Pre-Valcyte:
Wake up about 7am, stay in bed listening to audiobooks and crocheting for an hour or so. If I got up too soon after waking, I had POTS/OI issues.
If I had a tutoring appt, I'd get up, dress, eat an easy breakfast (yogurt, fruit), and tutor for 1-2 hours. After that I'd sit in the recliner and handle my email and other Internet business. Lunch was something else minimal prep -- one of my student's parents pays me in cold vegetarian lunches. By then I was usually shot and would take a nap for 1-5 hours depending on my state of health.
If I didn't have a tutoring appt, my "big" activity was taking a shower and washing my hair. That would usually put me to bed for most of the rest of the day.
When I woke from my nap, I usually stayed in bed for several more hours listening to audiobooks and crocheting. Sometimes, if I was doing well, I'd do very little, very light housework -- 5 mins at a time with 10-15min supine rest between.
Most days I'd used up my energy by then, even with the nap, so all I could manage was sitting in the recliner for the evening.
Poor hubby did most of the cooking, laundry and rudimentary housework. We paid a cleaning person to do the rest.
Many weekends I slept whenever I felt sleepy and was in bed or recliner the rest of the day spending time with my family.
Audiobooks and crocheting kept me from going absolutely mad with boredom during this time.
After a year on Valcyte
I wake up about 8a, putter around getting dressed, breakfasting (still easy), doing Internet work, and getting ready for my students. I tutor 1-2 hours most mornings.
Because I now have afternoon activities, I go back to bed at 11:30-12:00 after a simple lunch. Even if I don't feel tired and don't fall asleep, I rest supine in bed (listening to audiobooks) for 2-3 hours.
Three days a week now, I teach a 2hr class after school at my house for 6-10 kids. After that it's light cooking (maybe) and back to the recliner for the evening.
On days I don't have afternoon classes, I take a shower or have doctor, dentist, hairdresser appts. I also sometimes arrange to visit with friends.
Last fall I did 2 classes a week in the afternoon away from home, had occasional business meetings during the day, and sometimes stayed in bed only 1 hr in the afternoon. That didn't work in the long run, though. :In bed: I stopped improving on the Valcyte and started to have more symptoms.
Now I stick to a rigid schedule with 2-3 hours bedrest midday, even when I don't feel like it and don't want to. It's what allows me to work about 15 hrs a week, which I need to do now.
I
could do more activity now without crashing, but I'd start a slow downhill slide, if last fall was any indication. I'm paying too much for Valcyte not to get the most I can out of it.
