Okay, my new life as a daily prescription drug user is … up and down. Not settled in yet, and still tinkering. Overall I LOVE Cymbalta. It has created a sea change here that I can only hope will continue to trend in the positive direction. While still an exceedingly low dose, I have had these glimpses of normal life returning, and a general lifting of burdens from my shoulders. Last Thursday, I felt so awesome that I put on an old Macy Gray CD and danced around the kitchen will making Hungarian goulash. This is much like the Old Me, rather than the New… Dottering… support stocking wearing… afraid of falling… 40 years my senior ME of recent months.
But it's not perfect, and there have been a few start-up issues. At first it was that when I took it at bedtime, it made my heart race and thump loudly for two hours while I was trying to go to sleep. After that I would get to sleep and do okay, but I didn't like that part. And I found that I was hopelessly drowsy in the afternoons. Also I recalled that the doctor had actually, months ago, told me to take it in the morning, and that it would give me some energy to get through the day (it was his asst who told me to take it at night when she set up the prescription). Then I found out that a couple other people I know on this drug do take it in the morning. So after a week of heart thumping, I decided to make the switch.
I transitioned over the weekend, and started with the morning shift on Monday. Groggy!! how much sense does this make, that it kept me up, but taken by day made me groggy? Well, not right away. The mornings would be okay, but then I'd hit this slump in the afternoon that was like being in a quagmire. With Elias running rampant and Isaac far away at school needing to be picked up, I would find myself so so so sleepy. Must… get… up… And remember, no caffeine on the migraine diet…
Also complicated matters were several non-Cymbalta factors: 1) Isaac had the stomach flu on Friday; I was under the weather myself fighting it off; Elias got it on tuesday night and woke me up at 4:00 a.m. to start the day; 2) Ben had evening things all week, so was not home until 9-10 pm several nights running, which meant I had 16+ hour days to contend with, M, T, W; 3) I had a urinary infection that defied even the 100% pure cold pressed cranberry juice that is not for the faint of heart, and I had to go to the dr and get antibiotics on top of everything else. So… yes… GROGGY! Exhausted, and struggling onward through life as I know it. Monday night, this translated into actual severe dizziness. The kids were leaping in all directions as I attempted to tame them into bed single-handedly. Difficult! I was actually staggering and spinning by the 10 p.m end of that ordeal.
But I guess what was noteworthy about Monday was that it was an isolated situation. Meaning, I was not dizzy 24/7. Only under duress. Last night I had another noticeable dizzy spell while attempting to shop for groceries, along with utter brian fog and confusion. Should I buy the cage-free eggs? How cage-free are they really? This sort of problem stumped me for way too long.
I think by switching to mornings, I had to sort of reexperience the start-up issues I had in the first place. But before they lasted maybe three days, and today, Thursday, I'm feeling pretty up and at 'em. I even had a sense of needing to walk outside. It's a lovely sunny morning, and dazzling white snow. I found a path through the woods that was actually plowed well, and walked for maybe 15 minutes. My legs were dying for movement! I can't live with this exercise ban forever! However, after a slight incline and a slight increase in heart rate, I found that I did get light headed and had to stop. I guess it's not something I'm going to be able to reclaim over night.
Still, it's been less than two weeks, and we are definitely on the right track! I'll let you know when I declare victory.
In other news, Isaac has a bad case of 7-year-old-boy disease. Sadly this translates into a steady supply of monologue on the infinitely-fascinating topic of ones "nuts"! This topic has endless variation, too. Especially when it comes to recounting implausible stories from friends of situations and ways they have been HIT IN THE NUTS. *snicker* Similarly, Isaac and some other buddies were all called to the principals office, because they decided it was fun to hit each other in the… yes. So much so that it was explained that if any more nut-hitting went on at school, parents would be called and they would be sent home for the day.
Meanwhile, Ben was reading a cookbook and found a recipe for lamb testicles. The recipe very quaintly referred to the parts in question as the "frivolities," which made even us giggle like schoolboys. So Ben began a campaign, with my full support, of changing the nomenclature. In our family, we don't say nuts, we say frivolities. Then I recently overheard Isaac in the back seat of the minivan, talking to his little buddy Jens: "Then a guy got hit in– frivolities is another word for nuts– right in the FRIVOLITIES!!" Gales of schadenfreude from the little boys, and good cheer on my part– Ben's campaign actually worked!