newness

sitting up in bed. might as well take this time to update.


*i'm craving frosted flakes. weird.



so here are the results for my sleep study.

i honestly don't understand any of it, until it gets to the conclusion: evidence of moderately severe obstructive sleep apnea. i got back to the sleep lab on friday to do the tests all over again with the face mask thing. this chronic fatigue and exhaustion is really getting to me.

my hands have been swollen for a few days now, but i can't stop what i need to do. i still have homework to finish for tomorrow and bracelets to make.

i'm finally getting the ganglion cyst taken care of. my doctor said it'll be drained, but my cousin says i need to have it surgically removed. who knows anymore.

i quit taking the herbs. i couldn't torture myself anymore. the herbalist said since i've had my condition for so long, i'll need to drink the herbs for a while. i don't have that kind of patience or strength, so screw it. it became unbearable to drink; i started throwing it down the drain once my mother cooked it for me. childish, i know. i'm an adult, i shouldn't have to do nonsense like that, on top of waste money to buy the damn things. i'd rather pay $35 a month on pills than $21 a week on herbs. i'm going back to the rheumatologist to talk about putting me on a lower dosage of savella. i actually had an appointment with her on wednesday, but i had to reschedule because i was so exhausted.

that's about it for now. i'm pretty sure something else will come up soon; it always does.

good things come to those who wait.

i know i was supposed to write about the sleep study results a lot sooner, but it's a good thing i was so caught up doing other things.

last night, i had an appointment with dr. jhagroo, my primary care physician, about the cyst on my wrist and how we're getting rid of it. at the beginning of the appointment, he mentioned the results of my sleep study. i'm so glad i was given a hard copy!

tonight i'll scan it in and post it.

sleep study review.

this was probably one of this most nerve wrecking experiences ever.

first off, it took is forever to get there, and when we finally did, it looked like a whole in the wall.

fast forward to the set up: i had to pull a bunch of wires through my clothes to have the sensors on my legs. one went on my clavicle, on one my ribs, four in my scalp (this is why i was told to braid my hair), and a few more on my face. then came the tubes in my nose, followed by a piece of gauze stretched over my head and bands clipped around my torso to keep everything in place. when i was hooked up to the computers and we were ready to begin, i had to turn off my phone because the signals could interfere with the computers and cause me to have a seizure.

there was an intercom that the tech would use to communicate with me, and a camera. i was instructed to do things, like move my eyes, breathe through my nose alone, then my mouth alone, and hold my breath at the beginning and end of the test. if the results come back and i do have sleep apnea, i'd have to go back and to everything all over again, but i'll be given the oxygen tank and mask to figure out how much i'd need every night.

now here's the emotional part:
the night before the test, i cried. i got to the lab and i had the biggest attitude. when my mom and darrel left, i cried some more. while i was getting all the sensors put on me, these darling loved ones of mine thought it would be a good idea to take pictures and laugh. i asked them to stop, but of course, they didn't. that really hurt, and made me so angry. when i got home, my mom asked about my attitude; i told her, and she had the nerve to say i had no reason to act like that. that pissed me off even more.

-----------------------------------

i started this post on monday morning; it's now thursday evening, and i'm on my way to doctor sury's office. he called monday morning when i got to work, saying she needs to see me. her tone of voice was very discomforting: you know that tone that doctors have when they have bad news.

we'll know very soon...

flaring.

i haven't had a flare in a pretty long time. a week or two maybe?

swollen hands, headache, sore and achy shoulders, not to mention my wrist. my body's throbbing and my stomach is killing me. i'm trying to fight through it. i have a graphic novel draft due on monday, on top of cleaning my basement apartment, making more bracelets, and taking the pics for the etsy site--which will be up by sunday night.

it's hard being in pain when your boyfriend's at a strip club, but that's a whole different story that i can't bare to think about.

dr. sury called. twice. first, she called a few days ago to change my appointment from friday to saturday, and that was fine. i had plans that i was definitely looking forward to, but this is more important. she called again tonight, trying to get me to come in tonight. the first thing that came to mind was having to wash and braid my hair in pain. luckily, my mom wasn't having it. she doesn't deal well with last minute issues.

on a brighter note, i came home to three packages! one was four strands of beads, another was my marc jacobs mini lock necklace, and the other was candles and a wallflower from bath and body works. and i did a little shopping at h&m during lunch.

let me get some cleaning done.

sleep? what's that?

this weekend alone i've been feeling insanely sleep deprived. ugh..

when i saw the neurologist back in august, he gave me a referral for a sleep study. i finally saw the doctor this past thursday for the consultation. the doctors office alone freaked me out. the bed. the machines. all i could think was "am i really supposed to sleep here?"

dr. kala sury came in and looked me over: she checked my eyes and mouth, then looked up at the top of my head.

