Filed under: Book Conservation, Brave New World, Connections, Depression, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Science, Society, Survival | Tags: ataxia, balance, blogging, cats, genetics, health, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, National Organization of Rare Diseases, neurology, neuromuscular disease, NORD, pain, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, SCAR8, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, testing, vertigo, Wikipedia
It’s been an … interesting … couple of months, for reasons that I’ll explain at some point in the future, when I can get into it without violating confidentiality of a client. For now, just accept that I’ve been fairly busy with a variety of projects, including the process of adding this loving big boi to our household:
That’s Marmaduke, who is about three years old, and who needed to be rehomed after the passing of an old friend of mine. We’ve been happy to give him a new home, though our other two cats are somewhat less thrilled. But no worries, he’ll fit in fine in a couple of months.
But writing about Marmaduke isn’t my goal, here.
Rather, I wanted to share something that I’ve been thinking about lately: my seeming calmness about having SCAR8.
My primary care doc retired the end of last year. So I’ve been in the process of finding a new GP, and that means filling out new patient paperwork, arranging for medical files to be transferred, etc. It also means that I’ve been thinking about how to explain my family history with MJD and what my genetic testing indicated. Because I don’t expect most GPs to have any knowledge of MJD, let alone what I evidently have — they’re just too rare.
And thinking about that, I realized that I have come to calmly accept this fact in the last few months. Why is that?
I mean, on one level it’s the sort of obscure medical problem that could make someone fall into a tailspin of depression and anger, raging about the unfairness of it all, or despairing how so-called orphan diseases are largely ignored by our medical care system. After all, this has changed my life in some significant ways. I’ve had to quit as a practicing conservator, a profession I loved and was very good at. I have more physical problems related to the disease: more pain, hand spasms, Restless Leg & Arm Syndrome, episodes of dizziness/vertigo, and some annoying lower GI and bladder issues.
But all of those symptoms are relatively minor, and there are things I can do to help deal with them. My usual Rx meds manage these new pains well. The hand spasms are rare, and I can usually just stop doing whatever it is that sets them off. Low-dose THC edibles help control the RLS/RAS and help me sleep better at night. Meclizine manages the balance and dizziness fairly well. And I’ve just learned new cues from my body to manage the GI/bladder issues. I mean, it’s not ideal, it wears me out each day and I’d rather not have to worry about it, but all in all it’s mostly just an annoyance at this point, rather than a debilitating diagnosis.
And, honestly, just knowing what is likely going on allows me a great deal of psychological space to cope with it. Because, remember, I grew up watching family members manifest symptoms of MJD before we even had a name for it. There was no genetic test for it. There was no treatment. There was no explanation for what was going on, or how to cope with it. The symptoms weren’t understood, and neither was the likely progress of the disease. It was just the family curse.
So I have a more sanguine perspective because I can afford to. I have “MJD-lite” not MJD itself. SCAR8 is rare enough that the progress of the disease is uncertain, but I am reasonably sure that I should be able to live a normal lifespan without it becoming too onerous.
And I don’t particularly want to spend any significant part of that lifespan seeking some kind of miracle cure. Medical science can be amazing, and in some really personal ways it has had a huge impact on my life (I’m thinking specifically of my stents to correct a heart defect seven years ago). But there are limits to modern medicine, and what it can do. Wasting a lot of time, energy, and money trying to seek out some elusive treatment strikes me as … unappealing. If there was any indication that there was some sort of viable treatment, I’d likely have a different opinion on this. But there isn’t.
So, better to just get on with the business of living, to the best of my ability. After all, there are cats that need petting.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Brave New World, Connections, Feedback, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Humor, Machado-Joseph, Religion, Science, Society | Tags: ataxia, balance, blogging, Catholicism, confession, dystonia, genetics, health, humor, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, National Organization of Rare Diseases, neurology, neuromuscular disease, NORD, pain, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, SCAR8, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, testing, vertigo, Wikipedia
I wasn’t going to say anything about this, because it’s largely a distinction without a substantial difference. But I’ve had several friends ask some questions because of things I posted to social media, and I decided to just clarify the matter.
Last August, when I said this:
So, I got the genetic test results today: I have a mild version of MJD.
I lied.
Oh, it’s a small, technical lie, mostly of the misdirection variety. But it’s a lie.
I don’t actually have MJD, or Spino-Cerebellar Ataxia type 3 (SCA3), which is a genetic disease caused by a trinucleotide repeat disorder in a specific gene sequence. Instead, I have SCAR8 (it doesn’t have another name), which is a genetic disease caused by a disorder in a different specific gene sequence, and has symptoms that are like a mild version of MJD, plus a couple of other things that I’d noticed/showed up on clinical exam. Everything else I said in the post from August is true.
