Friday Was Another Not Bad Day; Saturday, too

I was "normally tired", as odd a phrase as that probably should be. It wasn't a very productive day, but stuff *did* get done. Sitting down taking mini-rests helped.

It seems like changing the furnace filters did make an impact on allergy affects. I'm experiencing less sinus troubles. I'm sure more frequent vacuuming, including running the vacuuming robots, is helping, too. Summer may be more productive simply because the air conditioning runs so much and therefore the air is more filtered. I can't remember if that was the case last year, but I seem to remember something like that. The sunlight certainly helps, too.

Last (Friday) night I had sleeping trouble. I was terribly antsy. I think I had some caffeine too late in the evening in a mixed drink. That should be easy enough to manage in the future.

This morning is going well. The air conditioning is running and the air *feels* good. I don't know how to describe it any differently. I seems easy to breathe; the air seems light and almost sweet. It's a beautiful sunny day, too.

A "Catch-Up" Day?

I was tired all of the day. I took a five minute nap sitting in a chair around 4pm while waiting/watching the children at sports practice. I felt surprisingly better afterward. Once home, I was able to stay awake until 6pm, then I took a 2 hour nap. It's now time to go to sleep for the evening. I hope tomorrow is a less tired day.

Back to "Normal"

Every time I woke-up this mornings, I had lines all over me. I never felt well-rested. I still don't. I'm on my second 16oz glass of water, hoping that and doing my best to psych myself up will help. I'm having limited success. I'm definitely fighting sleep.

Usually I feel best if I allow myself to sleep until I feel well-rested, but I'm trying to keep to a schedule. I allow for some "down-time" and/or naps in the afternoon. I've successfully kept to that schedule since Tuesday. Tuesday, I didn't nap, per se, but I did allow myself to get close while listening to some television with the children. I felt better afterward. Yesterday, I did nap. I don't remember whether I felt better afterward. I do remember it being *very* difficult waking up and getting myself going afterward. My guess is that means I didn't feel better. I did have a good evening, though, even making a "real" dinner.

The furnace filters were changed last evening. I wonder if I'll see any difference with respect to that, either with sneezing, a runny nose or maybe even tiredness. One of the filters is in my bedroom. I don't feel any more congested than normal, though.

This past week, I've had lots of very vivid and complex dreams. Sometimes I dream in the morning when I allow myself to go back to sleep. I have no idea if it makes any sense, but I think when this happens that I've awakened in the wrong part of a sleep cycle and I need to finish the cycle to feel better. I think I remember it helping to wait until I don't wake-up during dreaming. Given my memory troubles, though, I can't completely trust this.

I still haven't called the sleep doctor. Beyond not being thrilled about calling, I'm not thrilled at the prospect of trying yet another medication that causes, rather than solves, problems. I do need to call, however. It won't get the problem solved by not calling; calling might help.

A Pretty Good Day

Falling asleep last night was pain and RLS free. I think my legs are back to normal. Yay!

I slept in until 8 o'clock and felt pretty good, enough that I'd describe it as well rested. The sunny day helped, too. Sunlight makes a world of difference for me. The cool morning air helped, too. The day was very muggy, so I finally gave in mid-morning and turned on the air conditioning. I've felt much, much better, though not very energetic. I'm not sleepy, though.

My Own Personal Energy Crisis

I woke up around 6am again today. Since yesterday I became sleepy soon after waking, I decided to sleep in and see if that helped with energy. It didn't.

I just can't seem to find any help energy. Caffeine doesn't help. Nor does making sure I'm well hydrated, eating well, periodic resting. Cool outdoor air helped earlier in the day, but since cool doesn't exactly last very long, that ended around 10am. I have *so* much I want to do, even so I really have to push to make myself expend the energy, and then as soon as I slow down I feel just how tired I am. Finishing any task is hard.

It's nearly supper time. My hands and arms feel tingly. I have that plastic coating feeling again, too. I'm afraid I feel my legs starting to get funny feelings. I don't want to go there.

Some Results, SOP

I woke up just before sunrise this morning and I felt good. Going to bed at a reasonable time (10:30-ish), was a good thing. I dressed and prepared for the day. I spent some time on my balcony outdoors, breathing fresh air, stretching. I let the dog out. I felt great until I'd finished these tasks. Then, I was tired. Really tired. I napped for around an hour, woke-up and felt very tired for hours afterward.