"is that all your hair?"

i was confused when she asked, but then she explained that it would be difficult to get to my scalp to perform the tests through all of my hair. it makes sense. she said i'd need to braid my entire head in cornrows.

she asked more questions, gave me my appointment date, and handed me a sheet of paper with instructions:

1. please arrive at the sleep center by the time instructed.
2. shower and wash you hair with shampoo and soap before coming in for the test, DO NOT USE any hair spray, gel, body lotions, cremes, perfumes or oils on your hair or your body. DO NOT ARRIVE with any make-up, nail polish, artificial nails, or jewelry.
3. men should shave their chin prior to coming.
4. in general, we request that you obtain a normal night's sleep before the test; however, your doctor may instruct you to do otherwise. please continue to take all your regular medications and pursue your regular diet, unless instructed by your doctor.
5. avoid napping after 12 noon on the test day.
6. please bring: your favorite pillow, teddy bear, pajamas, loose clothing, book, magazine.
7. avoid alcohol and caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, etc) for 12 hours prior to sleep study as they will affect the accuracy of the test. no sedatives should be taken before the test.
8. since we need to record a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, lights will be out at 10 p.m. the test is usually over by 6:00 and 6:30 a.m.
9. eat before coming to the sleep center.
10. bring all medications you would normally take during the course of the test.

of course i have a problem with these instructions. i can't have naked hair. i understand why they say not to use anything, because it will make it difficult for the censors to stick to my scalp, but i have plans to go out the next day, so my hair has to be twisted up in a certain way, with product. so, my plan is to pre-poo and wash my hair, and try my hardest not to get product onto my scalp.

on the 29th of this month, i'm leaving work early to come home to prepare myself to spend the night in a sleep lab in long island city. i'll be bringing a pair of pajamas, my fuzzy socks, darrel's satin pillow case-- since i can't wear a satin bonnet-- and my lady bug pillow pet. darrel is going to drive my mom and i, because she's terrified of driving through that sections of queens. my mom is staying the night with me. she'll be in a room next to mine.

honestly, i'm scared. being in situations like these tend to bring on panic attacks, like when i was on the table getting a ct scan after my fall. that's the main reason i'm asking my mom yo come with me.

this post is looking like it's a lot longer than i anticipated, so i'm ending it here. besides, my hands are swelling and my wrists are killing me. i need to hit the sheets, and i have class tomorrow.

so this strep throat..

as you remember, i was in bed sick last week from wednesday to sunday. monday morning, i woke up, went to work, and ended up back home by 4pm. the coughing was ridiculous, and my mom just couldn't take it. we literally ping-ponged ourselves all over the east side of brooklyn, trying to get me to an urgent care center, and when that failed, we were on a hunt for cough syrup.

my mom called a pharmacist and was instructed to give me buckley's cough syrup. we tried every pharmacy in our area, including the one that told us to get the cough syrup, and absolutely no one had it; not because they were sold out, but because they just didn't carry it. an associate at walgreen's told us that we'd need to go to a caribbean store to find it, which it suddenly made sense because it's used predominantly in the caribbean. we drove at least two miles, from mill basin to east flatbush, to a korean food store where they sell a lot of caribbean food and products, and i bought the buckley's, along with a bottle of ferrol compound.*

anyone that knows buckley's knows how horrible this stuff is. it tastes like rubbing alcohol and vicks vapor rub, and looks like semen. graphic, i know. i'm sorry.

i took it a few times; nothing worked.

my mom got in contact with our family doctor, and he called in a prescription for a cough syrup with promethazine. it's helped a tad, but not as quickly as my mom would like, so she bought this stuff at the health food store.

another horrible-tasting cough syrup.

*the ferrol compound is still in the bag i brought it home in.

