Bad With the Good

Desipramine seems to be helping my pain, and that is fantastic. But it is not without its down sides. I think it is making my vision a little weird. In a different way than the steroids. Whatever, I can deal. It makes me struggle to pee in the mornings. OK, I can deal. Bad dreams. I am still sleeping enough, and it is not all night long, so I can deal. Some dry mouth. It is not fun, but it is better than when I was on amitriptyline, so I can deal. Side effects stink, but I can deal. The pain is worse than the side effects.

I am so happy that my pain has drastically decreased!

I realized that muscle weakness is one problem, but I also have a problem with endurance. I have regained a lot of strength. Before I could not list my laptop and now I can; before I struggled with grocery bags and now I can carry them. I am getting better at opening doors. Those are just a few examples. But endurance is still a problem. I can pick up something heavy, but my arms turn to jelly after a minute. I can stand for a few minutes, and then my legs turn to jelly. It is frustrating.

Sensory:

-Pins and needles: 0
-Tingles: 0
-Dysesthetic pain: 1
-Paresthesias: 2

-Numbness: 2
-Vision: 0-1
-Nerve pain: 3
-Hearing: 1

Motor:
-Walking: 1
-Sore muscles: 1
-Fine motor: 0
-Weak muscles: 1
-Spasticity: 1
-Endurance: 4
Cognitive:
-Processing: 1
-Memory: 0
-Attention: 0
-Confusion: 1

General:
-Fatigue: 2
-Balance: 0
-Sleep: 2, eight hours
-Bladder: 1 (medication)
-Proprioception: 1
-Swallowing: 1
-A: 0
-B: 7

Emotions: I had a good head shrinking session. It was emotional, as always, but sometimes the only way out is through, right, Alanis?