Nobody Here But Us Rabbits

Well, my housemate moved out on Thursday so it's just me, two crazy cats and a paranoid puppy (no rabbits). I know friends and family were a bit concerned about how I would cope with less help and more to do, but I have been practising! Over the past few weeks I have been doing a little more; hoovering, floor washing, gardening. I have taken on a gardener who will come once a month or so and do the small hill that is my front garden, but I managed to get the lawnmower out this week (trickiest bit is getting it in and out of the garden storage box) and I attacked the back lawn. It does look more attacked and less mowed but it's tidier and besides it's littered with brown dead patches where I had to kill off ten red ant and flying ant nests. Now the hot weather is here I am having to water the garden, but that is manageable. Today I have hoovered and washed floors downstairs and am off out for breckie with the girls in an hour. I am also pleased to report that I have lost the weight I put on because I am eating better, and subsequently feeling better. So, I'm back to that age-old phrase: everything in moderation; food, exercise, housework and fun! I know at the chronic fatigue clinic they said reading wasn't proper rest, but I find it restful and it's one of few things that makes me sit still for a while. I read for an hour when I got in last night before doing my dinner and starting to sort the part of the spare room that used to be my office and is in a bit of a pickle. This afternoon I will paint the red wall in there a nice teal colour to go with the new bedding, picture and lampshade that Mum and my step dad helped me install and that will be that. So, along with the weather, life is pretty sunny at the moment - and long may it last.

Weighty Issue

Despite having increased my activity somewhat a few weeks ago, I was quite depressed to find I had put on five pounds. It may not sound much but it is really hard to shift since I can't just up my activity. I started eating less when I noticed waistbands tightening as the first couple of pounds went on butfrustratinigly put more on. Depressed I went back to the GI cookbook as I have to admit I had got into the habit of eating the same old stuff and not really cooking, and I was snacking, not necessarily on bad stuff, but still. So, on the fourth week into this I find that I have lost a couple of pounds and clothes feel better. I am eating more, am less tired and snacking less.I have been able to increase the swimming to 6 full lengths and 6 or seven half lengths of front crawl amongst the 36 lengths, the rest are breaststroke. On a Sunday I do the Salsa basic work out and the warm up and two circuits of the resistance DVD, making a 35 minute workout. It just goes to show what a difference the effort to eat properly makes, and I am enjoying food again. It's so important to get the right balance, and of course I feel much happier!

Slow progress, but progress nonetheless

It is difficult to know if fatgue after activity is part of the CFS or just down to a reduced level of fitness. I have found that I am not so dizzy and shaky after swimming now, so I decided to experiment by upping the odds a bit. Rather than trying to swim more lengths, I am now keeping to 30-36 but rather than doing all breaststroke am throwing in a bit of front and back crawl to make it more cardiovascular. On the first attempt a couple of weeks ago, I just did a few half lengths like this. I felt okay after. Today I swam six half lengths front crawl, four full lengths front crawl and approx 15 third of a  length back crawl (tricky due to an old twingy rotator cuff injury). Since this is proving quite successful I dusted off a couple of fitness DVDs. I looked at the basic section of a Rosemary Connelly Salsa DVD I would never have touched pre CFS as it was too basic and boring. It is 17 minutes and I managed it. Gentle though it is, I did feel I had done something. Then I tried a Matt Roberts DVD which has resistence and cardio mini workouts. These are designed to be combined but I haven't got that far! I have managed to do the warm up and one circuit of a resistance workout (approx 10 mins) he does the session with burst of activity with periods of rest (which I spend panting mostly). I also do a little 5 minute weight lifting thing that I adlib each day. The plan is to build on the stamina I have already put in place and try to increase my baseline a little more each month. We shall see....

