Chapter 15: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

So, this drug trial thing… not sure that I’m liking it. I really am beginning to think that I am “one of the unlucky ones” who got the placebo packs. I feel horrible. I’ve been trying to keep a journal of each symptom I have so they can tell me if it’s from the pills or not. I think most of my updates about this whole thing will be my journal entries from now on. They really sum up what I’m going through.

So, here we go.


8-8-10     Days on the Pill: 1

Had bad leg cramp while sleeping. It woke me up. Cramped so badly that I have a bruise about the size of a Tootsie Roll on the top of my R calf. I have done this before, though.

I also feel “off”. Woke up with a headache; not very rested. My stomach also feels different. Slight nausea, too, but Grizzly Boy (my boyfriend; changed his name for privacy) is reporting the same feeling. Who knows. (@ 7:45 PM)


8-10-10    Days on the Pill: 3

Neck, shoulders, and back and chest muscles have been tight for a good 18 hours. Began last night. We also had semi-strong thunderstorms last night. Not sure if the weather has anything to do with it… (@ 1:56 PM)


8-17-10    Days on the Pill: 10

Been too tired/drained from work to keep a daily log.

Had facial numbness/pain around my L eye that spread to my L cheek and ear. This lasted 10+ hours. I had done this before going on this pill, though. This incidence was sometime last week.

Sprained my ankle Friday (the 13th, of course). I was just walking and my ankle came out from under me. This is VERY common for me, though. So common, in fact, that I had to have surgery in 2005 to repair/reconstruct it.

Sunday (the 15th) I woke up feeling horrible. I was… “out of it”, I guess it what you could call it. I just didn’t feel normal. My brain was very foggy, I got slightly confused easily, felt semi-nauseous, and had diarrhea most of the day.

Yesterday was the same thing, except I was in immense pain. The muscles in my back, sides, and stomach physically hurt when I woke up. I couldn’t bend over without wincing in pain. I was so nauseous when I woke up, I felt like I was going to vomit. I also had diarrhea all day. At work, the pain got worse, and I could barely squeeze a bottle sprayer to clean. When I got home from work, I couldn’t sit still and get comfortable without some other part of my body hurting. I was very emotional, too. Literally on the brink of crying all day.

Today, I think I might be in less pain, but I haven’t moved around too much. I did wake up with diarrhea and nausea, though. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how the rest of the day goes… (@10:18 AM)

-Grizzly Girl