freaking out

Post by **badnights** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:35 pm

I'm trying to prepare for a month in a remote spot in the mountains. Tents, sat phone, geology equipment, food that won't rot, bear safety. Funding came late so it's all last-minute, OK it's a little stressful but my WED is going NUTS and it is NOT helping! I lose half of every day because it's all through me by 2 PM and I'm subsequently almost useless.

I KNOW I can make it go away if I up my hydromorph dose but I can't do that except every now and then, I have only the prescribed amount or I'll run out. I have no idea how I'm going to survive if it's like this every day in the bush. And WHY is it like this, so insane? I'm taking my iron, I'm taking my D, I've added Ca and Mg but it's not helping. WAAAAAH

Sorry just wanted to rant.

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:49 pm

Stress?????

Post by **Polar Bear** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:15 pm

Stress is the first thing that came to my mind also.

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:49 pm

Stress, are you eating right, no caffeine? Watch what your day is like, both on the stress level and what you eat and drink. What changes have there been?

Post by **badnights** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:23 pm

Totally stress. I hate to admit that, because then people (non-WEDers) think it's ALL in my head. But I got my freight off to our jumping-off point yesterday, which was my big worry and hardest logistically to organize, and today I'm fine.

I think I will have to practise some techniques for managing stress, because I can't go around losing half my days just when I need more time in the day!

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:28 pm

I understand. My daughter is getting married on August 6, outside in 100+ degree weather. Legs have been going bonkers! Ah, well. Such is life.

Post by **badnights** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 2:19 am

Glad I'm not the only one.
I hope her wedding is lovely despite the unreal heat!

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:43 am

Rubyslipper wrote:I understand. My daughter is getting married on August 6, outside in 100+ degree weather. Legs have been going bonkers! Ah, well. Such is life.

Oh! That's got to be just a bit stressful!

dogeyed · Post by **dogeyed** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:07 am

Badnights Beth,
I have a few tips for you, some you know, some you don't, I'm just reeling off stuff that works for me. First, until you leave for your campsite, cut waaaay back on your meds. In this manner, you can then take LESS meds and still have good effect for around a week of your month-long trip. I might add that if by chance you take an antihistimine, like Tylenol PM, to help you sleep or whatever, DO NOT TAKE THOSE DRUGS AT ALL. They will ramp up RLS something fierce, just in case you did not know.

The other tip is dealing with stress. I have an operation coming up on Tuesday, and whenever I get tired, I tend to worry endlessly about crap I gotta do before I am put in bandages, unable to get up by myself, and also our 14-year-old dog is sick, so I'm all stressed out. I find the things that calm me down are warm baths or showers, a little walk outside, doing a Soduku puzzle. But the best thing is to do deep breathing anytime you get jumpy. Breathe in very deeply, then blow it out, then breathe normal a couple times, then back to a deep breath, do this ten times. This slows the heartrate down, and thus the anxiety that comes from stress.

Might as well throw in one more thing, and that's to stretch your hamstrings, the backs of your legs by leaning on a wall or whatever, stretch them good a couple times a day. The other things is to get support stockings, right out of the grocery store, knee-highs are sufficient, and when your legs ramp up, pull those on, it will reduce how busy your legs get, particularly useful for falling asleep.

One more idea, altho you may have no luck with this, but you can call your doc and explain you're going on a month-long camping trip, and so you would appreciate it if your doc would call in a dozen extra pills or whatever amount, so you'll have enuff pills for the trip. Once in a while I have to go somewhere and it runs right smack into refill time, so you may be able to make a case for that and get you some extras to take with you.

But Beth, when you come back, PLEZ visit the prescribing doc and request an increase in number of pills and/or dose. You're simply not getting enough of your meds, and if it's been a while since you last got the pills or raised dose, like at least a year, then you can feel comfortable requesting this. People DO build tolerance to various drugs. But as I said, this is why cutting way back for a few days before you leave for the trip, this will have a similar effect when you go back to your usual dose, as sort of "beginning" taking your drug at the beginning or at a stronger dose, which is less will work same as more for a number of days.
Hope this helpls, GG

Post by **badnights** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 4:17 pm

dogeyed thanks for all the advice! Even things I know already are good to hear again.

