Saturday 30 June 2012

Moving, Meds, and Milo

I may or may not have been looking at Lolcats for the last hour or so >.>...

Bran, Milo, and I are all cuddle up on the couch. Bran is watching his footy, Milo is sleeping, and i'm looking at lolcats and typing.

We had a somewhat busy day. The lot of us headed over to the apartment to do some unpacking and cleaning up for the big move next weekend. I still have some bits and bobs to pack, but most of our small things are over already thanks to Sarah's help (my MiL). Milo is starting to get more used to it and i'm sure once his bed is there he'll be happy enough.

Other than that I had a bad cognitive day yesterday. I ended up going to bed around 7:30 and sleeping for about 12 hours >.>. I am feeling mostly better today thankfully, though I did nap after we had a long walk to find the dog park in Northgate.

I'm still struggling a bit with figuring out what fibromyalgia means. I've looked up some studies, medicines, and whatnot but I think i'll just have to have a chat with my GP about it. She's been great with explaining things and helping to find the right mix of meds. I'm not sure if going on another medicine is the right thing, but I don't want to be talking the tramadol all the time. It lessens the pain a bit, but I know it's only covering up the symptoms (and making my brain foggier) and not actually helping.

Tomorrow is a relaxing day. Maybe grocery shopping though I can do that on monday and safe us a trip.

Milo has been doing much better on salmon, brown rice, and greens. He's just about entirely healed up though he had dropped weight :/. We're upping his salmon this weeks and trying out lamb to see if he can handle it.

Friday 29 June 2012

Brain Fog

I've had a very marshmallow brain day. All day. But I think part of it was due to a migraine since I started having ocular abnormalities. A nap helped with that.

I had a good session with my counsellor. She helped me come up with some other pain management strategies and we talked about how to handle my rheumatologist. We also talked about a potential job i'm going for. The job is being a carer for someone with a spinal cord injury. It includes personal care as well as some cooking a light housework. I should be able to handle it just fine as it is a no lift job.

In other news, I took some tramadol earlier today. I haven't really felt hungry since. And my brain had been more foggy. It has taken the edge off the pain, but I still feel it. Maybe i'll try a voltarin and a tramadol tonight and see how that goes.

Heading over to the apartment tomorrow.

Thursday 28 June 2012

Fun with the Rheumy (Not)

Today I went and saw my Rheumatologist. At first he was lovely and nice then he got angry. At me. For looking up symptoms >.>... Granted, i'm sure he gets it all the time, and he was right in what he was saying but he was still mean! I think he thought I was arguing that I had lupus or something, but really I was just asking about it. I don't think I have lupus (thank the gods!) but I am afraid that it'll develop. That's what it really comes down to, we look things up because we are afraid that we'll end up with something worse. I also know for a fact that if I hadn't looked up symptoms, I would not have fought to get the initial blood test to begin with!

Ah dear, anyway.... He didn't apologise, but he was much nicer after I agreed with him, then started crying. The thing is, he doesn't get that i'm in pain. He knows it. He hears me say it. But he doesn't know how bad it is. And there is no way he could, I understand that. Which is why I was asking about those other things to begin with! For the record, I was asking about fibromyalgia, lupus, and dermatomyositis because along with joint pain I do get muscle pain and spasms. I'm quite thankful that I do not have lupus or dermatomyositis but he did agree that I had fibro.

So what does that mean? Ok, I am indeed in pain. Likely because my nerves are fried from being in pain constantly... I don't have any inflammation markers in my blood, so thats where the fibro comes in. But how is it treated? Well, no one flipping agrees apparently. He gave me a drug called tramadol to take, which is kind of like narcotics but not as addictive. So we'll give it a go...

I think he may have charged me less because he made me cry >.>.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Bed Day

Had a day in bed. Still tired. Had some yummy apple crumble that my MiL made. Also mystery freezer soup. Now I'm going to head back to bed.

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Flares Aren't Just for Signalling

Definitely flaring. Hopefully it'll turn up on my blood tests >.>. I had my strengthening class today, and could only really do about 2/3rd of what I normally can. Not so good. But i'll be able to start going twice a week, which will hopefully up my knee strength a bit quicker.

Speaking of blood tests, I had more blood taken today. I reminded her to use the syringe instead of the vacuum sucky needle, which is meant to cause less damage, but my small veins caused problems and she had to stab me twice. So much for that >.>.

