Monday, October 22, 2007

What Fresh Hell Is This?!?

My neighbor and coworker was sick for 4 days...several other coworkers have been out ill at work last week and this week with some sort of combo cold/gastro intestinal virus. It would only make sense that, whatever this Northwest BUG is that's floating around, it would land with a thud on my pillow and infiltrate my already highly compromised immune system...if I even HAVE an immune system after a round of steroids and a dose of Novantrone?!?

I thought the nausea was just a left over from the Novantrone I received last Tuesday...after all, I AM often nauseated for about 3 days following my every-three-month-dose of the blue juice. But when it lasted well beyond the typical three days, I then focused my sights on the addition of Sinemet that was added last Thursday to try to supplement the Requip I have been taking for the last 2ish weeks for the RLS symptoms in my left leg (which, BTW, continues to keep me in constant motion...better this past week, but still a pain in the...well...leg!). I emailed the good neuro today, explained my plight, and TOLD her I was stopping the Sinemet as it HAD to be the culprit behind the nausea.


And now tonight, alas...my head has become congested with a bit of a runny nose and my eyes are tearing up as though I am attending a funeral! Yes, I believe I have caught the common cold and I wasn't even chasing it...LOL


I'd like to blame this entirely on the fact I had to go into work this afternoon for a meeting ON MY DAY OFF, but even I know whatever "this" is, it has been brewing and churning inside me for a few days now. On Sunday, it was all I could do to raise my body off the couch as I felt a bit flu-ish...again, simply blaming the Novantrone at that time. I don't seem to be running a fever, so if I can dress myself appropriately tomorrow, I'll still make an appearance at my dentist's office and go into work following that appointment...because I believe in SPREADING THE LOVE! LOL Or cold virus...whatever. I really don't have much of a choice about going to work as I have used most of my accumulated leave time and can't afford time off without pay. And besides, they've all been sick with whatever "this" is anyway, so I might as well just give it back to them!


My immune system has been knocked on its butt this past month and it's no wonder I have fallen prey to the common cold virus. I'm not sure why we use the saying, "catching a cold" however, because THIS cold seems to have CAUGHT me! Wish me luck...I'm going in...

12 comments:

Sara said...

LOL . . . I seem to have "caught" this cold as well, though the UK strain doesn't seem to have the tummy thing (or at least not yet)

I blame all the students starting back at uni & coughing all over the bus

Bubbie said...

"It's Always Something"

Anonymous said...

I take Requip for RLS too and I have to sing its praises.

I was on Mirapex clinical trials in a control group five years ago and that didn't work well for me at all.

I take 0.25mg Requip 3x a day and can take 0.50mg for severe. I also take Ativan for tremors, spasms, Parkinsons syndrome. I didn't want the Sinemet for Parkinsons Syndrome bec the Ativan gives me more freedom to skip doses if I feel I don't need it. I can't do that with the Sinemet.

So, 1) What dosage Requip do you take? and 2) ask doc if you can up Requip dosage for severe RLS moments.

It takes a good hour for Requip to kick in for me.

Maybe you are taking something else besides Sinemet with it?

Or, maybe one med needs to be upped and the other lowered.

Hope you feel better soon, Anne

BRAINCHEESE said...

SARA:

The common cold seems to know no geographical boundaries! (but as a scientist, I'm sure YOU could enlighten me why this is) LOL

LD

BRAINCHEESE said...

BUBBIE:

Yes, Roseanne Roseannadanna...It IS al a ways somethin' LOL

LD

BRAINCHEESE said...

ANNE:

I'm on the highest safest dose possible of the Requip...neither Mirapex or Requip really work well for this and I don't have it ALL the time...just in the occasional relapse, thank goodness. I don't know how people with common RLS stand it every day!

I have to say, the nausea IS less today after skipping two doses of the Levadopa/Sinemet, so I may have been right about that culprit. And the RLS doesn't seem any worse or better without the Sinemet today...but thanks for the tips. Always good to hear different perspectives of what works and doesn't work for folks.

LD

Joan said...

That might be what my husband has, and I think I'm starting to get. We are in the mid-Atlantic region, so that bug must be wandering around aimlessly. I was blaming allergies and this darned weather (continuing 15-degrees above normal spell for weeks) coupled with my constant grumpiness of late. Now I'll blame it on this thing I'll call the Cheese Disease because you identified it so it gets your name. Okay with you???

Sara said...

it's simple, the common cold bug is smarter than we are, hence why we have no cure for it!

Diane J Standiford said...

2 words: Chicken soup.

BRAINCHEESE said...

JOAN:

I like the name...I've always been a bit contagious and not necessarily in a "good" way. LOL

LD

BRAINCHEESE said...

SARA:

Well YOU'RE the scientist, so I take that statement as FACT!

LD

BRAINCHEESE said...

DIANE:

One word...or is it two? Bedrest...LOL

LD