If you poke around online, you’ll find that there’s not much on SCAR8, because it’s even more rare than MJD (by like a factor of 10), so there’s even less known about it. But it’s in the same family of ataxias for which there’s no cure and very little in the way of available therapies. You just deal with the symptoms as best you can.
I have always been a fairly pragmatic sort of person, so I figured that since there’s really not much difference between MJD and what I have, there wasn’t a need to confuse the issue with writing about it. But it seems that one of the differences is some mild lower G.I. issues (along with messed-up signals from my body about the urge to urinate), which I had mentioned online and caught the attention of friends.
So there’s that. It doesn’t change anything in what I am doing: treating symptomatically, altering behavior as necessary to account for the disease, and getting on with life as best I can. But having been raised Catholic, I’ve now confessed to the small lie, and gotten that off my chest. 😉
Jim Downey
Filed under: Art, Book Conservation, Brave New World, Connections, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Humor, Machado-Joseph, New Horizons, Predictions, Preparedness, Science, Society | Tags: art, arthritis, ataxia, balance, blogging, book conservation, bookbinding, Communion of Dreams, fasciculation, genetics, guns, health, jim downey, Legacy Bookbindery, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, MMJ, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, SCA3, Science Fiction, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, St. Cybi's Well, travel, vertigo, Wikipedia
For about 30 years, I’ve been a conservator of rare books & documents.
That came to an end yesterday when I met with my last institutional client and explained that I need to retire officially as a practicing conservator. Since they follow my blog posts and social media presence, this did not come as a surprise.
As I was driving home from the meeting, I was working through a fairly predictable mix of emotions. Guilt, because I know that this means that important works in their collection won’t get the treatment they need anytime soon. Relief, because now I won’t worry about accidentally damaging some important/valuable book or document. Loss, because my career was now over. Pride, because I know that I have done good work over the years, and made a real difference. And disorientation, because for some 30 years a big part of my identity was being a Book Conservator in private practice — something almost as rare as many of the items I have worked on over the last four decades.
I think anyone who reaches retirement age probably has some mixed emotions about actually retiring. But for most people, they’re ready to retire — to live life on their own terms, to travel, to just get out of the office, to get away from annoying co-workers.
The problem is, I wasn’t ready to retire. And I had already arranged my life so that I lived it largely on my own terms. I’ve traveled. I didn’t have an office I had to go to. I don’t have co-workers who annoy me. I had honestly expected that I would continue to do conservation work until old age claimed me, since the work is typically not strenuous.
MJD had other ideas, as I’ve noted.
So, officially, I am no longer a Book Conservator.
Yes, I am still many other things. An artist. A writer. A cool, handsome guy who is just 64 and certain that he’s still a babe magnet.
OK, maybe not that last one.
But the point remains that there are still many facets of my identity that remain, even though I have of necessity set aside the title “Book Conservator”.
I suppose “Retired Book Conservator” still sounds pretty cool.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Brave New World, Connections, General Musings, Health, Machado-Joseph, Predictions, Preparedness, Science, Society, Survival | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, balance, blogging, cannabis, codeine, dystonia, genetics, health, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, marijuana, medicine, MJD, MMJ, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, RLS, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, Tramadol, Tylenol 3, vertigo, Wikipedia
This morning I picked up my monthly meds. Basically, the same set I have been taking for almost a decade.
And as I was going through and organizing things, I realized something interesting: I’m taking *way* less of my opioids (Tramadol and Tylenol #3) now, thanks to my Medical Marijuana.
The growing MJD symptoms had started cutting into my small reserve of the opioids which had been more or less stable for years. I mentioned this in one of my first posts about MJD:
But of course, being aware of — even moreso paying attention to — more pain is, well, painful. Distracting. Annoying. So in terms of my perception, my ambient pain levels have gone up significantly in the last few weeks. I noticed recently that my use of my prescription pain meds (Tramadol, Tylenol 3 with codeine) that I’ve been on for about a decade for an intercostal tear has ticked up recently. Now, that happens, particularly when I am doing some strenuous exercise/project. There’s a sort-of natural ebb & flow to it through the year, with some months being a little higher usage, some being a little lower usage. But since we finished installing a new stamped copper ceiling in the kitchen, I haven’t been engaged in anything very physically demanding. That was six weeks ago, and I should have reverted to something closer to baseline. I haven’t.
By the time I got my MMJ card two months ago, I had pretty much used up the small reserve I had. That was a little nervous-making, since I really didn’t want to increase either the power or amount of opioids I took.
