Like a Dog

In case you are wondering why I have not been posting, I have been down for the count for nearly a week. Got sick on Tuesday and was sick through today and I only worked a couple of days during that time.

I am back at work today. I would guesstimate my health at about 80% of normal.

I had an interesting confluence of events occur. I switched to a new medication a few weeks ago and the change is not going smoothly, as yet. The following is the WebMD.com definition of the side effects of this new drug:

Sulfasalazine
This medication may cause stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, dizziness or trouble sleeping during the first few days as your body adjusts to the medication. If these symptoms persist or become severe, inform your doctor.

May cause urine to be orange-brown in color. This is not harmful and will disappear when the medication is stopped.

This medication increases sensitivity to sunlight.

Notify your doctor if your condition worsens or you develop: easy bruising.

Rarely, this medication can cause serious, even fatal, side effects such as a severe peeling skin rash known as Stevens- Johnson syndrome, blood disorders (e.g., agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia), or liver damage. Seek immediate medical attention if you develop any of the following symptoms: skin rash or blisters, unusual fatigue, persistent sore throat or fever, yellowing eyes or skin, dark urine, abdominal pain.

In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing.

Please note that the guy with the liver disease is taking a medication that warns about liver damage. *Sigh, Most medications do affect the liver, so there is really no way around that. And my doctor is aware of all my troubles, and he thinks the risks are negligible.

So far, in taking this medication, I have responded with the upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, headache (severe!), sore throat, sensitivity to light, interesting colored urine, and a skin rash. I have been on the phone with the prescribing doctor more than once during this transitional phase.

What was really fun was that this last week I also had a cold. Imagine many of those symptoms listed above combined with a stuffy head, fever, congestion, and a mild cough/minimal sneezing.

Joy.

One of the most interesting problems was sleep—the medication has kicked me back into insomnia while being sick made me want to sleep. I would go to bed and kind of be in a semi-wakeful trance-like state for a long period and then I would crash and sleep like the dead for 2-4 hours.

I feel a little like I am crawling out of it now. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Not sure right now if that light is an opening or if it is the train, but either would be welcome at this point.

Hopefully I will get up to speed shortly. Right now, I feel like I am working in a bit of a fog. But I am working.

Knocks wood.