I haven't posted here in a while because our travels have been limited. The long and short of it is that I've had some health issues. Back in December 2016, I started to feel tired and lacked an appetite. There were a couple of times when I almost passed out just to stand. A trip to the ER in early January confirmed that I had a blood clot in each lung. Yikes! Where'd they come from? There was no ostensible reason for their appearance. Prior to the PE (pulmonary embolisms), I was walking 4 miles a day at a 4 + mph clip. Post-PE, I was a Tim Conway "Old Man" clone--(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-QqmJimv_U), walking in a shuffle!
So for the first 3 months of 2017, the $64,000 question was where'd the PE come from? I bounced from one specialty doctor to another, none of whom seemed to have an answer. And in the meantime, I was developing a compendium of seemingly unrelated symptoms: My hands were frequently numb, my feet had shooting pains, my stomach felt awful, and I was losing weight. I was anemic, my sinuses were always clogged, I had night sweats... What the hell????? Towards the end of March, in the evening, I mentioned to Ray that all of a sudden I was seeing double. I decided that maybe I was just tired and would go to bed and that in the morning I would be better. Not so much. With the double vision persisting in the morning, we trucked over to the ER, where after a battery of tests and blood work, I was admitted to the hospital, because it appeared that my kidneys were in failure. (Holy crap!!) Several days, tests, (renal biopsy) and blood tests later, the answer became apparent to the doctors. I have vasculitis.
Vasculitis is a really screwy "condition" where inflammation can be present in the entire body. My version (there are several) affects the upper (sinuses and nose), and lower (lungs), respiratory system and frequently involves the kidneys, lungs, eyes, ears, throat, skin and other body organs. For unclear reasons, blood vessels in affected areas may become inflamed, and clusters of certain cells may occur. Back in the 1970s, this was almost always fatal. But God is good, and there are now treatments that can put me in remission. I am now taking Prednisone, and soon will get chemo infusions of an auto-immune drug.
I still see double and my left hand doesn't work very well, but otherwise, I'm feeling better. I can walk better as the PE resolves (I can walk 1/4 mile) I'm the lightest I've been since my 20s. What a crappy way to lose weight! (I don't recommend it!!!) Hopefully, Ray and I will be back on the road in our RV very soon!!