Breathe! That has to be the best one. And take some time! For a hot bath, for yoga! I know these things help, especially a regular yoga practice (which also helps my sciatica), so I must make time for them.

I also should have thought of throwing on my compression stockings

I can't really cut down before the trip, especially when I'm stressing/breaking through, becuase then I would not be able to function . Plus I would lose sleep, and start the job in a mess.

But I managed to build up a tiny store of extras, by reducing my dose two nights and taking Lyrica instead. I gave up on Lyrica completely last Dec, because after 6 days it was making me so sleepy that I was useless, besides it did nothing for my RLS. But I decided to try it again because I was not getting enough deep sleep (Lyrica is said to promote deep sleep). It worked, so my physiology has changed since I last tried it. It made me pretty sleepy by the second day but I was able to forgo my second, smaller dose of hydromorphone those nights (taking 12 instead of 15). Plus I got almost an hour of deep sleep, and started to feel human again. So now I can go up to 18 twice if I need to.

I'm taking the Lyrica with me, in case I get run down out there.

My doc appt for just before I left was cancelled, and I had to see a doc I didn't know, but managed to get mine to send a message to the new doc, and I got permission to pick up 6 weeks at once instead of the usual 2 weeks. I just got it at the drugstore yesterday. But that's not enough to carry me to the next time I can see my GP, so I had to make an appt for earlier to see some other doc who will give me 5 days of pills, then I see my GP and she will probably go back to every 2 weeks pickups. argh. At least I have enough to get by in the field, if a bear doesn't trash the camp and eat them.

I will talk to my doc about managing the breakthroughs better. That was pure evil. I hope I haven't forgotten what it was like by the time I get back.

dogeyed · Post by **dogeyed** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:30 pm

Badnights,
Sounds like you have done what you can to bolster up your upcoming trip with more meds, extra meds, using Lyrica as needed, and yeah, that deep breathing really helps with stress. As it turns out, following surgery, I was instructed to do deep breathing ten times a day to ward off pneumonia, which I have been VERY stressed since my surgery, everything that could have gone wrong did, and the breathing helped me get thru it. Also, husband rubbed out my whole back (I had an injury to my spine in a car wreck), and that released a lot of tension whilst immobilized most of the time after surgery. He used the heel of his palm to push evenly all over.

So, when your trip ends, do come back and let us know how you managed with your RLS, pills, and so forth. And I think your doc situation will work out just fine when you return, aim for more per month.
GG

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:13 pm

The wedding was wonderful and I had three fantastic friends helping me with all the extra "stuff" that went along with it. With that said, I haven't been that stressed, that tired in ages. And I felt it in the WED. BAD, BAD nights and am now having symptoms during the afternoon. I don't know if they will go away now that things have calmed down but I doubt it. I think I have just been lucky so far with my meds.

To Badnights and everyone else, I would wish for you stress-free days and well-rested nights. Now, if that genie ever shows up.....

Post by **Polar Bear** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:25 pm

If the genie ever shows up.......... you have to share him.... please....

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:44 pm

Are you kidding? My WED pals will be the first to benefit. (Maybe second) LOL

Post by **badnights** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 7:52 am

Ruby, has the WED calmed down post-wedding?

I have had a fantastic month. I worked really hard, and I found - probably because I was climbing up and down mountains all day -that I only needed the lower dose of meds (12 mg instead of 15 hydromorph contin) but that disappeared once it got cold and wet, after which \I needed the whole 15.

So: abnormally large amount of exercise decreases need for meds. Cold & damp increases need.

Also at first I could get away with 1/2 zopiclone/Imovane pill (similar to eszopiclone/zolpidem/Ambien I guess) but shortly I was back to 3/4.

I had a very profitable time in terms of professional accomplishment and personal satisfaction. GOD I'm HAPPY.

If only doctors knew how healthly it is to do things we love!! Things can fix themselves so much easier when we're personally fulfilled. I suppose they know, but personal fulfiullment is such a nebulous goal and hard for a physician to help a patient achieve.

xoxox to all
:lol: