The Mystery Illness Diaries: One Month Anniversary

First published on April 4, 2012 at 10:47 p.m.

Happy One Month Anniversary to me! One month ago today I started losing feeling in my hands, feet, arms and legs. To celebrate, I had my first appointment with the Infectious Disease people downtown :) The good news is that the doctor I met with was very kind, a great listener, and incredibly thorough. He had rigorously studied my charts in advance and then asked me to explain in great detail everything that had happened over the past month. No detail was unexamined - he even questioned me about the air and water quality of the slums I worked in when I was living in Ireland (very poor, for the record), as well as what my life was like when I was living in Ecuador (although this conversation was relatively short, as my parents were able to smuggle me into this country by the ripe ol' age of about nine months ♥). Unfortunately, after listening to my entire life story, he was still completely stumped. He said that at this time he was not able to find any sort of "unifying factors" amongst my symptoms, which basically means that he couldn't think of anything that would explain all of the different stuff I've been going through. So, back to the lab I went, for more blood draws! I'm not sure what will come out it though, as most of the tests I'm having run on me this time are repeat tests... I have, medically speaking, sunk into a bit of a pattern. See doctor. Stump doctor. Have blood drawn. Wait 2-4 days for results. Everything comes back negative. See new doctor. Stump new doctor. Oh crap, it's the weekend, wait two bonus days for anything to move forward. Etc., etc. We haven't talked about Mayo again yet this week, but at this point I'm ready for them to send me down south whenever. If it takes world class doctors to get to the bottom of this mystery, then so be it. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get better, I just need someone to figure out WHAT is wrong with me so I can start my road to recovery. I'm working hard on being patient, because getting upset (which happens at least 2-3 times daily) does not really help anything. I'm trying to focus on my emotional health, since my physical health continues to remain a medical enigma. I've been trying to connect with friends at least every 2 days just so that I can socialize and have fun with people I love. I would probably try to head into town more but we live a ways out in the country, gas is crazy expensive, and I haven't been able to work in about a month. But still. I NEED to spend time with other people. I'm such a social person to begin with that it's important that I retain some semblance of a social routine in order to battle the I've-Been-Tired-And-Laying-Around-All-Day Blues. Today I met up with a friend who has also battled some major medical mysteries in her life, and it was so nice to just vent and compare notes :) I also had dinner with my wonderful running friends. I may not be able to run, but I can still at least hang out with the rowdiest group of runners this side of Superior ♥. I've also been paying attention to the new eating/sleeping cycles my body has sort of slipped into. I've learned that a few different times a day, I just NEED to go lie down for an hour or so to rest. At first I resisted this, because I haven't exactly been doing much that would require me to nap-up afterwards (watching all of this season's episodes of The Voice on Hulu isn't exactly taxing), but I have learned that my body needs straight up REST every few hours. Understanding this has helped to keep my moods more balanced during the day. I've also learned that I can't eat a lot at one time any more. My stomach can't handle the 3 Big Meals A Day routine our culture is famous for. At the same time, I need to have small snacks every so often throughout the day, or I start to feel sick. This is kind of ironic, because technically it is healthier to adhere to a smaller-meals-more-snacks routine. So, in a way, my mystery illness is making... me... healthier?? ;) Like I said, there's really been no developments on the Answers Front, but I am slowly learning better ways to deal with my current state of being. And, I appreciate everyone who reads my updates and sends me notes of encouragement as well. Writing these blog-like entries is actually pretty therapeutic for me. It helps me organize my thoughts and feelings into word form while simultaneously updating those who have asked to be updated. Oh, and I have missed a lot of phone calls and texts because I get next to zero service at home, so please don't think I've been ignoring you if I never seem to answer my cell phone. Because I'm spending a lot of time at home, if you want to get a hold of me it's almost always better to just try calling our land line first ♥. That's really all I have to say for now - I will for sure lay down another long-winded status update as soon as I find out any news :) Thank you all so much for your continued love, prayers, and support. Goodnight ♥.