Conquering the Chills

Doesn't my new eyeball look GREAT? Yes, I know it's just a new lens but it feels all brand new. (You don't see crows-feet and grey hairs, do you? No, you don't. Repeat after me: No I Don't....)

As I was getting ready for bed last night, John said, "So, what's with the sweatshirt, Babe?"

I have been wearing a hooded sweatshirt over my jammies for the past few weeks. After I'm all tucked into beddy-bye, I pull the hood up over my head, wiggle my hands down under the covers and stick my hands into the front pocket.

Serious snoring follows shortly.

I've been having more of those "I feel like I have a temperature but I don't" chills in the evenings lately, and popping a Tylenol and putting on my fave hoodie seems to help quite a bit.

It HAS to be this grey one. 

You know how this feels, don't you? Like I'm coming down with something -- my skin is all goose-bumpy and I feel chilled and achey. Early on in my disease process, these episodes freaked me out considerably. But then, just about everything about Sjogren's freaked me out at first.

Now, I just chalk it up to my disease being what it is: an immune system on overdrive that's acting like I have an infection when I don't. I suspect that the increased frequency of these kind of spells is related to the fact that we're trying to taper my prednisone again. I have been extremely motivated to reduce my prednisone ever since I developed prednisone-induced cataracts. We will see how that goes.

I know that y'all just can't wait to imitate my newest bedtime fashion, so here's a few tips to recreate this sensational ensemble for yourself:

• A heather grey sweatshirt from one of your children's colleges' bookstores which was hideously overpriced but says "(Name Your College) Mom" on it is ideal. Preferably if it's been wadded up and tossed on the top shelf of your closet for at least five years. 
• NO ZIPPERS. It simply must be a pull-over-your-head style hoodie. Aside from the fashion statement that we are trying to create here, ow. Not comfy. 
• I personally prefer the heather/pink sweatshirt-jammies combo, but feel free to experiment with whatever color coordinates you choose. 
• Before nodding off, be sure to remove the cell phone from the front pocket (which is where you stuck it while brushing your teeth and dropping your eyes), or you'll be scrambling in the morning to figure out what the heck you did with it.
• And finally, one word: SOCKS. A must-have accessory. I enjoy SmartWool brand myself, but here's a cautionary note: avoid those fluffy sock-slipper thingies since most of them have sticky spots on the soles to keep you from falling on your tushie. This works well if one is actually up and walking around but once in bed they stick to the sheets and are ridiculously cumbersome which ruins the entire zen snuggly experience. 

Wield this awesome bedtime beauty with caution, people. With power comes great responsibility.