Now, hours later, I'm not overly tired, but if I allow myself to stop and just sit, I am tired. I've eaten well today and concentrated on drinking plenty of water. Other than this morning's nap, I've not slept during the day.

I still haven't filled my script for klonopin. I want a few more days without additional medications that may very well make me even more tired. I'd like at least some life every now and then.

Still Looking for a Solution

I was up until 3am today fighting RLS symptoms; I had an 8:15 doctor's appointment. I think I may have found a stretch that works to help the discomfort in my knees. This evening will be an early night. I *need* to get more sleep.

Today's appointment was with my gp rather than the sleep doc. It was basically an update on what's going on with the sleep doctor. She gave me a prescription for clonopin to help with sleep until I can get in to see the sleep doctor. I've not had it filled, yet. I think I'll try again without anything and see. I may end up taking another vicodin tonight to get some sleep. I hope not.

I've only taken one nap today. I just couldn't stay awake without it. My goal is to go to sleep at 10pm to get a full night's sleep so I can have another productive day.

No Requip, Day 2

The RLS symptoms continued last night. After riding the bicycle and stretching, I decided to take a vicodin. I slept well. I don't feel well rested, though. I've been tired most of the day and even took a mini-nap about an hour after waking up. I'm ready for another one. My legs feel better today, although I can still feel they're not yet back to normal.

A Productive Day

I was surprisingly capable considering my lack of sleep last night. Every time I attempted to rest, the RLS symptoms returned. I hadn't anticipated that this might be a multi-day adjustment. Considering that it took two weeks to get to the 1mg dosage, I shouldn't be surprised.

I still didn't call the sleep doctor. I did have a lot to get done today, but had I wanted to do so, I could have found time to call. This is purposeful procrastination. And, why not? As I recall, the next step is something like Mirapex/Requip combined with some sort of sleeping pill. The idea of needing something to sleep is certainly not some place I really want to go. The prospect of trying drug after drug and going through various weaning processes, troublesome side effects, isn't very encouraging. Being sleepy all the time isn't acceptable, but so far, neither have any of the potential "helps".

Requip Weaning

Last night was tough. It was my first night without Requip. I'd been taking 1mg. The entire night I had very bad RLS symptoms. I was able to get some rest, but not much. Tylenol helped a bit. Riding my bicycle also helped. Eventually, I drank some alcohol. I played a lot of solitaire on my handheld in an attempt to be quiet and not wake my spouse.

I've not called the sleep doctor, yet. I anticipate problems. Requip isn't working for me and, frankly, I really don't want to try yet one more medication that causes me to be more tired or make my legs twitch. I'd rather just be my regular tired than feeling tired and fuzzy (or uncomfortable) from medication.

I'm pretty sure that's not going to be a popular opinion.

Twelve Hour Rule Worked Again

Taking the Requip at 6:30pm last night worked well for this morning. I wasn't groggy. The dull, plastic coating feeling remains, though. Having sung the praises of taking the Requip early, this evening I didn't remember (bad memory - grrrr) until 10 o'clock. I hate knowing ahead of time that I've blown it and tomorrow will be extra hard.

I slept for two hours after coming home from church. As usual, I didn't wait until after lunch, I just went directly upstairs and to sleep. I awoke rather suddenly when something fell nearby. After that I couldn't go back to sleep because my knees felt funny. They needed to move. RLS symptoms strike again. I got up, still a bit groggy, but it didn't last long.

I was able to spend several hours outside doing some light gardening. My landscaping is a mess. I just haven't the energy to keep up with it, so I'm paying for two years of insufficient maintenance. I've been careful not to overdo it.

Paying For Breaking the Twelve Hour Rule

I think there's a bit more to the twelve hour rule than I originally thought. I woke up three hours before the twelve hours was over and, now, four hours after the twelve hours I'm still tired. Of those four hours, I napped for two of them. I've gone outside and gotten some fresh air, played a bit with the dog, tried to do some brain puzzles, but I still feel slow and like I'm a few seconds behind reality. My arms feel heavy and I'm fighting sleep. Doing pretty much anything takes a lot of energy, even simply things like holding a cup of water. I've heard the term "drug hangover". I think that's what this is. Then again, I have experienced this before taking either the Requip or the Mirapex. This has been a "symptom" for nearly 10 years. It is nearly guaranteed, though, when I take the Requip later.

