So the doctor’s office finally called Friday afternoon with the results from my lab tests from Monday, and from my blood test on Thursday (to check my potassium level). My potassium was improved but still low, so she prescribed another round of potassium supplements.
The labs showed that I do NOT have worms or giardia or coccidia, thank you very much for those of you who guessed that (Fred was predicting giardia), but that there were a whole load of white blood cells present in, y’know. The items. That I dropped off. At the lab. For testing. Don’t make me say it, we don’t need to be talking in detail about that stuff so early in the morning, so early in the week, right?
The nurse asked if things were improved, and I told her “improved some, but not all the way”, and she conferred with the doctor, who put me on an antibiotic and wants the nurse to schedule me with a gastroenterologist. The nurse should be calling today to make those arrangements.
Saturday morning, late, I picked up my antibiotic and potassium supplements, and I took my first antibiotic Saturday night.
“This might make you just a wee bit dizzy,” the label warned me.
Well. That antibiotic didn’t make me dizzy – it knocked me for a fucking loop. We sat down to watch TV around 5:30 that evening, and I stayed awake during the first show, but I dozed through about half the second show. Then we got Clash of the Titans on Pay Per View, and I was maybe awake for ten minutes total of the movie. I’d wake up, squint at the screen, and Fred would say “You’re going to be up all night!” and I’d grunt and shift around a little, and go back to sleep.
When the movie was over, we did our usual bedtime stuff downstairs, then went upstairs and hung out with the kittens, and we went to bed to talk – as we do every night – and I could barely keep my eyes open. Fred went off to his room after about ten minutes, and I fell asleep and slept like a baby through the night.
My Sunday morning dose of the antibiotic still didn’t make me dizzy, but it gave me a bit of a buzz. I swear to god, I’ve never had antibiotics have this sort of effect on me, but it’s a pretty strong one that I’m pretty sure I’ve never taken before. (Do you note that I’m not telling y’all exactly which antibiotic it is so you can’t tell me I shouldn’t be taking it because your cousin’s husband’s sister’s friend’s nephew took that exact antibiotic and died the next day? Let’s just say that if I get a case of anthrax in the next week, I should be all set.) I double-checked the informational sheet I got with the antibiotic, and one of the cautionary points it lists is “if dizziness occurs, drive with caution.”
You’d think they’d tell me not to drive at all, wouldn’t you?
The biggest pain in the ass with this antibiotic is that I can’t take a multi-vitamin or iron 6 hours before or 2 hours after I take the antibiotic, so there’s this whole thing where I take the antibiotic, set the timer for 2 hours so I can take my multi-vitamins and such. Then set the timer for 6 hours so I know when it’s safe to take my evening antibiotic, then another 2 hours before I can take my evening probiotic and magnesium.
Today, two weeks after the first onset of the symptoms of whatever the fuck I had, I feel just about 100% better (if a little bit buzzed from the antibiotic). In total, I lost 16 pounds at my lowest point, and I’ve gained back 10 pounds since the middle of last week. Thursday I ate, in total, one bagel and two cups of Gatorade, and the next morning I was up three pounds. I know it’s all water weight, and I know I’m going to gain back to my starting point and I’m okay with that, but it is still MADDENING to gain three pounds on a bagel and some Gatorade.
I still haven’t gone back to Diet Coke yet. Not that I don’t want to – believe me, I do! – but another of the cautionary points on the sheet of information I got with the antibiotic is that I should avoid caffeine. I’m doing okay with water and Gatorade and the occasional cup of orange juice for now, so I guess I can wait.
Stay alive, my beloved Diet Coke! You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you.
The MMMs and Dodger will probably be going this week to be spayed and neutered. Actually, Moxie’s already spayed, so just Melodie, Martin, and Dodger need to be done. They’ve all been well over two pounds for more than a few weeks, but there’s no rush due to the slowdown of adoptions, so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to wait.
They’re having a good time with the run of the upstairs. Most of the time when I go up to hang out with them, they’re in various places in my room. Martin and Moxie really like to hang out on my bed, Dodger likes the little kitty condo near my bed, and usually Melodie goes running when she hears me coming up the stairs, but comes out pretty quickly from her hiding place in the bathroom.
Moxie in the window.
I think maybe her eye color changes with her moods. Sometimes they look this pretty golden brownish color, and other times they’re gorgeously orange.
Martin and Melodie battle it out.
The Bookworms were hanging out in the back yard with me. Suddenly, the meter reader went tromping through the side yard and scared the heck out of them. Bolitar went and hid beside the steps and kept an eye on him.
SOMEONE’s super-annoyed by the fact that he was trying to sneak out the door and found that I was already out there, yelling at him to get his butt back inside.
“What? I’m trying to fold this laundry, lady.”
Spanky’s already annoyed by me and the camera, and I’ve only taken one picture of him!
Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: Jessica Simpson, if I want to see you doing the Tush Push for an entire song, I will go out and buy Nick & Jessica porn that your father will SURELY be flogging any day now.
2004: “SOMEWHERE WHERE I CAN GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE SOUND OF THAT TELEVISION!” I bellowed.
2003: Sometimes.
2002: Basically, I’m just a freak.
2001: Now I’ll never know if Lance was going to put the moves on me!
2000: Insects are invading our house at an alarming rate.
Glad you are feeling better Robyn.
I have a question – not sure where it came from, but clearly far out in left field. You guys have done well with the piggies and chickens. Have you given any thought into raising your own cow? I imagine it would be much more difficult of a process at the end – but a homegrown, properly aged ribeye is sounding mighty tasty.
