I'm (still) on Drugs

I'm (still) on Drugs

It's been a while since I've done this, and my meds have changed in the last year, so I thought I'd give this another go.  In order of when I take them:

5:00 am (right when I first wake up)

A single teeny-tiny 88mcg Levothyroxine.  It's a thyroid hormone, to keep up with my sluggish thyroid.  Cause - Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

6:00 am

A single slightly-less-teeny 400mg Gabapentin.  It's a fun one, for my tingling, numb, oversensitive feet.  Cause - Peripheral Neuropathy (non-Diabetic).  Apparently, this one's got a decent street value.

6:30 am (with Breakfast)

Can you believe I can take all of these in one go with a sip of water?  But they say it's not a problem until I'm chewing the painkillers...

Top row - Supplements.  Iron, Multi-Vitamin, B-Complex, and Flax Oil.
Bottom row - 600mg Ibuprofen (and that's it for painkillers, folks!), 120mg Propranolol (for the Essential Tremors caused by the next one), 200mg Plaquenil (an anti-rheumatic for my RA), 20mg Paxil (guess what - chronic illness can cause depression and anxiety), 5mg Prednisone (for the RA), and a Claritin.

2:00 pm

Another 400mg Gabapentin.

6:00 pm (Dinnertime)

Top row - Supplements.  Calcium, Fish Oil, Feverfew (for headaches), Align Probiotic.

Bottom Row - 600mg Ibuprofen, 200mg Plaquenil, 50mg Hydrochlorothiozide (which I just spelled from memory...and is my blood pressure pill).

9:00 pmish - 10:00 pmish (Bedtime)

50mg Elavil (for the Neuropathy and headaches), the last Gabapentin, 750mg Robaxin (whee!...muscle relaxers!), and 50mg Desyrel (sleeping pill).

That makes 12 meds (11 prescription and Claritin) from four different doctors plus supplements for a grand total of 28 pills daily.

Oh, and let's not forget this:

Every six weeks.  I'm at 4mg per kg, but he's bumping it up for my next dose.  This is an immune suppressant (in the hopes of getting my overactive immune system to stop attacking my joints).  So, if you see me use Purell after shaking your hand or refuse a bite of whatever yummy food you have, don't be insulted.  I'm just trying to keep from getting Every. Single. Germ. that is going around.

 

Breakfast with the Critters

On weekend mornings, when I have more time, I like to share breakfast with the rats.  I sit down on the couch, open the cage door, and let them come to me.  Breakfast this morning was Fiber One Raisin Bran.  Yum.

Truffles, being a typical Rattus Norvegicus, likes the grains.  In her case, it's the bran flakes.

Our newest girl, Creme, is very skittish.  She will eventually come out, but only after Truffles has shown that it is safe.  She prefers the oat clusters or the raisins, but she'll scamper back to the cage to eat her prize.

Butterscotch is my clown.  Not only will she dive in headfirst, but she prefers the milk.  I was concerned at first, knowing that rats are lactose intolerant.  Then I remembered that it's almond milk, since I'm lactose intolerant.

After all of the flakes are gone and it's just milk, Creme loses interest.  Butterscotch keeps on drinking, and Truffles starts in on milk, too.  Cam commented that Butterscotch can join Gideon's army, since she laps at the milk.  Truffles can't, since she sticks a paw in and licks the milk off.

The Hair

Oh, the hair.  If you know me personally, you probably remember me having more hair than this at some time.  It was once down to my hips, and red.  Well, it's still red (at least the bottom half), but it's not so long anymore.  I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the fall of 2010, and I flipped.  "My life is over!  My hands will get all shriveled and useless!  I can't have long hair with shriveled hands!"  So I cut it short.  And you know what?  It's a year and a half later, and my life is not over.  My hands are in better shape than they were (Yay drugs!) and I can do a whole lot of things, including having long hair.
I got a haircut today to get rid of the last of my layers, and I hereby declare that I'm growing it long again.  I'm also growing out the last of my henna, if I have the patience.  I might do one last big chop in a year or so to get rid of it.  Other than that, I'm sticking with my routine of 1/4" trims every three months.  It's currently 17" long measured from my hairline in front, over the top of my head, and down my back.
If you're interested in growing your hair long, this forum was a great help to me: The Long Hair Community

I've got WP Skillet.

Saw this online the other day.  My first thought was "I sooo want one!"  My second thought was "Hmm.  I don't think that hilt is oven-safe."

I love my old cast-iron skillet.  Words cannot describe my love for it.  Except these words. 

