 2 chapters for that exam and I should be good to go. I seriously considered skipping last night's class because I knew it would be a waste of time. I really wish I had.
I stopped at Best Buy on my way to class to pick up my laptop (YAY). I forgot how damn heavy that thing is. They had to replace the mainboard so hopefully this means it won't break again. I'm just glad all my data is still there. I had backed up my pictures when it started acting funny just to be safe, because last time my hard drive crapped out and I lost everything. It's just nice knowing I don't have to re-load everything. Traffic going into Hartford was horrendous. I swear, people don't understand the zipper effect. Merge!!! I got to campus, returned a library book. Class was so pointless. We couldn't go over last week's exam because one person in our class still hasn't taken it. She rambled through some powerpoints, made us do problems in the book, and made us research accounting information systems and give presentations on them. It was so dumb. The whole time I was starving (I made it a whole 8 hours without eating) and I wanted to go home and watch TV. But I stayed. Oh well.
I had bloodwork drawn this morning. I'm supposed to call the rheumy when I get my copy of the results, which should be Friday. She said if my numbers look good I can go down to 35mg of pred. So that would be pretty awesome. I almost cut a finger off trying to cut coupons over the weekend because my hands shake so much. Sometimes I don't recognize my handwriting anymore. I also submitted a 24-hour collection sample to the kidney stone people. Hopefully things are improving with that because I really don't want to cut anything more out of my diet. If things haven't improved I think I'm going to have to see a dietitian to plan my meals for me. I haven't really had much kidney pain lately, but I don't know if that's from the diet/drugs or the inflammation decreasing. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
I'm really looking forward to going home tonight and not worrying about projects, presentations, or papers. I'm going to do laundry, go for a jog, and watch TV. And eat popcorn. I smell popcorn.
I stopped at Best Buy on my way to class to pick up my laptop (YAY). I forgot how damn heavy that thing is. They had to replace the mainboard so hopefully this means it won't break again. I'm just glad all my data is still there. I had backed up my pictures when it started acting funny just to be safe, because last time my hard drive crapped out and I lost everything. It's just nice knowing I don't have to re-load everything. Traffic going into Hartford was horrendous. I swear, people don't understand the zipper effect. Merge!!! I got to campus, returned a library book. Class was so pointless. We couldn't go over last week's exam because one person in our class still hasn't taken it. She rambled through some powerpoints, made us do problems in the book, and made us research accounting information systems and give presentations on them. It was so dumb. The whole time I was starving (I made it a whole 8 hours without eating) and I wanted to go home and watch TV. But I stayed. Oh well.
I had bloodwork drawn this morning. I'm supposed to call the rheumy when I get my copy of the results, which should be Friday. She said if my numbers look good I can go down to 35mg of pred. So that would be pretty awesome. I almost cut a finger off trying to cut coupons over the weekend because my hands shake so much. Sometimes I don't recognize my handwriting anymore. I also submitted a 24-hour collection sample to the kidney stone people. Hopefully things are improving with that because I really don't want to cut anything more out of my diet. If things haven't improved I think I'm going to have to see a dietitian to plan my meals for me. I haven't really had much kidney pain lately, but I don't know if that's from the diet/drugs or the inflammation decreasing. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
I'm really looking forward to going home tonight and not worrying about projects, presentations, or papers. I'm going to do laundry, go for a jog, and watch TV. And eat popcorn. I smell popcorn.
Current Mood: 
complacent
complacent03 May 2009 @ 11:04 pm
I bring it on myself every time. I wait and wait until the last minute to do things. I have a business report due tomorrow. I have an accounting project due Tuesday. Oh, and since my laptop died I no longer have the software to do the project at home. I'm kinda toast. Oh wait, I have an accounting exam on Tuesday, too. I could probably still do ok on it even though I didn't read either of the chapters...let's hope.
I told my classmate who was suppposed to proofread my paper and give feedback that I would have it to him on Friday. I don't think I even had the title page done on Friday. I stayed up last night working on it, but I don't think I had really written much of anything by the time I decided my eyes hurt too much so I was going to bed. I woke up at 6:45, took my pills and went back to bed. I kept waking up and going back to bed. I think I got up around 9 and I worked on it until noon, then I had to shower and get dressed to go to the Delta Mu Delta (International Honor Society in Business Administration...wha?? I'm smrt??) induction ceremony at school. I guess in a way it was good that I went because then I went straight to the computer lab afterwards to work on my paper. I felt bad because my mom came with me, and she had to take a separate car because I wasn't going home, and I was in a bad mood because I didn't really want to be there. We left after I got my honor cords and certificate because they meshed in the academic achievement awards into the same ceremony. I finally sent an unfinished paper to my classmate at 7:30.
I'm just so tired. I don't know if it's the withdrawal from the prednisone or what. I really didn't eat much at all today, which is good. It could've just been because I wasn't here near my stash of snacks. It's unbelievable how much junk food I've bought over the past couple of weeks. Doritos, Tostitos, Chex mix, pretzels, chips, popcorn...do we see a pattern? I realized on my drive home from school that I didn't drink much water today and my kidney was hurting pretty bad. My eyes are really red and dry. That could be from wearing contacts that I should've thrown out a month ago, or pollen. I don't know. My whole body is just really tired and it hurts. I've felt so good physically since being on the prednisone I think I forgot how I used to feel every day? All I want to do is lay in bed for a day. But I don't have time. Maybe I'll stay at work for half a day tomorrow then tell them I don't feel well and go home early. I mean, go to the computer lab to finish my project. It wouldn't exactly be lying.
