As I write this post, I'm feeling inspired, touched, energized, and refreshed. The past few days have been filled with visits to friends, tons of catching up, and, you guessed it, another doctor's appointment. This time, my rheumatologist concluded, on the basis of my blood tests, that I have significant inflammation but do not have a textbook case of arthritis. Of course, I was thrilled to hear that. I was also relieved when she told me that she was truly committed to getting me back into a position to be able to run again. She really connected with me in that way. While I respect the orthopedic surgeon's conclusion and his belief that strengthening the area might be enough, I really wasn't satisfied--something I expressed in no uncertain terms to my rheumatologist. My rheumatologist stated that she believed that my inflammation was more severe than that which you would expect if my pain were caused by a potential labral tear. To that end, she believes that the inflammation is related to the sacral joint (aka sacrum), but, to be sure, she needed another MRI (my second in two days)--which I did immediately after our appointment. In the meantime, she prescribed six days of oral steroids and suggested that this may take away the pain permanently--though there's no predicting whether that will occur. For the moment, however, I feel amazing. I'm not sure if this feeling is attributable to the steroids, enthusiasm from my doctor's enthusiasm, or what, but I feel different than I have these past few weeks. As many of you know, this hasn't been the most fun winter break that I've had, given all of the running around that is both physically and emotionally taxing and hasn't really yielded much in the way of results. Nevertheless, I am reinvigorated for the moment and am hopeful that this is the beginning of something good.
In addition to the positive energy generated from within and from my doctor, my friends have been incredibly supportive over these past few weeks. It has been pleasantly surprising to see how many people care and how much they care about my physical well-being. Whether through phone calls, texts, or in-person conversations, some people have gone above and beyond to send me the message that they are on my team. I know that this stuff isn't entirely news to all of you, as I have mentioned it in the past, but, with each rekindled friendship or moments spent with people with whom I am already quite close, I feel a bit stronger. I am very much looking forward to resuming life as normal, but, until then, I'll remain content with the fact that I'm blessed to be surrounded by such great family and friends.
Random note: I'm suddenly able to cross my right leg over my left knee--something I haven't been able to do since the symptoms first appeared on August 5. Each little step is a piece of the puzzle. :)
Besito,
A
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