Orbiting the son.

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I've been orbiting the son for the last few years; initially at a distance and gradually drawn closer as gravity increased. Generally, orbits diverge as time passes, momentum gathers and other attractions appear but not in this case. The space-time continuum is very bumpy in our little fragment of the vast universe and unusual things happen frequently.

The new medication has been abandoned for the moment in favour of going back to basics with one low-potency medication and increasing it to a very high dose. We're on the alert for positive signs as well as negative reactions. Help and guidance is just a phone call away and the doc will review progress on Thursday.

One year ago - downward spiral.

Recovering at home.

Just one year ago, October 2011 was an eventful month. Our traveller felt well enough to return to the mainland, came back home for a few hours, then headed straight to "The Farm". There were travel plans and tickets were purchased for a trip overseas. It all fell apart in an alarmingly short space of time. Health declined and, anticipating relief, he retreated back to Tasmania where the spiral continued ever downwards. At that time our unhealthy house was avoided, cold climates and fresh clean air were vital, food was healthy and always plain, a tent was the preferred abode and all travel was by motorcycle. One year later, that same house is a comfortable refuge, warmth is of utmost importance, food is still healthy but made interesting with spices, camping gear is packed away and two motorbikes sit idle in the garage.

PhD in PDF.

OK, so I read up on things, searching for details on medications, interactions and others' experiences. Ben says I have a PhD in PDF then readily discounts anything I say. Leaflets produced by manufacturers usually state, "The mechanism of action of ..., as with other drugs ...is unknown," which doesn't cause tremendous optimism. Reading about clinical trials can be somewhat reassuring but those long lists of possible side-effects are a genuine concern. Every person is different and small doses of a medication may cause major problems for one person while another person tolerates twice as much with no difficulty. The current combination has worked up to a point but no further, and now something new has been prescribed. The changeover will be very gradual and effects closely monitored.

Meds.

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Medication doses and the delicate balance between efficacy and side-effects are now a major pre-occupation; made more complicated by combining two medications to achieve the desired outcome. We're still unclear what the desired outcome actually is, unless the key purpose is to prevent relapse and, thankfully, that appears very unlikely. Even though the basic stability is very welcome, "not getting worse" isn't quite the same as "getting better"... and getting better will require more than just medication.

No sale!

The house is off
the market. (Web image)

Despite the excellent advertising campaign, the once-dreaded house didn't sell. Offers were lower than expectations and, according to the agent, only bargain hunters were active in the market. Given the present situation, that was probably a good thing but the funds would have been useful to clear some long-standing, medically-induced debt. Even the dog kennel failed to attract bidders, a sure sign of severe decline in the housing sector.