No, that’s not it.

Back in July I posted about what has come to be known as the Cornstarch Debacle. I switched from an OTC product to support my adrenals to a prescription that proceeded to make me fairly sick. I was achy and my muscles were weak and sore and my gut was  very unhappy. I eventually discovered that the prescription was made with cornstarch and attributed all the symptoms to my food allergy. I went back on my OTC and was back to normal.

It was all very reasonable and logical, and apparently, that wasn’t the issue, or not the whole issue.

Recently said OTC supplement was discontinued. Rather suddenly. I had to switch to another support, and the most commonly used is hydrocortisone cream, dosed with a syringe to be sure you’re getting the right amounts. So I switched.

At first I thought the body aches and shaking muscles was a side effect of the change. Even though I always seem to have bizarre reactions to common things, I still get tripped up when I have a completely unusual reaction to something that works just fine for most people. Most people who use hydrocortisone cream as adrenal support do just fine. I felt as though I’d been beaten and left for dead. I swelled up like a balloon with fluid. I haven’t slept well in weeks.

Apparently the Cornstarch Debacle wasn’t about the cornstarch after all. Or, not entirely, I will admit that the digestive side effects were missing this time. No, my body doesn’t much like processed hyrdocortisone. I’m so weird.

I am now experimenting with adrenal cortex supplements. That’s why my former beloved OTC was based on. I’m not restablized yet. I’m still having a lot of trouble. My legs are absurdly swollen and my muscles are still fairly useless. I am very frustrated.

I did go see my doctor. She offered a diuretic and some potassium and sympathy. I didn’t expect much else. How much can they do with 15 minutes (if you’re lucky) on a topic that is very outside the box. She’s supportive and cooperative and pleasant. I don’t expect her to be the foremost expert on everything.

I’ve found myself a non-mainstream practitioner who I really like, recommended by my veterinarian of all people. I’m hoping for good things there.

You’d think with all these issues over and over I’d at least be patient about how long things take to resolve. You’d be wrong.

Work-Life balance

This is a skill I don’t yet have. If I’m very lucky someone will have notice I haven’t posted in quite a while.

I’m self employed, and most of my work is on finite projects. I got a really fantastic one this summer. It had a tight deadline, so for most of the summer, I didn’t do anything but work on this contract. It was fun and interesting and challenging. It was also lucrative, so, everything you could possibly ask for in a contract.

Unfortunately, it didn’t leave me a whole lot of time for other things.

I should have managed that better and taken time for other things.

When the project completed, my bank account was in great shape. That’s one side. On the other side, my cats were very stressed, to the point that my cat who used to be a biter was behaving aggressively again. I’d gained some weight, sitting very still working on the computer for 10 weeks. A lot of household things got behind.

It’s not a terrible result, but it’s reminded me that I need to learn to make sure that I am as important to myself as my business is. I’m not very good at that, but I’m pretty smart, so eventually I think I’ll figure it out.