Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Two steps forward, one step back

Looks like the reason I was feeling so darn good for the last few weeks is at least partly due to the clindamycin I was on. When I came off of it, over about a week I started to feel like someone had turned up the gravity. This is not unusual, but I'm not thrilled.

On the other hand DR would like to try me on yet another drug that he believes will be very helpful. It has a couple of draw backs:
1. It makes one very sun sensitive.
2. It makes your symptoms worse before they get better

Now, when they say sun sensitive, they don't mean just slap on some extra sunscreen. They mean two minutes of exposure could be enough to give you a pretty nasty sunburn. I was on a similar drug last summer and my hand got burned through the windshield of my car while driving. Given that I'm fair skinned, grey eyed and I have freckles, this is a problem already. The literature for this treatment talks about it being a good idea to only go outside after dark! So, now I'm studying sun protection clothing. Any links or research from anyone out there would be greatly appreciated.

I have been asked if this will make me postpone my hiking. I really don't want it to. I'm not going to be foolish about it, but I refuse to put it off if humanly possible. If necessary, I will only hike in the Early AM (even before the sun comes up) so that I can be safely ensconced in some wooded glade before the rays get fierce.

Backpacking is still cheaper than therapy.

No comments: