The *Joys* of Medication

So, I've had a very interesting year and a half, medically speaking. The end of April will mark the 2 year anniversary of busting my ankle. I say "busting" because still to this day, I don't know what actually happened to it. May 14th will mark the 1 year anniversary of my ankle surgery ... and that's just the beginning.

I'm currently on two medications. I feel entirely too young to be taking not just one, but two prescriptions on a regular basis, but such is life. One of said medications I take once a day before I go to bed and it allows me to function *normally* the next day ... meaning, for the most part, clear thinking and no fogginess or headaches (although that's starting to be debatable). I've been successfully taking this prescription for roughly a year after trying to go without it for a while and failing miserably.

The second medication I just started a month ago. It's a muscle relaxer to help with my extreme tenseness and spasticity (if you know me, you should be laughing right now). Its side effects have surely taken their toll on me! Dry mouth like a horse in the desert and drowsiness like a fat man in summer. I have to create special circumstances so these lovely tag-alongs don't interrupt my day too much. Here comes the situation: my dose is supposed to double this weekend. Now, it sounds like no big deal: increase from 4mg 2x/day to 8mg 2x/day, but let me just illustrate this for you.

My alarm chirps at 5am. I fumble for the orange tube that sits beside my bed. I grab a tablet, throw it in my mouth and reach for the water bottle. I try not to spill any and swallow the chalky substance in one take. I go back to bed (hopefully). I get up and go about my day, sometimes not able to spit the toothpaste out of my mouth due to lack of saliva. If my meds cooperate, the morning's a breeze, but when 6/7pm rolls around and it's time to take pill number 2, it's a different story. I start to enter dream world around 8:30 (which typically is in the middle of something extremely important -- like class). The lights get swirly and my eyes cross trying to stay open. My words slur and I tend to not remember things (no alcohol involved, mind you). About an hour and a half later (if I'm lucky) I'm back to normal. Sometimes, I just give up and go to bed.

That's just with 1 pill at a time. Tomorrow I start taking 2.

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for their relief (I'm actually quite serious), but just warning to anyone I may come in contact with for the next few days ... I may not make much sense, or, even less than usual ... =p