Wasn't It a Lovely Day...

 
A long day with showers, sprinkles, mists and downpours (we were inside) on Friday as Mrs. D and I both had appointments with our immunologist in Manhattan. She's recovering from headaches and fatigue due to a back injury from work, and she's also been helping me a great deal with my recovery.

I am having decreased success with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Our doctor expects that it's due to increased levels of stress from new flashbacks. My therapist and I both agree that in spite of that, I'm doing very well regarding the PTSD in that I am coping so well with memories that might have had me hospitalized when this all began two years ago. We both had blood drawn; both of us are dealing with thyroid problems and we and our son all have tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus.

The virus attributed to Chronic Fatigue, HHV-6, is present in both of us as well at greater than 'normal' levels, and our doctor remains concerned that it is still present in high levels in both of our systems. As Susan put it, my immune system is..."really not doing so good!"

http://www.hhv-6foundation.org/associated-conditions/hhv-6-a...

On a positive note, I've completed and submitted most of the application for disability, but as my dear niece reminds me oh so gently, it's not a reason to give up. With God's help and the love and support and prayers of you folks, I hope to recover enough to return to counseling, but for now, the income will help.

And the day ended well. It stopped raining and we met our son for dinner at a nice pub just a few blocks between his hospital and our doctor. It's been interesting; driving him to the bus stop at 5:30 and picking him up again at 6:30 in the evening; long days for all of us, but a blessing for him since he was employed less than a week after he graduated while folks in his field who graduated the previous year remain unemployed. What a blessing for all of us and really a reward for all of his hard work.

Thanks for reading. Like Annette I suppose, I'm also on a road to myself. Mine has taken quite a few detours, and my journey to trans-land has gotten stuck in a bit of traffic, but we're enjoying the nice stops along the way. Right now the "Out" Meter has been turned off, and we're parked in the 'I don't think either of us is ready to talk about this' zone, you know. I'm still on the road, but not going anywhere any time soon. However, everything, even the not-so-good stuff, is good. It helps to have a wonderful family, and it helps to have nice travel companions like yourselves along the way as well! Thank you! Andrea