Short Story Long.

Posted by terri | Filed under chub chub, health, watashi

I lately have been oversharing a lot of bits about my health these past several months. When using Twitter, I have been rather ambiguous about my condition, while being more specific in my blog. Unfortunately, my blog has been rather ignored (per usual) and so all there has been lately is ambiguity as to what I’m dealing with right now.

First of all, let me say that I am not going through anything gravely serious. I am not looking for sympathy or pity, because what I’m going through certainly doesn’t warrant it. I do want people to understand what is motivating me to take better evaluation of my health and why I may seem “healthier” these days when in actuality, I am just trying to mitigate any problems I may have in the future due to my current ailments.

Long story short: in the past three months, after seeing 5 different doctors, I have been diagnosed with 3 chronic diseases — diabetes, psoriasis, and arthritis.

I had already disclosed that I have Type II Diabetes in an earlier post. I have managed to digest that piece of news rather well after getting more educated on it and realizing that it can be controlled and managed by a change in lifestyle. Believe it or not, I once led a pretty active lifestyle that consisted of jogging and hiking on a regular basis. That fell to the wayside due in part (but not entirely) to a really bad, co-dependent relationship I was in. I had always hoped to sort of get back into it, because I certainly missed the energy that kind of lifestyle gave me. I guess I just wasn’t motivated enough until I was forced to be motivated.

What came next provided further motivation that I had not even begun to expect. Right around the time that I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had noticed considerable swelling in my ring finger. I thought nothing of it, thinking it would eventually go away. What worried me in the back of my mind was that I could not tie the pain to any particular incident. When another finger started to show the same symptoms of pain and swelling, I got very alarmed. Even more so as the pain spread to my elbow as well as my shoulder. I immediately thought of my mother who had suffered from “frozen shoulder” and just couldn’t believe that this was happening to me, especially since I had just begun to take a better inventory of my health.

My fingers basically became very stiff and I could barely make a fist with them. What was very distressing was that this was in my right hand, which I use to write and do most things. I couldn’t open bottles without the help of Hunny or in some cases, the kindness of strangers. It was very embarrassing to explain that I couldn’t do simple things that a 29 year old, let alone a 59 year old should be able to do. And as I had feared, the symptoms spread to my left toe as well. It thankfully didn’t hinder my ability to walk or run, so I was determined to make the most of my body’s range of motion while I could.

What became an unexpected blessing was that I found that exercise had relieved the pain in my hand and in my foot. I suppose it’s the endorphins or having the blood pump through my body, but knowing that pushing myself physically would provide me relief and a sense of normalcy motivated me in ways I could not imagine before. What was once an “occasional” walk around a 2 mile block in my neighborhood turned out to be regular jogs going 2 or 3 times around that same block — all to the tune of my iPod Nano connected to Nike+.

I put a lot of trust in my primary care doctor, who unfortunately didn’t have the answer and incorrectly referred me to another doctor who couldn’t give me the answer either. To the second doctor’s credit, he was empathetic and determined to send me to the right doctors. Upon examining me, he gave me two referrals — one for a rheumatologist and the other for a dermatologist for some rashes he found on my body. These referrals took a while for me to get, and all the while I had to deal with pain of my swollen fingers and the uncertainty of whether or not the pain could spread elsewhere and hinder my fitness goals for my diabetes.

On June 29th, I finally got the diagnosis from the rheumatologist that I have psoriatic arthritis in my hand and foot. And though it was tough to swallow, it was such a relief to know just what was plaguing me. From my research on the internet, that is what I had thought it to be, but I couldn’t know for sure. He has since started me on treatment and is confident that I can continue to lead a “normal” life, though there is currently no cure for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. I’m not entirely thrilled about the treatment as there are side effects that I have to be concerned about, but I guess I will deal with it.

What people have noticed is that yes, I did lose a bit of weight. Since being diagnosed with diabetes, I have lost over 30 pounds through monitoring my diet (mainly through cutting “bad carbs” as advised by my diabetes educator) and exercising 5 to 6 times a week with jogging and hiking. What I am most happy to report is that in my most recent blood test, my blood sugar levels have gone to normal and my cholesterol actually went down 100 points in the course of 3 months. That absolutely astounded me and provided me the validation that I had been doing something right, despite having to deal with this arthritis.

What I have gained from the experience so far is that I don’t need to be afraid of doctors like I was before, but I can’t be entirely dependent on them either — you are your own advocate when it comes to your health. Having this new attitude, I am very hopeful that I can go through my thirties with more accountability for my future and hopefully a healthy, pain free life as a result.

Permalink | Comments (2) | Jul 8, 2009

2 Responses to “Short Story Long.”

  1. Brandon Says:
    July 9th, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    I’d say you’ve inspired me, but I gotta go out and get my health on too before that can be official. Good job, and I wish you continued success on your health goals and all :) .

  2. Craig Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    たかちゃん、

    I am very proud of you for making and reaching your health goals. More and more I see in you that girl I remember when you and I first met 5 years ago. I’m sorry about all you went through yet I’m happy that it was not all in vain. You are very brave for sharing your struggles with everyone else and you will always have my support.

    -CTY

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