A Brief Update On My Dysfunctional Body

Many friends I don't see often at the SSA conference asked me how I was, and how I'd been and so on. You know, just friendly "how's life?" type stuff. It was a difficult set of questions to answer, as things haven't been quite alright with me, health-wise.

First on the list is my depression, which began to cycle into a down-swing early in the summer. I could have avoided a full-on bottoming out, had ElevatorGate not occurred. Unfortunately, many of the comments across many website were incredibly triggering, and I, in my desperation to understand why people held such atrocious views and keep abreast of the latest happenings, I failed to manage my triggers appropriately. The result were night-terrors and a deep depression that I am finally beginning to lift out of. While my down-swing is still present, it is much more manageable now than it was a couple weeks ago. This affected my posting during that time.

Second on the list is the rounds of doctor's visits I have been occupied by.  My first battery of tests indicated the presence of autoimmune markers in my blood-work. I was referred to a rheumatologist for further testing.  After being poked, prodded, doing some minor yoga, and looking at my family history and blood work, the list of possibilities has short from near-infinite to a half-dozen or so.  The fun thing about the markers that came up is that they could indicate something fairly serious (because of my family history), or nothing at all.

As of right now, my doctor has an idea she wants to check out concerning a disorder that affects where my tendons attach to my bones.  It's a genetic disorder, so she is having my genes tested (the nerd in me was all "Can I have a printout?").  So a few x-rays, 10 tubes of blood, and some sore joints later, I now get to wait until the tests are run and the results are in.

I am eternally grateful to those that have been supporting me through this time, in particular Significant Other (patient as always). I appreciate the well-wishing and all the support I have received through all of this and I am very thankful to my friends and family for standing by me.  Hopefully this will all be sorted out soon.