Dear ones, I see now that it is unfair for me to go ranting about the questions you ask when you are probably chuck full of real, meaningful questions. Allow me to answer some of them in a prologue to this web-log. ... hehe that rhymed!
Sometime at the end of spring 2011...
I had just gotten settled back at home after three weeks of running around (beach, cousins graduation, etc.) when I came down with a server sinus infection. A hearty dose of antibiotics cleared up my airways quite nicely, but I was still constantly drained and unusually fatigued. I wanted to blame it on the recent travels, or the fact that I was out of shape, so I did. After a while, I started noticing my knees and feet were hurting more than usual. It's probably just the family curse of bad joints getting to me, I thought, so I ignored it. At the beginning of June, my mother finally looked at me and said "Mel, this isn't you. Something's not right."
That's when I started to get concerned. After several Web MD searches and consulting with some close friends, we had several running theories on what it could be. My aunt said it was a thyroid imbalance, my mom swore it was Mono, and lots of people speculated....
"Could it be family joint issues and a summer flue?"
"You're probably anemic - do you eat enough red meat?"
"Stay hydrated. It's so hot out, you might have an electrolyte imbalance - I'll that's what's causing your fatigue."
Trying to stay positive, I tried some non-medical remedies in case it was something above - I switched to an all-natural high-protein high-complex carb diet.. No change. I still woke up every morning exhausted and aching. Perseverance and sheer determination can only get you so far when you're physically falling apart from the inside out, so I gave in and made an appointment with the family physician.
The physician wanted to pin my symptoms on family history (joints) and depression (fatigue) but decided to order a gazillion blood test, just to be sure. After 9 days of anxious anticipation, they called with lackluster results. Thyroid, electrolyte, anemia, kidney, liver, blood sugar, arthritis tracers, and Lyme's - they ALL came back either negative or normal, respectively. So, there's nothing biologically wrong with me? ... What...? But why am I in so much pain? That's when the real fear set it.... Has it been psychological this whole time?
Thank God for my Mother. She knows me. She knows when I hurt, when I'm sad, and the difference between the two. She made dozens of phone calls to specialists in the area (arthritis, Lyme's, alternative Dr.s) and harassed our family practitioner for references until she got me an appointment with an infectious disease specialist for mid August. The specialist treated me differently. He saw me and heard me. Looking me in the eye, he told me that everything was going to be ok. My soul breathed a sigh of relief - no one had said that to me before. Everyone else around me had been just as filled with quivering uncertainty as I was... or didn't take me seriously (but that's a rant for another time).
(Note: this part should be read out loud with an Indian accent while bobbling the head for the full experience)
He said that what I had was "probably one of the two dozen or so diseases carried by the tick - most of which are undetectable by our testing methods - all of which are curable with the right treatment. We will put you on 30 days of heavy antibiotics. If it's Lyme's (or something tick-born) then you will feel worse before you get better. If your symptoms persist, come see me again, if not, don't bother. You will be fine."
I have never been happier to receive a diagnosis in my whole entire life. I'm not depressed after all - I'm just sick- HOORAY! I cried tears of joy as I left the doctors office. Its times like this when a label is the most liberating gift one could be given.
I took the blue pills, felt worse, felt better, and left for college.
I thought that this was the end of the story. But I was wrong. It would be three months before I realized that this was only the beginning.
*TO BE CONTINUED*
wow, sorry for the oober long post, y'all! :-P
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