Well, in just two months of having access to MMJ, and about a month of understanding how I can best use it for my needs, things have changed. A lot. Like, I’m now taking half the amount of opioids I was (same for alcohol intake). In this short time I have already replenished my reserve. I could probably cut that further, but I’m still just using the MMJ products in the evening (very mild dosages) and overnight (mild dosages).
This disease, and the version I have, is progressive. With luck, however, I should be able to manage the symptoms, and particularly the annoying pain issues, without increasing my intake of opioids for a while. We’ll see — it’s all about learning how to manage things.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Connections, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Machado-Joseph, Predictions, Preparedness, Science, Society, Survival | Tags: ataxia, balance, blogging, genetics, giardiasis, health, humor, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, testing, vertigo, Wikipedia
I just spent about 20 minutes sitting on a toilet. And so far this morning, a total of about an hour doing that.
TMI? Yeah, sorry. But I mention it because it has demonstrated a truth of which I was only partially cognizant of previously: there is no immunity from other illness when you have a chronic disease.
I mean, I knew this, but until you live with it, it’s not something you think about a lot.
See, a couple of weeks ago I started to notice a pattern of gut-grumbles I don’t normally experience. And about ten days ago it resolved into something I thought I recognized: giardiasis. Twenty+ years ago I had a bout of this, likely picked up from tainted water on a camping trip. Where I got it this time, I have no idea.
But after recognizing the symptoms, I contacted my GP clinic and got in to see a doc. Who did the necessary exam, discussed options with me, ordered the appropriate tests, and prescribed a powerful antibiotic which is the standard treatment for giardiasis, and which cured me the last time. I’m now in day 7 of that treatment, and while there are *some* indications it is working, well, I still wind up sitting on the toilet with nasty spasms every 6-8 hours or so, unless I really load up on OTC anti-diarrheal treatments. Even so, I don’t dare get very far from a bathroom for very long.
Of course, through all of this, I am still experiencing the random rotation of MJD symptoms. Joy. Now I have TWO reasons to compulsively check my health/testing accounts: to see if the MJD test results are in, and to get confirmation of the giardiasis. Because yeah, even though tomorrow will be seven weeks since the genetic test samples were collected, I’m still waiting on those results.
No one who has lived with a chronic disease will find any of this surprising. They know that it just goes with the territory. Hope you never have an opportunity to experience it for yourself.
Me, I’m going to take some pro-biotics and get a nap. Maybe the test results will be in after.
Jim Downey
Edited to add several hours later:
Spoke with my GP’s office. Turns out I did have giardia, but happily there was no sign of c. diff, which was a possible concern. So after a week of taking Flagyl, I can now stop that (that alone was probably part of the ongoing spasms & diarrhea) and work to get my system working normally again. That means increasing my probiotics, getting back to normal eating habits (with my relatively high fiber diet), and taking it easy just to let my body recover.
So, no news yet on the MJD test, but at least this other problem should resolve in the coming days.
JD
Filed under: Brave New World, Connections, General Musings, Predictions, Preparedness, Society, Writing stuff | Tags: blogging, historic building, history, jim downey, painting, perspective, St. Cybi's Well, writer's block, writing
Last fall, I embarked on a long-term project: doing exterior repairs and repainting our 140 year old Victorian Italianate home. As I’ve mentioned previously, this place has been in my wife’s family since the early 50s, and in all that time has basically been white with some color trim work. We’ve decided to change that, and here’s a little before & after from last fall to show you the difference:
I started back on this section of the house for two reasons: 1) it was fairly simple in terms of ‘gingergbread’, so it would give me a chance to work out the color scheme and get used to painting, and 2) the small, almost square window there in the corner actually needed a fair amount of carpentry work, to repair a stubborn leak that had caused some structural damage. I wanted to get that done before the damage got worse.
Anyway, I worked on it for a couple months last fall, until Winter settled in. And I got back to it in May, once the long and strange Spring turned reliably nice enough. I’m now finishing up work on the next major section, and as I’m inclined to do I’ve been posting progress pics on Facebook. And I’ve noticed a curious thing.
My friends have been posting encouraging comments as I go, which I expected (and hey, a little encouragement helps). But occasionally someone will post a comment to the effect that with all that I’ve accomplished, I must be getting close to being finished.
Say what?
Now, partly this is just due to the difficulty in getting a handle on just how big this place is. I mean, it’s no mansion, but it is a big ol’ 19th century farmhouse. It’s big enough that I can’t honestly take a decent pic to give a sense of the size. But take a look at the pics above. Note how there’s basically three different walls there. Got that? Yeah. Now, in total, this place has 20+ such walls (including the ones on the second story that are discrete from the ground floor walls. I also need to completely redo the 10′ wide front steps and railings, as well as the little side porch floor and railings. And about a third of the house has more gingerbread detailing that will take extra time.