163.4

i stepped on the scale at the doctors office yesterday and thats what it read.

i honestly wish that there’s something else wrong with me that can explain this weight gain.

i’ve gained close to fifty pounds since the summer of 2008. something’s definitely not right.

right now..

in and out of sleep, feeling sicker than a mother. i'm surrounded by a mountain of snotty tissues, filled with yellow mucus. cold sweats, constant coughing, migraine, nausea.

darrel brought home a bacon angus burger from mcdonald's. i had to cut it in half and force feed myself just so i can take the amoxcilin. 

i called my manager while i was on my way home from the doctor. when i told him i had strep, he didn't even want me to come in for the rest of the week. understandable, strep is contagious and i sound horrid, but i'm definitely not complaining.

i had plans to go to dc this weekend to hang out with alex and my mini-muffin charleigh. so much for that..

ugh, i feel like poopie =[

alternative medicine.

today we went to the chinese acupuncturist and herbalist. the whole day, i made jokes about my mom going back to her roots for wanting to take me. her coworkers had rave reviews about how the herbs and acupuncture has helped with there ailments, and my mom said she'd do anything to find what makes me feel better. so this herbalist. dr. chi's office was in a tiny room in a building in chinatown. as soon as you walk in, the scent of all of the herbs just smacks you in the face.

he gave me a contract to read and sign, which made me panic. reading the side effects of acupuncture and the wording of his contract freaked me out completely. after we established i was not interested in the acupuncture aspect of his practice, we went into an even smaller room and started the consultation. i told him about the fibromyalgia, asthma, migraines, anxiety, and lack of sleep; he asked a bunch of questions and wrote everything down in chinese. he checked my pulse on both wrists-- his finger movements reminded me of accordion playing. he wrote some more things down in chinese, then he started shuffling through the wall of drawers behind his counter. 

dr. chi gave me two bags of a mixture of herbs, which would last me for four days, along with very strict instructions on how to cook them. he said the cooking method is very important. he gave us an example: there's an herb to relieve constipation that needs to be cooked for five minutes-- if it's cooked for thirty minutes, you'll get the worst case of diarrhea.

these are some of the herbs he prescribed. i actually asked him to write them down for me, but he said he doesn't know their english names.

so these are the cooking directions (i'm writing it as it is printed, so excuse the improper spelling/grammar:

cooking for the 1st time: empty herbs from the bag in a (ceramic/glass/stainless steal) pot. and 40 oz. of cols water, cover the lid. high fire, bring to boil. turn fire to medium, simmer for 45 minutes. shut off the fire, and pour out the tea. should have about 10 oz. of tea. remain the herbs in the pot for the 2nd time cooking.

cooking for the 2nd time: add 20oz. of cold water into the remaining herb from the first time. high fire, bring to boil. turn fire to medium, simmer for 30 minutes. shut off the fire, pour out the tea. should have another 10oz. of tea. put in refrigerator to keep fresh for the next day use. 

drink direction:

drink the herbal tea 1 hour after lunch. or 1 hour after dinner (3 hours before bed time). never drink the tea on an empty stomach. always drink when it's still very warm. be careful do not get burn. never drink the tea when it's cold.

so we followed the directions and this was the result. this was absolutely the most disgusting thing i've ever ingested, but at least dr. chi put a brown sugar cube in the bag to cook with the tea.

my mom was prepared to dish out a hefty amount of money, but since i didn't get the acupuncture and only bough herbs, she only paid $21: each bag of herbs was $8, and he charged $5 to check my pulse.

i drank the tea about two and a half hours ago, which is why i'm awake writing this post. as exhausted as i am, i'm trying to follow these directions and not sleep until three hours after drinking it. i did some homework for my illustration class, made three bracelets, and started a new strand of waist beads before starting this. 

i'm sitting in my living room, watching chopped champions ondemand, in a world's worth of pain. my left foot is ridiculously swollen, along with my right hand. my left wrist with the cyst, hips, and shoulders are throbbing. i'm hungry, and everything hurts. i just want to eat and sleep.

no more meds.

shocking, i know, but it's been a little over a week, i think, and i'm completely off of any medication given to me by the doctors. i honestly felt better when i was taking the savella, minus the nausea and what not.

