Day 51 -- Halloween Health

I'm gonna be sore tomorrow......Zumba started up again tonight.  I was pleased that I survived after sitting out from for five months.  I did notice that certain exercises that involved stretching my upper abdomen were a little uncomfortable, but I gave them my all.  Stretching my left arm was also slightly tight, but I forged on.  Glad I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, but I'm definitely not getting another deep-tissue one.  I obviously have too many toxins in my body to be unleashed simultaneously. 

The only lesion giving me issues right now is the one on top of my right foot.  I have to really concentrate on NOT itching it b/c I'll start out scratching and end up dragging the top of my foot across the living room carpet. A rug burn on top of the lesion is not a good combination.  It's easier when I keep my mind and body occupied and distracted so it's a good thing I had little kids ringing my doorbell for two hours begging for candy.  The twin, 2-year-old vampires were definitely the cutest.   I must've really looked a sight after Zumba b/c all they could do was stare at me.....they didn't even notice the candy.  Maybe they were sizing me up for a midnight snack.  I have a few random lesions on my calves and thighs, but I think I'm on the downhill-side of this outbreak.  I have to quadruple my efforts for keeping a healthy immune system. 

Day 50 -- An Entourage of Leaves

An entourage of leaves herald us up the street.
They scratch and screech
To let the moon know we are arriving
Since no one is out driving.
The street lamp halos the yellow Birch leaves,
And makes me believe
I'm the royal dog-walker shuffling through fallen stipules
To create a pathway for her four-legged Highness who makes the rules.

Day 49 -- I'm somebody

My new phone is here.  My new phone is here.  I'm somebody.  Okay, if you haven't seen The Jerk, that won't be as funny.  I wouldn't say that I've felt like nobody these last two weeks w/o a reliable cell phone, but it has certainly dampened my sense of self.  I have now bought into the idea that I have to be completely accessible and able to contact anyone, anytime by talking, texting, or emailing.    How incredible to measure importance by the numbers of contacts and messages and calls, but checking an empty cell phone and not having a way to respond to the few that make it through is disheartening.  But now I have a Smart Phone so I'm somebody w/ a 3G processor.....I'm guessing that's a good thing.

Day 48--Holy Istic, Batman

I had my yearly checkup w/ my nephrologist this morning to talk about my hypertension and medication.  I don't know what possessed me to schedule the appointment for 8:30 when I have a 9:00 class....thought for sure my blood pressure would be through the roof, especially since it has been for the last couple of months.  But today it was normal.....well, normal for me (152/86).  As w/ each doctor I revisit, I told him what was new w/ my health.  I told him about the sinus and ear infections and outbreak of erythema multiforme along w/ the B-cell lymphoma.  His response was, "Your immune system is shot."  Thank you, Captain Obvious!!  Then he proceeded to tell me how he's  pursuing credentials in holistic health and how I should be getting to the root cause rather than treating all these various problems in different parts of my body.  He used the analogy of a plant who is mostly healthy but might have two brown leaves on completely different stems.  Modern medicine paints the leaves green rather than trying to figure out what the plant is being fed through the soil that might cause the sick leaves.  It was a good analogy, but I really understood w/o it, and by now I was running dangerously close to being late for class.  He did make a very good point when saying that Western medicine should be called alternative since most everything our healthcare providers provide is foreign to our bodies.  Our bodies are perfectly capable of healing themselves, given the proper environment, which is the way I think God intended it.  I would also like to get at the root of my immune deficiencies in a holistic manner.

This doctor's appointment was very ironic.  Three or four years ago, I had asked this same doctor if we could try some alternative ways to treat my blood pressure, and he responded, "Why would you want to change something that's working?"  Now when he's finally onboard to my idea of exploring options, I had no time to talk. 

Day 47 -- Productive Insomnia

I'm keeping tonight's post short since I'm operating on about two hours sleep in the last 48.  I don't know if it's the sinus medicine or not being able to turn off my brain, but I gave up the battle about 3:00 this morning.  For the next three hours I did four loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned one of the bathrooms, and fixed one of the kitchen chairs.  So although I didn't have productive sleep, I was very productive in my wakefulness.  No more lesions have appeared on my right hand, but I have one on my left hand and one on my left, upper arm.  I know in the past these outbreaks have given me bouts of insomnia.  Whatever the cause, I'm exhausted.  Good night.

Day 46 -- Canker Sores on Steroids

Seventeen days ago I talked about the achiness that used to precede an outbreak of the erythema multiforme.  Well, I called it......about three days ago lesions began forming on the inside of my mouth that feel like canker sores on steroids.  I also now have five spots on my right hand.....that would be the pseudo-stigmata.  There aren't any lymph nodes in these parts of the body so maybe there isn't a connection b/w this and the lymphoma.  I know my body.  I just wish I knew how to prevent the outbreaks.  It could still be the deep-tissue massage that brought all these toxins to the surface.  I gotta stop analyzing everything and just go w/ it.  Excessive stress is the last thing I need right now.  It's a good thing my older daughter is studying to be a psychologist............she can keep me from going crazy.  I'm going to encourage my younger daughter to go into medical research............she can cure me.

Day 45 --

 I didn't sleep well last night b/c the steroid nasal spray made me jittery, and the antibiotic upset my stomach.  So I decided to stay home from work today to get some rest.  Good call on my part.  The achiness I've been feeling for the last few weeks is finally dissipating.  The only aches I'm feeling today are in my forearms from playing Foosball and ping pong Sunday night at the Youth Center.