Let’s put it this way: I’ll be very lucky if I can get it all done this year. Hell, I expect that it’ll take the better part of next year’s good weather to get it done.
And this seems to come as a surprise to many people.
But that’s not the curious thing.
To me, the curious thing is that a lot of people seem to think that working on something of this scale would be daunting. Intimidating. Scary. Whereas for me, it’s the most natural thing in the world, and not daunting or intimidating in the slightest.
Partly, I think that is just the perspective that comes with getting to my age (mid 60s): you tend to see larger arcs to life.
But it’s also because I’m a novelist. St Cybi’s Well took me the better part of a decade to write. Even discounting the long periods when I was just thinking through the novel, or was otherwise preoccupied, I still spent several years actually writing and rewriting it. I’m used to thinking in terms of taking the long view. Of working a little on a project when I can, slowly making progress, page by page, wall by wall. Here’s where I am currently:
I should get the repairs and priming done tomorrow, and the rest of the window frame painted on Monday. The storm window itself needs some repairs, then painting. Then there’s an identical one just out of the frame of the picture above.
One step at a time.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Brave New World, Connections, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Humor, Machado-Joseph, Marketing, Predictions, Preparedness, Science, Society, Survival | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, balance, Big Medicine, blogging, cannabis, dystonia, genetics, health, humor, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, marijuana, medicine, MJD, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, restless leg syndrome, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, testing, vertigo, Wikipedia
So, late Wednesday FedEx delivered this:
That’s the sample collection kit for the MJD genetic test.
The paperwork included indicated that I could just take it to a local Quest Diagnostics and they would do the blood draw and send the samples off. I made an appointment for the next morning, and did just that. That done, now we just wait for the results. Ideally, I’ll get a copy of the results (I’ve formally requested one, and they should comply, since that’s part of the HIPPA guidelines) and not even have to meet with the Neurologists at the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless. About the very last thing I want to do is deal with those people again. Yes, that experience has continued to annoy me.
And on that point, on one of my recent morning walks (I walk ~3 miles most mornings), I found myself walking with a couple of neighbors for part of the time. They were chatting about healthcare for another neighbor who was recently injured, and the conversation turned to the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless. I mentioned that I’d recently had to deal with the Neurology Clinic there, and they both exclaimed words to this effect: “Oh, Jim, why the hell did you do that to yourself?!?!”
Yeah, the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless has a bit of an image/reputation problem with the locals.
* * *
Late last week I also received my state Medical Marijuana card. I decided to apply for it, as part of my decision to be more active in managing my symptoms, whether they’re due to MJD or something else. Approval was all but certain, since on the ‘chronic pain’ criteria alone I qualified, having been on mild opioids for 10+ years. As I mentioned in one of my early posts about MJD, I’d noticed a persistent uptick in my use of my Rx pain meds (rather than just the occasional up and down variation I see over the months), particularly to aid in sleeping. Symptoms like Restless Leg/Arm Syndrome tend to disrupt my sleep in the early morning hours, contributing to spiraling problems associated with lack of sleep.
So I wanted something to help me sleep, without increasing my use of opioids or getting into a cycle of taking additional Rx meds. Many of my friends who deal with chronic pain has found MMJ (Medical MariJuana) to be efficacious in dealing with sleep problems, so I figured it was worth a try.
Let me tell you, there’s nothing like going to a medical cannabis dispensary for the first time to make one feel *REALLY* old and out-of-touch. Seriously, I gave the budtender a nice tip not only for his assistance, but also for not calling me “Gramps”.
The whole experience was a little overwhelming, even though I had done my research and spent a fair amount of time exploring products on the dispensary’s website. It’s clear that this is still an immature industry, figuring out how to do branding/marketing, communicating with different clienteles, tapping into demographic groups who are not already savvy about cannabis use.
But I was able (with the help of the budtender) to select some different products to try. One of the problems that the industry has (at least in terms of medical use) is that the effects of cannabis are so varied, and standards so inconsistent, that pretty much the universal advice to new users is “just try a bunch of different things at small doses to figure out what works for you”.
So that’s what I’m doing at present. So far, it looks promising.
* * *
Not all the tests we face in life are big. Or obvious. Or dramatic.
Sometimes they’re just a simple challenge: how to deal with this small problem. How to help someone. How to get through the day, or night.
With luck, in another couple of weeks I’ll have more information about my MJD status, and know whether and to what degree I have the disease. I was always very good at taking tests in school, and those I’ve faced in my life since I like to think I’ve passed reasonably well.
