I really haven’t been keeping up with writing here as I’d like.  I guess I’m still recovering from my unexpectedly-extended trip to Northern Virginia, because I’ve just been so tired.

I saw my pain management doctor yesterday for a follow-up visit.  Sunday night, I spent more than two hours preparing, by putting together a five-page document that includes current symptoms, a quick review of the last two years, symptoms and correlating factors for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, symptoms and correlating factors for Chiari Malformation, meds and supplements I’m currently taking, prescription refill status, request for new PT order, and update on my work situation.  I clipped this to the clipboard – along with an update of the pain chart I keep – underneath the evaluation form we have to fill out for each visit, and waited.  When the doctor came into the exam room, she had my chart with the document on top of it, and her laptop open and ready to go.  Her first words were, “But I thought you’d been doing so much better!”  I laughed (a little bitterly, I’m sure), and said, “I don’t know why anyone would think that!”  She was amazed to hear the history of the last two years, to hear me choke up when I talked about my frustration, to see my eyes brim just a little when I talked about the boundaries of my life collapsing inwards.

She refilled my prescriptions, of course.  She also ordered a whole slew of blood tests, to rule out possibilities, and she is sending me to a specialist at a med school about two hours away for a full EDS consultation and evaluation.  And for the first time in over a year, I walked out of a doctor’s office feeling  like I’d been heard and understood, instead of being in tears of impotent frustration and rage.  That in itself was very, very good.

I had my initial consultation with the plastic surgeon today about a breast reduction.  After the interview and examination – yes, including photos – she thinks that the insurance approval will be pretty quick and easy.  It will cost me just under $1,000, and I have no doubt whatsoever that it is worth it.  I know this will not make my pain go away.  I know I still need to lose a lot of weight.  But this will enable me to work much better at strengthening the teeny-tiny muscles in neck and shoulders to do the work that my connective tissue can’t do.  It’s not the solution, but it’s a help.  As weird as it may sound, I can’t WAIT to have this done.

Sunday morning I led an adult discussion forum during the Christian Formation hour.  It’s a lectionary-based group, and I chose the Cantemus Domino, which was suggested as an alternate to the Psalm for Sunday.  We had a good discussion, and enjoyed bringing out the biblical atlas to talk about the possible locations of the “sea” that the Israelites crossed in the Exodus reading we had.  I enjoyed myself, and I’m looking forward to my next class, three Sundays hence.  And… (gulp) when maplestar comes down for a visit in exactly 30 days, he’s going to be in the group for a class I’m leading.  That should be fun!

So that’s what’s been going on with me… not a lot of huge stuff, but enough to fill my thoughts and my time.  Next week I’m traveling to Minnesota for my work, and I’m trying not to dread the air travel, which alternately compresses and decompresses my spine.  Peace be with you!