• Pristiq Side Effects: Apparently I was supposed to up my dose to 100 mg after 2 weeks, which I didn’t realize until my pdoc told me. I did, which was a mistake. I went through the side effects all over again and this time they didn’t go away. He said to go back down to 50 mg. The weakness left, but I was still tired and my mood was worse.
• Allergies: I hear they’re really bad this year for everyone. I am now on a 10-day course of prednisone, that’s how bad they are. Brian came home one day and thought someone punched me because one of my eyes was nearly swollen shut! This better help.
• Inexplicable Rashes: And these have nothing to do with my allergies. None of my prescription creams (I’ve had mild eczema in the past) or OTC ointments are helping. Hopefully the prednisone will take care of this, too, but if not, it’s off to a dermatologist for me. This is getting ridiculous; I have a different doctor for different parts of my body. (Ironically, Hopper recently had a similar steroid injection for her allergies!)

Needless to say, I have not been the easiest person to be around and I haven’t wanted to whine about all of this on my blog. Admittedly, as many of you know, I’ve withdrawn from friends and family. I just want all of this to be over with so I can go on with my life.

To combat my impatience and annoyance, I have been reading tons of Star Wars books and losing myself in that universe. I’ve also been watching Law & Order (original, SVU, and Criminal Intent) DVDs. In addition, my mother-in-law has been sending me cards at least once a week to cheer me up. As efficient as e-mail is, it’s really nice to receive something tangible.

I am now, with my pdoc’s approval and supervision, being slowly weaned off all of my psych meds. If I thrived while not on any meds during my senior year of college, well, hopefully I will thrive again, on meds or off. I am no longer on trazodone, a sleep aid I’ve relied on for years. Although I’m not sleeping as soundly, having Angelo snuggle next to me like a stuffed animal helps.

Today’s Daily Pet Care Tip from Practical Pet Care (archived link missing) says:

When bathing your cat, add a little vinegar or lemon juice to the rinse water, to wash away strong odors and cut soap film.

Who bathes their cat? Years ago I read that bathing your cat(s) helps cut down on household allergens. So like an idiot, I tried it. Guess what? It worked! My allergies weren’t nearly as bad.

I only had Basil and Hopper then, and it was an all day affair. First of all, you’re supposed to do this in a kitchen that has a double sink. Yeah, right. I lived in a studio at the time. I was lucky to have a kitchen at all. And then, you’re supposed to have one of those sink attachments that you can use like a shower head. Whatever.

Dressed in my bathing suit, I actually got into the tub with them because it was the only way to accomplish the task. I took one of the cats, shut the door so they couldn’t escape, and held them under the faucet. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get a cat’s fur wet all the way down to the skin so you can actually shampoo them? While making sure the head and face don’t get wet at all?

Since that was already traumatizing, I decided not to traumatize them further by placing them in the carrier and using a blow dryer to dry their fur. This is the part that took so long: it took the rest of the day for them to dry, no matter how much I towel dried them. They would lick and lick and lick their fur, so by nighttime they were coughing up hairballs.

Here’s my pet care tip when it comes to bathing your cat: don’t do it. Take some allergy meds instead.