I'm dull, groggy -- it's that whole plastic coated feeling again. At least yesterday I had some time between waking up and the plastic coated feeling when I wasn't tired and/or groggy.

I've had one cup of coffee, 2 litres of Diet Dr. Pepper and 32 oz of water, so both my water and caffeine intake shouldn't be causing the tired feelings.

I have stuff I WANT to do. LOTS of it. I know that if I start something feeling like this, I'm likely to have to quit part way through -- and after I have stuff spread out -- because I'm too tired. I also have some "brain stuff" to do, but this plastic coating makes it impossible for me to be confident I'm not making some really stupid mistake. Having done just that, I just don't feel competent to do anything too important.

Who Dreams About Laundry??

Apparently, I do.

I found myself staring in my dresser drawer, not believing what I saw, or rather, what I didn't see. I didn't see the laundry that I clearly remember putting in there. Clearly. Very clearly.

So what do I make of this? I must have dreamt it. It's not the first time I've confused dreams with reality. I've had to ask my spouse whether what I remember is fact or dream before. It's crazy-making. How do I make plans, decisions? On what can I base them, if I can't trust my memory for simple things such as putting clean laundry in my dresser?

Dull

I'm looking for the right term to describe how I feel right now. It's the common feeling the day after taking Requip (and it's the same as with Mirapex).

I feel....dull, plastic coated, like I'm not quite here able to put everything together and think things through completely. When I get ready to do something, I always feel like I'm forgetting something. It's like I can't quite put "it" (whatever I'm doing) all together. It's not really detached. It's like I'm not quite all the way in reality, like I'm not interacting with reality, there's some sort of barrier there. Ugh, plastic coated is the best I can get. I feel like I have to fight through that coating to get to reality. It's not exactly a pleasant feeling.

I'm looking for the words before I call the sleep doctor. Or rather, his nurse. I want to get the words right so she doesn't recommend a higher dosage or a prescription to give it a bit more of a try. I think the last time, when I tried to tell her that the Mirapex made me much more restless than normal, that I failed and she thought I was still having problems with RLS.

Communicating certainly isn't made easier by this feeling of plastic coating.

The Twelve Hour Rule

I took Requip at 8 o'clock last night. I would have taken it at 6 o'clock, but one of the kids had a ballet recital last night and I didn't want to drive after taking the Requip. It hasn't caused me to be overly drowsy (until the next morning), but I didn't want to take any chances until I have more experience with it. Unlike yesterday morning where I felt awake by 7 o'clock, today 7 o'clock found me very drowsy. Now I'm "just" very groggy. It seems I need to take Requip at least twelve hours before I need to be awake.

I still have yet to call the sleep doctor. It seems I'm tolerating the Requip well; HOWEVER, it's not helping me feel less sleepy. Is that a success?? If so, it seems a rather pointless one.

I made it through yesterday without a nap, although there were several times I very much wanted to nap. I hadn't used much caffeine in the last few days (despite remembering when I blogged, I'd forgotten by the time I made it to the kitchen), so two cups of coffee helped when I felt tired.

I didn't experience any RLS symptoms yesterday, despite being sleepy. That's a definite improvement. I wonder if the caffeine has anything to do with it.

D-Day for Requip

I'm not as groggy or tired/sleepy as I have been the past two days. If the grogginess or tiredness/sleepiness shows up this morning, it's hit my threshold for "not tolerating well". I have yet to determine what else might fall under that umbrella.

I'd like to think that the medication not helping me be less tired/sleepy will enter into the equation when I call the doctor -- either to say I'm not tolerating Requip well or to ask for a prescription. It's so odd to be contemplating how to contact the doctor regarding a medication that been diagnosed to help a problem that no one notices while ignoring a big problem that obviously impacts my daily life and has for years. Make that decades. Ugh.

Super Tired

I tend to get angry easily when very tired and that's what's happening now. I've become very angry over little things that normally wouldn't bother me.

I took a 1.5 hour nap around 11a and another 1.5 hour nap around 2:30p. I could, maybe even should, take another nap now. I won't because of past experience with early evening naps making it hard to sleep at night.

I took my Requip just after 6p tonight. I'm hoping the effects will be more out of my system in the morning. I've slept much of the past two mornings. I very much would like to get some things done.

