It is hard to believe I have been on the MS drug Avonex now for 11 weeks. And last week I had the privilege to go to Antrim Area Hospital and collect the next three months worth of drugs and deliver my big box of sharpies (used needles). Now I am stocked up for drugs until January.
The drugs have to be kept in the fridge so am currently monopolising the whole top shelf of the fridge.
So how have I been getting on with the drugs? Well I inject on Friday nights and every weekend is different in terms to reaction to the drug. It has affected my mood, my energy levels and left me feeling like am getting the flu at times. I am having trouble sleeping and having to fight off headaches.
However on the 10 th weekend I thought my body was starting to get a bit used to it as I was relatively OK. Had a headache, trouble sleeping and very tired but apart from that nothing else, the mood was OK and I even managed Church and a walk on the Sunday.
The doctor did say that it would take up to three months for my body to get used to this alien drug hitting my system every week. I tell you my legs haven't got used to it, they are sore from the injection site and I constantly have a bruise on each leg!!
Though this is now the 11 th weekend and it has been great. I was tired on the Saturday as per usual with me and nothing else more was strange until the evening when I got shooting pains down my right leg. It was sore during the night and stopped me from sleeping. I thought it might have passed by the morning, but it was so bad in the morning I could not put any weight on it without pain - so that meant no driving either so Sunday, been spent sitting in the house watching TV and working on the PC.
Its interesting every weekend waiting to see what will happen, like Russian roulette! . hopefully it will settle down soon. But at least I have access to drugs to help me control this illness, have to be thankful for that, as without the drugs it could be worse.
Sunday 19 October 2014
Another Psuedo relapse
The MS drugs I take are meant to prevent me from having relapses, but since being on them 11 weeks I have had two psuedo relapses - the first one I have already blogged about and the second one happened in the first weekend of October.
I lost the power in my left arm again, it went from being numb, to pins and needles, to being heavy and then being really sore and hot. I couldn't carry things with my left hand otherwise they would be liable to fall and break. As my Mum told the neurologist at our last consultation, we have had a few broken cups in the house!!
This started to happen on a Thursday and all weekend I felt under the weather, was sore and tired all the time too (no different than any other day, am always tired). I tried to get on with things the best I could as that's all we can do.
On the Sunday night I went to church and was standing up to sing when my arm started to shake uncontrollably, at first I though maybe it was the power of the Holy Spirit!! but it continued throughout the whole service and it scared me. I knew there was no way I could drive home so had to get my friend to drive me home again.
When I got home, my Mum was worried - though I knew it was related to my MS but new things scare me still - it is a learning process this MS. We rang the on call docs who advised us to go to A&E so we went there and saw triage nurse who was very unhelpful. She said we needed to wait for the doctor but the wait was 5 hours so we decided to go home as the best place for me was bed at that time of night (it was around 11 pm).
I phoned the MS nurse the next morning and she said it was a new symptom and we will have to monitor it. It has not happened since though which is great.
I still suffer from numbness and pins and needles from time to time in both my hands and feet. Oh the joys!!
I lost the power in my left arm again, it went from being numb, to pins and needles, to being heavy and then being really sore and hot. I couldn't carry things with my left hand otherwise they would be liable to fall and break. As my Mum told the neurologist at our last consultation, we have had a few broken cups in the house!!
This started to happen on a Thursday and all weekend I felt under the weather, was sore and tired all the time too (no different than any other day, am always tired). I tried to get on with things the best I could as that's all we can do.
On the Sunday night I went to church and was standing up to sing when my arm started to shake uncontrollably, at first I though maybe it was the power of the Holy Spirit!! but it continued throughout the whole service and it scared me. I knew there was no way I could drive home so had to get my friend to drive me home again.
When I got home, my Mum was worried - though I knew it was related to my MS but new things scare me still - it is a learning process this MS. We rang the on call docs who advised us to go to A&E so we went there and saw triage nurse who was very unhelpful. She said we needed to wait for the doctor but the wait was 5 hours so we decided to go home as the best place for me was bed at that time of night (it was around 11 pm).
I phoned the MS nurse the next morning and she said it was a new symptom and we will have to monitor it. It has not happened since though which is great.
I still suffer from numbness and pins and needles from time to time in both my hands and feet. Oh the joys!!
What's been happening?
It struck me the other night that I had not updated my blog for a while, so thought I should get on and do it now. But am unsure of what to write about really.
As you all know I am on the look out for a permanent job, well at the end of September I thought I had found that as was offered a full time permanent position in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, but due to fact I have misplaced one of my certificates of RSA Stage 2, I was unable to prove I had this and thus unable to take the job.
I was very disappointed at this and frustrated as its what I have been wanting, a permanent job. Although I was concerned about going full time as I did not know if I would have the energy to carry this out as am usually ready for an afternoon nap come 1pm after 4 hours work and driving to and fro work. But I was prepared to try it and trust God would see me through.
But I do not have to worry about that now. As mentioned I was disappointed and frustrated and there were tears as I felt that nothing has been going right for me for the past two years (not strictly true as there are things I have to be grateful for)... have faced cultural shock on re-entry, been seeking employment, found employment then made redundant, which led back to more job hunting.
Finally I got a job then took ill, was diagnosed with MS, had to go through processing this. However have had part time temporary work since January so God has been looking out for me there and am very grateful. I know since he has been looking out for me, though with my health it seems he isn't at times, I know he will look out for me and provide what I need. In the end of the day he knows what we need better than we ourselves do.
So maybe full time isn't for me yet and I will keep temping in my current part time job until God provides another route for me to go down.
As you all know I am on the look out for a permanent job, well at the end of September I thought I had found that as was offered a full time permanent position in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, but due to fact I have misplaced one of my certificates of RSA Stage 2, I was unable to prove I had this and thus unable to take the job.
I was very disappointed at this and frustrated as its what I have been wanting, a permanent job. Although I was concerned about going full time as I did not know if I would have the energy to carry this out as am usually ready for an afternoon nap come 1pm after 4 hours work and driving to and fro work. But I was prepared to try it and trust God would see me through.
But I do not have to worry about that now. As mentioned I was disappointed and frustrated and there were tears as I felt that nothing has been going right for me for the past two years (not strictly true as there are things I have to be grateful for)... have faced cultural shock on re-entry, been seeking employment, found employment then made redundant, which led back to more job hunting.
Finally I got a job then took ill, was diagnosed with MS, had to go through processing this. However have had part time temporary work since January so God has been looking out for me there and am very grateful. I know since he has been looking out for me, though with my health it seems he isn't at times, I know he will look out for me and provide what I need. In the end of the day he knows what we need better than we ourselves do.
So maybe full time isn't for me yet and I will keep temping in my current part time job until God provides another route for me to go down.
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