I haven’t been feeling well the past few days.
It’s odd that it just so happened to be on the one weekend that I was just home resting. I’m not sure if the wear and tear on my body just really caught up with me or what.
But. I’m. Sick.
Last week, I think the worst thing that I did was work-related, when I needed to commute from Ortigas to Manila and back just as Emong poured his heart out. I did have an umbrella with me, but it was the kind of rain laden with winds that just rendered an umbrella practically useless.
So it was chilly outside. And I was wet. When I got to my destination in Manila, they were all cooped up inside the room. And with no ventilation, and coming from a five-minute walk, I just began to sweat. Like a pig.
It’s not that I don’t sweat. I’m so used to sweating in fact, that I always have a little towel up my back, living up to the old wives’ tale that sweat drying on your back can make you sick. I just think I have nothing to lose by following such a myth.
So with that, I was wet with rain and sweat, and they were nice enough to point an electric fan at me so I’d cool down and dry up. Something that, in retrospect, may not have been such a brilliant move.
So was that to blame? I don’t really know.
Basta, on Sunday, I woke up with a headache and a fever. I was coughing, or more like barking, and I actually could hardly talk. My mom had wanted me to go with her to the mall to shop for some clothes, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to give in to her every whim for Mothers' Day, but I just wasn’t up for it.
I was hoping it would be over in a day, but of course, I’m not that lucky. I’ve been sleeping with two blankets for the past two evenings, and hardly breaking a sweat, except after drinking my dose of Paracetamol. It’s only when I’m sick that I can be sosy enough not to sweat.
Okay, okay, I self-medicated. It’s part of my hoping that this is nothing other than a simple flu. But I think this has been the worst that I’ve felt since finding out I was poz, other than the time I had an allergic reaction to my ARVs.
I’ve still been reporting to work for the past two days. I’ve just needed to finish some urgent stuff. I’m not sure if anyone is noticing that I’m under the weather, but I’m sure I appear quieter and less personable than usual. I’m moving more slowly as well, mostly because my head hurts.
I’ve been trying to sneak in naps during my trips to and from the office. It’s been tough, but I’ve been at least trying to rest my eyes. I have, though, been able to take a half-an-hour nap after lunch yesterday. I think it helped. And as of yesterday, I’ve been able to sleep an extra hour-and-a-half, going beddy-bye as early as 8:30 in the evening. I still had the chills, though.
I’ve been feeling a bit better today. Been able to get some phlegm moving as of this morning. I know. Eeew. But minus that diri-factor, I’ll be honest enough to say it feels good and I think it helps. I want to get better as soon as possible... well, who wouldn’t... so I’m considering taking some days off this week to rest. Just as soon as I get everything I need done, done.
And with Positivism calling for a celebration of sorts, I doubt if I’ll be able to make it out this Friday night for any gimmick whatsoever if I’m still feeling any bit under the weather. It might be a bit of a sacrifice, but I wouldn’t want to put any other pusits who make it in jeopardy. We’ll see how things go. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'm Sick
Monday, September 08, 2008
Dream, Dream, Dream
I haven’t really been able to blog lately, not by any choice of my own, I was just literally physically unable to blog.
I had taken the trip out to the RITM mid-week last week. Half of my purpose was to introduce my new friend to the RITM, as he’d be starting his own journey very soon. The other half of my purpose was to update them on how I was doing with my meds.
I had started my double dose September 2nd, and was experiencing low-grade fevers the two days following. Sadly we didn’t catch the doctor, since she had a personal emergency she had needed to take care of. Instead Ate contacted her via mobile, and it was agreed that I’d try to continue the medication, and if anything else comes up or gets worse, I’d just inform them and they’d decide whether I was to stop or not.
And indeed, worse was it. Friday caught me down with the weather at work, where I was struggling to get through even the final few hours at work. I had a fever, which felt worse than my usual. I didn’t have my thermometer with me, so I had no way of telling. I had even gone up to the lobby of an upper floor to rest my eyes. I was feeling that bad.
