So I’ve been having a lot of health issues since late last year.
Last year a blood test came back saying that my cortisol level was high. I had to go through several tests to confirm or deny if my cortisol levels were indeed high. I even had to go to a new endocrinologist so I could get some saliva test kits that were used by the lab that is in-network for my insurance. My first saliva results were mixed, so I had to take the test again. For those who haven’t had it, you need to take the test around midnight. Least to say I had to wait until Friday or Saturday nights so I could sleep in and recoup sleep. After a long time of going through this and waiting for results, finally the tests came back and said my cortisol levels are normal.
Then there is this year.
I tripped and fell in my office. I turned as I fell trying to catch my fall. In the process I hit the side of my head against a piece of furniture, just above my ear. So for a few weeks I had to wear earbuds as headphones hurt that area too much.
Then I got really sick. I went out for some soup as I barely started to feel better. However, I have this bad habit of both trying to push myself and be productive with my time. As I was feeling a teeny bit better I decided to go to a store across the way for some very quick shopping. Being sick I wasn’t mentally at 100 percent. I didn’t notice that the concrete parking barriers for the spots in front of the store extended the whole length of the parking area. Normally they just sit in the middle of each parking space. Well my foot hit the concrete barrier and I went flying. Again I tried to catch myself. In the process I very badly hurt my right (dominant) hand. I scrapped it very badly, especially on the side of my pinky finger. My hand was shaking from the shock and pain. I ended up injuring a tendon in my hand. I couldn’t even pick up a mug of water with my right hand at all without being in instant pain. Gripping anything and putting pressure on it hurt. It took over a month for my hand to heal properly.
I’ve tried to learn from this lesson to not be tempted to overdo things when I’m sick. As much as it may be beneficial to do X while I’m out sick to be productive, chances are pretty good I’ll just injure myself again. So I’ve forced myself to squash any temptation to do more than sitting at home and recouping. (I tend to feel guilty if I’m home sick. I feel like I’m not doing anything. I have to realize self-care and resting IS doing something.)
Then I got vertigo for the first time in my life. 0 out of 10 would recommend getting vertigo. It came on suddenly while I was sitting in a chair at home. I finally got some will to head to bed. Except that made it a thousand times worse. When I lied down it was like I was on the worst waterbed in the world. I watched as the fan on the ceiling quickly moved left, then snapped back to the center of the ceiling. Then move, then snap. Yeah my stomach didn’t like that feeling at all and reacted accordingly. I spent a couple of hours just sitting up, trying not to move, with a bucket in front of me. I slowly inched backward on the bed to see if I could at least lie while sitting up as it was already evening and I was getting very tired. Every time my stomach roiled. Finally, I had to throw in the towel and ask my husband to call 911 for an ambulance to the nearest ER. There was no way I could survive a car ride to the hospital with the condition I was in. I got several doses of various anti-nausea meds injected and spent hours in the ER just waiting for the nausea to stop, and fearing that lying back would make the world spin again. After a few hours I finally felt, well not better, but not horrible as I had been. After the doctor confirmed I could walk around while looking up they sent me home with some prescription medications for me to take for the vertigo. I spent the next couple of weeks having lightheadedness and small brief dizzy spells. In the end the ER doctor said that one of the crystals that sat in my inner ear probably got loose and messed with my sense of balance which caused the vertigo.
Finally there was the day before Easter. I was busy getting dressed and accidentally smacked my right foot against the frame of an open doorway. I hurt a couple of my end toes and bruised the top of my foot right below the toes. The next day I wanted to go to an urgent care as I was realizing that this really hurt, except the urgent care places that are in-network were all closed for the holiday. After a couple of weeks of pain, I went to the urgent care and they buddy taped my pinky toe, but she didn’t see anything on my x-rays. Then in the middle of the night both taped toes hurt like hell. I’m guessing she wrapped them too tightly. I made an appointment with a podiatrist the next day. So there I was 3 weeks in and getting x-rays again. The podiatrist says there’s an area that looks suspicious that may be a fracture, but of course it’s hard to tell with the pinkie toe being so small. He also gave me a special (huge) boot to wear to keep pressure off the toe. As of today the pinkie toe still hurts, though it seems limited to one spot now. I’m suspecting that’s where the fracture is. Ugh. Another injury that is going to take some time to heal.
This has been the worst luck I’ve ever had medically. It’s just been one thing after another.I swear I need a good luck charm along with a good health charm.
You know I would like to think there are better ways for the universe to tell me to slow down and take care of myself more. Blarg.