I met my new Internist today. She was lovely, if very young, but I am realizing that it is I perhaps who is just getting older. This realization was compounded by the fact that I frequently couldn't remember the names or dosages of medications I'm on or procedures I have had. (I console myself with the fact that both lists are rather lengthy!) There was some pretty significant "brain-fog" this morning, I was lucky to be able to get any words out at all! Anyway, despite this, or perhaps because of this (?)she took a lot of time with me. I never felt rushed and even though she did not always have all the answers to my questions she promised to get them for me and she would like to see me again in three weeks just "to check in" after she has taken time to review my medical history and read through all those medical records I handed off to her! What I like most about this situation though is that both she and my new pulmonologist, although in different hospitals, are all part of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical group, so sharing of information back and forth between the two and any other specialists should be seamless. She has already promised to email the pulmonologist this afternoon to establish a relationship with him regarding my care. So, a good start to what I hope will be a wonderful, life-giving relationship!
In the meantime our family life continues to be chaotic with sick little ones and a sick hubby. Mae-Mae will have her fourth doctor's visit in five days this evening. As an aside I am so bemused by the fact that I haven't been sick (with viruses etc.)at all. If it wasn't for sarcoidosis I would be a picture of health! I've started the kiddos on a regime of mulit-vitamins and have upped the push for lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. There is always an up side to everything and I have decided that my up-side to visiting my Internist every month or so is that about 1 mile from her office is a Trader Joe's grocery store. For those of you not in the know, Trader Joes offers wonderful, often organic, fresh fruits and vegetables and all kinds of delightful healthy grocery items and snacks that are not readily available in a conventional grocery store, and best of all, their prices are extraordinarily competitive. After my appointment today I called hubby to give him the update and announced I was going to take an hour or two off for myself and wander around Trader Joes. "Oooo, can you get me some orange-flavored cranberries?" my fruit-and-nut-loving hubby asked. "My absolute pleasure!" I replied.
"Well, you will never run a marathon." Etty suffers from ongoing Sarcoidosis which is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily involves the lungs. Niamh, her sister, likes to run and is going to run the Cork City Marathon on June 6th to raise funds for those suffering from chronic lung diseases. This blog will be a parallel account of their trials and tribulations in the coming months: the would-be marathoner; the mother-of-three moving home and struggling with serious, ongoing Sarcoidosis.
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