the battle continues

There are good days too, but man, what a struggle it can be when you get a bladder infection. I'd been to the urologist last fall as the frequency and urgency both began increasing. January prescription for antibiotic Levaquin, which I learned only through research was chemotherapeutic and after I'd begun to feel the numbness that was in my toes and diagnosed as a side effect of my original chemo, now entering my calves. Doc hadn't said anything about cancer or chemo, so I called after hours so address it. Partner to Andy Knorr, David Benjamin was on call that night and said something to the effect that antibiotics can sometimes do as much harm as good, and you have to be careful with them, and that I didn't need to continue taking it. That was sometime in mid to late January. Going back to early March or before, I'd been experiencing short notice urgent calls to prepare to pee, and didn't always respond quickly enough, although I never lost it completely, I did have minor explosions of pee jumping out just before I could get properly directed, occasionally getting enough on me that I took to using Michelle's roomate's hairdryer in their bathroom at USD, and my hotel room. Betty then bought some Depends and when I got home from San Diego I got into bed and stayed there from Tuesday night until going to the doctors on Friday the 6th. I struggled through that experience more than anything I can recall ever experiencing, at one time responding to Glenn's , "Is there anything else I can get for you?", with "a gun". Extreme lethargy accompanied by a headache that extends down to the toes. I've analyzed it sometimes feels like a lead suit, and can only theorize that it's depression of an extreme order, but I'm already taking the Cymbalta, so suck it up.

Journal

I haven't been keeping one, and now with Glenn's advice, I'll attempt it. The cause is my modifying meds to address seizures and pain. The seizures are getting 500mg. nightly of Phenytoin, except last night's midnight 500 was feared insufficient so I got up at 3 and took another 200. I was up anyway. Last night earlier in the evening I had the worst headache of all time, lasting 20-30 minutes. I took my first Lyrica, had a 37.5 Venlafaxine earlier in the day. Bed about 1 and the headache returned. I'd smoked two bowls and had as bad a night as ever.
Headache returned this morning to about 90% of what it had been last night. I took a Lyrica and the headache subsided. Maybe that's the key, although I still feel the physical weight of depression. It doesn't feel mental, but physical and I'm considering writing Butowski about everything and proposing a different antidepressant.