Thursday, March 24, 2011

finding your voice

here's the deal with ataxia...or any other catastrophic disease.....you tend to get 'grouped' because of your diagnosis....and any medical concerns are pooh poohed away as unfortunate side effects of your illness. you have stomach distress? people with brain diseases tend to have stomach distress.  you get chills? people with brain diseases tend to get chills. your ingrown toe nails, post nasal drip and pink eye are linked to your disease. issues are not resolved, they are 'treated' and you learn to coexist with your symptoms. it is easier to medicate than to eradicate.  feeling a little overwhelmed? here, swallow this handful of mood-altering medicine...

color me cynical. after fainting in the bathroom, this inability to tolerate 'heat' is no longer just an annoying issue that i accept as a possible effect of ataxia.  i endured the hot flashes of menopause. this feels like a hot flash on steroids. i am physically uncomfortable and the anxiety is unbearable. i no longer have an internal thermometer. yes, i know that MS patients cannot handle heat. i do not have MS.  SCA and MS are different diseases.

i ended up at a clinic yesterday, a follow up to my emergency room visit last week. my sinusitis is improving. the antibiotic is working. and i am having a thyroid test this morning because there is a possibility that this heat sensitivity is thyroid related. finally, i have found somebody who is listening to me....

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