On a lighter note I took a nice hot bath and ate pizza bagels for dinner.

Monday 25 June 2012

Sort-of Busy

I've been somewhat busy today. I was able to get out and sell some of our old stuff (gaming systems, dvds, etc) and was able to get a bit of money to help with the move :) but carrying all that stuff did not help my wrists or back. After that I had a nice chat with the physio (I actually wanted some trigger point therapy, but she wanted to talk about my knee).

But after I got home I just felt exhausted.

Laid in bed for an hour, took a bath, just tired. So i'm likely flairing and need to take it easy, which isn't likely as I need to pack and clean. Though maybe something will actually show up on the blood tests I have to take monthly >:(.

Anyway, tired, sore, slightly annoyed, but at least i'm less worried about our funds.

Sunday 24 June 2012

Ranty Rant


I was quite frustrated today. I have been in a bit of a flare, but I don't want to take the prednisone :(. You'd think mtx and plaquenil would be enough? I'm also worried i'll end up on biologics....at the same time it would be awfully nice to not be in pain every day. I'm not sure that my husband is really getting it. *sigh* Usually he is really lovely and helpful but lately he has been complaining a lot more. We've been cleaning up our recently purchased apartment before we move in, and he just does not want to do it. But I cannot physically do everything. It's just frustrating...if I could then I would :(. We've had a talk about it though, so hopefully he is be a bit more considerate about that.

Seeing the rheumatologist again on Wednesday. I need to remember to ask about the itchy scalp since starting plaquenil and the random reactions to elastic in clothing...

Rice-beans-chicken mixture is still going well. It made a lot more than I though! Yeah economical! It was basically; black beans, brown rice, a can of tomatoes, some left over pasta sauce, an onion, spices, mixed frozen veg and leftover chicken thrown in....but somehow it made an awesome burrito/quesadilla  filling.

Saturday 23 June 2012

I'm Still Boring

Spent a bit of time at the apartment today :). We are so lucky that my MiL is kind enough to drive us over on the weekends so we can bring Milo as well as a car load of our stuff! We cleaned the walls and put away some of our kitchen equipment. We've also gotten some info from the body corporate, so it's nice that they've been in contact.

Later in the day I watched an interesting movie take on Snow White called Mirror Mirror. The trailer makes it look really tacky, but it was actually quite funny. I loved the over-the-top costumes and the dwarfs being rebels on stilts XD.

I've also been enjoying the rice-bean-chicken mixture in tortillas, yum.

Tired again today, and had a bit of a marshmallow head for most of it. I'm looking forward to a good sleep :). Wrist and elbows a bit sore, but not too bad.

Friday 22 June 2012

I'm Boring

Quiet day at home with the pup.

I did make rice and beans, and stuffed peppers using said rice and beans. They turned out quite well.

Milo is still unhappy, and his muzzle is looking quite red :/. Maybe I should try a different food? hm

Wrists were sore today, otherwise not so bad.

Now I sleep.

Thursday 21 June 2012

Tired X2

Tired again. Went to Ikea with the MiL. Also took Milo to the park because he looks so sad lately :/ now i'm really feeling fatigued. I slept for 40 minutes in the car even o.O. Wrists are especially sore today. Probably because I also vacuumed >.>.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Sick

Sick today
Just tired and sick
Bran made me dinner <3
Filled out immigration paperwork
Rescheduled MRI
Sleep soon

wrists, shoulders, hands, feet, R ankle/knee

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Pain

Tired. Long day full of pain. My back/hip/knee was throwing a combo on my right side. I also went back to my strengthening class at the hospital. Nice to be back, but my knee was not so happy. I'm tired of being in pain :(.

Monday 18 June 2012

Money Makes the World go Round

Ugh. I need a job. Got another lawyer bill. Money is going to be tight.

Sunday 17 June 2012

The Day of Rest

Quiet day at home today. We are both quite sore. Next weekend we are thinking about cleaning the walls and painting then maybe the weekend after moving in. I'm tired now, so I sleep.

Saturday 16 June 2012

Apartment Check In

I am exhausted
I have blisters
I have scrapped knuckled
I have sore hands
I have bruised knees
I have back spasms

But you know what else I have?
A clean apartment ;)

Bran, Milo and I spent the day over at our apartment tearing up carpet, taking up nails, and thoroughly cleaning (Milo ran around and squeaked his ball). Now we have a clean concrete floor on which to eventually put wood and an apartment that is liveable and bright :). We still need to clean the walls, but that wont take half as long. We are deciding whether to move in straight away or save up for a month or so to put in the wooden floors, but that'll be decided soon. Also whether to paint right away or not. I have no idea how much paint costs :/.