Cam and I had a conversation once upon a time that the absolute worst place in our apartment that an intruder could startle me would be the kitchen.  I've got my trusty skillet.  Anyone seen Tangled?  Who knew?  Plus, if I'm actually cooking, the skillet is hot.  Ouch.

Then there's my knives.  I have a set of moderately-priced knives, and I keep them sharpened.  (Oh, the life skills my brother Scott has taught me.)  I once shamed a CutCo salesman when my knives cut better than theirs.

Back to the skillet.  I first got a cast-iron one when my doctor recommended it as a way to help fight my anemia.  If I'm going to have tiny flakes of stuff come off my skillet and into my food, iron at least is good for me.  Non-stick coating, not so much.

I love that a well-seasoned skillet is non-stick all by itself.  I love that I can make grilled cheese without added butter. (When I'm in a healthy mood.  When I'm not... I'm Paula Deen.)  I love that I can take it from stovetop to oven.  (Now I want pineapple upside-down cake.)

I Take Drugs

Nineteen pills or capsules a day, to be exact.  Don't worry, it's all under a doctor's supervision.

A little backstory for those who don't know me personally.  Nine years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that makes my thyroid work slower than it should. 
One year ago, I added Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia to the list.  Rheumatoid Arthritis is another autoimmune disease that attacks the lining of my joints, causing inflammation, pain, stiffness, and deformation.  My rheumatologist is hopeful that we can slow this down with medications, but some of the fingers on my right hand are starting to twist.  Fibromyalgia is a bit controversial right now, but what I know is that it causes me muscle pain, fatigue, and weakness.
 Now, those are my big three, but I also have mitral valve prolapse, a heart arrythmia, essential tremors, sleep apnea, migraines, and carpal tunnel.  Wheee!!!

So, back to the drugs.  Here they are in all their pharmaceutical glory:

 

The five on the top are supplements. From left to right:

Multivitamin-I prefer a capsule to a hard pill because I've heard that the hard multivitamins don't break down all the way.

B Vitamin Complex-Additional B vitamins, which are good for nerves and energy.

Fish Oil- I should be eating more fish, but I can never remember to buy it at the store.

Feverfew-An herbal supplement that helps with my migraine headaches.  And yes, my doctor knows I'm on it.

Iron-One of the smaller side effects of autoimmune diseases is anemia.  I haven't been able to donate at the Red Cross for years.  I take this by itself with a small glass of orange juice.  The vitamin C helps the iron absorb better.

On to the medications.  They're in three sections by when I take them.

The little pill by itself is my synthroid.  The Hashimoto's causes my thyroid to not produce enough hormones to keep my energy levels up.  The synthroid supplements what my thyroid does make.

The next line are pills that I take through the day.  From left to right:

Plaquenil-This is an anti-rheumatic that gets my immune system to calm down a bit.  I take it twice a day, with breakfast and dinner.  As a fun note, I am now probably protected against malaria.  Plaquenil is a quinine derivative.

Avara- Another anti-rheumatic.  The plaquenil alone wasn't cutting it, so we added this.

Paxil- An antidepressant.  See my list of conditions above.

Zyrtec- Okay, so it's not a prescription med, but allergies are no fun!

Propranolol- Love the fact that it ends in LOL.  This is for my essential tremor, easing the shaking in my hands.  I take it three times a day, with each meal.

Ibuprofen- 600mg twice a day.  I could just take three Advil at a time, but my insurance pays for it this way.  This is for pain and inflammation.

The last row are meds that make me sleepy, so I take them at bedtime.

Robaxin- This is a muscle relaxer to get me to relax enough to fall asleep.  The fibromyalgia makes my muscles tense, and that can be a problem.  I always have to remember to go potty before bed, though.  Getting up at three in the morning and navigating to the bathroom on rubbery legs is an experience I don't want to repeat.

Aventyl- Technically an antidepressant, but I'm taking it for the migraines.

Desyrel- A true sleeping pill.  Before this, it took up to two hours to fall asleep, and I'd often wake up stinking early and not be able to fall asleep again.

Again, my doctor is aware of every drug I am taking, and my pharmacy runs a check for interactions on everything.  So far all they've said is to stay away from grapefruit.  I can do that.

Pope's in College

Cam's latest idea for a TV Show.  "Pope's in College" - a wacky comedy about four roommates.  The nerdy science guy, the slacker, the jock, and the Pope.  Tagline - "The Pope re-enters college to get in touch with today's youth."  You have a scene where one of them is wearing his hat, and he says "Guys, I told you not to touch my stuff!"

Cam-ism of the Day

Cam: "They dropped that like a lead stone."
Me: "A lead stone?"
Cam: "Yeah.  Heavier than a normal stone."