After about 3 weeks, I figured it's time to update. I really try to update at least twice a week, but it's been kinda crazy lately. August is always a nutso month due to the millions of birthdays in our family, including mine. I had such a great birthday this year, I really wanted to share it, but sleep deprivation does horrible things to you.
A few weeks ago, I had an 18 hour sleep night....well, actually it was day, I believe. Anyway, that day totally screwed up my sleep schedule, as if I needed any help sleeping poorly. After that I had major issues. I couldn't fall asleep until 4 or 5am and I couldn't wake up until the afternoon. Despite what seemed like a sufficient amount of sleep, I woke up more tired than ever. Either I was asleep for felt like I still needed to.
I'm kinda used to this more or less, but it kills me every time when it affects my work life, social life. My CBT Therapist said dealing with the sleep issues would be the first step to dealing with my Fibro. I was scheduled to see my Rheumatologist the following week, so I brought it up. The doctor put me on Trazadone and told me if after 1 week, I still wasn't sleeping well, to increase the dose to 2 tabs a night.
Trazadone just made me feel worse. I would take it and still not fall asleep for hours. When I finally did fall asleep, I'd sleep all day and wake up more sluggish than ever. To top it off, I would get dizzy spells several times a day. It got to the point I couldn't drive farther than my parent's house for fear the dizzy spells would strike. Fortunately, my little brother was a huge help and could drive me where I needed to go.
After 2 weeks, I called my rheumatologist back and insisted that I needed to try another medication. I remembered taking Ambien a few years ago that worked well back then, so he prescribed that this time. I'm glad now the dizzy spells have subsided, though I am writing this at 4am, it's just a weird situation. I actually went to bed at 10:30 with a headache so bad I was feeling nauseous. But then I woke up at 1:30 so who knows what's going on....
But, despite all these sleep problems, I was still able to have a wonderful birthday. I turned 25 this year, and as is tradition in our family, Mom and Dad took me out to dinner at a place of my choice. Just me and them. I'd always picked Red Lobster or Tahoe Joe's in the past, but this year I was in the mood for something different.
I decided on dinner at the Crystal Palace. I was somewhat surprised I hadn't thought of it sooner. It's been around for 14 years and I haven't been once! So Mom made the reservations and that night we were treated to a stellar dinner, live music, and I even had a couple dances with Dad. That's a sight to see, really. Neither of us have rhythm so we were a bit goofy out there, but it was fun, so didn't really care.
It really was the best birthday I can remember. I won't say I didn't pay for it, because I sure as heck did. The next day, Dad had to drive me to the house for my birthday party (Cake and Presents! YAY!) and my body was killing me all day, but the way I see it, there are some things worth the pain. I think in some ways that's what life is about. Finding out what is worth the pain and doing it. The way I figure it, I don't have to attend every event. I just have to pick and choose the ones that will be the most rewarding.
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