Hello, 2011
I expect the adventure to continue in 2011.
2010 didn't begin. I attempted to sleep my way from 2009 into 2010, thinking if I could sleep enough, I might have energy again. I was very tired. As the year progressed, I was also being treated for MS exacerbations, and unlike in the past, this time they were not improving with steroids. As soon as I'd stop taking methyl prednisone, the symptoms would return along with the overwhelming fatigue. So I signed on for a clinical trial and tried to rest.
In February, some great friends announced the date for their upcoming wedding, on a cruise ship in the carribean in November and in a shocking move, we decided to not attend any film festivals and to save up and instead, we would cruise. I only got out to around 54 movies. I also, signed up for tap dancing lessons at a school that teaches that kind of tap that I was learning in college. And by that, the sort of dance that white folks don't usually do. So I started to travel to South Seattle for tap lessons once a week in an attempt to defeat my lethargy and get some enthusiasm about something. But despite trying to take care of myself, it was becoming clear that I probably would not be able to work full time by the end of the year.
2010 was really ground breaking year for my health. Sometime during the summer, I was running late for work again, due to over sleeping and a program on celiac disease was on NPR. The symptoms were very different then what I had read and thus spent the next few days convinced that I wasn't in fact dealing with a never ending MS exacerbation, but celiac disease. But instead of not eating gluten, I went on gluten rampage. I systematically ate every gluten laden favorite food for about 6 weeks, while I waited to get an appointment with an internist. Once my appointment came, I asked the question, and she diagnosed me on the spot prescribing a gluten free diet. She was able to do this since I'd been to the hospital so many times during the year that I had plenty of recent blood work to peruse as I was telling her why I thought I might have celiac disease. So instead of saying, "you're a crazy hypochondriac who needs therapy" as expected, she replied, "you probably have celiac disease, lets do the blood work" based on documented vitamin D deficiencies and family history of lymphoma and autoimmunity.
So I was diagnosed with multiple vitamin deficiencies and all of the blood work confirmed that I was making copious quantities of every antibody they tested for. So I gave up wheat, rye, barley, and oats in August. And oddly, I only cry over the guiness these days. Okay and authentic Chinese and the loss of culinary spontaneity.
But this small dietary change resulted in energy for the first time in years. I can think clearly. I can blog. I can wake up before 9 AM. My vision is fairly normal again and I am driving again (although, I still find driving stressful). I've stopped taking one drug for fatigue and decreased my dosage on another. And best of all, I have the energy to do things after work, which allowed me to finally call that guy at Scarecrow to get together to do something, after having his number for like YEARS.
And so I was going out, drinking and having fun. And I plan to start going out dancing before long too. A project for 2011.
I also presented a poster at a local HIV meeting in October, which has me all excited about science again. And now I am inspired to try to write those papers my boss has been bugging me about for the last year. I suddenly feel optimistic enough about the data I've already generated to believe that there is something publishable there.
And then in November, I took most of the month off to recover from the scientific meeting and prepare to travel to New Orleans for a pre-cruise, steampunk bachelorette party and the wedding cruise. And it was a fantastic trip where I saw the Dresden Dolls, Jason Webbley and Why are we building such a big ship? Then got to see some of my best friends that I hadn't seen in about 6 years. Why do we let so much time pass without seeing each other? Why? And we got to set foot in some strange lands like Belize, Honduras, and the strange and exotic Mexico. Oh and I have a tan for the first time, probably ever!
We also had our share of marriage drama, as now that I feel good, I'm testing our "open relationship". Okay, I see why he had thought we no longer had an open relationship, since no one has talked about acting on it in many years, so renegotiation is still in progress and probably will be as long as we're alive. It is nice to suddenly wake to find that I have a libido and an interest in doing something with that libido, even if it does cause some relationship stress. But the result so far, isn't the addition of other people, but a closer and more honest relationship, which is really the best result one could hope for.
And then finally, there was Christmas, which was marked by days off of work with no plans except hanging at home cuddling the kitties. This should have been nice, but instead was frustrating. I really wanted to go somewhere or do something, but there really wasn't anything to do and we couldn't come up with any adventures to embark on. So we sulked at home, but I got a new cell phone that confuses me, because it is so fancy! It does stuff other than function as a phone. I can write texts. Take pictures. Make movies. Get new ring tones. It is shocking, from the girl who has been carrying the $99 phone with a pre-paid phone plan for the last 4 years that only did phone calls.
And now I'm starting to READ. I haven't had the focus or concentration to actually read a book in ages. So I've stared 3 books at the moment.
New Year's eve, I pushed Nate to buy us tickets for something, anything. Didn't matter as long as I wasn't at home, but it is really cold. I kinda wanted to go jump around at a gay club to Lady Gaga, but it is hard to park in Capital Hill and didn't want to use transit, so we opted for a Steampunk party in SODO which was quite fun. The music was good, which I am still shocked by and I had FUN. Huh, I'm so used to being the anti-fun, that this is a new experience.
