Wonky meds and a sick cat

The last 24 hours have been - for lack of a better word, frantic and worried. I had seen my P-doc on Monday and she said my lithium level was way too low, something I suspected as well. I had been on 3000 mg of lithium prior to my illness in March. Since Easter i have been on 600 mg. And since May, I have been ultra- rapid cycling faster than Lance Armstrong.


So it wasn't a surprise to find out my lithium has been doubled, as of yesterday I am on 1200. I seriously believe by the time of my next blood draw- around the 10 of November, it will be upped again.

Cymbalta, currently at 60 mg a day is staying as is until the lithium gets to the right level. I was really hoping to start tapering down to 40mg.

Yesterday, I took a nap for about 30 minutes, cat resting against my left leg. I woke up and she continued to sleep. Nothing new there, cats spend a good chunk of their lives asleep. It snowed, and was cold. I turned the heat on for the first time this year, and had the electric blanket on. Kitty loved nestling up against electric blanket.

I noticed she hadn't touched her food bowl since the morning, and hadn't used her box, nor touched her water bowl. I went to collect her, and she meowed a strange, plaintive meow I never heard before. it was small and hardly audible, like a kitten's.

She was up the entire night, sitting on the couch in a sphinx like position, looking sort of like the Sphinx, and the lions at the NY Public library. But she was staring into space and if I tried to get near her, she would meow, hiss, spit. Then go back to staring.

I was afraid to go to sleep, and i kept trying to coax her to eat, opening a tin of tuna which she wouldn't touch ( Her favorite), and putting some whipped cream on my finger. Again, she wouldn't touch it.

This morning I called the vet. But she must have had her kitty ESP going, because she ate a few hours earlier, used the litter box, drank her water, and batted her catnip mouse. But still won't let me hold her or pick her up. The vet said it sounds like she might have a cold, but if she was eating and using her box, there was no discharge from her nose, and her breathing is clear, keep monitoring her for another day and if there is no improvement or the same, bring her in tomorrow.

I was walking to put the phone in the cradle, and next thing I know I am on the floor. I was feeling light headed all morning, but did have some breakfast. I must have fainted. i put the phone back, and went to the bathroom. And saw my face. I must have hit the floor hard, my face was bruising badly, and my wrist and hand were swelling too.

I sat back down on the couch, reading a book I have to review, and a few pages into it everything gets blurry. Then I wake up on the floor. Fainted again.

Twice in one morning.

No sleep, fainting, I feel slightly manic, and need to take care it doesn't progress. So I am logging off the computer for the rest of the day, listen to a bit of music and read. Watch the World Series tonight and get some good sleep.

Hopefully by tomorrow both the cat and i will be back to our old selves again.