Anyway, so I am sore and exhausted to the bones but I feel accomplished :)

Friday 15 June 2012

Thursday 14 June 2012

Microbio and Bunnies

Microbiology final today :/. I answered all the questions but I know for a fact I got some of them wrong. *sigh* Well, I know I wont fail at least >.> but I really hope I did well.

Wrists were and are painful. Lots of writing. Ankles and knees were creaky today but not bad enough to use my cane. I did use a wrist brace for writing though. 

On a completely different note, I was thinking about a little bunny I had as a pet when I was in high school. She was a lovely little bunny named Anya. I feel bad at this point though, because really I didn't have the time or the energy to take care of her as she deserved :(. She was never sick, and whenever I noticed water or food bowls empty they were filled, but she was stuck in her cage most of her life. Sometimes I was slack and didn't clean it as often as I should have. I should have let her run around the room and had her cage as a litter box, but I didn't know rabbits could be litter box trained at that point (obviously, I didn't do much research. Anya was kind of dumped on me). Plus in all honesty my room was literally unfinished, so it wouldn't have been very safe for her. Looking back on it now I feel guilty and I hope she can forgive me for being such an ignorant teen. Maybe thats why I try so hard to keep Milo happy and healthy.  

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Being a Good Student

Not very much to update on. I spent the day studying mostly. We did get the e-mail from the lawyers and it turns out part of the giant check went to paying the body corp fees for the next quarter. Thats alright then :) one less thing to worry about.

Microbiology final tomorrow! I think i'll do alright, but even if I don't I did get a 98 on my workbook! How great is that? I think it's the best science grade i've ever gotten XD.

Pain wise: ankles, wrists, itchy skin. A bit of gut pain but I had more dairy today than I typically would so meh.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

The Day of Settlement

Settlement day :)
All went well
Except they charged more than I thought o.O
But we got the keys!
Our own piece of Brisbane
Our own home
Our own

Monday 11 June 2012

Quiet Day in the Hood

Quiet day at home.
Doing some laundry.
Having ankle problems.
Poor Bran hurt his back :(.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Witchy Fun

Had a lovely meetup with some witchy folk :). We has an interesting get together and some work with tarot cards. Now i'm quite tired and my hands aren't working very well. So goodnight.

Knees were very bad today. L knee is joining in on the fun.

Saturday 9 June 2012

Too. Much. Sugar.

I may or may not have eaten an entire bar of cadbury hazelnut chocolate >.>

I may or may not have a tummy ache <.<

I may or may not be planning on eating salad all day tomorrow >.<

Woke up with my LEFT ankle hurting today. Not so much fun. It did calm down after the meds kicked in. I've been off the prednisone but i'm greatly considering starting again as it seems like everything is going crazy. I can hear you all (all two of you) saying "well Em, think it has something to do with the sugar intake of that giant candy bar you just ate?" or maybe you aren't saying that...but sugar could be a trigger...just one i'm not willing to try giving up on yet. Or coffee. It's just not going to happen, sorry.

In other news...I went grocery shopping? I've had a pretty quiet day really...I did have tasty roasted brussel sprouts for dinner along with the chocolate. Thats half good right? >.>

Stuff thats painful: ankles, back, nerve stuff, and the usual hands/elbows/shoulders/Rknee. Random headache too.

Friday 8 June 2012

Drama Llama

Feeling very tired...it's only 7:30 but i'm ready for bed.

We had another drama with the apartment, this time about the first home owners grant. We nearly had to push back settlement and pay $400 in fees but we worked it out in the end with the help of my MiL. Only 3 days until settlement :).

Nerve pain, hands, elbows, wrists, shoulders a bit. L knee has been annoying today too for some reason.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Chilly!

Brrrr! Chilly!

Got some studying done today :). I also made some cereal bars using the fluff that was sent down from the states, I may have eaten one...or four....>.>

More paperwork for the apartment, this time a new stat dec for the first home owners grant. Blah. But it's all in Bran's name now, so he is taking care of it :). Only a few more days until settlement!