Admitting Defeat

Well, despite my best efforts I am back on the Amitriptyline. I tried for two weeks to do without it but felt so bad that I went back on a double dose for ten days. The opium tincture was useful to come off it but it just didn't give me a long enough period of sleep and some nights became very disturbed again toward the end of the trial period. I am now back down to my usual 10mg per night and would like to perhaps get that down to every other night, though I tried last night without it (largely because I forgot to take it and realised too late!) and had an awful night's sleep. While I don't want to stay on it long term or become dependant in it, I just don't think it's worth coming off it just yet. The better quality sleep I have got on it has meant I can do more in the days. I have, however, had to admit I have become guilty of trying to cram too much in and not resting enough. It's frustrating having to look at a week and split it up into manageable sections; working out what I can and can't do/attend, but it is the only way. I have to remember how much better I am doing than this time last year. A couple of weeks ago I feared I was backsliding, and that was horrible. I have to be sensible, and sometimes boring. That's life.

In Your Dreams

I have decided to try to come off of Amitriptyline, again. Previous attempts have not been all that successful. This time I am trying poppy seed tincture.I have been trying this for four nights now. Last night I tried it in Horlicks as an experiment to see if i could sleep longer. The first night was disturbed sleep but lacked disturbing vivid dreams, which is what generally happens when I try to leave off the Amitrip. So that wasn't so bad. The cats and dog have been doing their utmost to sabotage sleep, but that aside I am going off quicker but still waking around 5-5.30am and struggling to get back off again. Still, I have discovered the random joys of early morning radio. I am hopeful that since this is early days, it will right itself and I will sleep longer. Anyway, a block of undisturbed six hours sleep is better than a disturbed seven hours.
Other than that, I managed to  socialise at a friend's house for a curry night on Friday - getting a lift there and back, swam last Tues, Thurs and Sun (managing 24 lengths in 30 mins on Sun, though I had to sit and eat extra salted choc!), and have re-arranged some furniture over the past two days, with a little help. Mood has been strangely low and a bit tearful, and has coincided with coming off the Amitrip. Could be a coincidence. Had some reflexology on Saturday, just to try to get a handle on it. Feel a bit more up today.

Life is back to going swimmingly

I have decided to attempt swimming twice a week and try to work on improving my stamina and strength. I feel the improvement I have gained since last March has plateaued and am keen to experiment with gaining more ground if I can. This week I bought an Active Card and went swimming Tuesday and swam 16 lengths in 21 minutes and today I went again and did 18 lengths in 25 minutes (and this after a run to the tip with a helpful friend). I have also taken my dog, Oscar, to the park but we both lead down after 15 mins! Well, it's a hot, sunny day afterall! Salted choc again has come in handy today. I think I should consider shares in Montezuma, Lindt and Green and Black's! Time for a quick rest with my book in the sun before a brief spell at work.

Time flies

I can't believe it has been two months since my last post. Several things have happened the most notable of which is the continued plateau of improvement. I am still managing rather well, teaching six classes and working as a therapist a few days a week. I am doing the odd bit of housework and have given a two hour presentation/workshop. I have gone back to swimming and managed 12 lengths in 18 minutes, which I was pleased with and my right leg, which used to give up the will to work after about three lengths, held up until about length 11, so I decided to quit at 12 lengths, plus I was feeling dizzy. Salted choc in the changing rooms perked me up nicely though. I would like to be able to increase the number of lengths and ultimately one day walk to and from the swimming pool as it is just a 15 min walk away, but it is uphill on the way there. So, I will content myself with working on increasing how far I can swim. I am going to go back to swimming once a week and if I can fit a bonus second time in, I will. I continue to be able to walk on flat land for about 10-15 minutes without my stick, but the slightest incline will slay me. I am finding I can manage to converse with people more without it being too draining, and this is very pleasant as it means I can socialise in a low key way such as a cafe with friends without it costing me too much energy. I still apply careful thought to what each day will hold and what I will do with it and log in my diary any major things that need attending to so I can plot my week. Sleep is still a major problem, not helped by the animals disturbing me, but I am sadly back on the Amitriptyline most nights of the week and sometimes have to up it by 5mg. I would like to be off this or get it back down to three nights a week, but for now, the most important thing is to try to regulate my sleep so that my days can me more productive if I want them to be. So I shall stop being stubborn and give into it for now. Finally, I have found comfort in baking! I find I can sit on a chair in my kitchen with the pull down cutting surface and manage quite nicely, and with radio 4 on, listening to a play it all feels rather therapeutic!