If It’s Not One Thing
Content notes: real-time processing, chronic illness, chronic disability life, infection, flu, interstitial cystitis, fertility, body stuff
UGH. (Should I be treating this Substack like how I used to post on Tumblr and Twitter back in the day (i.e., posting several times a day without much editing)?)
Very reminiscent of my title of one of my recent blog posts (when “the horror is just bodies”), in addition to being on antibiotics for most of the month (and dealing with a very stubborn infection), falling down on Thursday night (I’m okay! Just slightly bruised and scraped up), dealing with an increase in pressure at work, AND taking all my fertility treatments... I’m coming down with the flu.
I just got a positive flu test, and I’m starting to have symptoms. No COVID, though (I’ve only had a positive COVID-19 test/infection once, back in 2022).
If I’m not pregnant, then I’m due to get my period later this week (and if you know me, then you know that my periods are so extreme and awful (thanks PCOS and endometriosis)).
I also have my bladder instillation treatment (that I get regularly for my IC (interstitial cystitis)) on Tuesday.
For those unfamiliar (because I’m just now realizing I may not have explained this in earlier blog posts), a bladder instillation is the delivery of medication directly into the bladder via a urinary catheter. It’s now a common treatment for interstitial cystitis.
I’ve had these treatments since 2016. I am trained to do them myself, but my insurance will not cover my medication to do them at home, but they will cover all my medication if I get the procedure done in the clinic/hospital.
My current regimen is to get them every two weeks, but I’ve gotten them every week before.
The solution sits in your bladder for a period of time before you void it out (pee it out).
My current instillation “cocktail”/medication/solution: Gentamicin 80mg, Heparin 1000, Dexamethasone 8mg, Lidocaine 1%, and Sodium Bicarbonate 8.4%/50 mEq. (If/when I get pregnant, this will change since some of these medications aren’t safe during pregnancy.)
That should help me temporarily with my bladder sensitivity, especially since I’ve been battling a UTI and an IC flare.
I’m really trying to regulate and take it easy right now. I know how to take care of myself. And I know that life is still a lot better than it has been.
But also?