:-P

I increased my dose of Samento again on the 13th and am now on a total of 20 drops per day. I have yet to feel a herx from it. I am still having trouble getting enough air and feel dizzy with tingly lips, gums and fingertips when I laugh or talk for more than a few minutes. This is frustrating, because I love to do both ;-) That's all for now....I'm off to attempt a shower :D

Blaahhhhh

I've been feeling a bit of depression lately. I increased my dose of Samento the other day and the Herx reactions have left me weak and listless. Things - like my disability paperwork etc - aren't getting done and I feel I'm falling further behind. It is a real struggle to even get myself vertical. I'm doing my best though, and calling my friends like crazy just to stay sane and not be consumed by feelings of hopelessness.

Mandala

I increased my dose of Samento yesterday and should begin to feel a reaction soon. I'm resting a lot and trying to stay still to allow my body to do what it needs to internally to process the medicine and fight the disease. To pass the time I have been watching movies and drawing. Above is a mandala I finished this morning. It is approximately 11.5" in diameter.

Herx reactions

The herx reactions are getting stronger due to my increase in Samento. I mostly just feel weaker, achier and very stiff in the mornings - it takes me about an hour to warm up my muscles so I can move somewhat normally.

Sleeping

I've been resting and sleeping a lot the last few days. My nightmares have continued but are not as intense. I am very weak and tired as I continue to increase my dosage of Samento, so I have not been active other than watering my garden and preparing food. Getting up in the morning is incredibly difficult as my body is so weak and sore I just don't want to move but I eventually have to give in to either my bladder or my stomach. To pass the time while lying down I've taken to watching a bit of TV (which I generally despise) and listening to music. Today I pulled my stack of felt off my shelves and got my sewing box out to make a gift for one of my case workers - a journal cover. I'm very happy with the way it turned out and think she'll really enjoy it :)

Worn out

I've been a bit more worn out than usual the last few days, sleeping 10-12 hours at night plus naps during the day. I think it is a result of increasing my dosage of Samento. The pain in my ribs is still present, though not as intense. It seems to be worse when I wake in the morning...likely from the pressure on my ribs all night, as I tend to sleep on my side. I'm still able to water my garden and sit up long enough to write this blog and feed my fishy etc before laying down again, so for that I'm grateful.

My nephew came over to visit yesterday and the day before. On Sunday we walked in the yard looking for bugs and munching on seeds from barrel cactus fruit. He noticed the tiniest little spider dangling from my camera as I stepped under the shade of the mesquite trees. I put it on my hand and tried to get a picture of it. It was fast...crawling all the way up to my sleeve in about 1/2 a second. I did manage to get a great shot though.

Yesterday we made ants on a log (celery sticks filled with peanut butter and topped with raisins). We tried to go outside to eat our snack while sitting on the logs around the fire pit (sitting on a log eating ants on a log - he loved that idea) but it started raining so we moved back inside and put on Young Frankenstein. He got a bit bored during the movie so I let him play with my prototype for a revolving rubber band shooter...he loved that...kept aiming for the characters on the screen.