Bruises, Blood work and changes

So it's official (I guess).

I e-mailed the registrar and asked to cancel my application to graduate this year. Two more years to graduate.  A lot of people I know who have done their Honours have taken 5 years anyway, so that makes me feel a bit better.

I also did a bit of a shake up of what I'm going to be taking next year.

There was some concern with my taking one of the classes, because it is a once a week, 3 hour class, that relies heavily on participation, and if I end up back in the hospital, even for a week, that's a big hit.  It's also taught by a sessional, so if I need a medical extension to finish it, it complicates things a bit (not impossible) but it seems like a lot of unknowns and stress.   There is a course that I originally was super excited to take, that I decided not to take for a bunch of reason, but it actually is the perfect fit now.  It is taught by a prof I know and love, I know what's expected of me for the course because I've taken 300 level courses from her before.  It does have participation marks, but there's a bit more flexibility potentially, since it's a bigger class.    It also is directly after the only other in class course I'm going to be taking next semester (I'll be doing my Honours as well which is worth 2 course credits per semester).

What inspired this random change?  I'm kind of getting worse.  I have a feeling there's another round of IV steroids in my near future (I got blood work done Thursday, I see the dermatologist again on Monday and it depends what the blood work says, what happens).   From what I've read and been told, most people wean off of steroids between 6 weeks and 2 month after getting DRESS syndrome.   I'm actually on a higher dose now than I was when I left the hospital (I guess I *kind of* weaned because I went back on IV and then back on oral, and the IV to oral was a wean... except it caused me to look like a chipmunk now with my round, swollen, rashy face :(

I kind of prefer the IV steroids.   As much as it sucks to have an IV, and they make it difficult for me to sleep at night, and even more hungry than the oral do... I feel better physically... my immune system is going insane right now, and the IV steroids calm it down (well... shut it down I guess).

I made a comment in the MSPals group about how it sucks that you can't just stay on IV steroids.  A bunch of people told me that they've been in IV steroids (every few weeks or so) for years.  There's something about that that reassures me a bit.  It's not ideal, it's not good for your body (although if you look at the immune suppression steroids do versus some of the DMD that people with MS get put on... I'd kind of prefer the steroids)

I had a bit of a melt down today.  My partner asked me how I was feeling (for like... the 8th time, because I have been feeling really crappy all day), and I lost it and told him to stop asking me because it reminds me how shitty I feel, and then I cried.    I know he's just concerned.  I'm concerned.

I've been getting a lot of random bruise (all over my thighs and legs mostly).  I don't know where they came from.  I've also noticed my bruises are taking long to heal.  I got blood work from my arm a week ago last Wednesday, and it still has quite a nasty bruise on it.  It's starting to fade though.

I noticed on my recent blood work they're doing PT/INR (which measures blood coagulation) as well now (it used to just be a whole bunch of liver tests).  I haven't mentioned the bruises, so I'm guessing it's something to do with the steroids.   It will be interesting to see the results on Monday.