Still unpredictable

I really started to think I had the new routine of post-treatment side effects under control. Ha, I know better than that! Since I last updated the fatigue has been better, I still feel the need to crash out in the middle of the day about once or twice a week but not EVERY SINGLE DAY so I was content with that. As long as I stayed on a regular dose of ibuprofen I seemed to be able to tolerate the pain of the muscle and body aches fairly well too.

This week has felt very different. I'm far more tired than I have been lately. Last night I slept over eight hours (that's pretty unheard of for me right now) and still took a three hour nap today. Since I woke up the first time I've showered had plenty of coffee and water, had food, and still... just TIRED! I have a group of girls I like to meet up with on Tuesdays and I haven't gone the last two weeks so I'm really excited to go tonight and yet all I *really* want to do is sleep.

So many people have tried to offer suggestions on ways to try to help me and I just don't think they can fully comprehend just how hard dealing with chronic fatigue is. Even all my doctors, from my specialist to my chiropractor have told me there is just no way for people to understand what I'm going through unless they've dealt with it first hand or treat patients regularly for it (like they do). It's not like I'm not listening either, if something sounds doable I will give it a shot, but really there is no magic way to rid myself of these side effects. I guess I just need to let them run their course and hope that day comes sooner than later!

Hypothyroidism

My Specialist just called. My viral load is still negative (YAY!!!) however my thyroid is under-active which is explaining the major fatigue, body aches, and probably quite a few other symptoms. He said the last time they tested my thyroid levels (Oct) they were "normal" however I recall seeing my naturopath in Nov and after reviewing my results she told me that they were not good but still in an acceptable range to a doctor of western medicine and therefore they wouldn't do anything about it. Looks like she was right! At this point he is not having me take action just yet. He said since it is a side effect of treatment my levels may very well return to normal. So, Feb 27th I will be going back for blood work and we will take it from there. I actually feel at ease knowing this. I found it maddening to feel more tired and in more pain AFTER treatment had ended than while I was on treatment. Thank god there is a reason for all of this. I really started to feel like I was going insane.

Side Effects

For anybody interested in better understanding the general side effects of the type of interferon I was taking, here is a link to the Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR602541/DSECTION=side%2Deffects

This seems a little odd...

Here it is, a little over 48 hours since my last pills and over a week since my last shot and for some reason I feel absolutely horrible! I am dizzy, my body aches, and my stomach hurts. WTF?! Could it be that I know subconsciously this is how I "should" feel right now? Every Sunday/Monday for the last eleven months it has been guaranteed that I will not feel well but I honestly thought I wouldn't feel that way right now. Makes me wonder what I actually did expect and to be honest I have no idea. At least I know it will start getting better one of these days, hopefully my specialist can give me some idea of what that timeline might look like. Alright I suppose it is time to attempt sleep yet again. I've taken ibuprofen which hasn't helped my body aches at all but I'm going to attempt to believe it will kick in any moment and hopefully doze off into peaceful sleep.