Wheeeee...p: Not Enjoying the Dips of the Roller Coaster

Actually, I hate roller coasters.

Since last you heard from me... Tuesday was fine. Well, I didn't do a darn thing. Quick interpreting job in the morning. Visited one private client. Had pins in needles in my right foot but basically was okay.

Wednesday was a long day for me. I didn't have to work, but I went shopping all day with a friend. I had the twitches hardcore that evening. And pins and needles all down my right leg and foot. I think I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, because the pins and needles and not being able to shut off my brain.

Thursday was also a long day. I left that house at 11:30 and didn't get back until 9:30 in the evening. Went to the pharmacy, saw a private client, went to a friend's new office and her new job to clean/move, went to the mall to eat and look at some stuff (walked several levels of the mall), and interpreted/attended a church thing in the evening. I think moving books and rearranging furniture in my friend's new office killed me. I have zero endurance for physical labor these days. Oh, and I had to walk a block to my car every 20 minutes to push the button on the meter. I was ready for a nap by 3:00. The pins and needles were noticeable during the church thing, where I was sitting on a not-so-comfortable chair for an hour. Normally they are not noticeable when my mind is busy. When I got home, they didn't get better. That made it very hard to fall asleep. The backs of both of my legs were halfway numb. It was an uncomfortable feeling. It was worse on my right side but definitely happening on my left side, which was new. And I had the twitches... shakes... tingles... whatever. They are very different from pins and needles/going numb. Much worse.

Yesterday was not terribly long, but I guess I was already so worn out from the other days that it felt long. I interpreted for my friend's haircut, which mostly meant sitting in a styling chair while the girl worked. My legs kept falling asleep, in a borderline painful way. It didn't seem to matter how I moved them, they wouldn't wake up all the way. They were more numb than not--this was the back of both legs, as well as my feet. So I suffered that for 45 minutes. I guess I should have gotten up and moved around, but I was tired, and I didn't want to wear myself out by being on my feet a lot.

After my friend's haircut, I got one. Yes, more sitting in a styling chair. Hers wasn't as bad as the other one--partly because I was chatting and watching her cut my hair. Distraction helps when symptoms aren't severe.

After that, we went to a town half an hour away, to a major hospital, where my friend was meeting with some medical people and having a rehab session. I was set to interpret for that. Besides the pins and needles, I was fine. I barely noticed them... and I don't think they were as bad. I had had the drive to rest. My friend has been driving me, because I struggle with driving. That because a. it's hard for me to maintain muscle tension/pressure for braking (especially stopped at a light), and b. sometimes my judgment isn't so good. And I like to be able to rest between locations, when we're going to more than one place. Anyway, so I was doing better by the time I got to the hospital. The irony that the hospital has a major MS clinic and well-respected neurology department that I couldn't just stop in to did not escape me.

I was interpreting for one of the medical people and my friend before the appointment began, when a staff interpreter showed up. So I didn't have to interpret that appointment. Actually, I wanted to. That interpreter stunk.

After the hospital, my friend drove home. I was fine. Just tired. Pins and needles in my right lower leg and foot, which is basically all the time. Even right now, as I type this. We went to a restaurant near my house for a late lunch/early dinner and then went home. I relaxed at home all evening. I'm trying to remember where the pins and needles were but can't. I went to bed and couldn't sleep... because they were in both legs! Ugh. It was frustrating to lay awake. I've had difficulty finding a comfortable position to sleep in. The pins and needles both me, and I'll have nerve pain in my legs if I lay wrong. Seems like many positions are wrong and none are right the last few days. And I couldn't turn my brain off again. It took well over an hour to fall asleep.

Unfortunately I woke up early this morning to use the bathroom, as usual, and couldn't get back to sleep... as usual. I went downstairs but could barely walk. Muscle control + soreness = :( I went right back upstairs to try to sleep more. After an hour and a half, I fell asleep... for 45 minutes. But it did help.

Although I'm not as sore as I was the first time I woke up, I am super tired today. Fatigued. I haven't done anything! Oh, well. I think I need to rest a lot today.

I'm scared of what will happen in three weeks, when I'm working full time again.