Yippee yay!

Okay, I know part of it is hormones, but...

Yesterday, I went almost a solid 12 hours without needing a nap! An *active* 12 hours, not just vegging in front of the TV, either. At least until approaching bedtime.

Then today... got up earlier than my body's natural clock, showered (and sometimes just *that* will wipe me out), went to Spring with mom (cute shopping village), shopped for about 2.5 hours (with a fair amount of walking. More than we've been doing at the grocery store), drove to the airport (15 minutes or so from Spring), picked up hubby, drove home (over an hour), got about an hour nap (this after almost 8 hours of activity), and still had enough energy to deal with trick or treaters until we ran out of candy (granted, only 20 minutes... it went *fast* this year) and *then* played City for several hours on a focus-intensive character.

It has been months since I've been able to do something like that, especially two days in a row. Oh, and no more leg cramping than my *old* "normal" while shopping!

I'm afraid to see how bad the energy crash is going to be when the hormones let up, but even *with* that influence, I'm still doing SO much better now than a few months ago. Definitely shows that the shots are helping.

That'd do it.

Picked up a virus somewhere, probably brought in by hubby. He's off at a conference right now, but just texted me that he has "the flu" as well (though whether he's been officially diagnosed as the flu or if he's using that term, I don't know). Well, I've been down sick since Tuesday. Tried to go to two followup appointments yesterday but I called and rescheduled them and instead went to the normal doctor to make sure what I had wasn't something like swine flu. Nope, "just" a virus, but still... drained, weak, dizzy, can't eat much without a stomach reaction of some sort...

On the plus side, I did laundry, took the trash out, got the mail, cleaned litterboxes, made several phone calls (including a stressful one to insurance) and did some general easy picking up of things around the house. Not a whole lot, any of it, and that was spread over the last 3 days. I know I'm getting into my cycle with hormones where I just can't sit still, and the weather is alternating between sleepy weather and "WANT OUTSIDE!!!" beautiful weather as the seasons change. Rather an odd thing to be both antsy and tired at once.

Heh, I'm down with a stomach bug and a virus and I still feel better than I sometimes do on a bad CFS day. Go figure.

Sending in stuff now to insurance to hopefully support the disability claim. I'd like to have disability pay until the specialist *does* release me to return to work, after all... Cross your fingers that this is enough.

On a totally unrelated note.... addicted to a new author. Well, he's not that new to the writing scene but an author I hadn't read before. Jim Butcher. He writes both the Dresden Files (private eye dealing in magic, the fight of white magic vs dark magic, good series) and the Codex Alera (Furies of Calderon, pure fantasy along the lines of some of my other favorite authors. Really reminds me of a cross between Mercedes Lackey and Raymond Feist with a touch of Katherine Kerr.). I really like his writing style. I'm on book 2 of Codex and once I finish that I'll read book 2 of Dresden. Dresden Files is written in first person with a dark theme but a lot of dry, sarcastic humor that makes me laugh. Codex Alera is purely fantasy in third person where the 'magic' comes from something akin to elementals, called 'Furies'. And Butcher writes very smoothly. He's one of the types of authors I like to study to improve my own writing.

Stress. It knocks a body out.

But, I'm recovering faster and faster from stress situations. Granted, we're talking hours faster instead of being better the next day.

I must remember... just because I'm feeling good right this second does not mean I'm better. This thing goes in cycles. Some days are good, some are bad, and I have yet to be able to go 8 hours without a nap. At least I'm sleeping more like 10-14 instead of 14-18 most of the time.

Still having a hard time facing some things, though, like dealing with insurance and work. Time to call in to them again. *sigh*

Backsliding

There is no question I'm backsliding. It'd be very depressing if I didn't know that it's a natural part of the cycle and we're still seeing overall improvement.

I don't know what's kicked this off... an infection I'm otherwise unaware of? Stress release for having finally given *myself* that ATP shot? Lifting of the stress that came with mom's furniture? She finally got that delivered so there's no more "we have to get this cleared before they come" stress. Did I over-do with the double-XP event in the game last weekend? Purely the weather change? All of the above?

Right now, though, I'm finding it questionable that I'll ever get back to work...

I'm not sure why...

...but I've settled into a denial phase. I keep trying to go without my afternoon nap, trying to get back to 10-12 hours of sleep a day instead of 14-18.

It keeps not working.

Should have known

As I get more used to the limits with CFS, I think more and more that things are just fine.

And then things like yesterday happen. Nothing major, just a busy day. Picked up my new glasses, helped mom with a couple of things at her place, came home and played on the computer a bit. But part of the day yesterday, my vision wouldn't focus.

Today, I was in bed until 8pm, other than about an hour to try to eat.

AKA...crash.

Well, not too bad the past few days

I've been staying home and just plain resting the past few days. I still think I had a mild cold late last week which was making things overall worse.

Still more of the same, except that I was able to sit and play City for several hours in a row finally again. This is more than just "yay, I can goof off", by the way. City of Heroes can take a fair bit of brain power and reaction time to play, depending on the character. I haven't been able to stay on the game for more than an hour or two in several weeks (months?). So to be able to play solidly for 3 hours again (well, other than bio breaks and walking around a bit and such... meaning, no nap) is a pretty good step in the right direction. It means I'm building back to the ability to be able to work again eventually (I hope).

Some of my friends are asking how much longer it'll be before the docs will let me go home. The answer is I don't know, but it won't be any less than early November. So I at least have almost another month. And there is absolutely no doubt that I'm doing better now from the rest and break.

Fibro isn't fun

Fibro often comes hand in hand with CFS. Meaning aching all over like you have the flu.

And that aspect is hitting me bigtime today. >.<

I want a good streak again.

Ugh

I was so proud of myself that yesterday I made it through the day without a nap. Even if it *was* because of insomnia...

I paid for it today. >.<