Happy Easter Sunday everyone! I was hoping to be out walking today, but the wolf has its own ideas.
I haven’t been right all week. I went out running but ended up walking most of the route. I then tried lifting weights but found it tough. I then went out hiking, but it was hard work. I tried to carry on going, tired to keep doing the things I normally do. However, today, I’m paying for it. My body hurts so much. My joints are so sore. My stomach hurts. The wolf is telling me enough is enough.
My body has been through a lot in the last few weeks. From shingles to low iron, no wonder the wolf isn’t happy. I still have the shingles rash and the pain. However, the rash is shrinking and not contagious anymore. The pain is still there but I’m guessing that will go when the rash goes. I’ve now finished my anti-viral medication, so now it’s just a waiting game for it completely clear up. The pain feels a lot worse today but I think that’s maybe just because my pain tolerance might be lower with me not feeling well.
Iron Tablets Causing Problems To Stomach
I’ve now taken iron tablets for 1 week. I’m guessing it will take a few weeks before my iron levels go back into range. I’m on Ferrous Fumarate tablets and ideally, they are best taken on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before food. I did try, but by Wednesday my stomach was feeling very irritated by them. They say if they irritate your stomach too much, you can take them with food. So now I just take them with my meals. I know not as much iron will be getting absorbed, but it’s more important I look after my stomach.
Happiest When I’m Outdoors
My mental health did start to improve this week. The warmer weather helped, followed by a return to work on Thursday, and then the walk we did on Friday. However, today I’ve gone back downhill again. I know it’s just because I’m not feeling well and the weather is so nice, I want to be out walking.
Instead, I’ve had my sister and her partner round in my garden this afternoon, which has been so so so lovely. But now they have gone, I feel so sad again. I spent this morning crying down the phone to my mom and now just spent the evening crying to Alex. I’m just not me today. I’m hoping tomorrow I will feel brighter. I’ve also noticed a lot recently, how my mood completely changes when I’m outdoors, compared to indoors. Maybe I should camp out in my garden tonight!
Upping My Steroids
This morning I’ve gone and upped my steroids to 20mg for 7 days to give my body a boost and to help it fight the shingles off and give my body some strength. I didn’t want to and I’ve put it off for as long as possible, but I am struggling on my own. Sometimes, my body needs that extra bit of help! Hopefully, in a day or 2 I should start feeling a lot better.
With any infection, I am supposed to increase my steroids to help my body fight it. At first, I didn’t really know what to do. I was like, is shingles an infection? Am I meant to increase them? But it is a type of infection. It’s a viral infection and yes I am supposed to increase them.
I did also stop my Methotrexate for a week, but I didn’t realise you are actually meant to stay off it until the infection clears up. Nobody had informed me of this. I thought because I had finished my anti-viral medication I would be fine to inject myself. So maybe I have now made things worse for my body and slowed down the recovery. Maybe that’s why I feel like I do today.
Lack of Information
I sometimes feel like I should be told more by the doctors. At times, I feel like they expect me to know everything when I really don’t. I’ve never had shingles before. I knew very little about it. Sometimes, a little extra support wouldn’t go a miss. But also I guess at the time, I maybe should be asking these questions too. The worse thing is, I stopped my Methotrexate for one week because my mom mentioned it to me. If she didn’t, I would have carried on injecting myself. That was down to my lack of knowledge of not really knowing what shingles were.
Dermatology
I had my Dermatology appointment this week for my rashes on my face and fingers. Basically, the outcome from my appointment went along the lines of the consultant not fully knowing what my rash is on my face. He said my ones on my fingers is my Lupus. He also pointed out how my finger is swollen and sore from it, which I didn’t realise. The rash on my face he thinks it could be another illness with a fancy name I cannot remember. So I’m going to have a skin biopsy to see what it is. He doesn’t think it’s a lupus rash because I’ve had it all throughout the winter months, when normally lupus rashes tend to occur mainly in summer, when our skin sees the sun. However, I did try and explain how I do spend a lot of times in the outdoors in the winter months and my face still sees in the sun. So it be interesting to see what the skin biopsy comes back as. Also confused as he thinks my rash on my finger is a lupus rash but my face isn’t, yet they are the same rash. I just don’t know!
Anyways, that’s if from myself.
Until next week
Hope you’re having a wonderful Easter
Emma
xox