1mg Requip Day 2 and Still Groggy

I'm not as groggy and sleepy as yesterday, but it's still pronounced. We're running low on highly caffeinated soda, so today will be a coffee day.

I noticed yesterday that my back ached. It wasn't a big deal, just slightly, but it was there. I was pretty slow the whole day. It was a day that driving wouldn't have been a good idea.

I didn't experience any RLS symptoms last night before sleep. I didn't have any jitters anywhere else, either.

It's a whine and completely off-topic: I've fought through tiredness for so many years.....it's hard to convince myself that there's any meaning in fighting through even more tiredness, that I shouldn't just give up, sit down, and let life happen around me, without me if need be.

The Tired Finally Hit

With several hours of naps behind me, I'm groggy and fighting sleeping more. I have lines all over me from where I slept in the same position for a long time. So much for getting my list done today. Even if I did have the energy, the brain fuzz has put me in extra slow mode.

Not As Tired As I Could Be

A issue that needed immediate attention woke me this morning. I probably would have naturally slept longer. That's life. I'll likely take a bit of a nap, maybe two, later. I'm still pretty tired, but I have much too much I want to do today to lose much time to sleeping. Or, so the theory goes.

Bad planning had me taking the 1mg Requip dose just before midnight last night. I have no idea what time I made it to sleep. I spent some time, maybe a half hour, riding my stationary bicycle to get rid of the RLS feelings. With the Requip, the feelings are mostly in my knees and the muscles on the front side of my legs below my knees. The bicycle helps very well. I seem to be able to rest well while doing it, too. It doesn't seem to pump me up to the point where it makes it more difficult to sleep either. Perhaps riding should become part of my nightly routine?

Another Normal Morning

Mornings are pretty good as long as I can sleep until my body says it's time to wake-up. Any earlier, and I'm groggy and in a fog. That's pretty much the way it was before the Requip. I slept this morning until I woke-up naturally. I didn't need a nap today *and* I was able to keep busy. Today was actually a reasonably productive day.

Tonight I take the next increased dose, going to 1mg of Requip. If this dosage increase is anything like the previous ones, tomorrow will be a very sleepy and sleep-filled day. I hope not.

I don't look forward to finding out just how much a 90 day prescription to Requip is going to cost. I'm paying close to $500 for 90 days of all The Other Stuff the doctors have me taking. With Requip being new, I anticipate it won't be cheap or available as a generic. Ugh.

I Can't See That Anything's Changed

Thankfully I wasn't as groggy this morning, but neither was I anywhere near easily awake, either. Also thankfully, most of the feeling like I'm coated in plastic, and having to fight through it to experience reality, has left. It leaves me.....feeling like I did before I started this whole medication roller coaster. I was still excessively tired around midday and needed a nap. After about 45 minutes, when I needed to get up, it was hard to get up and I've been very sleepy since.

There is one noticeable change: whenever I get tired and I know I need to nap, my legs start to get restless. I think I've identified a medication to *give* myself RLS.

I'm ready to say I can tolerate this medication and the now daily RLS if it will get us on to the next stage of really trying to fix my EDS.

Groggy then Tired

The title says it all. I took my Requip around 9:30pm last evening due to night-time events. Multiple cups of coffee and a 2L of Diet Dr. Pepper -- we're all out of Vault. I am starting to feel a bit jittery. Were it not for severe weather, I'd be taking a nap.

Day 4 of Requip - More Awake

I feel ok this morning, no more unshakable grogginess. That's definitely A Good Thing.

When I was going to sleep last night, my eyelids felt like they were twitching and flickering. The movement was entirely uncontrollable. The only way I could stop it was to open my eyes. It was very uncomfortable and disturbing. While my eyes were closed, lights and bright images flashed. Thankfully, it didn't last long. I hope it's not a normal feature of falling asleep.

I still experience unfamilar RLS feeling in my arms and legs, sometimes during the day, and each night. They're not terrible, only mildly annoying.

Day 3 of Requip

Last night was the first 0.5mg pill. As with the first dose, I couldn't sleep until hours after I took it. It just so happened that the kids had a skating party in the evening where I was needed to drive. As I picked them up, a tornado warning was issued. Since I wasn't sure what to expect -- whether I was going to be tired or jittery or something else entirely -- I waited until after the weather quieted down. It was 9:45. I was awake until after 1am (again). When I did sleep, it was restless.