I've found sleeping on my L side has helped calm the nerves down a bit on my R side. I'm still waking up with pain though, not my fav. Hands are especially sore today, probably because it's quite cold.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Paperwork and Pools

More paperwork >.> I really need to study for my exam. That'll be tomorrow. Big pot of coffee and my books!

In other news, I forced myself to go to aqua aerobics today at the Chermside pool. The pool was nice and warm, and it was a therapy pool so we didn't have people swimming around us. The Chermside pool will be closer to us when we move, so I thought I would check it out :).

Speaking of moving, we finally got word that Milo was accepted by the body corp! Thats all of our conditions taken care of :D now just finnish up a few bits of paperwork and then settlement is next tuesday! Very exciting.

Sore today, hands, wrists, R elbow, shoulders were stiff, back and R knee/leg. Nerve pain, but a bit better than it has been. Likely because I slept more on my L side last night. I'll try that again and see if it helps tonight.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Hand Cramps

Had a sore day today :(. I'm not sure whats triggered this but my hands and wrist haven't wanted to work at all. Luckily I had some pre-made foodstuffs so I didn't have to do any chopping. I did still manage to wrangle both dogs around for a walk (which Milo desperately needs, I think he's getting depressed >.>). Beyond that, today consisted of...you guessed it...more paperwork. We finished most of it last night but I had to fix up and send off the last of the loan documents today. Tomorrow i'll drop off the corrected conveyancing documents and hopefully that'll be the last of it!

Now my hands are cramping up, so i'm off.

Also getting nerve pain down R leg, especially upon waking. Maybe because i've been sleeping on my R side more?

Monday 4 June 2012

Paperwork, Oh So Much Paperwork...

Mtx hangover. Not a fan. I really could have used about four more hours of sleep, but our lovely (yet pesky) little puppy insisted I get up and pay attention to him. Oh well.

I did go grocery shopping at least, and stayed well in budget :D. Just need to keep thinking of our apartment.

Speaking of apartment, Bran and I filled out more paperwork today to handle the loan and more stuff from the solicitors. Quite bothersome, especially when there are confusing bits o.O. I'll have to go in and ask about it tomorrow I think (although legally I can't handle anything since i'm not going to be the owner >.>). Bah!

It was chilly today, my hands, R wrist, R elbow, and R shoulder were especially sore. Currently the R wrist is really bothering me.

Sunday 3 June 2012

B-Day for the Hubby

It's my lovely husband's birthday today :).

I got him a stainless steel coffee cup.

We had some cake.

We had some pizza.

I had another migraine (though this one was more visual and less painful).

What I really want is a margarita.

But what I get is some methotrexate.

Yet i'll still end up with a hangover :/.

Anyway, it was actually a nice day overall. Bran got to watch his footy and play his game without me harassing him, and I even let him sleep in ;) aren't I a great wife? Lol. Really though, we enjoyed a nice day loafing around the house and eating yummy stuffs. He also received some new flip-flops (thank goodness, his old ones literally had holes in the bottoms of them!), a pack of maltesers, crunchies and a neat wooden London suitcase box.

Pain wise wasn't bad today. I'm actually not getting any nerve pain down my leg, which i'm pondering about...but still had a stiff back. Hands and wrists were a bit sore today but otherwise i'm alright. Had the migraine thing as mentioned, and my L knee gave out o.O which is odd as that's my "good" knee. Something i'll have to bring up with the gp.

Now to sleep and try not to eat anymore cake.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Not So Awesome.

Really bad migraine today. Not so much fun. Two panadol with codeine later and i'm ready for bed. I don't know what caused it either...hm..

Back/nerve things were sore. Head obviously. I did see wiggly things again along with the migraine so that isn't my favorite. Hands a bit but not too bad.

Friday 1 June 2012

Meetups and Milos

Had a lovely time tonight catching up and meeting some new people at a meetup. We went to a neat little cafe/gallery that I haven't even noticed before (and it's right in the middle of the city >.>) then went out for  ...malaysian? I think? Had some ok noodles.

One of the guys I talked to lives in Nundah as well :) it'll be nice to know someone there when we move over. Less than two weeks until settlement!

Beyond that I spent a good chunk of the day finishing up my sunflower pregnant lady painting and working on a squiggly tree painting. I'm trying to get some little colourful pictures for out new apartment as we have very few decorations.

Milo's been chewing his paws again :( I don't know why...he was doing well. Either way we'll bring him to the dog park and let him have a good run around.

Not too sore today, back and hands mostly. I was able to use chopsticks so thats not bad.