A Grand Day Out
So … the neurologist. He said that he thinks I have arthritis in my neck, which can cause "brisk" or "exaggerated" reflexes, but nothing that requires treatment and nothing that would cause this kind of fatigue. My online research indicates that arthritis in the neck should cause a lot of other symptoms I don't have (most notably neck pain, which isn't a problem for me), but this doc is the expert. I'm considering whether I should get a second opinion, but I may just be paranoid about trusting doctors right now.
Yesterday the weather was incredibly gorgeous, so Shannon and I went to Glen Canyon Park and walked around, and the park is great. We went by a grocery store called Canyon Market, which has a deli with the coolest sandwiches ever, and picked up some nice things for a picnic lunch. The park is small but beautiful, with lots of trees and well-maintained trails (but not too broad/urbanish for you to feel like you're in the wilderness).
We walked from the Glen Park BART station, through most of the length of the (relatively small) park, and then through Diamond Heights and Noe Valley into the Mission District to catch a train at the 24th Street BART station. The walk was about 3 miles, all told, with a fair amount of mild uphill, but also plenty of downhill, and I was tired but enjoyed myself tremendously. We also, of course, had the walk to and from BART here in Berkeley, but that's only maybe a mile and a half round-trip. So I walked about 4 1/2 miles, saw some very nice nature, explored some areas of San Francisco I've never seen before, ate a delicious picnic lunch, and -- best of all -- got to spend fun time with Shannon. The best day in a long time!
I also noted that we left our house around 10;30 a.m. & returned around 3:30 p.m. … and I did not have to use a bathroom while we were out! So my constant need to pee is definitely getting better. I went 5 hours with no problem at all, and that almost certainly wouldn't have been possible back when I was on lithium. Yay!
I guess we're back to the beginning when it comes to identifying the cause and prospective treatment for my continuing fatigue, but at least I'm able to get out and do some of the stuff I love, even if it's toned down to allow for my current energy limitations.
Yesterday the weather was incredibly gorgeous, so Shannon and I went to Glen Canyon Park and walked around, and the park is great. We went by a grocery store called Canyon Market, which has a deli with the coolest sandwiches ever, and picked up some nice things for a picnic lunch. The park is small but beautiful, with lots of trees and well-maintained trails (but not too broad/urbanish for you to feel like you're in the wilderness).
We walked from the Glen Park BART station, through most of the length of the (relatively small) park, and then through Diamond Heights and Noe Valley into the Mission District to catch a train at the 24th Street BART station. The walk was about 3 miles, all told, with a fair amount of mild uphill, but also plenty of downhill, and I was tired but enjoyed myself tremendously. We also, of course, had the walk to and from BART here in Berkeley, but that's only maybe a mile and a half round-trip. So I walked about 4 1/2 miles, saw some very nice nature, explored some areas of San Francisco I've never seen before, ate a delicious picnic lunch, and -- best of all -- got to spend fun time with Shannon. The best day in a long time!
I also noted that we left our house around 10;30 a.m. & returned around 3:30 p.m. … and I did not have to use a bathroom while we were out! So my constant need to pee is definitely getting better. I went 5 hours with no problem at all, and that almost certainly wouldn't have been possible back when I was on lithium. Yay!
I guess we're back to the beginning when it comes to identifying the cause and prospective treatment for my continuing fatigue, but at least I'm able to get out and do some of the stuff I love, even if it's toned down to allow for my current energy limitations.