At a time when so much seems to be going so well, you'd think I'd be dancing in the street and singing from the mountain tops.. alas I just can't shake this feeling that something is not right.
Maybe I'm expecting too much too soon, maybe it's just this bitterly cold weather we have been having.. That would good if it were so simple, An attitude change could fix it all.
However I have a few thorns in my side and until I can get some answers, I can't relax and enjoy my declared "remission".
I still have a cough. It's nowhere near as bad as it was, and it seems to have been tempered by a steroidal based inhaler. I no longer cough when changing from a cold to a warm environment, but have a bit of a cough when I talk sometimes, and in the morning, like an old smokers cough.
That gives me some indication that perhaps it's the lung damage that showed on the CT scan. If I have a cough for the rest of my life.. then so be it, as long as I'm alive to complain.
The other thing I have is a constant low grade fever. I run at about 37.5C during the day and peak at about 38.4C during the night. This has been going on for about a month as far as I'm aware. At night I either sweat or feel chilled. There seems to be no in between.
A constant low grade fever is a symptom of Hodgkin's disease. However I have a CT scan that shows I'm clear so I'm going to have to take a leap of faith and believe it. The other causes of constant low grade fever are a viral infection or a lung infection. The latter fits in with the cough.. wouldn't that be a nice co-incidence.
If it were Hodgkin's and it had somehow managed to hide from a CT (How it could do that I have no idea) then I'd expect to have all my other B-Symptoms back as well. Back pain, Itchy skin, night sweats and an intolerance to alcohol which in turn produces an extreme back-ache.
None of these I have.
Other symptoms I have are lack of appetite and fatigue. These are symptoms of Hodgkin's but also of a lung infection or a virus. I emailed my Haematologist last week, but have yet to receive a reply. I'd say I'm going to have to push really hard to get someone to look at this one seriously as the clear CT will no doubt be more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to getting extra tests done.
If it's just a bug and it clears up in a few weeks, then fantastic, I'll throw a huge party and everyone is invited... if it's not ... sheesh... I wouldn't even know where to go from here.
Oh! one more bit of good news (so I don't end on a low note) Our building consent approval came through on Friday. I couldn't help but notice that all the paperwork had been date-stamped "approved" on May 27th, it just took them another week to inform us! So that piece of news can technically be added to May's list of good fortune. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment