Well, it's Monday again. I haven't posted in two weeks or so because I spent most of the first week in a sleep-deprived state that rendered me completely unable to function beyond doing only what was absolutely necessary. Last Monday's weigh-in found me at the same place....no weight gain, no weight loss. And I fought for every bit of that "no weight gain" that week, I'm telling you. Maybe you've heard, but sleep deprivation does not do a dieting body good.
I have been trying to go off a drug called Mirapex that I was prescribed for my Restless Leg Syndrome several years ago. The doctor who prescribed it to me failed to mention that this drug will initially help the symptoms, and then will cause something called "augmentation", which means it gradually makes your symptoms worse. You will have to keep upping your dosage in order to get results, but in doing so you actually exacerbate the problem. According to John's Hopkins, "research has shown that reducing the dosage of (Mirapex) sometimes causes acute withdrawal symptoms similar to those reported by cocaine addicts -- including anxiety, panic attacks, depression, sweating, nausea, generalized pain, fatigue, dizziness and drug cravings." Yeah. So I've not had the best couple of weeks. And here's the kicker: if I successfully go off the Mirapex, I will still have Restless Leg Syndrome, which means every single night my legs feel like there are painless electric shocks or thousands of creepy crawly bugs running through them, which means I have to move my legs constantly to relieve the feeling (I SHOULD have the legs of a marathon runner by now....but no such luck). This makes it a bit hard to sleep (understatement of the century), and leads me to consider asking my husband to knock me out with one of his Kung Fu round-off kicks just to ease the misery.
I am currently experimenting with a combination of a naturopathic pill, muscle relaxants, and a reduced dosage of Mirapex. Things still aren't quite right, though. Those of you sitting behind me in church last Sunday may have wondered why I suddenly latched on to Roger's arm in a death grip mid-sermon. My heart began racing out of control and I felt like I was going to pass out at any second. After a minute, it passed. Last night I felt the same thing in addition to my arms and legs feeling weak and tingling....it scared me. So, I am stressed out. And I am still trying to lose weight. Today I was down 1 pound, which I am celebrating, because the last two weeks have been hard on my diet. For the millionth time I asked myself, "Why can't I be one of those people who LOSE their appetite when they are anxious?" I would be so freaking thin by now.
So that's my story. And I'm tired of dwelling on it....so my next post will have nothing at all to do with my health or weight loss or anything else even slightly depressing. Just give me a few months to think of something.
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