The Last Pill

This morning, at breakfast, I swallowed the last of my steroid pills. The very last one, and I am done with them! As the effects of this powerful drug leaves my body, I find myself awakening. As if emerging from a chrysalis. Becoming myself again.

Some of the effects were expected--difficulty sleep, increase in appetite, the like.

Some of them took me totally by surprise. The mood changes. I became dark, depressed, and angry. My tolerance for stupidity--tenuous at best--totally tanked. I turned into a monster. I didn't even like being around myself. I'm just grateful I didn't kill someone during those darkest days.

Then there were other physical effects, such as the inability to taste my food. That I wasn't expecting. Everything tasted weird. Nothing was cold. My Dr. Pepper straight from the fridge tasted warm and flat. Icy cold chocolate milk tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. The only thing I could stand to drink was ice water--not a bad thing, that.

(TMI WARNING) Another weird one was the inability to feel when I need to go to the bathroom. That was just weird. I couldn't feel when I needed to pee. This led to some very interesting moments, until I was better able to judge when it was time for me to go. Then there was the inability to move my bowels at all. I didn't feel constipated. I wasn't uncomfortable or in pain, I just couldn't go. It was like there was nothing there. It was kind of worrisome, knowing that I had eaten, so there had to be something in there, but where was it?

Now, the grip of the drugs is releasing me, and I am beginning to return to myself. The days are getting brighter. The nights more restful. I feel like a person again. I am doing exercises and flexes to try to keep my spine in alignment, so that this doesn't happen again. There's no way I want to go back onto those steroids, unless it is a matter of life and death. One thing I have determined was that my computer chair was very bad for my back. The pain was worse every time I sat in it. So, I bought a new chair.

It is much more comfortable than my old chair, and as I told Cody, the cost of the chair was much less than the cost of the drugs I needed to right myself. I was surprised at that, too. It was in with a bunch of other chairs in the $99-$120 range, but when I checked out, it rang up at $54. I feel like I got a bargain!

And now, since it's Wednesday, on to the business of WIP updates:

1.Friendship Blankie -- yes, the name has been officially changed. I got a few squares done, but with the arrival of a bunch of new sock yarns, I expect more progress on it this week:


2. Trekking Scarf--No progress this week.


3. Queen Anne's Lace-- I finished chart 1, started chart 2, then it got sacrificed to the new KAL.


4. Mystery Shawl KAL: I'm about half way through clue 1. I hope to catch up this upcoming long weekend. Just in time for the next clue.


5. Zokni socks: I made it past the heel turn of the first sock, and got a couple of pattern repeats done on the foot.


I'm totally loving this pattern, but unfortunately, it also got sacrificed to blankie love and the KAL. Next time I make this, though, I'm going to make the leg longer.

Thanks to everyone for bearing with me during these last few days. Things'll be better soon.

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