« November 2004 | Main | January 2005 »

December 01, 2004

Less cold symptoms but more pain

Well, my nose and ears are feeling better, and there's no headache. Although I'm not coughing much my chest is crackly. I'm in a lot of pain, more or less all over. It's particularly painful lifting my arms above (or even to) shoulder level, which makes doing my hair, folding clothes etc. a pain - literally! The eczema is sore again, but only on my left hand. My tummy seems ok so far today. I'm very tired, but a lie-in helped. Mentally I'm feeling ok.

Posted by anniebee at 11:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Owwie!

I. hurt. all. over. No, actually I tell a lie, I don't have a headache today! I'm in pain from almost every muscle and joint, with my shoulders being worst. I'm going to have to pop some painkillers, but first I have to eat in order to be able to take my regular tablets. The 'cold' is better, apart from my chest really, so that's something to be grateful for.

Posted by anniebee at 04:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 02, 2004

Cold back again

The cold symptoms have come back, so now I have a stuffy nose and sore throat as well as the joint/muscle pain and cough. I feel a bit blah.

Posted by anniebee at 07:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 03, 2004

*Cough, wheeze, splutter!*

I've just been to see the doctor about my cough and wheeziness. She told me to double my steroid inhaler dose and take honey and lemon for my sore throat. She says it's a virus. If it's not better I need to go back next week. I'm still very achey, and the eczema is playing up - on both hands for a change. My tummy seems ok so far, and I'm feeling ok mentally.

Posted by anniebee at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pity party

I'm feeling lousy. This horrible cold has made me bunged up and wheezy, my throat feels like sandpaper, and I have pain just about everywhere. I'm having a pity party today!

Posted by anniebee at 04:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 04, 2004

Cold + pain = feeling grotty

I went to bed early, and had a long lie-in. I'm not coughing as much today - so far. I coughed a lot in the night and my right shoulder was very painful. I'm feeling much the same as yesterday except not as congested. The eczema is flaring up again. My tummy is ok. Feeling ok mentally.

Posted by anniebee at 01:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blah!

I'm really feeling pretty rotten today. The congestion has come back, so I'm feeling much as I did yesterday except less wheezy and the sore throat has gone - thank goodness. A horrible cold, and lots of pain. Wonderful - not!

Posted by anniebee at 05:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Moan, moan, moan...

My nose is really congested, and so is my chest. I ache just about everywhere. The eczema is getting worse, and I think it's started on my elbow as well as my hands, which is unusual for me. I'm wheezy, but not worryingly wheezy. My throat isn't sore any more, and neither is my ear, so that's something. My tummy's ok too. I'm taking four loperamide every day now, and that seems to be helping. I'm very tired, but that's probably because I'm not sleeping well. My shoulder is so sore at night. It's not too bad during the day unless I have to lift my arms up above my shoulders a lot. I'm feeling a bit miserable, mainly because I'm feeling so grotty.

Posted by anniebee at 09:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 05, 2004

So-so

I think the cold is a little better this morning. The aches and pains aren't though. My shoulder is still very sore at night, worse than it is during the day. The eczema is much the same. My tummy is ok. Mentally I'm ok, just fed up with being ill all the time.

Posted by anniebee at 12:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Random thoughts on mental illness

My mood has dropped. I don't know why. Maybe it's because there hasn't been much sunshine today. Maybe my sugar levels are low. Maybe it's because I'm bipolar. I try to forget about it, but it doesn't go away. It affects my life so much. I dread the thought that my sons might inherit it. I would hate for them to have to go through what I've been through. At least now the lithium has been increased I don't get as 'high' as I used to. That was more scarey than the depression really. If I had a choice between my physical problems or my mental health problems, I would choose the physical ones every time. But then, that's easy for me to say because I don't have any terminal illnesses. There is still such a stigma attached to mental health problems, however 'politically correct' people try to be. Especially in Britain. The only time you hear of someone having manic depression (which is still the term more likely to be used in the UK, except by mental health professionals), is when they've knifed someone, or when it's used as an insanity defence in court, in order to get a lighter sentence, or to be sent to a psychiatric hospital rather than prison. To use an American term, mental illness sucks.

Posted by anniebee at 03:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 06, 2004

Bad night

My shoulder kept waking me up last night, so I didn't sleep that well. The cold seems a bit better. Tummy is ok. Eczema is about the same. Mood is ok-ish.

Posted by anniebee at 08:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Pain, pain, go away!

Pain from my neck to my toes today - well, at least I haven't got a headache! My feet and ankles have been particularly bad - I can't understand why. My shoulder isn't too sore during the day but it's bad enough to wake me up at night. Tummy is ok-ish. Eczema is playing up again. I'm feeling extremely tired physically. I need to put my feet up tonight because I've got a day out tomorrow.