And I hope that the year 11 continues along as positively as 2010 had.
2010 didn't begin. I attempted to sleep my way from 2009 into 2010, thinking if I could sleep enough, I might have energy again. I was very tired. As the year progressed, I was also being treated for MS exacerbations, and unlike in the past, this time they were not improving with steroids. As soon as I'd stop taking methyl prednisone, the symptoms would return along with the overwhelming fatigue. So I signed on for a clinical trial and tried to rest.
In February, some great friends announced the date for their upcoming wedding, on a cruise ship in the carribean in November and in a shocking move, we decided to not attend any film festivals and to save up and instead, we would cruise. I only got out to around 54 movies. I also, signed up for tap dancing lessons at a school that teaches that kind of tap that I was learning in college. And by that, the sort of dance that white folks don't usually do. So I started to travel to South Seattle for tap lessons once a week in an attempt to defeat my lethargy and get some enthusiasm about something. But despite trying to take care of myself, it was becoming clear that I probably would not be able to work full time by the end of the year.
2010 was really ground breaking year for my health. Sometime during the summer, I was running late for work again, due to over sleeping and a program on celiac disease was on NPR. The symptoms were very different then what I had read and thus spent the next few days convinced that I wasn't in fact dealing with a never ending MS exacerbation, but celiac disease. But instead of not eating gluten, I went on gluten rampage. I systematically ate every gluten laden favorite food for about 6 weeks, while I waited to get an appointment with an internist. Once my appointment came, I asked the question, and she diagnosed me on the spot prescribing a gluten free diet. She was able to do this since I'd been to the hospital so many times during the year that I had plenty of recent blood work to peruse as I was telling her why I thought I might have celiac disease. So instead of saying, "you're a crazy hypochondriac who needs therapy" as expected, she replied, "you probably have celiac disease, lets do the blood work" based on documented vitamin D deficiencies and family history of lymphoma and autoimmunity.
So I was diagnosed with multiple vitamin deficiencies and all of the blood work confirmed that I was making copious quantities of every antibody they tested for. So I gave up wheat, rye, barley, and oats in August. And oddly, I only cry over the guiness these days. Okay and authentic Chinese and the loss of culinary spontaneity.
But this small dietary change resulted in energy for the first time in years. I can think clearly. I can blog. I can wake up before 9 AM. My vision is fairly normal again and I am driving again (although, I still find driving stressful). I've stopped taking one drug for fatigue and decreased my dosage on another. And best of all, I have the energy to do things after work, which allowed me to finally call that guy at Scarecrow to get together to do something, after having his number for like YEARS.
And so I was going out, drinking and having fun. And I plan to start going out dancing before long too. A project for 2011.
I also presented a poster at a local HIV meeting in October, which has me all excited about science again. And now I am inspired to try to write those papers my boss has been bugging me about for the last year. I suddenly feel optimistic enough about the data I've already generated to believe that there is something publishable there.
And then in November, I took most of the month off to recover from the scientific meeting and prepare to travel to New Orleans for a pre-cruise, steampunk bachelorette party and the wedding cruise. And it was a fantastic trip where I saw the Dresden Dolls, Jason Webbley and Why are we building such a big ship? Then got to see some of my best friends that I hadn't seen in about 6 years. Why do we let so much time pass without seeing each other? Why? And we got to set foot in some strange lands like Belize, Honduras, and the strange and exotic Mexico. Oh and I have a tan for the first time, probably ever!
We also had our share of marriage drama, as now that I feel good, I'm testing our "open relationship". Okay, I see why he had thought we no longer had an open relationship, since no one has talked about acting on it in many years, so renegotiation is still in progress and probably will be as long as we're alive. It is nice to suddenly wake to find that I have a libido and an interest in doing something with that libido, even if it does cause some relationship stress. But the result so far, isn't the addition of other people, but a closer and more honest relationship, which is really the best result one could hope for.
And then finally, there was Christmas, which was marked by days off of work with no plans except hanging at home cuddling the kitties. This should have been nice, but instead was frustrating. I really wanted to go somewhere or do something, but there really wasn't anything to do and we couldn't come up with any adventures to embark on. So we sulked at home, but I got a new cell phone that confuses me, because it is so fancy! It does stuff other than function as a phone. I can write texts. Take pictures. Make movies. Get new ring tones. It is shocking, from the girl who has been carrying the $99 phone with a pre-paid phone plan for the last 4 years that only did phone calls.
And now I'm starting to READ. I haven't had the focus or concentration to actually read a book in ages. So I've stared 3 books at the moment.
New Year's eve, I pushed Nate to buy us tickets for something, anything. Didn't matter as long as I wasn't at home, but it is really cold. I kinda wanted to go jump around at a gay club to Lady Gaga, but it is hard to park in Capital Hill and didn't want to use transit, so we opted for a Steampunk party in SODO which was quite fun. The music was good, which I am still shocked by and I had FUN. Huh, I'm so used to being the anti-fun, that this is a new experience.
And I hope that the year 11 continues along as positively as 2010 had.