Tuesday, January 14, 2014

My myeloma side effects and Obamacare

 


Typically, my most fatigue days are Sunday and Monday because those are the days that I'm coming off of the Dex that I take on Fridays. Last Monday, despite feeling incredibly fatigued, I went to yoga. I had to sit through probably half of the standing yoga poses. I thought I was going to pass out. Everything turned dark and my head started spinning. So I got comfy on my mat and meditated until we got to the floor poses.

But I never know about fatigue. Sometimes I get fatigue on other days, and sometimes I don't get fatigue at all. And that's what is frustrating about managing side effects. I just don't know what my side effects will be or when I'll get them. Case in point...

I caught another winter cold. I think my immune system is doing quite well, especially considering that I take immune-suppressing drugs every day. That said, I get one cold after the next. For the most part, my immune system kicks in and it's just a cold. And that's what this one is.

But despite the fact that I have a cold, this past Sunday, I felt terrific. And Monday morning was a great day, too. So I went to yoga and it felt great. No dizziness or anything. I did every pose (though my balance was way off). Go figure. I would have thought I'd feel horrible Sunday, Monday and today but not at all. I'm coughing and sneezing and congested, but all else is great.

...Except, I was sitting at a stoplight and my heart started pounding. It felt like a huge panic attack except I had no panic. It was bizarre. It went away after a few seconds.

I have to say, it is really strange when you realize that your body can, and will, fail you. Usually (hopefully) most of us will experience that when we get older. I experienced this much younger than I would have liked. It is scary and sad and, well, I feel so not in control. It's all in God's hands. All I can do is live today as if this is all I've got.

I am now using my Obamacare health insurance. I'll blog about that very soon. I am happy with it, I think, but there is so much to discuss about healthcare. I called the Mia Love for Congress campaign office and they promised to get me a one-on-one with Mia Love herself soon. I want to talk to her about a whole host of things and share with her my story. I can't wait to hear what she has to say and to have a very robust dialog with her. She will almost certainly win a seat in Congress and I'm a fan. Strong women are my heroes.

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