Pertinent to nothing… I’m just about to run out of syringes. I used low dose insulin syringes with a very short needle; the needle length is important for 2 reasons: the HGH is in a chamber that’s only about an inch long altogether, and it has to be delivered subcutaneously (just under the skin.)

So I went to the pharmacy for a refill, and someone screwed up. They gave me syringes with long needles—totally useless, as the needle would go past the drug in the chamber, and would wind up going into a muscle if I injected it. I tired to tell the tech that those are not the syringes I use, so he went to get “someone who knows.” The person he got decided that I was obviously stupid—the number on the box matched the number listed in their computer for my refill. If I got the short needle syringes initially, it was “a mistake.” I tried explaining why the short needles are necessary, and this look crossed her face—she understood I was correct, but there was no way in hell she was going to admit it. I was taking the wrong syringes home come hell or high water.

Would she call the endocrinology clinic and ask? Hell no, that would be too easy. Could she be nice about it? Phfft. As I turned to leave I overheard her tell the first tech “She doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.”

So now I have to go back to the hospital and track down someone who can get me the right stuff.

Like I said, pertinent to nothing. It just pissed me off.

link | posted by Thumper at 3:38 PM
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Well, after two nights back on benedryl, I think I have my answer… I definitely need to be on it. I slept well and don’t feel like I want to lie down and nap off and on all day. When I realized I probably needed to go back on it I was seriously bummed, until the thought crossed my mind that needing it is not a personal failing. It’s just part of the FMS.

link | posted by Thumper at 7:45 AM
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All right, tonight I go back on benedryl. I slept fairly well last night and wasn't particularly tired today, but I just have that gut feeling that says I should go back on it. One day of being bright eyed just isn't enough. It does answer a question I've had--yes, lack of deep sleep does seem to play a role in my FMS.

I haven't taken measurements in a long time, but yesterday I bought a pair of jeans, regular cut, where I normally wear a loose cut (I buy mens' jeans; they're cheaper, usually...) Six months ago a regular cut would have been too tight, and these fit just right. I know my weight is the same, so maybe I've had a subtle shift of body fat to lean muscle mass. Or maybe Old Navy changed the way they cut their jeans. Whichever, it made me happy.

I will take an ego boost any way I can get it!

link | posted by Thumper at 6:33 PM
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The bike is awesome. I can stay on it for 40-45 minutes and ride at a pretty good clip, without developing a case of Screaming Ass or Jello Legs.

The only physical problem I'm having at all lately us fatigue. Not bone-drenching, oh-my-God-I-want-to-die fatigue, but a daily dose of crap-I-need-a-nap tiredness. And it's happening pretty much every day.

I suspect it's because I quit taking benedryl for sleep about 2 months ago. I thought I was sleeping well without it--I don't wake up much at night--but the fact that I'm increasingly tired suggests I might not be getting enough deep sleep. So I'll probably wind up back on the benedryl. It was a reasonable experiment; I thought that because I no longer have to get up at a specific time every morning to feed and medicate the dog that I could just fall into natural sleep patterns (i.e. stay up til 2am and sleep until 9 or 10), but if I'm not sleeping well enough, it's a failed experiement.

Today I'm actually a little stiff; my back aches a bit, but that could be from sleeping in a funky position all night (the danged cat has decided I am his bed, and he's pinning me to the mattress for about 4 hours every night... I am so much his bitch that I don't make him move.) It's not severe pain, so I'm not worried about it.

link | posted by Thumper at 8:06 PM
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I’ve always wanted a recumbent bike; yesterday I finally got one (identical to the one pictured, though mine is red) and today I took it our for a spin. This is a big deal to me: I haven’t been able to ride a bike in a good 10-12 years. Upright bikes kill my knees and my back; I can stay on one for about 5 minutes tops, and then pay for it in pain for the next week. I rode this one today for about 35-40 minutes—over an extremely hilly bike path—and it doesn’t feel like I’ll be suffering much for it tomorrow. My quads might ache a bit, but only from typical post exertional pain.

Now I know the fact that it’s a ’bent bike makes a huge difference, but I don’t know how much of my ability to handle it is from increased endurance from swimming or the growth hormone, or a combination. All I know is it’s damned fun!

link | posted by Thumper at 5:16 PM
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:::blows dust off the Blog:::

Wow, I seriously had not intended to let this blog sit unattended for so long. I would have been saying the same things over and over, though, so I suppose by not keeping it up I avoided killing people by inflicting terminal boredom on them.

Nothing has really changed in the last month. I’m on the same dose of HGH, my energy levels are still up, endurance is good, and most importantly my pain levels remain very low. Still no loss of body fat, though. That in particular is an exercise in frustration, but I suppose I should be grateful for the good it’s doing and not pissed off over one thing.

Gotta admit, I haven’t hit the pool in about a week. Real Life has been fairly busy, finishing up a book and trying to recreate a bunch of files lost to a hard drive crash. I’ll get back to it in a day or two.

link | posted by Thumper at 7:30 AM
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