Do I really need to take an afternoon nap?

For the past ten years, the afternoon nap has been sacred. I cannot function without it, and the few days here and there when I was forced to skip it did not come out well, not at all.

A nap is a good thing. My naturopath tells me a short nap can be equivalent to three extra hours of sleep. I always wake up feeling refreshed, even I'm asleep for just five minutes. I also have to plan my day around this. Between the hours of one and three, I can't just be out anywhere without a bed handy.

But yesterday, I postponed my nap to work on the float for the parade. Everyone in the dance group is supposed to pitch in, and 1pm was the only time I had. I ate lunch and forced myself out the door, feeling a little groggy. By the time I was at the float construction station, five minutes later, I had a spring in my step.

It was a beautiful day. I worked energetically for an hour, then helped everyone clean up and walked back home, feeling strong and alert.

"Boy, I don't need a nap at all," I thought to myself. I took my antibiotics, which I usually take right after lunch, and I immediately started to feel sleepy. I lay down and slept for an hour.

And again today, I walked over the library after lunch to pick up some books, and didn't feel sleepy at all. I have yet to take my antibiotics, but when I do, I'll probably need my nap.

So am I safe to conclude that if it weren't for the antibiotics, I might get by without a nap?

Perhaps the point is moot, since I am, in fact, taking antibiotics right now. It gives me hope, however, that someday I won't need the antibiotics or the nap, which means I could do things-- like say, hold down a job, or go to an all-day dance workshop, or go to an all-day anything. It just might happen.

(This picture, "Sleeping Woman in Blue", is by Konstantin Somow.)

THE END OF AN ERA

Well, the blog has been getting quite a few comments lately, causing me to realize it's been two months since I posted. So here's a quick update:

1. I am done with the Rocephin injection! Hooray!!! Many thanks to the Poet who gave me the injection for nine of the 11 + months, even when it was more of a pain in his ass than in mine to do it for me. And thanks to my Mom, who did it for two and a half months and was tortured by it every time.

Also thanks to Abby, Samer, Nina and Ben, my casual encounters (so to speak).

OK, end of Oscar speech.

2. I got over the virus I mentioned in the last post, but it took a long month to do it. Have been back at normal speed since the end of March.

3. I am now on Omnicef, Clarithromycin and grapefruit seed extract, which feels like a dream compared to the last antibiotic combination I was on. Still taking tons of supplements, and giving myself Heparin injections, and must take a nap every afternoon. It also feels like I'm on the last lap of my treatment. Just one more year to go?

4. Progress: I am now dancing, riding my bike instead of driving, and running about three miles three times a week. Thanks to my amazing myofascial release therapist, the tendonitis is in the past. I've been taking Samba classes since February, and on June 19th I will be in the Fremont Soltice Parade with Samba dancers. Hooray!

CYTOKINES

After seeing Dr. Martin Ross yesterday and the naturopath the day before, the general conclusion is that I just have a virus.

"But it feels so much like my Lyme symptoms coming back," I said to Dr. Ross.

Not to worry, he told me. The Lyme symptoms are caused by cytokines, which cause the achy feeling and everything else, and the immune response to the virus creates more cytokines.

"Well, it's really thrown me for a loop," I said. "I was doing so well in December and January!" This virus has been dragging on for over two weeks, and iit's the second virus to hit me in the past month.

Dr. Ross always has a way of reassuring me.

"Don't worry, I see this a lot," he said. "With Lyme it can sometimes just take a long time to get over something like this. But you will. I can see you are so much stronger than when I first saw you. You have a essence of strength that you didn't have at your first appointment with me, and that isn't gone even though you're feeling a little run down right now."

Then he popped the question.

"Do you want to get off the Rocephin injection?"

Do I? Of course I do!

And I said no. It's working and I don't want to change anything that's working, even if it means a big fat needle in my derriere every morning. Besides, after two more months I can brag about getting an injection in my badonkadonk every day for a year. Serious street cred.

So I signed myself, and the Poet-- the manly administrator of said shot-- up for two more months.

Overall the mood of the appointment was light-hearted. This the second appointment with Dr. Ross when we've made jokes and laughed. He was downright celebratory. As for me, I kept saying, yes, I'm really happy. But it was the kind of happy when you just say it. You don't let your heart feel it, because you have this crappy virus, and besides, you don't want to jinx yourself. Because it feels like that day might come when you will throw your hands in the air and boogie, and you don't don't don't want to spoil the chance of that happening.