Pinpointing your optimum lupus time

My naps have been a bit spotty lately. Not spotty as in I've been skipping them, but spotty as in it's been hard for me to lay down and actually fall asleep. It's not for lack of trying. Trouble is that I've been catching up on manufacturing calls, emails, and to-do's for the pillbags for the hour or two before my nap. So when I go to start my nap, my mind hasn't shut down yet; it's still in task mode.

For instance, on Tuesday, I had trouble falling asleep because I was so frustrated with the lack of response I'd been getting from a couple of new suppliers. On Thursday, I had trouble falling asleep because I was so elated with said suppliers because all of the samples I'd been waiting for came in.

Clearly, my suppliers are getting way too much of my attention - but that's another post.

The quandary I'm in now is how do I capitalize on the free-est part of my day when that part of the day isn't necessarily the best part of the day for me to work? Put another way -if 10-12pm is the optimal time to work because I'm fresh, energized, and raring to go, but 1-3pm is the free-est time because the girls are finishing up lunch, chilling, reading, or just beginning their naps, what do I do?

I remember oh so well trying to strategically schedule my days when I was really sick. During the years when I relied so heavily on those magic little pills like prednisone and NSAID's to get me going in the morning, I found that from 10am to about 2pm was ideal. My medicine had kicked in, I was as pain-free as I was going to be all day, and the fatigue hadn't crept in. From 2-4pm, things went downhill. My morning pain medication started to wear off, lupus fatigue had come on strong, and most of my joints were achy and beginning to swell. By 4pm...forget about it. I was a mess. Come to think of it, I tried to schedule my doctor's appointments strategically, too. Usually, I tried to capitalize on the part of the day when I'd feel my best - making the drive to the doctor's office, the conversation with the doctor, and the drive home as successful as possible. However, I remember a few rare occasions when I scheduled my appointments when I knew I'd be at my worst - just so I could show up and have proof of my symptoms. Thankfully, I didn't have to do that too often. Especially with my handy chronic chart in hand, I never minced words when it came to describing just how crummy I felt.

But back to the issue at hand - finding the best time to work, without jeopardizing my nap, health, or both.

Wow - I guess I just answered my question, didn't I?

I guess even though I may THINK it's ideal to work when the girls are chilling out, it doesn't enable me to get the rest I need in the afternoon. I wish it did, and perhaps someday it will, but right now, priority one is that I take care of myself, so that I can take care of those little ladies, long term.

And really - do you think they notice exactly what hour or two I sneak away to work? They just know that's their time to play with Paola...and they enjoy the break from plain ole' mom. And come the end of April, I won't be sneaking away much at all, since Paola leaves us at the end of that month.

Oh man. That's definitely another post.

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