Neuralgia update
I should have done this yesterday, but in the tradition of Interesting Medical Conditions I was in no condition yesterday to report on my Interesting Medical Condition. So this is a bit of a catchup.
Yesterday morning I woke feeling much improved, in the sense the surface level irritations had cleared. Not long after, however, the pain shifted to the deeper crush-type ache.
I don't want to do this.
Soaked in bath, had more drugs (but smaller doses) blah blah blah. Gin and coke. Alcohol really is the best way to treat this thing late at night. I should now describe myself as a medicinal drinker. Last night forced myself to sleep on the non-preferred side and imported a big cushion to bed so that probably helped to let the nerve rest.
The scream-inducing bump from last night came up in a respectable bruise today, so it wasn't just my overactive nerves having a go. (I'm not making this up!)
Today the crush injury feeling progressed to the angry-rugby-team-wielding-sledgehammers percussion injury feeling. But I did manage to get a few things done, favouring consciousness over pain relief. I washed my hair, made a seriously deferred phone call to a local dressmaker, dropped in a dress to be repaired before Swancon, did a bit of grocery shopping. The last was ill-advised, but it scored me Japanese for lunch so there were compensations.
I'm actually really pleased to have finally made the effort to contact that dressmaker. I once had plans to get a few things tailored but in the end gave up waiting and I've just been wearing them floppy. Maybe now I'll get around to it.
This evening I patched up the broken suitcase sufficiently for use at Swancon, so that's done, although I'm having horrible memories of failing zips now, so I'd best test those as well. My solution was... inelegant. And not completely effective. But hopefully sufficient. No gaffer tape was harmed, although I did convert two paperclips into tools at one point.
Today spent most of my time with leg elevated and supported in a nest of cushions, a position to which I've just now returned on discovering that it is much preferred to sitting. Brings back vivid memories of that original shingles attack. BTW for those who thought I was all healthy until that shingles attack, I was not. But before then I was occasionally healthy and could hold down a full time job, go to the gym, do stuff around the house and garden, study, go out and see people, and in short Live Like Common People Do.
So now am planning to hit the codeine rather than the amitriptyline to get me through the night. I so dislike the zombie thing. Yesterday (Wed) I had the bright idea to reduce my usual antidepressent fluoxetine to compensate, but this morning I forgot to leave myself sufficient warnings and took the usual dose.
I've spent a lot of time doing sudoku's (can't take the experimental psychologist away), and my performance tells me that I am not to operate heavy machinery or make any important decisions. Or try to locate my feet. In a move I may come to regret I have been buying more rocks on eBay. All from one dealer, so I get combined shipping, and individually only a few dollars on average, but *cough* a LOT of them. But oh the pretty colours and patterns! Such *potential*! And oh the auction fever. Thus far I've managed to avoid bidding wars, but that sense of achievement when a rival is defeated is a heady rush indeed.
Go away pain. I have things to do.
Yesterday morning I woke feeling much improved, in the sense the surface level irritations had cleared. Not long after, however, the pain shifted to the deeper crush-type ache.
I don't want to do this.
Soaked in bath, had more drugs (but smaller doses) blah blah blah. Gin and coke. Alcohol really is the best way to treat this thing late at night. I should now describe myself as a medicinal drinker. Last night forced myself to sleep on the non-preferred side and imported a big cushion to bed so that probably helped to let the nerve rest.
The scream-inducing bump from last night came up in a respectable bruise today, so it wasn't just my overactive nerves having a go. (I'm not making this up!)
Today the crush injury feeling progressed to the angry-rugby-team-wielding-sledgehammers percussion injury feeling. But I did manage to get a few things done, favouring consciousness over pain relief. I washed my hair, made a seriously deferred phone call to a local dressmaker, dropped in a dress to be repaired before Swancon, did a bit of grocery shopping. The last was ill-advised, but it scored me Japanese for lunch so there were compensations.
I'm actually really pleased to have finally made the effort to contact that dressmaker. I once had plans to get a few things tailored but in the end gave up waiting and I've just been wearing them floppy. Maybe now I'll get around to it.
This evening I patched up the broken suitcase sufficiently for use at Swancon, so that's done, although I'm having horrible memories of failing zips now, so I'd best test those as well. My solution was... inelegant. And not completely effective. But hopefully sufficient. No gaffer tape was harmed, although I did convert two paperclips into tools at one point.
Today spent most of my time with leg elevated and supported in a nest of cushions, a position to which I've just now returned on discovering that it is much preferred to sitting. Brings back vivid memories of that original shingles attack. BTW for those who thought I was all healthy until that shingles attack, I was not. But before then I was occasionally healthy and could hold down a full time job, go to the gym, do stuff around the house and garden, study, go out and see people, and in short Live Like Common People Do.
So now am planning to hit the codeine rather than the amitriptyline to get me through the night. I so dislike the zombie thing. Yesterday (Wed) I had the bright idea to reduce my usual antidepressent fluoxetine to compensate, but this morning I forgot to leave myself sufficient warnings and took the usual dose.
I've spent a lot of time doing sudoku's (can't take the experimental psychologist away), and my performance tells me that I am not to operate heavy machinery or make any important decisions. Or try to locate my feet. In a move I may come to regret I have been buying more rocks on eBay. All from one dealer, so I get combined shipping, and individually only a few dollars on average, but *cough* a LOT of them. But oh the pretty colours and patterns! Such *potential*! And oh the auction fever. Thus far I've managed to avoid bidding wars, but that sense of achievement when a rival is defeated is a heady rush indeed.
Go away pain. I have things to do.