It's That Time Again!

Yes, Shot Day has returned already.

Shot Plan
4:30 - 1000 mg ibuprofen (I have high tolerance)
5:00 - shot
5:30 - 1000 mg Tylenol
9:30 - 1000 mg Tylenol
10:00 - 440 mg Aleve
bed...

That Aleve should carry me through to at least 6:00 am, if not 8:00 or later. I will take Tylenol if (when) I wake during the night. I am resolved to do that, even if I am tired.

Tomorrow I am planning to take two more Aleve when I get up. Well, depending on what time I get up, I might take some ibuprofen and then Aleve four hours after that. I have plans tomorrow that involve not getting up much between 4:00-6:00, so I need to make sure my meds carry me through that. I guess I will do the math and plan it when I get up tomorrow.

Shot Actual
4:30 - 1000 mg ibuprofen
5:10 - shot (OUCH! forgot to pull the skin taut.. used the side of my thigh.. not sure which but I think the skin tautness, because the needle did not just slide in)
5:30 - 1000 mg Tylenol
9:30 - 1000 mg Tylenol
9:30 - 440 mg Aleve
Felt crappy all evening, but did all day anyway. No bad flu.

Steroid Update
I had a headache a few times and got VERY dizzy at one point this afternoon. I have felt sickly much of the day. I am blaming the steroids for these problems. Also, the skin on my hands wrinkled up and seemed very dried out. I started pushing fluids and began to feel better in general. Hmmm...

PT Homework
And I kept my PT diary again today. Because I am such a good student. And today I was much better about actually doing it on the half hour and not trying to reconstruct after an hour. Hey, I did my best.

Sleep: Slept 7 hours, awake since 5:15. Turned on the lights at 7:00.

7:30 am
F 3, s 3, p 2, v 3, c 1, leg w 2, arm w 1
Sat in bed, listened to scriptures, read email, wrote email.

8:00 am
F 1, s 1, p 2, v 3, c 1, leg w 2, arm w 2
Wrote email (still sitting in bed).

8:30 am
F 7, s 2, p 3, v2, c 0, leg w 6, law 1, raw 6
Got up, walked 12 feet to bathroom, used bathroom, took shower (standing, arms up to wash hair and face). Needed break for right arm. Stood to dry off. Stood and used r arm for moisturizer, eye cream, acne cream, hair products, body lotion.

9:00 am
F 7, s 2, p 3, v 3, c 1, leg w 6, law 1, raw 6
Walked 12 feet to bedroom, put on underwear while standing. Walked 8 feet to landing, sat and blow dried my hair. Both arms up and working. Needed break for both arms. Walked 4 feet to bathroom, stood to flat iron hair. Walked 15 feet to vanity table and sat to put on primer. Walked 20 feet into bedroom, sat on bed and chatted in ASL for five minutes. Got up and walked 5 feet to closet, stood to chose clothing and dress. Walked 15 feet to bathroom (threw socks on landing on the way), used toilet, stood to wash hands. Walked 20 feet to vanity table, sat to begin makeup.

9:30 am
F 3, s 1, p 3, v 4, c 0, leg w 3, law 1, raw 5 (sore)
Sat and did quick makeup job. Walked 12 feet to landing, picked up socks and laptop, carried them downstairs to living room. Sat on floor and used laptop to make notes about activities while friend made breakfast. Got up and sat on couch to eat. ASL chatting during breakfast and a bit after. Took morning meds: gabapentin, acetyl l-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, and B12.


10:00
fatigue level 4. Vision level IV. Cognition level 0. L LW level 7. R LW level 7. Law 1. Raw 4
Chatted five minutes in ASL. Walked upstairs to use bathroom. Walked back downstairs, got shoes. Sat on stairs to put on shoes. Walked 120 feet to the car. Drove to work – eight minutes. Sat in the car for two minutes. Put stuff in trunk, got clipboard from backseat. Walked into work 100 ft. Hung up coat, walked 20 ft to work with student. 


10:30
F 9, s 1, v 3, c 2, leg w 7, law 2, raw 4
Sat on hard child chair, playing house and encouraging interaction and behavior with three 3 y/o. Noisy, chaotic room. Wrote one page note.

11:00
F 6, s 1, v 3, c 1, leg w 4, law 1, raw 5
Walked 15 ft to cubbies, stood to put away notes, gathered my stuff, walked 60 ft to next student. Sat on plastic child chair while conversing quietly and building with tough stretchy toys. wrote one page note.


11:30
F 9, s 0, p 1, v 4, c 2, leg w 5, law 2, raw 5
Gathered thing, stood while putting away notes, walked 10 ft to bathroom, walked 75 ft to car. Drove 8 min to next school. Walked 150 ft into building straight to bathroom. Stood to wash hands and air dry. Walked 100 feet to classroom student talk to teacher five minutes walk 8 feet to next classroom student talk to teacher five minutes. Want 50 feet to car.


12:00
F 7, s 2, p 1, v 2, c 1, leg w 6, arm w 3
Drove home 7 min, walked 120 ft to house. Walked 20 feet to thermostat, walked 12 feet to computer chair. Sat at computer with legs up on a padded stool, reading email, etc. Feel sickly.


12:30
F 8, s 4, p 1, v 2, c 1, leg w 5, arm w 3
Sat at computer. Noticed tensing (straight out, crossed at ankles) legs, consciously relaxed them. Wrote email.


1:00
F 6, s 3, p 5, v 2, c 1, leg w 2, arm w 4
Sat at computer. Worked on my schedule, emailing, looking up info online.