So far, today has been a day of being very tired and having no choice but to nap. Again.

One more side-effect has been my legs, and to a lesser extent my arms, feeling "funny". It's almost like a constant mild case of RLS in both arms and legs. My left knee was sore last night, too. My back doesn't hurt as bad, but it does feel sort-of "funny" in the same way my arms and legs do.

Day 2 of Requip

I'm not as foggy as I was with the Mirapex, but I'm still somewhat out of it. I feel like I'm drugged. I'm slow and generally weak. I don't think I'll be as sleepy today.

My back started hurting a few days ago. I'm not sure what it's from. I've not done that much that should stress or strain it lately.

I did sleep well last night, though. I only remember waking-up once and that was to use the bathroom.

Lost Day

I slept most of the day. The rest of the day I was groggy beyond being able to do anything. Anything. Thankfully the kids are able to fix their own meals, even the mental part was beyond me. I could only sit and stare and use my computer a bit but not really do anything useful because of the brain fog. Mostly, though, I slept. It didn't even occur to me until sometime around 2pm that drinking caffeine might help me wake-up.

Tonight I took the Requip around 7:45p, hoping to sleep before midnight. I have a hard time believing it could be much worse than last night, so I'm hopeful. I need to have a better day tomorrow, too. If it's not, I'm not sure whether to try one more night before calling the doctor. I'm not really sure what constitutes "not tolerating well".

Ugh

Last night was not a good night. Perhaps it was family stuff, or a long day or the Requip. Whatever it was, I was restless and jittery until sometime after 1am. Both my arms and my legs were restless. I was in a very poor mood, too, but that was likely due to other stuff. This morning, I'm slow and feel in a bit of a fog, although not as bad as with the Mirapex. I had some pretty wild dreams, too.

It's past time to wake-up, but all I want to do is go back to sleep. I can't remember if staying awake until 1am usually causes me to feel this way in the morning. Memory problems are annoying.

I certainly didn't help that my spouse worked late, arriving home after 10pm. When that happens, he's guaranteed to move and bounce a lot in his sleep. I couldn't stay in bed. Every time he'd move -- at least once every minute -- my arms and legs would feel like they HAD to move. First I tried the sofa without success. Then I tried the spare bed. Then, back to the sofa. Finally I watched TV until I could go to sleep. I woke-up in a weird position on the loveseat and moved to the sofa where my youngest child woke me just after 6am.

So far, today feels like a day that will require at least one long nap. I'm fighting to stay awake as it is.

Disappointing Appointment

I never would have guessed the outcome of the sleep doctor appointment. New Drug. Requip. It's supposed to be similar to Mirapex, but different enough that I need to try it. So, I have a two week sample to try. At least I know now I can call the doctor if I don't tolerate it well. I also know that I'll need to try at least four more medications to treat my "excessive myoclonus" -- my feet twitching, possibly RLS. I wasn't ready for the outlook of trying multiple weeks of multiple drugs in hopes that one will work. Perhaps I should review my notes/blog from the first sleep doctor appointment. I might have just forgotten that that was the plan.

I am very, very doubtful that the leg twitching is the problem. No one has ever told me that I move my legs when I sleep. If I remember correctly, the sleep doctor said that it was slight -- even so, it's deemed "excessive".

The whole appointment and outlook has me pretty discouraged. I'm looking at months of trying drugs that, in my uneducated opinion, are treating something that isn't the problem. Perhaps it's what the insurance company requires give my sleep study results. It still means, from my point of view, that I will spend multiple months ingesting medications that aren't addressing the problem. It's frustrating. Despite that, apparently there's no alternative.

So, tonight is my first night of a two week course of Requip. I've not read the information yet, so I have no idea what to expect. I hope it doesn't cause me the same troubles Mirapex did with restlessness and frequent night waking.

I am very close to bagging the whole thing and just living with the sleepiness. With the Mirapex only making the sleepiness worse, the last thing I want to do is spend months making my life harder. Increasing misery is a stupid idea. Better to live with the sleepiness that I have, than see how many ways I can make it worse.

