Missed 1 day of work in August…
So I made it to the end of August. I only missed one day of work (on August 8, during the last cycle).
I’m starting off September by missing half a day of work on the 1st. I am likely to miss the entire day of work on September 2nd. I cannot reach anyone to sub for me for the whole day, though one teacher said she’d cover me for the early morning daycare-before-school-starts shift.
Yesterday was the first day of george. Right as I was about to go out the door to work, the cramps began, so I did actually take 600mg of Ibuprofen before work. Then I began spotting while at work, but I still made it through an entire work day.
The pain ramped up last night while I was at a friend’s house checking out their place for party space for my upcoming birthday. I took half a Tylenol 3 but the pain and bleeding kept ramping up. When I got home, I think I took a whole Tylenol 3 and went to bed. I can’t remember.
This morning, despite the pain and bleeding, I ingested 600mg of Ibuprofen again and went in to work. I lasted til 10:30am, when I could stand it no longer and took a half Tylenol 3.
An hour later, with the pain still ramping up and nausea also welling up, I quit five minutes before my lunch break. I went in search of people to fill in for me for the rest of the day. I shuffled around the building, found two people to help me out, and listed the gaps in coverage for the secretary to help figure out the rest, and I came home.
I ate a full Tylenol 3 with my lunch at 12:30pm, and was bedridden from 2:30pm – 7:30pm.
Whoops, this means I completely missed the appointment with my shrink.
I’ve been groggy and couch-ridden for the rest of the night. It’s 9:38pm now and I’m just now entertaining the idea of dinner. Normally I’m prepping for bed by now.
I’ve already notified everyone’s voicemails that I likely won’t be in tomorrow.
Sad, disappointed and depressed describe my current state of mind. I wasn’t bedridden in February, March, April, May or June. I was couch-ridden from the pain in July and August, and now officially bedridden and couch-ridden in September.
The caffeine and sugar have got to stop. I’ve said this before. I know what a huge challenge this is for me. I might even need to go vegetarian again. My caffeine intake rose sharply at the end of June, so I am definitely blaming my rekindled addiction for part of the pain. Caffeine is a known inflammatory agent. I reintroduced white meat (birds only) towards the end of May or sometime in June. I’ll cut caffeine and sugar, first, then wait a few months to see what all evens out before deciding if meat has to go again, too.
Stress management is also key, but I’ve already set that in motion with the Alexander Technique and Yoga classes, and the monthly acupuncture (too bad I can only get monthly acupuncture through the dispensary, but I’ll work with what I’ve got available). I just need to remember to also add in the daily progressive relaxation tips again.
This too shall pass.