Viral, Maybe
I've been weirdly ill in a way that I am hoping is not a new kind of flareup cycle, because it's been very bad for the past few days. My hope is that I have caught a virus but my hyperactive immune system is pouncing on it like a million angry ninjas and kicking the crap out of it, and that effort is making me more tired and achy than usual. The only actual symptoms I have are a scratchy throat and a persistant non-migraine headache. I'm also extra achy (a normal fibro symptom, but this is extra extra achy), have immense trouble focusing (again a normal fibro symptom but this feels a little "off" from the norm), and I am sleeping All. The. Time. (But not crashing in quite the same way as usual.) I also might have a mild fever, but I am too spaced out to remember if my normal temperature is in the 96s or 97s. If it's normally in the 96s (which is I believe the case) then running in the 97s counts as a very mild "fever" for me, and my eyes feel hot, which is one of the ways I can usually tell I have a fever. Note to self: take baseline temp on my current thermometer when I am feeling better, so I can tell these things. My temperature has been subhuman for years. (Ho ho ho.) I am also Very Hungry All The Time but that might also be a stress reaction.
I have had only one cold or flu (probably a flu) since 2001, and I was exposed to a few flu-infested people in the last week, so "fighting off a virus" is possibly in line with what I'm experiencing. The alternative of course is that my fibro is doing something vile and new. Given that one of the dangerous things about the new flu is that it can cause cytokine storms on people with healthy immune systems, I'm hoping it doesn't set in that far.
I have no idea if this means if I'm contagious or not. I'm taking normal "I'm sick" precautions with Brad, just in case.
I haven't been doing much during this time because I am up to about NOTHING. No exercise, barely any cooking, barely feeding myself. Bah. If it doesn't get better by next week then I will start forcing myself to exercise lightly, on the theory that it's something metabolic and see if that kickstarts me back into better shape. (Graded Exercise Therapy is a nightmare for fibro, but I'm half-decent at figuring out exercise levels that don't trigger increased flareups.)
I have had only one cold or flu (probably a flu) since 2001, and I was exposed to a few flu-infested people in the last week, so "fighting off a virus" is possibly in line with what I'm experiencing. The alternative of course is that my fibro is doing something vile and new. Given that one of the dangerous things about the new flu is that it can cause cytokine storms on people with healthy immune systems, I'm hoping it doesn't set in that far.
I have no idea if this means if I'm contagious or not. I'm taking normal "I'm sick" precautions with Brad, just in case.
I haven't been doing much during this time because I am up to about NOTHING. No exercise, barely any cooking, barely feeding myself. Bah. If it doesn't get better by next week then I will start forcing myself to exercise lightly, on the theory that it's something metabolic and see if that kickstarts me back into better shape. (Graded Exercise Therapy is a nightmare for fibro, but I'm half-decent at figuring out exercise levels that don't trigger increased flareups.)