Sunday, July 26, 2009

BP65 - 26 JULAI 2009 : AHAD


The rain started early in the morning. I thought, "Hey... today would be a good day to buy 'the hard to get because the line's too long' Section 14 lontong! People would be too lazy to go out in the rain!"

I was no. 3 in the queue. I could have been no. 2 or no. 1, but I went first to buy Metro Ahad thinking that I would need something to pass the time.

When life gives you lemons... make lemonade!

I managed to do work... fighting off sleep most of the time but I succeed! I must be getting better, Alhamdulillah :)

Haris (son in law of Ibu Noraini, sister of Paman Salleh) called informing that he would be in UPM till Wednesday. He called from KLCC but he didn't know the program scheduled for him & 39 others who came along with him.

I thought of going to KLCC by LRT after 'Asr. He was supposed to call back so that arrangements could be made. Well, I fell asleep on the floor till 6.30pm while reading through Khairuddin's proposal! Zzz...

Osh-Azmi & kids dropped in on way back to Ipoh, after visiting Hanan. Then, Una-Mat & Syabil @ Uncle Pet (who'll be turning 4 years old next month!) came. Una's BP was pretty high (160/100). However, her pulse is low <70... that helps!

BP64 - 25 JULAI 2009 : SABTU


Went to TS hospital with Suami. I think the doctor could tell I was feeling tired & weak. I got 5 needles this time on my head & Suami said I was snoring away during the 20 minutes session.

After the session, we picked up Aiman to bring him to see Dr. Selva @ Bangsar. He was having fever... not surprising. Most likely, he got it from Amzar!

Dr Selve saw me for the first time since I got Bell's Palsy. Straight away he asked me, "Why is your face all puffed up?" So, told him what happened & he basically confirmed every bad thing prednisolone could do to a person... of course the effect differs depending on the person! He also told me that it would a few months to get my system back to normal.

When I went home I googled to find out what others got to say about the phase of getting off prednisolone. Some examples:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/kelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community/prednisone-and-withdrawal/
April 5, 2007: Prednisone and withdrawal


Every week, I am supposed to go down 1 mg of prednisone. I like this therapy because I am going down slowly which my body seems to handle better, but it is bad because every week I go through withdrawal. I have heard some people (and some doctors) say that you can’t feel withdrawal from just a 1 mg decrease but I know that is not true for me. After about three to four days is when I usually will start to feel it. It seems like I have a harder time processing information and making sense of things. I have learned that I need to be more organized during these times because I am not able to do my typical five tasks at the same time routine. I have to focus on only one task at a time and make sure I outline what steps I have to do to complete them. I also become easily irritated and many times pick fights with my husband (mostly because I become a little irrational and obsessed).

Sometimes I make it through the withdrawal without noticing, but most of the time I feel it. I have also been having a lot of pain in my arms and in my body around the time that I decrease my prednisone. My rheumatologist says that it is from the decrease in the prednisone.

I have learned to warn my husband when I am going down on the prednisone. He is supposed to keep this in mind when I am acting crazy or get irrationally mad at him for things that make no difference to anything. Before, when I was on a really high dosage, I was going down 5 mg at a time but not every week. I would go down, and then have to remain at that level for a few weeks until I could go down again. Now that I am going down every week, I feel that it is hard work to keep myself under control and calm because it is a few days out of every week that I have to work harder.

But I think that it is worth it because I am getting down off the steroids, and all I want is to get off of them. I know I say that in almost every blog, and it is a daily thought. One day, I will not take the blasted prednisone.

But, one day at a time!!
Or as they say in French – petit a petit (little by little –or gradually)


There are many more...
The important thing is at least I know what I'm going through is normal :)

BP63 - 24 JULAI 2009 : JUMAAT

Woke up about 5 am.
Did my solat Isya'. Alhamdulillah, still alive...

Oh no... there were so many things I thought I wanted to do for today.
I had already scheduled to meet my 8 project students, 1st year students under my wings (4 international & 3 Msians), then the 2nd year students!
There would also be practical session in the afternoon.

Adoi... belum lagi janji dengan Zulfa!

I hope she would go easy on me & understand the situation that I'm in.
Seriously, I could fall asleep while I'm sms-ing!

BP62 - 23 JULAI 2009 : KHAMIS

Lecture in the morning & practical session in the afternoon.
What a tiring day.

Accidentally went to sleep at 8pm till 5am !!

The 'herotness' of my face is almost gone but the body is feeling like a sick body!

BP61 - 22 JULAI 2009 : RABU

BP60 - 21 JULAI 2009 : SELASA