I told my classmate who was suppposed to proofread my paper and give feedback that I would have it to him on Friday. I don't think I even had the title page done on Friday. I stayed up last night working on it, but I don't think I had really written much of anything by the time I decided my eyes hurt too much so I was going to bed. I woke up at 6:45, took my pills and went back to bed. I kept waking up and going back to bed. I think I got up around 9 and I worked on it until noon, then I had to shower and get dressed to go to the Delta Mu Delta (International Honor Society in Business Administration...wha?? I'm smrt??) induction ceremony at school. I guess in a way it was good that I went because then I went straight to the computer lab afterwards to work on my paper. I felt bad because my mom came with me, and she had to take a separate car because I wasn't going home, and I was in a bad mood because I didn't really want to be there. We left after I got my honor cords and certificate because they meshed in the academic achievement awards into the same ceremony. I finally sent an unfinished paper to my classmate at 7:30.
I'm just so tired. I don't know if it's the withdrawal from the prednisone or what. I really didn't eat much at all today, which is good. It could've just been because I wasn't here near my stash of snacks. It's unbelievable how much junk food I've bought over the past couple of weeks. Doritos, Tostitos, Chex mix, pretzels, chips, popcorn...do we see a pattern? I realized on my drive home from school that I didn't drink much water today and my kidney was hurting pretty bad. My eyes are really red and dry. That could be from wearing contacts that I should've thrown out a month ago, or pollen. I don't know. My whole body is just really tired and it hurts. I've felt so good physically since being on the prednisone I think I forgot how I used to feel every day? All I want to do is lay in bed for a day. But I don't have time. Maybe I'll stay at work for half a day tomorrow then tell them I don't feel well and go home early. I mean, go to the computer lab to finish my project. It wouldn't exactly be lying.
Current Mood: exhausted
exhausted01 May 2009 @ 10:27 pm
I'm a little disappointed about my bloodwork results. I don't know why but I was hoping they'd keep improving every time. I never thought to ask McDreamy if there were certain numbers he's hoping to get me to.
3/11/09
BUN 22 (normal 7-18)
Creatinine 1.9 (normal 0.6-1.0)
eGFR 31(normal >60)
4/15/09
BUN 22
Creatinine 1.5
eGFR 41
4/29/09
BUN 33
Creatinine 1.5
eGFR 41
I guess I just need to ask more questions! I wish I could just shoot him an email every once in a while with questions so I don't have to wait until my next appointment and then forget to ask them. There really isn't enough time in one appointment to ask all the questions I have anyway. I guess I will just wait and hope that starting CellCept will help things along. I know he wouldn't be weaning me off the prednisone if my eGFR hadn't gone up, so that's good. I think that's the most important number to watch. I just wish I knew how close to normal he thinks I can get.
It's totally not helping that I ate so much I had to unbutton my pants. My left kidney hurts, too. I think my fat stomach is pushing it out of the way.
Current Mood: pissed off
pissed off01 May 2009 @ 10:12 am
I got to see Dr. McDreamy yesterday (sigh). I wish these visits lasted longer than 15 minutes just so I could look at him. I'm bad, I know. He's married :( There wasn't really much for him to go over because only some of my bloodwork had come in from the previous morning. He said that if my kidney function had improved then he might bump me down to 40mg of pred, so he'd keep me on his list for the day and let me know when he got the results. I actually remembered to ask some of the questions I had written down, for once. I have to do another 48-hour urine collection to see how the meds and my "diet" have been working on the kidney stones. He said that since I haven't had much pain in my back lately then it was probably working. I'll probably get another ultrasound in 6 months to see how things are looking in there. I'm asking for prints to hang on the fridge. He assured me my fat face would eventually go back to its normal size and the only thing I could do about the hunger was try to resist the urge. Seriously, I've gained like 6 pounds in 2 weeks. Anywho, McDreamy's assistant called my cell this morning as I was pulling into work to say my kidneys are doing better and I can step down to 40mg. I'm surprised I didn't cause an accident. I first dropped the phone and I thought I hung up on her, then I almost hit this guy Mark who was trying to cross the street. Mark is cute...
So I don't get to see McDreamy again for 4 weeks, bummer. But that's good, right? I'm sure I'll be hearing from his assistant in the meantime as he gets new results. I'm curious to see if lowering the pred will create noticeable differences yet. I had already taken 60mg when I got the call so I'll have to drop it down starting tomorrow. I haven't noticed any yucky stomach issues yet from the CellCept. I hate how everything changes around the same time so I can never definitely associate a particular symptom/side effect with a particular drug.
So I don't get to see McDreamy again for 4 weeks, bummer. But that's good, right? I'm sure I'll be hearing from his assistant in the meantime as he gets new results. I'm curious to see if lowering the pred will create noticeable differences yet. I had already taken 60mg when I got the call so I'll have to drop it down starting tomorrow. I haven't noticed any yucky stomach issues yet from the CellCept. I hate how everything changes around the same time so I can never definitely associate a particular symptom/side effect with a particular drug.