Posted by anniebee at 03:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 07, 2004

Another bad night

Another very restless night. If it wasn't my painful shoulder waking me up, then it was the cough. It was almost a relief when the alarm went off! I'm feeling tired and achey, which is hardly surprising. My tummy is just about ok. The eczema is flaring up and I'm having trouble finding a hand wash which doesn't aggravate it. Mentally I'm feeling ok today.

Posted by anniebee at 08:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Update after a day out

I had a great day. I'm very tired but it was worth it. I'm also very achey and lots of my joints are clicking. I've had trouble with my left knee today, as well as my feet, back, and all the rest. Tummy has been ok all day - yay! I managed to throw food down my front at lunch time, because of my shaky hands, but Mum and Dad are used to me doing that! I bought some different hand cream which seems to be really helping the eczema already, and it doesn't leave my hands greasy. It's relatively expensive, but you only need a tiny bit. I used to use it years ago. I don't know why I stopped. Probably because I could find cheaper stuff. I'm feeling ok mentally. I enjoyed having a day out.

Posted by anniebee at 05:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 08, 2004

Some good news

I slept better last night - yay! This handcream is really helping clear up the eczema on my hands - double yay! Tummy is pretty much ok. Aches and pains so-so, but at least my shoulder didn't keep me awake last night. Mentally I'm feeling ok. Not wonderful, but usually at this time of year I'm very depressed and/or anxious. I think the extra lithium is really helping. It's horrible stuff, but it does the trick.

Posted by anniebee at 08:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 09, 2004

Slept better again

I slept better again last night. My shoulder isn't as painful now, and I think that's making the difference. I've got a very chesty cough, but I'm still taking the increased dose of my steroid inhaler and I'm not too wheezy. My tummy is playing up a bit today. The difference in my hands from the new hand cream is amazing. I reckon that in a couple of days the eczema will be completely gone. It's Neutrogena concentrated hand cream by the way. I have a very sore right achilles tendon today. People don't realise that fibromyalgia affects tendons and ligaments as well as muscles. The usual aches and pains are a bit worse today, probably due to all the clambering around I did yesterday.

Posted by anniebee at 07:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 10, 2004

Tired and achey but ok!

I fell asleep propped up and reading with the light on! The cough seems to be getting better. My eyes feel 'tired'. My shoulder is definitely less sore, although it's still clicking a lot. I have a big bruise on my thigh that I don't remember getting. My legs and feet are sore, even though I've been lying down for several hours. My tummy is ok-ish. I got a reminder from the pharmacist yesterday that I need to get my lithium blood tests done, so I've made an appointment with the nurse for next week. I'm very achey just about everywhere. I seem to have a lot of clicky joints at the moment, so I'm wondering if it is all due to fibromyalgia. The new hand cream is working wonders with my eczema. Mentally I'm feeling ok. Much better than I would normally be this close to Christmas.

Posted by anniebee at 02:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tired out

I'm feeling very tired and achey, but I have had a pretty busy day, on top of a bad night's sleep. The eczema is calming down a lot. My tummy has been ok today. I've still got a chesty cough.

Posted by anniebee at 03:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 11, 2004

Feeling ok

I slept ok, apart from a coughing session at one point. I'm feeling ok today. Quite achey, but I'll live. Tummy is ok, and the eczema is much better except in one small place. Mentally I'm feeling ok. Better than usual for this time of year.

Posted by anniebee at 10:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Falling about but not laughing

My balance is getting worse. It hasn't been very good since I had neurological problems back in 1998, but it's awful now. I nearly fell over at least three times, and one of those times I got my legs tangled up - literally. I also keep having to grab hold of things to keep my balance. I seem to be leaving my leg behind and dragging my foot quite a bit too. I've discovered that the amitriptyline could be affecting my balance, which sort of clouds the issue since I already had neurological symptoms. Added to the pale optic nerve and the slight numbness in my extremities I think it needs investigating, but as far as my doctor is concerned I've had the scans and lumbar puncture so that's that.
I had a scan last year which showed 'a thickening of the falx, possibly due to a small meningioma'. I found that out from reading my notes. My doctor just told me that I had a slightly thickened brain membrane and it was nothing to worry about. Wouldn't you worry? The other scans and the LP were done back in 1998, when they thought I might have Multiple Sclerosis. It bothers me that they don't seem inclined to discover what is the problem, having established that it's not MS. I can't really go private on this one as to have all the tests done privately would cost thousands of pounds, which I just don't have.
I have to say that all this isn't helping my quality of life though. I suppose I just have to wait until something goes very seriously (& obviously) wrong before anyone takes any notice of me. I feel like they think I'm malingering, but how do you fake a pale optic nerve and a thickened brain membrane?

Posted by anniebee at 12:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack