Steady progress! The virus symptoms are mostly gone...I only blow my nose about one or two times a day and cough only occasionally, usually if I'm talking a lot. Now that those symptoms mostly gone, I can feel the energy drain and fatigue more singularly, so it seems that my adrenals took a blow with this, OR that they are still being drained by trying to heal the nerve and so I don't have much energy for regular activities. I worked my regular hours at the studio this week, but didn't do anything else, just came home and crashed...one day I came home starving, but had to rest for an hour or two before I had enough energy to make dinner. Thankful for the weekend. I slept 12 hours Friday night! We have 8 artists arriving on Thursday to our art residency, so I'm a little nervous about how this month is going to play out if my energy doesn't return, or if I'm going to cause more damage to my adrenals by not being able to rest enough...I will need to be vigilant to conserve energy when I can and get the rest I need!
Years ago, I was really sick for a long time and the stress of it caused Adrenal Insufficiency. Once I was well, it took about 6 months for my adrenals to recover, but even after that, they've never been 100%. I have to get 9-10 hrs of sleep in order to have normal energy, and I don't have an overdrive gear anymore...I can't push beyond my energy limits (like to pull an all-nighter) - my body just shuts down.
Other than that, I've been fine since recovering...but I'm not surprised that the stress and energy drain of this Bell's Palsy wasn't easy for my adrenals to deal with (although, considering how quickly I'm recovering, they're to be commended for their valiant efforts and success, and pardoned for not having much left over to do their regular work!). It's not a sleepy tired, it's a low energy tired... imagine our bodies running on batteries (adrenals) and on a normal day they drain partially and then recharge to full. If they're really stressed, they drain farther and take a little longer to recharge. If they're drained too far, over long periods of time, without being able to fully recharge, then they can become like an old phone...not holding a charge. The difference is that over time, with minimizing whatever's draining them and recharging enough, adrenals can, in most cases, recover, unlike phone batteries. I don't think my current situation is serious like it was years ago, because I can still work regular hours (albeit with exhaustion by the end of the day, but I can do it), and the drain of recovering from Bell's Palsy is not eliminated yet. So, I just need to be careful and get lots of rest in the mean time!
[Disclaimer: My description of how adrenals function is not scientific. It's just my best way of describing how Adrenal Insufficiency presents, based on what I've experienced.]
On the bright side, my smile is returning (wrinkles, dimples and all) and every day this week my face has been a little stronger. Aside from my staring eye that gives me away, I can almost pass for not having anything wrong with my face, as long as I don't smile big. I can voluntarily close my eye now...but it still doesn't blink involuntarily with my other eye (although you can see it trying). Taking these pictures and comparing them is very encouraging. Here's Day 32 compared to the beginning. And as before, you can also see all my weekly mug shots together if you'd like.
Years ago, I was really sick for a long time and the stress of it caused Adrenal Insufficiency. Once I was well, it took about 6 months for my adrenals to recover, but even after that, they've never been 100%. I have to get 9-10 hrs of sleep in order to have normal energy, and I don't have an overdrive gear anymore...I can't push beyond my energy limits (like to pull an all-nighter) - my body just shuts down.
Other than that, I've been fine since recovering...but I'm not surprised that the stress and energy drain of this Bell's Palsy wasn't easy for my adrenals to deal with (although, considering how quickly I'm recovering, they're to be commended for their valiant efforts and success, and pardoned for not having much left over to do their regular work!). It's not a sleepy tired, it's a low energy tired... imagine our bodies running on batteries (adrenals) and on a normal day they drain partially and then recharge to full. If they're really stressed, they drain farther and take a little longer to recharge. If they're drained too far, over long periods of time, without being able to fully recharge, then they can become like an old phone...not holding a charge. The difference is that over time, with minimizing whatever's draining them and recharging enough, adrenals can, in most cases, recover, unlike phone batteries. I don't think my current situation is serious like it was years ago, because I can still work regular hours (albeit with exhaustion by the end of the day, but I can do it), and the drain of recovering from Bell's Palsy is not eliminated yet. So, I just need to be careful and get lots of rest in the mean time!
[Disclaimer: My description of how adrenals function is not scientific. It's just my best way of describing how Adrenal Insufficiency presents, based on what I've experienced.]
On the bright side, my smile is returning (wrinkles, dimples and all) and every day this week my face has been a little stronger. Aside from my staring eye that gives me away, I can almost pass for not having anything wrong with my face, as long as I don't smile big. I can voluntarily close my eye now...but it still doesn't blink involuntarily with my other eye (although you can see it trying). Taking these pictures and comparing them is very encouraging. Here's Day 32 compared to the beginning. And as before, you can also see all my weekly mug shots together if you'd like.
Time for an update! :-) Thank you for the work you've put into this. It's interesting even to people not affected by the condition, and I imagine it would be both helpful and encouraging to someone in a similar situation. Just wanted you to know there are listeners out here!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! I've just posted the last 4 updates, with photos I took at the time but never had time to upload.
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