1:30
F 9, s 5, p 5, v 2, c 1, leg w 5, arm w 4
Got up, walked 30 ft to bathroom. Stood to wash and dry hands. Walked 30 feet and sat in computer chair. Got up two minutes a later and walked 30 feet to kitchen for snack. Walked 30 feet back to computer. Sat at computer working.


2:00
F 9, s 2, p 4, v 1, c 2, leg w 2, arm w 4
Walked 8 feet to couch, 8 feet back to chair, 8 feet back to couch. Ate lunch. Brief ASL conversation. Walked 8 feet back to computer. Sat 5 minutes at computer. Feel sick still. Diarrhea all morning.


2:30
F 6, s 5, p 6, v 1, c 1, leg w 5, arm w 2
Sat working at computer. Took a phone call. Legs up, crossed at ankles, on padded stool. Still feel sick.


3:00
F 3, s 3, p 3, v 2, c 1, leg w 3, arm w 2
Sat working at computer. Legs up on padded stool. Feeling better.


3:30
F 2, s 1, p 3, v 2, c 1, leg w 2, arm w 1
Walked 5 feet to fireplace, 25 feet to kitchen, stood washing hands. Walked 20 feet, up stairs, 12 feet to closet. Chose clothes, changed while standing, went back and chose a different shirt, changed again while standing. Walked down stairs, 12 feet across living room. Put a log on the fire. Walked 5 feet to computer chair. Feeling lots better.

4:00
F 2, s 1, p 6, v 2, c 1, leg w 2, arm w 1
Sat and worked at computer. Legs down made them hurt more.

4:30
F 3, s 4, p 5, v 2, c 1, leg w 4, arm w 2
Sat and worked at computer, got up and went a few feet to put a log on fire, back to computer chair. Took gabapentin and cranberry at 4:20. Took 1000 mg ibuprofen at 4:30.


5:00
F 4, s 4, p 5, v 4, c 0, leg w 2, law 1, raw 4
Sat on couch, played games on phone. Some chatting in ASL. Walked 20 feet plus 2 steps up and down each way to potty.
5:00
F
Walked to kitchen and took ibuprofen. Walked 30 ft to use bathroom (up 2 stairs and down 2). Stood to wash and dry hands. Walked 10 ft to living room, back up two stairs to bottom of stairs, back down two stairs and 10 ft to get something and bring it 15 ft to couch.

5:30
F 8, s 5, p 8, v 4, c 0, leg w 5, law 1, raw 5, d 5
Avonex shot at 5:10. Rested on couch watching tv. Walked 10 feet to help with fire, walked 30 feet to kitchen. Lifted crock pot, carried 4 feet fridge to counter. Walked 20 feet to living room couch. Feeling dizzy.


6:00
F 7, s 5, p 7, v 3, c 1, leg w 2, law 3, raw 4, d 0
Ate dinner. Took cranberry, milk thistle, vit d, protonix, prednisone. Got up walked to fire helped tend it. Sat on couch and watched tv. Some ASL chatting. 

6:30
F 9, S 3, v 3, c 0, legs w 3, arm w 3
Sat on couch, blogged, watched tv. 

7:00
F 9, S 3, v 3, c 0, legs w 2, arm w 4
Laid on couch, watched tv. 

7:30
F 7, S 2, v 3, c 0, legs w 6, arm w 2
Walked 20 ft to kitchen, carried medicine bottles back to couch 20 ft. Sorted pills. Sat on couch going online and watching tv. 



8:00 pm
F 4, S 4, p 4, v 3, c 0, legs w 5, arm w 3
Sat/reclined on couch, using laptop to shop Amazon, watching TV. Got up and walked 20 feet to get ice cream, moved around kitchen, 20 feet back to couch. Ate my ice cream cone with one hand and typed this with other hand.


8:30
F 7, s 1, p 5, v 4, c 0, leg w 5, arm w 4
Reclined on couch listening to movie and playing phone games. 


9:00
F 6, s 2, p 4, v 4, c 1, leg w 4, law 1, raw 3
Reclined on couch listening to movie, playing phone games. 


9:30
F 7, s 5, p 4, v 4, c 2, leg w 4, arm w 1
Played phone games sitting on couch. Walked 15 feet and back. Took gabapentin, Aleve, and Tylenol. Walked 12 feet then upstairs then 8 feet to bathroom. Stood to put on moisturizer, get tooth stuff. Walked 12 feet, sat on bed to floss and brush. Walked 12 feet back to bathroom, 12 feet back to bed. FInished fatigue diary and bed!

Daily Data
Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 0 (maybe those steroids are kicking in)
-Tingles: 0
-Dysesthetic pain: 4
-Paresthesias: 0
-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 4
-Nerve pain: 5
-Hearing: 1, it has acted up and night sometimes. Maybe that is the only time it is quiet enough to hear the tinnitus. It sounds fuzzy, kind of likes bugs when you're camping.

Motor:
-Walking: 2
-Sore muscles: 5
-Fine motor: 3
-Weak muscles: 5
-Spasticity: 4

Cognitive:
-Processing: 2
-Memory: 1
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 0

General:
-Fatigue: 8
-Balance: 4
-Sleep: 2 (7 hours)
-Bladder: 0
-Proprioception: 0
-Swallowing: 0
-A: 0
-B: 8

Emotions: Fine! I haven't read any MS books lately, lol. I am excited to see an old friend tomorrow!

And I am slightly worried about my liver. Painkillers, meds, supplements, steroids, and interferon (Avonex). That is a lot to handle. I hope that milk thistle is helping...