Getting home, I locked myself in my room, and my trusty thermometer read a 39-degree fever. Still I wouldn’t give up and continued taking my medicines that evening.
Saturday morning came, and I still had the fever, this time it was up to 40 degrees. I realized that my thermometer could only read up to 42 degrees, so I was pretty alarmed. I didn’t even mind that it was just 7 in the morning, I sent a text message to Ate, to which she immediately replied for me to stop the Nevirapine and report to the RITM come Monday.
You’d think my problems were over, but the fever was hell. I felt half-dead and half-dying. Having no airconditioning, no fan, layered with a sweater and a blanket did nothing. The chills were coming from deep inside. I felt I needed to swallow a blanket or kill whatever vents were inside me. I just felt helpless.
I was locked in my room most of the weekend, tossing and turning in discomfort, sneaking in an occasional cold shower to disperse the fever I was experiencing. Monday, I called in to work sick, and just headed to the RITM in the afternoon. I still had a significant fever, and my body just felt so heavy. Each step felt ten times more of an effort to make. I figure I must’ve been walking like I had a hangover.
The verdict? The doctor concluded I was showing allergic reactions to the Nevirapine. Though I didn’t really see signs of being counted as the 103rd Dalmatian, the doctor did notice I was reddish around the face, something which I do not normally get, as I can only be dark or darker. I was just lucky enough I guess that it was an even color, something less noticeable that the kinds of rashes I’ve seen.
I ended up surrendering what Nevirapine I had left, which was one unopened bottle and about half of another, trading it in for my new best friend, Efavirenz. Yes, yes, the dreaming drug. One huge difference is that it’s only taken once a day. Some things I was told to watch out for are dizziness and the dreams, of course. Some people describe the dreams as very realistic, in full-color, plus they say the dreams are usually resumed in cases where you wake up in the middle of one. The doctor also warned me that in standard drug tests, Efavirenz causes false positives for Marijuana, which is never a good thing. So if ever the need arises, it should be advised to the laboratory prior, so they can proceed to a confirmatory test, for which it should turn out negative. Good thing I’m not due to get my license renewed for another three years.
As I’m writing this, I’m feeling a bit better. Less of a headache, and lower fever. I’m hoping this is a good sign, so I can report back to work tomorrow. For now, I’m almost due for my first dose of my new regimen. And boy, am I ready to dream!
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Low, Low, Low
I haven’t really been feeling well today. Yesterday was my first day on the full dose of ARVs, and I woke up this morning with a low-grade fever. Using my dad’s old thermometer, I took a reading of around 37.7 degrees Celsius at 5:30 in the morning.
Getting a fever doesn’t usually get me down, but it being one of the Tres Marias I was told to watch out for – rashes, fever and flu – I needed to consider if I had to do something about it.
I’m still hoping the fever was just a fluke. The extreme changes in weather here, from wet and cold in the evening and hot and humid in the daytime, may just have gotten to me. Plus my mom is nursing a flu, and one of my bosses is, too, and still reporting to work. Those just might be some factors.
So with that, I decided I’d take it. The doctor specifically told me not to experiment with Paracetamols should a fever happen, so I didn’t. I was feeling a bit better on the way to work, having been able to work up a sweat on the morning walk to and from the bus routes.
Just before my 9:30 schedule this morning, I got tasked to play messenger, to take a trip to Makati to personally deliver a check to an important contractor. This wasn’t the best day, but I did it.
I drank my meds and headed off in the heat of the Manila horizon. I was there and back in under two hours. We ate lunch here at the office, and here I am. Feeling better. No fever, no rashes, no flu, but terribly sleepy.
Good thing I have a trip to the RITM scheduled tomorrow afternoon. Primarily, I’ll be accompanying a new friend of mine to introduce him to the places and the people and get him started on his "journey". I’ll be able to consult my personal concerns with the doctor as well, regarding the lab results, the fever and the ARVs.
Tomorrow will be another long day.
