Hiking in the rain

Long group ride was cancelled due to rain. Went hiking in the Chouf instead. In the rain. I love hiking so much it didn't even matter. 

longer bike workout

Made it through a 100 minute bike workout and feel great. Hope to continue this trend. 

slowly...

Getting back into the training slowly. My muscles feel great but I'm much more tired than usual.

Back to workouts!!!

WooHoo!

Doctor said I'm free and clear so I went straight to the gym for a bike and swim. Then I played soccer with the guys. It felt great. No indication of prior issues. Lets hope it stays that way.

Second opinion... again

I went back to the second opinion doctor with all my records and recent ultrasound results. He says I'm free and clear. Even to start training. And, despite the repeated insult to my liver about being fat, he calls me his Alaskan athlete.

I say it's chaos theory.  A series of seemingly unrelated things combined in such a way that caused a reaction. Turns out my liver doesn't like chaos. 

Nothing extreme

The doctor doing the ultrasound today also did my first ultrasound. Before my innards lay bare on the screen he asked, "What treatment have you had?" I told him no treatment. He seemed surprised. As he measured my liver and veins he said, "Things have definitely changed. And you had no treatment?" I laughingly replied again in the negative. He then asked, "Did you go to church?"

When the ultrasound was finished he ventured a guess at a diagnosis: heart failure. In my head I said, "I think I would know if I had heart failure." I said thank you and left.

My original doctor saw the results and said things look fine. I can resume normal life. I asked if that included resuming my training, slowly of course. He said yes. Then after a brief pause said, "But nothing extreme." WTF! Is there any part of training for an ironman that is NOT extreme?

He must mean things like extreme ironing (google it).

Oh the anticipation

Do butterflies in your abdomen help it heal or not? I hope so.

T-minus

75 days until race day.

Happy Easter!

Two more days until the ultrasound.

Ouch!

I went for a run this morning. Felt great for the first 3 miles. My brain kept analyzing my liver and abdomen. So my brain told me that something was up. While I'm pretty sure the "something" is my brain overanalyzing things, I walked the rest of the way.

Still waiting for that test on Tuesday hoping for a miraculous recovery.

Hike!

Hiked Qaddisha Valley today. Felt great. No liver problems.

Sigh...

I'm so sick of this waiting game.

Everything looks good.

Everything feels good.

But I still can't do anything.

Sigh.

At least I have some friends coming into town for the weekend to keep me distracted.

Endoscopy

Today I had an endoscopy. Fun fun. Results: perfectly normal.

Medical mystery continues but at least I'm feeling better.

Back to Dr. #1

I went back to the original doctor today. I still need to wait for the ultrasound next week. That's scheduled for Tuesday.

It's very hard not to do any training when I am feeling better. 

Run Around

I spent all day running around in 100 degree heat. I'm feeling better but not good enough to do that. I ended up having a bunch of tests today but I'm still a mystery. Chest x-ray. Shoulder x-ray. Blood tests.

Still a mystery.

This is getting REALLY old.

New Training Plan

I still have some tests scheduled for next week. So I'm still out of commission for a while still. The triathlon is on July 10. If I'm not back on track with my training schedule by May 10th I'm calling it off.

but why and what was it?

I'm definitely headed in the right direction. I'm feeling a lot less distended although there is still some pain.

So I'm getting better.

? 

And what was it?

(and will it come back?)

Feeling Better

I'm definitely feeling better today. Although I am far from 100% I am headed in the right direction. Finally!

Winds of Change

Feeling a little better. Not sure how or why, but I'm hoping that the winds of change continue to blow.

I also got a second opinion today. During my brief exam the doctor said that I am overweight. Not fat but just naturally overweight. Then he said my liver was also fat. I love having myself and my liver insulted by my doctor.

Still a mystery. An insulted mystery. 

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

Called the doctor and the doctor said...

Come see me.

After waiting what seemed like FOREVER, he said all my tests are coming back within normal ranges. That's supposed to comfort me but I am not comforted. I am in pain.

Plan: wait and see. In 10 days reassess and move forward with invasive procedures if necessary. 

How many blood tests?

Worked again today. Still feel terrible. Went in for another round of blood tests. Can I get frequent flyer miles for my blood in the centrifuge at the lab or a rewards card for being a valued customer or something? 

Back to work

I'm still out of the hospital and have been told to rest but I can't stay away from the kids and my teaching partner after almost a week away. Still in major pain and seriously low on energy. I can barely make it through the day let alone think of any part of the ironman. So frustrating.

8 days a week

Consecutive days of not being healthy: 9
Consecutive days of NOT training: 8
Consecutive days of no diagnosis: 7

Still no diagnosis. Still no training. Still frustrated.

Definitely not hospital food

To celebrate being out of the hospital I went to one of my all-time favorite restaurants for lunch. The food was amazing, as always, and it just made me feel human again. The part of being human that is enjoyable.

