Lets have an update

I've not done and update in what seems life forever. Oddly the last time I even opened blogger was a year ago and I never finished my post.
But this blog was invaluable to me for a long time, and I’m afraid that once again it will be.

So lets get you up to speed...

Three years ago, I started having breathing problems. I developed a deep cough. I was given multiple asthma medications they would work for the immediate but nothing seemed to control the daily onset of lung spasms.
After some insistence I went to see a pulmonologist.  He did some tests and assured me my issues weren’t post chemo related, which had been my fear. He was fairly certain also that I had asthma just not treated properly.  But he took my word and had me do some more tests.  Low and behold no asthma. It wasn’t exercise induced nor was it induced by a methacholine challenge. So after being on asthma medication for literal years I was off of those!

Fast forward about 5 months Christmas 2017.  I had a stroke in my brainstem. It affected the vision in my right eye. It was caught early, and even thought I was told recovery would take three months, once again I whizzed through my recovery in three weeks.

My right eye is still a bit on the wonky side when I’m tired, and I need to get my glasses updated. But it was EXACTLY what I needed.  My Ophthalmologist (whom I think the world of) told me this was the time for me to stand up and self advocate for my own health.  You see, my stroke was caused by high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Neither which I knew I had, even though I had seen MULTIPLE doctors over the years from spring 2015 to the end of 2017.  Turns out, my overall cholesterol was under 200 (that’s normal) but my triglycerides which is a part of your total count was nearly DOUBLE.  The odd thing is my blood pressure had never been really high. Maybe a tad but not over the top hypertensive like it was at the time of my stroke. I checked back to multiple offices and checked all of my BP readings none read the horrible high pressure that I experienced the week of December 10^th and after. I’m now medicated for that and doing well.  I’m also being medicated for the triglycerides, as this is less diet and more genetic.  But I took it upon myself to also work at losing some weight. And as of Thursday, I have lost 27 pounds since my stroke. I’m far from thin, but those pounds are coming off a bit less now than I would like.

I quit exercising in June because frankly I didn’t have the strength to do it. This seemed strange at the time. But I know my body and I listen to it. I was using my C-pap machine (a new one thanks to the awesomeness of the pulmonologist) and I had been doing my stretches and my weight training that my PT had set me up with, however it just seemed like I couldn’t lift my arm let alone a 3lb weight.

Then I started noticing something else around the 4^th of July. I had pain, but not the “I walked 6 miles and damn I hurt” kind of pain. This pain was deep in my bones. It also seemed so very familiar. My shoulder blades hurt.  My cheek bones hurt, as well as my forearms, and let’s not forget the knee pain that sent me to the physical therapist to begin with. It was the kind of pain your grandparents tell you about when it is going to rain, how they ache all over and they know it’s going to rain because they can “feel it in their bones”

So I called my Dr. she ordered a few blood tests with a consult the following week. She noticed my fingernails are dented. Golly, when did I see that before? Ohhhh yea when I was anemic. Tired, dented nails, bone pain, but all those red counts are fine. Oh wait but, my red cells are also very large. Not so large that it flags in the blood work, but large enough they can’t get bigger without flagging. But if I’m iron anemic, my cells would be small… so what’s the deal?  From what the interwebs tell me red cells can also get big if you’re making them SUPER FAST. Hummmmm bone pain…. Fast blood production…

So my Dr knowing I know as much as I do and that I know how to look at stuff other than web MD, she says lets repeat this blood work, and ill add on some and we will check your vitamin levels. Maybe your just needing a supplement. Bless her heart, trying to keep me from worrying. But she blew it as I was walking out of the office. I asked if she wanted me back in three months like normal. She said “you’re getting that drawn on Monday? I’ll read it and we will decide what’s next when I see it. I’ll be in touch”

Whammo.  That means she’s going to call me. That means she’s thinking what I’m thinking, maybe its back and we need to find a way to prove it, before that dragon gets a decent foothold again.

I'm preparing myself for the worst. I’ve fought that dragon before and won. I can do it again if I have to.