I guess that is where the question came from – I am hungry!
Boy, between the watering and the antibiotics, you are one timer using fool! Timer = best friend.
Glad you’ll be on the mend.
So glad you’re feeling better. I know the antibiotic you’re taking — have a semi-funny story about that. Back when that anthrax scare was going on, my sister got sick, was prescribed that. When she went to pick it up, the pharmacist acted real strange, asked her for her driver’s license — if you could see my sister you’d know she’s the last person who would be a terrorist: 4’9″, tiny, blond hair. She said it made her feel like a criminal, and felt she should sneak out of the drug store!
I had a bad episode last night, tossed up everything I’d eaten for supper. It’s been so long since that happened, forgot how awful it is. I was just wondering if maybe there’s some kind of virus going ’round (I live in Cullman)?!
One more funny story about meter readers: I always put the dogs in the house when he arrives, but last time when he walked across the carport to get to the back porch to read the meter, he said, “Did you see that big cat on the carport? It HISSED at me, thought it was going to attack!” And honestly, he looked scared.
It was one of the strays (mostly tame now) I feed, but I know the cat hissed because they’d heard the dogs barking when he arrived. Maybe I need one of those signs that reads, “Beward: Attack Cat!” LOL
something similar happened to me. You are sans gall bladder, correct? I REALLY don’t need to go into detail, but the gastroentologist gave me some powder to take twice a day and I’m certain it works, but I find it so destestable that I just put up with the “flares,” which, given the destestableness (I know terrible English) of said “Flares” doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, but I never claimed to be reasonable or rational. Good Luck!
I’ve also had some sort of lower-intestinal bug thing for the past several days. It was BAD yesterday, a bit better today. Robyn, you’ve infected your readers! All the way to California!!!
So glad you’re doing better and, yes, putting on some weight. Don’t get any thinner or we won’t be able to see you.
For some reason, that picture of the three kitties in the yard makes me laugh. Cute.
You must be feeling better to quote Last of the Mohicans :)! You must try the C0ke Zer0…oh, the Heaven, the Bliss (of course, I may earn the Skimmer Of The Day Award, if you’ve already written about trying it and how you hets it and will always lub the DiCo).
“it is still MADDENING to gain three pounds on a bagel and some Gatorade”
I swear, as much diet shit as I have listened to over the years with my mom and various doctors and my own phases, you’d think I’d know how this works, but how DOES it work? Back in the days when I was basing my self-worth on what the scale said, I could weigh myself before I went to bed and weigh, say, xx5, then wake up in the morning, pee, and step on the scale and weigh xx9. Now, I understand that bathroom scales are not known for their precision, but honestly, 4 pounds, plus whatever I peed out, despite the fact that I WENT STRAIGHT TO BED, and neither ate nor drank ANYTHING, not even a drop of water? And several times – thinking that my scales were just for shit – I’d weigh myself then come back 20 minutes or an hour later and weigh again, and get the exact same weight, down to the tenths-of-a-pound, so the scales couldn’t have been THAT far off.
I know all the dieting “facts” – 3500 calories = 1 pound, whether the calories come from a truckload of fresh fruits/vegetables or from a single palm-sized serving of triple-chocolate cheesecake – but it still doesn’t make sense to me. If I eat something that weighs 6 ounces, and it’s 3500 calories so I gain a pound, WHERE DO THE OTHER TEN OUNCES COME FROM? It keeps me up at night if I let myself think about it, I swear.
I’m so glad I stopped thinking that a different number on the scale would make me a different (better) person. What finally made me a different (better) person (or at least a person *I* like better) was when I stopped defining myself by my pants size.
And even though I’m sorry you were sick, thanks for putting the numbers out there – I once told someone I had lost 12 pounds during a four-day stomach thing, and was accused of being a liar and that if I’d lost that much water in that short of a time I’d be dead. (Perhaps if I only weighed 75 pounds to START with, that might be true, but at nearly 6′ tall and very personally-well-stocked for the coming apocalypse, 12 pounds in four days is NOTHING. Hell, I used to routinely gain and then lose 15-18 pounds with period bloat every single month. Probably still do – there are some pants that become distinctly uncomfortable for a week or so.) Anyway, nice to know that I probably WASN’T misremembering the numbers.
I totally read this as
“SOMEONE’s super-annoyed by the fact that he was trying to sneak out the door and found that I was already out there, yelling at him to get his butt crack back inside.”
which would have been awesome if you had. Rather pithy! I’m still chuckling over my imaginary sentence.
Loved the sound of the television older entry. I think that is the hardest part of having him home for me. I swear I was shell shocked the first two weeks. I would go out on the bench in the yard to find some quiet. It’s too hot now and the ragweed and misquitos have made me have to nix that. When he leaves I leep to turn the tv off and listen to the blessed silence for a while. I don’t get why he needs the tv on 85-90% of the time! He’s healing well so it won’t be forever THANK YOU GOD!
I agree about the three pounds of water weight regained over night being a drag. The only good part of that knid of illness is feeling so empty and unbloated. It would be nice if it could stay as a reward for suffering endured-for those like me who can well afford the lost poundage!
Love the kitties leaping around the yard pictures!
Yay, I’m glad you are feeling better!
Glad to hear that nothing is radically wrong, Robyn!
I just read the August 26th entry at this blog and thought you and others would enjoy it.
http://blissyo-elgarden.blogspot.com/