One-week SLE Dash. It's Back.

April 22. I stood for n hours watching the Good Friday procession. Around 40-something saints and holy stations of the Cross paraded past. When we got home, I started to feel some chills.

April 23. Black Saturday. I already have fever, as high as 38.6 degrees Celsius. My lower back had pain and both my thighs were having rheumatism-like pain. Plus I had some cough. Took the usual meds, but decided to increase prednisone dosage. I took one more 5mg tablet in the evenings

April 24. Easter Sunday. Felt better but still had some pain in my legs and some in my back. Continued to take additional 5mg prednisone tablet at night.

April 25. Took a leave to have some tests taken at Medical City: CBC, Platelet count, ESR, Fecal Analysis with Fat Globules. Haggled myself a last-minute schedule with my doctor, Dr.Penserga on Wednesday. Her appointment list was full but I begged to be on it, I didn't think I'd last that long. Scheduled myself for Hepatobilliary Tree as well for the next day. The latter required fasting so I didn't eat starting 10pm.

April 26. Had my ultrasound done by 11:00 and had the results out by 1pm. All normal. Went to the office to work but I really didn't feel like 100%. I really had to see my doctor.

April 27. Asked my co-manager to cover for me in my afternoon meeting so I can take off for my doctor's appointment. Made it to San Juan De Dios Hospital in time. Key findings: ESR is abnormal, high. When I mentioned my lower back pain and the thighs, my doctor went on about risk of myelitis, and about my spine getting inflamed. Scared the s**t out of me. She ordered for a EMG - NCV test. We tried to get me admitted to The Medical City but the schedule was full. All I knew was that I needed to get that test done. My doctor recommended bed rest for the remainder of the week. I didn't argue.

April 28. Called up The Medical City Neurosciences department early to check for available slots within the day. Their earliest was May 5. I called up the San Juan De Dios Hospital Neuro department instead. Scored a 2:30pm schedule for the day. NCV meant Nerve Conduction Velocity test, where they had some current run through me at certain parts of my legs. EMG meant electromyography, where the doctor inserted a needle in some of my leg muscles and asked me to flex and contract. They were measuring my nerves and muscles now. I didn't think lupus would reach this point. Result came on a few hours later. "Motor-sensory mononeuropathy...multiplex of combined axonal-segmental demyelinating type...concommittal myopathy characteristic of SLE patients". Huh. Scheduled my doctor's appointment the very next day.

April 29. Doctor says my muscles have inflammation. We are now in a major active state of SLE now. She doesn't want to be too cautious now that the nerves and the muscles are impacted. She increased by prednisone dosage to 30mg/day and gave me a new friend, Methothrexate, which I need to take in 3/day every Friday for two weeks. As for the Myletis, the doctor says it can only be tested via spinal tap which I don't want. Her main advice is for me to be more aware about my body's condition.

Now I'm in bed, supposedly resting, deciding if I should go test myself by going to work tomorrow. Hmmmmm.

A Visit To My Doctor (After a long long while)

Last week I paid a visit to my doctor, after more than eight months.  I really wouldn’t have gone had I not felt really really worse due to my sore throat and cough.  Not to mention the throbbing in my head.  I had to go on medical leave from work, because I already knew that visits to my doctor take a while, especially since there are usually long lines of patients waiting for her, and she’s a bit tardy at times when it comes to her clinic hours.  So it came as a surprise when I found no one in the waiting list, and I was the first one there.

Waiting for the doctor had the usual duration though.  It’s during these waiting hours that I get to realize that I am a bit special.  My doctor is a known rheumatologist, so most of her patients are in their golden age.  A few middle-aged people also come in.  When they see me, they assume I’m the patient of another doctor, until they ask.  The questioning will usually start with “Kaninong pasyente ka?” (Who’s patient are you?).  When I tell them, they go “Anong sakit mo?  Ang bata mo pa” (What’s your condition? You’re too young.)  When I tell them I have Lupus, they immediately go through the usual reactions: how I’m too to have it, what symptoms do I have, how its very rare for men to have this condition.  Moments like this I get to reflect on how far I have come: It’s been 14 years since I’ve been formally diagnosed with this condition.  The first few years were the crappiest, but soon the acceptance comes in after.  And with it comes the coping.  Now I’m in remission, as my doctor says.  A pretty long one based on my count.

When my doctor arrived, my consultation time was only 15 minutes, less than 10% of the whole time I spent traveling all the way from the house to the clinic in Manila.  It’s a simple viral infection this time.  My labs are fine and no need for concern.  The only prescription I got was for effervescent vitamin juice drinks (Berrocca) to beef up my immune system until my next anti-flu shot in June.