I Lied

Where I was last week. The lake, the lake!

You may remember my bravado from such posts as No Excuses, where I asserted with vigor that nothing was going to stop me now. I meant it when I said it, but in my amnesiac optimism I forgot that in the weeks before my Stelara injection the medication’s effects wane considerably.

So my joints that were so smooth and nearly pain-free with Stelara are now miserable, and the skin on my hands and feet isn’t happy either. I forgot about this part as though it didn’t happen precisely three months ago. I expect I’ll forget next time, too.

This apparently unforeseeable turn of events is having a negative effect on my fitness efforts. When I’m not comfortable, I seek comfort. I generally find comfort on a plate, in a bowl, or directly over the sink.

I am jonesing.

When walking is painful, I somehow manage to do it less. I just want to spend, say, the next three weeks or so in my pajamas eating the entire world. But as awesome as that sounds, I realize that that’s what sumo wrestlers do to gain weight. They eat, and sleep, and repeat as necessary. I don’t want to gain weight. I just plan to hold steady, if at all possible.

And sleep, all I do is sleep, like ten hours a night, and I fight it all the rest of the day. And the fevers, don’t get me started about the fevers. You all know what a Stoic I am. I never complain. Why, you’d never even KNOW I was suffering like a Christian in the Coliseum if it wasn’t for the weak whimpering and the pitiable sighs, that’s how brave I am…

My next shot is scheduled for September 30, so I’m almost there. Takes a couple of weeks for it to start working, and then I’m back on my horse, though I may join the fashion party a little late.

One pain management special to go, please.

This week I walked only six miles, which puts me at 105 miles so far, and as a result I’m still wandering the Barrow Downs, LOST, with Mr. Frodo I-can’t-find-my-hairy-feet-with-two-hands-and-a-flashlight Baggins.

I can’t wait to get to Bree for three reasons: a bed, real food, and Aragorn (a man who knows his way to Rivendell, plus, I’ll also enjoy an improvement in the scenery if you catch my drift.)

BY THE WAY I’m typing this upstairs in my bedroom at a little work station we set up in front of the windows (which are dirty, I’ll get to them later) and because of trees and whatnot  I can only see one house which makes me feel delightfully isolated, and I get a great view of the hills, all brown and sere with giant, dark green live oaks growing in the furrows and folds. SO HAPPY.

I write here every day and am loving it.

And in other news, because of these YouTube videos, I’ve taught my cat to high-five for treats.