the exhaustion has gotten to a new extreme. i always fall asleep on the train in the morning on my way to work. tuesday, i was so exhausted, i didn't even bother to get off at my stop. i was awake once the train got to penn station, but i was just so exhausted, i couldn't move. i got off at the next stop and walked back six blocks to my office.

last night, i took one of the rozerem sleeping pills dr. jhagroo gave me. my body despises sleep at night! you'd think that after taking a sleeping pill that once used to knock me out for three days, i would at least sleep through the night-- nope.

this is just getting too much for me to handle.

switching things up.

and i am officially off of savella. monday was my last day taking it.
 
now, you’d think i’d be done with meds for a while, right? wrong…
 
so i went to the neurologist about my sleep, dr. rozner. fyi: you don’t go to a neurologist for insomnia. i have no idea why jhagroo sent me to him, but i digress. so rozner was beyond confused as to why i was sitting in his office, but to not waste a visit to yet another doctor, he gave me the referral for the sleep study. he definitely did attempt to find the root of the problem. he asked about my daily habits and caffeine intake, and my constant migraines came up. i ran down the list of pills i’ve taken for them: imetrex, aleve, excedrin, prescription strength ibuprofen, etc. he said those are symptomatic medications, and that i need to be taking preventative medications.
 
my options were amitriptyline or gabapentin. sitting in his office, i’ve never heard of either medication; after his explanation, all i understood was “gabapentin will sedate you for about six to eight hours,” so that’s what i chose.
 
i did some research after my appointment:

amitriptyline is used for conditions like depressive and anxiety disorders, adhd, migraine prophylaxis, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and insomnia. it’s also used in spondylitis for pain relief, the treatment of nocturnal enuresis in children, post traumatic stress disorder, tinnitus, chronic cough, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, neurological pain, laryngeal sensory neuropathy, and painful paresthesias related to multiple sclerosis. typically, lower dosages are required for pain modification of 10 to 50 mg daily. some side effects are drowsiness and a dry mouth, weight gain, changes in appetite, muscle stiffness, nausea, constipation, nervousness, dizziness, blurred vision, urinary retention, insomnia, and changes in sexual function. some rare side effects include seizures, tinnitus, hypotension, mania, psychosis, sleep paralysis, heart block, arrhythmias, lip and mouth ulcers, extrapyramidal symptoms, depression, tingling pain or numbness in the feet or hands, yellowing of the eyes or skin, pain or difficulty passing urine, confusion, abnormal production of milk in females, breast enlargement in both males and females, fever with increased sweating, and suicidal thoughts.

gabapentin is used mainly for the treatment of seizures, neuropathic pain, and hot flashes., and can be used to treat migraines, bipolar disorders, and pain.  it provides significant pain relief in about a third of people who take it for fibromyalgia or chronic neuropathic pain. it’s also effective in reducing narcotic usage post operatively and is helpful in neuropathic pain due to cancer. it’s approved for treatment of focal seizures, partial and mixed seizure disorders. it can help with acquired pendular nystagmus and infantile nystagmus, menopausal symptoms, and can reduce pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. gabapentin has been prescribed in the mental health context. trials show that it is not effective as a mood-stabilizing treatment for bipolar disorder and so has no therapeutic advantage in having fewer side-effects over better established bipolar drugs such as lithium and valproic acid. it has limited usefulness in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, in treatment-resistant depression, and for insomnia. it can also cause weight gain. a trial found gabapentin ineffective for the treatment of idiopathic subjective tinnitus. it's most common side effects in adult patients include dizziness, drowsiness, and peripheral edema, or swelling of extremities, which these mainly occur at higher doses in the elderly. also, children 3–12 years of age were observed to be susceptible to mild-to-moderate mood swings, hostility, concentration problems, and hyperactivity. although rare, there are several cases of hepatotoxicity reported. it should be used carefully in patients with renal impairment due to possible accumulation and toxicity. gabapentin has been associated with an increased risk of suicidal acts or violent deaths. in 2009, the FDA issued a warning of an increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in patients taking gabapentin, along with other anticonvulsant drugs modifying the packaging insert to reflect this. in july 2009, the manufacturer of gabapentin (pfizer) went to trial regarding the association between gabapentin and the increased risk of suicide.
gabapentin should not be discontinued abruptly after long term use. abrupt or over rapid withdrawal may provoke a withdrawal syndrome reminiscent to alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal. gradual reduction over a period of weeks or months helps minimize or prevents the withdrawal syndrome. side effects upon discontinuation of gabapentin that have been reported in medical literature include insomnia, restlessness, agitation, anxiety, disorientation, confusion, light sensitivity, diaphoresis, headaches, palpitations, hypertension, chest pain, and flu-like symptoms. in at least one case, abrupt cessation of a high dose of gabapentin triggered a seizure in an individual with no history of epilepsy.