Normal Evening Medications

Last night before bed I took my normal evening medications, including the decongestant with the stimulant. Asleep before 10pm and awake at 6am, predictably I feel a normal amount of tired, the amount of tired I assume most people awaken feeling. I do admit, though, I have no idea whether I'm anywhere close to correct on this. I do know that it helps when I have beautiful sunlight streaming in my bedroom windows.

This morning I have an appointment with the sleep doctor. I'm not sure what to expect from this appointment. I am still hesitant about stopping the Mirapex before seeing him again, though. It's effect really were messing with my daily life; I hope he's understanding. Thankfully, he does appear to be very understanding.

Normally, I 'd have some caffeine this morning, but I'm not sure whether I'm better off not having any. I'd be more alert and able to effective interact with it (obviously), but I'd be more "me" without it and that might be better for him to see. I'll decide after my shower.

A Very Typical Sunday

It starts out as any typical morning, I awake tired, having to struggle to get out of bed. I get out of bed and start on my day. Every Sunday I seriously contemplate not going to church. It's not that I don't want to go to church. It's that it seems like SO much work, even with my spouse doing the lion's share of helping the kids get ready. It's times like this that King David's reply to a man, whose field he is attempting to buy to build an altar to the LORD, comes in handy:

But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

2 Samuel 24:24

Like most Sunday mornings, this gives me the strength I need to continue. I drink a highly caffeinated drink on the way to church and a cup of coffee in Sunday School and by the time the church service is ready to start, I'm tired. I successfully stay awake -- it holds my interest and when that's not enough, I do what I can. I melt once I reach our car and drag myself into the house for a nap when I get home, feeling guilty the whole time because my spouse is left to fix lunch. I wake-up one to two (plus) hours later. Yep, a typical Sunday.

Here I sit, after waking from an hour and a half of nap, spending an hour trimming bushes (not strenuously), and then driving my children to choir practice, and I'm tired, fighting to stay awake. Hopefully the large cup of coffee next to me (and the highly caffeinated drink I consumed on the way to church, and the highly caffeinated drink I plan to consume after the coffee is gone) will tide me through until I make it home. I have no idea whether I'll need to collapse and/or nap at that time.

This is so much better than when I was taking Mirapex, but the joy in the thought that it could be worse is waning. I hate the thought of wanting stimulants. I just want a life where I don't have to plan every activity around when I need to nap.

Mirapex Mistake

Last night was a late night, and as often happens, my legs got that crawly, gotta move, gotta stretch feeling that the sleep doctor told me is RLS. Normally I solve the problem by stretching my calf muscles as much as I can -- basically until it hurts -- and after one or more sessions of this, it goes away completely or at least enough that I can sleep. Last night, however, I decided to take a Mirapex since I was supposed to be taking them to help with that very thing. It was a mistake.

I've been groggy the whole day. I've napped twice and still felt heavy and thick when I woke up. It was a considerable chore to get myself up. The Mirapex definitely is NOT helping.

It was a good learning experience, but I've lost another day.

Second Day Without Mirapex

I'm still tired. I still have to push to get anything done. I still need to drink lots of caffeine. BUT, I didn't lose my whole day, first to grogginess and then to being exhausted. I now have a perspective that there *is* something worse. It's oddly comforting -- even when I'm having to fight not to nap.

Getting something *I* wanted to do yesterday helps. The sunshine after several cloudy days does, too.

Oops

I was wrong about taking the Mirapex before my 8pm crash. I didn't take it. Yesterday, I felt great. I had energy. I even did some twilight gardening. So, last night my spouse talked me into not taking it again. I see the sleep doctor next Monday and given the dramatic difference I saw....just wow. I don't feel as awake this morning, but no where nearly as groggy and fuzzy as I did with the Mirapex.

I am more than just a bit concerned about the sleep doctor's reaction to my stopping the Mirapex. I'd rather not be seen as a non-compliant patient.

I Think I Caught Up on My Sleep!

Of course, I went to sleep just after 8 o'clock last evening and didn't wake-up until after 6 o'clock this morning. It's ten hours sleep. Another way of looking at it, though, is it's only ten hours sleep. I was expecting to have to get twelve to feel well rested. The way I look at it, I have a bonus of two hours today!

I did take my Mirapex last night just before literally crashing. No dinner, no good-nights to my children or spouse, just a crash.

I have no idea what to expect from today. I'd like to think it'll be a wide awake, no naps needed day. That might be a bit much to expect, but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised.