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Last week was the most idyllic example of an exponential decay in condition that I have ever experienced. Laughably so. And thus, I share.
Monday (100 enthusiasms): Treated to a fancy dinner with a group of excellent people. Up all night with epically bloody Throughput despite only eating beets and salmon.
Tuesday (10 ens): Receive denial of insurance coverage for the Remicade that I have been getting under new student insurance since October. They just now decided it was "not medically necessary". Morning spent on the phone with the GI, the infusion center and the insurance broker instead of doing science. Experiment set back by two full days because I am a noob blundering about a new lab with no one to tell me to parafilm my culture dishes so they don't dehydrate. Still losing irregular amounts of blood.
Wednesday (1 ens): Journal club blitz presentation for a particularly terrifying professor*. Afternoon spent haggling pharmacy over whether or not my prescription renewals have been translated instead of doing science. Fell, despite my greatest efforts, into behind-the-scenes mediation of a high school drama-esque conflict between two classmates. Still losing irregular amounts of blood.
Thursday (0.1 ens): H.K.'s birthday, for which I could muster only a card. Intense nausea all day long. Managed to do some science. Still trying to encourage adult resolution of a childish conflict. TA'd a lab. By late afternoon, running only on the fumes of media broth and some desperate hope of still being able to impress my PI this rotation. Continuing to lose irregular amounts of blood.
Friday (0.01 ens): Wake up with an un-concealable budding stress-induced cold sore. Recruitment day! After an extra-painful extra-long 4 hours of class (instead of the normal 3), the afternoon was spent escorting/interviewing/socializing with fresh meat instead of doing science. By the evening, cold sore noticeable, muscles aching from lack of oxygen, I couldn't even bike home. H.K. had to pick me up. I was in bed by 8pm, falling asleep on my study materials. Dreamed of my two midterms coming up on Monday and Wednesday.
*Of my classmates, I was the only presenter that she said "good job" to, which provided a fleeting blip of positivity in my week.
Oh, no. I am so sorry to hear that things have taken such a downward turn. It seems like everyone I know is going through a waking nightmare right now (your humble narrator included); I am sending you positive vibes and commiseration.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on rocking the journal club presentation even in the midst of insurance company shenanigans and bodily failure :) And good luck on the midterm today!
ReplyDeleteThis post perfectly sums up something I think people without chronic diseases really don't understand... it just takes up so much TIME to have one. I think that sounds like a ridiculous complaint to healthy people, or doesn't make sense. But, besides all the time you spend actually having symptoms, just the pure management of it (doctor visits, pharmacy visits, insurance nonsense, side effects, needing extra sleep, etc) is like having a second job. And all you get out of the stressful busy second job is achieving the same baseline everyone else is at when they wake up in the morning. So frustrating!
ReplyDeleteLaura -- if i survive core, the rest will be a cake-walk. don't tell me otherwise. i'm not ready :)
ReplyDeletethanks sarcozona -- left you a msg that was not identifiable as being mine. oops.
yellowfish -- well put. thanks for the visit :)
Got it - thanks :)
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the bleeding! If you want my advice, don't eat beets -- in any form whatsoever. Although dietary constraints vary pretty widely, beets are something everyone generally agrees are very bad for CD...
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