that's a whole lot of shit; a little nerve wrecking, if you ask me.

dr. rozner wants me to take one 300mg capsule of gabapentin once a day for a week, then increase to two at bedtime.

today is day three taking gabapentin, and i'm absolutely hating it. it's written across my
face how exhausted i am, and this is only the beginning. 

and i'm in killer pain?! i swear i'm about to have another breakdown. 

exploring new methods.

so yesterday's appointment with krishnamurthy: it was a whirlwind, to say the least. 

i told her about the heart palpitations, the lack of sleep, and the hot flashes. she explained that savella boosts the endorphins, and those side effects are a result of that. the nausea and brain fog have only gotten worse, and even though the medication has been controlling the flares, i still experience pain when my pressure points are touched. i also have been having flares since monday morning. with taking all of that into consideration, she decided to take me off of savella. she lowered my dosage to one pill a day for about a week to gradually get me off of it, since i'll go through withdrawal if i stop taking it suddenly.

krishnamurthy is stressing this aerobic activity thing. she told me to walk for five minutes as soon as i get home from work to get it out of the way. according to her, i may not feel the results the first week or two, but i will.  i'll give it a try. my friend dana swears i need to do thirty minutes of yoga on the weekends, so i'll try that to. 

once the medication is out of my system and i get into the habit of exercising, after about a month or so, we'll decide from there if i need to try another medication, like lyrica or cymbalta.

i asked about "self medicating" using marijuana: from a medical stand point, she's totally against it. she said it's only a short-term relief, and people who use that method tend to not want to do anything, "amotivational syndrome" she called it. she also said it's a harsher smoke than cigarettes on the lungs. this is definitely something i need to think about. 

i'm currently at my desk, in pain. my legs have been going numb, off and on, since yesterday morning. i'm leaving work in about three hours to meet up with darrel to go to another doctor's appointment; this time, it's for the neurologist to address this lack of sleep issue. 

i just want to be better already...

today started off on a bad note:

"you went to sleep so early last night...i don't understand how you're tired."

seriously? i always wake up tired. same shit, different day. i'm sure eight and a half hours of sleep is sufficient for the average person, but definitely not for me-- especially when i'm waking up three times a night. 

i swear, this isn't even a subject i should have to speak about!

i've been flaring this week, just in time for my rheumatology appointment with krishnamurthy this evening. what fun..

a random ramble..

all my tests came back normal! stool, sonograms, pap smears, blood: all good! no chrons! no weird shit in my ovaries! no stds! no lupus! so these random pains are just because, i guess..

i'm experiencing cramps for the first time in about five years. i wasn't on birth control last month because i had to get a new prescription, so now the cramps are ridiculous-- so ridiculous, i wore sweats to work yesterday.

i stayed home today. i need a personal day, because i really feel like i've been running myself ragged. i probably used up all of my paid sick days and personal time, so i'll just have to take it as a loss.

my parents are in barbados, where my dad's originally from. my mom flew down with him because he's too sick to travel alone-- he was diagnosed with parkinson's back in 2004-- so i'm home alone. with this damn hurricane coming. irene better act right and not flood my damn house. 


so i'm staying home this weekend. in my parent's bed. i may go to dinner tonight with darrel.

my hand's starting to swell as i'm typing, and i need to make an attempt at this logo for my etsy store, so later days..

random update.

forgive my absence, once again. things are crazy, as i am trying to keep myself somewhat busy and not so engulfed in this jail we call fibromyalgia.

super duper quick post before bed:

• saturday i went to lunch with my natural hair girls. i needed that. lots of good laughs. we went to coffee shop in union square; i love their herb fries!
• i started making bracelets. they're just cute little trinkets to keep me amused and entertained. i'm still debating if to sell them, since i tend to get aggravated when i have to depend on a hobby for a profit or income.
• today we had a little earthquake; it was more of an after shock. i didn't feel it in my office, but other buildings on the street did and they evacuated. cell service was down for a while, so i had a hard time getting in contact with my parents, darrel, or my family in virginia where the quake hit, but everyone's accounted for, and no one was injured.
• my tattoo's itching. horribly. i've never had a tat itch so much. but it's healing.
• tomorrow's another doctors appointment. i hope he doesn't agree with this whole sleep apnea theory.

that's about it. i'm watching whites on hulu until i knock out.

summer days at the doctor's office no. 2

back home. it's baking in these nyc streets.

sonograms. i mentioned i was getting one, and someone automatically said "you pregnant?"

1. learn to speak correctly.
2. you don't have to be preggers to get a sonogram. it's used to get a diagnostic image. go read a book.

the first was of my abdominal area, with an empty stomach and bladder. immediately after, i drank seven cups of water to then fill up my bladder for the sonogram of my pelvic area. why are the jellies they use so cold? pop it in the microwave or something! please!

i'm not too sure of what they're looking for, really. i don't know if that's a good thing...

i definitely went to that dunkin donuts after for a bagel and iced coffee.

i met my new rheumatologist; dr aneesa krishnamurthy. she's a young indian woman, and i love having young indian doctors. *to me, they seem to be more into western medicine than the older indian doctors. so we talked for a while, she did the pressure point test, as they all do, and we talked some more. she sent me home with a print out about fibromyalgia and exercising (right), as well as some notes she wrote for me regarding medications (left).

she acknowledged the nortriptylin that was prescribed by my other young indian doctor, then she mentioned lyrica and cymbalta, which i've heard of in the media, and savella. lyrica can cause serious weight gain, and seeing that i've gained a noticable fifty pounds in the past four years, she said we'd save that as a last resort. she prescribed a savella starter pack (12.5 mg). i'm not too sure what that entails, but i'm going to pick it up from the pharmacy as soon as i'm done with this post. after two weeks of taking it, my dosage would be up to 50mg, twice a day. she also prescribed tramadol for me to take as needed when these sudden bursts of unbarable pain come about. the side effects are sleepiness and nausea, which i'm all too familiar with.

for my exercise, she wants me to start at walking for five minutes a day, and slowly increase. that shouldn't be too hard.

she also gave me some tips for my sleep:

1. set a regular bed time, even on the weekends-- give or take an hour
2. no naps during the day (this is a killer for me)
3. the bed should only be used for sleep and sex (her words)
4. if you can't fall asleep, don't lay in bed and torture yourself. get up and watch a little tv or read a book until you start to feel sleepy.

this whole day, i've felt weak and dizzy. my vision seemed cloudy, to the point where i was constantly blinking really hard (i'm not too sure what that's called). 

in the words of ace hood: same old shit, just a different day.

pharmacy bound..

*please note: this is just my opinion, i'm only speaking from experience.

good morning.

i'm up and ready to start my day. starving. beyond starving! damn this sonogram.

my back hurts. a lot. i can't even take a pain killer.

ughhh,,,

let me go shower and start getting my shit together.

summer days at the doctor's office no. 1

i saw my primary doctor two weeks ago to discuss a few issues i've been having. i tend to keep a log of new pains and random medical questions for upcoming visits. the last list contained lyrica, marinol, sharp stomach pains, calmax (this expensive powder my mom bough for me to try to help me sleep), the nortriptylin affecting my sleep, and chron's disease.

he said:
lyrica and marinol: i need to see the new rheumatologist and see what she has to say about switching me to new medication, but he's heard of patients using marinol with great success.
sharp stomach pains: it can either be my ovaries or my appendix, so i have two sonograms scheduled.
calmax: he read the instructions, and said "all this'll do is constipate you."
nortriptylin: he prescribed the rozerem (see the post from monday, july 12th)
chron's: stool test. i think they came back negative..?

so tomorrow's the big day. i'll be back at the doctor's office. both sonograms tomorrow morning. i can't eat for eight hours before the first one, then immediately after, i have to drink four cups of water to do the other one. a few hours later is my appointment with the rheumatologist. thank grilled cheezis there's a dunkin donuts at the corner! (glee reference. yes, i'm a gleek)

time for meds. time for bed.