Still no diagnosis. Still no training. Still frustrated.

Win Win

A few hours ago they released me from the hospital. I am leaving knowing nothing more about my illness than when I entered five days ago. The doctor said to rest. So I rested at the bar of my favorite pub and watched the Red Sox win their home opener against the Yankees.

Today I won and the Red Sox won, although it's bittersweet for both. The Red Sox lost ALL of the games prior to this one (5 games). And I still am undiagnosed.

My heart has feelings

As George wheeled me through the doors I glanced up at the sign: Reanimation Medicine. Uh oh. I must be worse off than I thought. They stuck a catheter into a vein in my neck and pushed it all the way into my heart to take pressure readings. The catheter is called a "swan," although it didn't seem very fitting. There was nothing graceful about it. I felt it every inch of the way. My heart didn't like being interrupted so rudely. It let me know there was an intruder. I winced. Then tried to relax and convince it that everything was okay. That it wasn't going to hurt for long. That my heart has been broken and recovered before.

The pressure readings and saturation levels were great. Not just normal. Great.

Why don't I feel great?

Hospital- Day 4

I'm going through endorphin withdrawals. It really is a drug. I miss it. Especially since the bloating makes me feel really fat. After missing 5 days of training already I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get back into it, or how much longer I'll be out. I try not to think about it too much.


Highlight of the tests today by far were the breathing tests. The nurses administering the tests were amazing cheerleaders, shouting directions and positive affirmation during the tests then enthusiastically bestowing positive comments about what a great job I did as if I accomplished some amazing feat. The best test was the last one they did. They attached a pulse oximeter and heart rate monitor clip on my finger then asked me to walk back and forth down this very short hallway (which other people were using because it's a hallway in a hospital) in flip flops dragging my iv stand with me. For six minutes. The nurse stood in the doorway and counted how many times I went back and forth (by marking a +2 on a piece of paper) and also recorded pulse ox and hr every minute. Seriously, isn't there a treadmill for this? Actually, the walking made me remember why I'm here. It hurts to walk faster than a very old lady with a walker. 


No way I can beat this lady without serious pain.

So the medical mystery continues. Paging Dr. House! Chest CT scan came back normal. Breathing tests came back normal. Tomorrow they're going to measure the pressure in my heart and veins with a catheter. Sounds like fun. 

My housemates came by with a bunch of entertainment. One of them started telling me about this tv show that she thinks I should watch. It's about this kid who finds out he's the son of the Grimm Reaper. Just what I want to watch while I'm in the hospital undiagnosed. 

Hospital- Day 3

Still here. Waiting.

I've met a lot of doctors, residents, interns, nurses, orderlies and security guards.

Today they looked at weather patterns in my liver. Doplar ultrasound.

I wanted to ask if a cold front was moving in but no one spoke English well enough to get the joke so I didn't even try.

Cabin fever has definitely set in, although I have had many visitors to keep me entertained. The sunset and moon were quite nice this evening. I wish I could comment on my training instead of my yet-to-be-diagnosed state.

Hospital- Day 1 and 2

Was registered and in the ER a little before 2pm yesterday. Exams, blood tests, an ultrasound of my liver and gall bladder, a CT scan of my abdomen and some discussion about insurance later I was admitted to the hospital at 3am. No diagnosis. Not a very good night.

Today: more blood tests, a chest x-ray, an ekg and an ultrasound of my heart. No diagnosis.

On the bright side, I am gaining insight into Lebanese culture since I share a room with a veiled woman (and her family). And it forces me to use my Arabic a little bit.

I'm doing the opposite of training. I'm sitting. Doing nothing. Very frustrating.

Off to the ER

Pain persists. No doctors available until Thursday, so I'm off to the ER. Wish me luck.

Pain

I feel like I'm pregnant with a baby of pain. That is a bit of an exaggeration. My upper abdomen hurts to the touch and whenever I move. My entire abdomen feels and looks bloated. I am exhibiting no other symptoms though, so it's very strange. If there is still no change by tomorrow I will go see a doctor. Since I can't walk without 7/10 pain a run is out of the question. Grrrr. Look fat and feel fat. 

no sleep = no energy

Last night I stayed up late watching the Red Sox first game of the season. It didn't finish until 3am. This is why I got the bike ride in last night. My stomach was feeling weird, but I went to soccer in the afternoon anyway. My stomach hurt with each step I took and by the end I had no energy whatsoever. My stomach was hurting even after so I laid low this evening and am hoping to feel better tomorrow so I can get my long run in!

Sox lost last night, I lost today.

Tanked Out

Two hours in to a 2:45 workout I tanked out. No more energy. I spun for *almost* the rest of the time but was just out of energy. Weird since I ate properly today. Sometimes you're just out of gas I guess.