One of the worst things that you could ever do to me is drain all of my energy, lock me in a house, and tell me that I can't do anything except watch TV, movies and sleep for days on end. I know that for some people this is probably the closest that they will ever get to experiencing heaven on earth, but I hate it. There is nothing worse than sitting on the couch listening to an old and expressionless ABC weather man suggest that society should invoke a fifth season called Sprummer to accommodate the warmer half of spring, when you could be out doing something useful. There is only so long that I can maintain the already loose grip that I have on my sanity under these conditions. Surely a mental break down of sorts is forthcoming... although I don't think that I have the energy for a mental break down...
Just to back-track a little, I've been unwell for the past 5 or so days. I am in desperate need of human interaction. Whenever I am visited by family or friends I have so little energy that the most significant form of communication I have is falling asleep on top of them. I'm sure that they know I appreciate their presence. However in a dramatic turn of events, today I've been up and about for nearly 2 and a half hours now, so I thought that I would celebrate by blogging.
I've realised recently that there are lots of amusing things about being sick. I've found the number of illnesses/diseases that I have been diagnosed with over the past 5 days very amusing. They have ranged from a cold, the flu, swine flu (of course), a financial investments seminar-induced headache (my initial self-diagnosis prior to ending up in the ED. No seminar is that bad), to meningococcal (my Grandma tends to panic a little) and viral meningitis. The range of 'suggested' treatments have included wet washers, hot water bottles, funny shaped pillows for my neck and a pharmacy worth of various drugs. I'd really just like a good cup of coffee. I think that my sister provided me with the most helpful treatment yesterday when she brought me some chocolate during her lunch break. You learn very quickly to sift through the legitimate suggestions and graciously ignore the rest. However, all of this has made me realise how cared for I am. I love that a ridiculous diagnosis here and there is a wonderful indication of genuine love and concern. God has blessed me with a wonderful family and friends, and I have so much to be thankful for!
Anywho.. energy is waning, so I will wrap it up here. Feel free to leave a comment, if for no other reason than indulge me with some form of human interaction :)
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6 comments:
Carly just to let you know that you are not forgotten. I have been praying for you and I pray that you will get better.
Mark and I had a great time with boys on Sunday thanks for praying for us. We won soccer too last night.
Get better soon Carly we are all missing you.
Chris
Thanks so much Chris :)
I heard that Sunday went well, I'm so glad!! Those boys would have appreciated that time so much :) And very exciting about soccer too!
Thank-you for your prayers :)
I hope you get better soon!!
I don't trust doctors who say "meningitis" without doing the proper tests. Andre got "diagnosed" with viral meningitis once... this freaked the hell out of me because it can end up quite bad... turned out he just had a bad neck. *slaps the doctor who jumped to conclusions*
I hope you're back on your feet an un-bored soon! :)
Unfortunately the "proper tests" involves shoving a 6 inch long needle into your back, in the small gap between your vertebre and into your spinal fluid. It's called a lumbar puncture - and it isn't fun. Nor is it 100% safe. An epidural abscess is a very, very nasty complication.
Viral meningitis, the vast majority of the time, a self limiting illness that makes you feel horrible for a few days-1 week but does not require an LP unless you suspect it is bacterial (e.g. meningococcus). If you can make the diagnosis based on the other clinical features without doing an invasive test, then that's what you do.
The error Andre's doctor obviously made was not explaining to you well enough what a diagnosis of viral meningitis means. But that doesn't mean that his clinical reasoning not to do an LP should be questioned.
For what it's worth Carly, I'm exceedingly glad you managed to avoid an LP! And I'm praying for you to get better :)
Well the next doctor who saw him knew after a total of about 3 minutes that he didn't have meningitis... so I'm still questioning the first one :P
Thanks for the comments and prayers guys :)
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