Waiting is hard. But it is just one more test to manage, piece by piece, day by day.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Connections, Feedback, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Machado-Joseph, Predictions, Preparedness, Society, Survival | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, balance, Big Medicine, blogging, cardiac stent, dystonia, health, jim downey, Jujitsu, kata, Machado-Joseph Disease, martial arts, medicine, MJD, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, vertigo, Wikipedia
As the title indicates, this is just a brief update for those following this story.
I’m still waiting for the paperwork for the genetic test to come through. This isn’t surprising, since the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless moves at the speed of most bureaucratic institutions. It could show up any time, or not for weeks. We’ll see.
Since there isn’t any kind of ‘cure’ for MJD, and the disease progresses slowly, I think that unfortunately the medical community doesn’t tend to think that it is a pressing issue. If I had some kind of cancer, or a serious heart problem, testing and treatment discussions would have been much more aggressive. I know — I’ve had a serious heart problem.
I noted in my last blog post that I have no intention of continuing care with the Neurologists at the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless. I have also decided that I need to take my own care into my hands for at least the time being, until I have the test results back and arrange for a new neurologist. I know what treatments are typically used to manage the symptoms of MJD patients, as well as what my family members have found helpful, at least in the early stages of the disease, and I have taken steps to use the same/similar treatments. If it turns out that I don’t have MJD, none of these steps will cause problems.
So right now everything is about mitigation. My balance and flexibility exercises have already shown positive results. The Restless Leg/Arm Syndrome continues to show up periodically. Hand cramping and tremors still happen, particularly after I have been using my hands for intense work. Episodes of vertigo still hit me, particularly when I rotate my head or bend over. Shooting pains and ongoing aches still happen in both hands and feet, though not usually at the same time.
And something new, that I don’t recall hearing about from any of my family, though it is a classic symptom of Type 3 of MJD: instances of blurry/double vision. This isn’t debilitating (at least not yet), and only happens when I am trying to focus on something up close, but it was very surprising and disorienting the first couple of times it happened. If you’ve ever worn multi-focal lenses, it kinda feels like that when you first put them on. I’ve since learned that simply shifting my focus further away resolves the problem instantly.
So that’s where things stand. While I wait for the test, I’m just doing my best to learn to cope with the symptoms. It’s been an interesting process of adjustment to my new reality, and again confirms just how plastic/adaptable humans can be.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Connections, Feedback, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Machado-Joseph, Predictions, Preparedness, Science, Society | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, balance, Big Medicine, blogging, dystonia, health, jim downey, Machado-Joseph Disease, medicine, MJD, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, Wikipedia
Yeah, I know it doesn’t scan as well. But I don’t want a noted songwriter’s lawyers to sue me. And it’s more accurate for my use.
Yesterday my sister (who, as I’ve mention, has MJD) had her semi-annual check-in with her neurologist’s office, this time a virtual chat/exam with a staff Physician’s Assistant she hadn’t worked with previously. I popped over to St Louis so I could be with her for it, as it would give me a chance to see how it was done, have an introduction to the P.A., and get a direct handle on her current condition and challenges.
And I wanted to talk a little about the difference between this virtual session and my experience with the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless. Obviously, I’m not going to get into health/medicine details, and I have cleared this with my sister.
The difference was striking. Rather than an almost patronizing “I know about this, because I’m the doctor” that was the overall vibe of my exam, the P.A. shared that she herself has M.S., and so personally understands the difficulties of having a neuro-muscular disorder which may be treatable, but for which there is no cure. Even with the limitations of a Zoom call, she exuded empathy, nodding as my sister described recent challenges and changes to her condition, discussing what meds have been working and which needed to be tweaked. They went over vital stats, overall health and wellness, chatted about the possibility of different kinds of therapies which might help, and so forth. The whole thing was personal, friendly, and very helpful.
Now, my sister has a diagnosis of MJD that has been confirmed by the genetic test, and a long care history with this neurologist and their staff. So none of that is an issue, whereas in my case things are still indeterminate (frustratingly so, as I’ve noted). So that’s certainly a very big difference between us, and the care we might expect to receive.
But as my sister was discussing her symptoms with the P.A., I couldn’t help but check off how I had a less severe version of most of them. And I couldn’t help but notice how the P.A. really listened to her, and her own assessment of how she was doing, what she was experiencing. Lastly, I couldn’t help but compare the care and attention she had received versus how I had been treated in my initial exam and in follow-up communications.
Now, you might think that comment is a little harsh, given what I said in this blog post. But I haven’t mentioned here that after that post, I received a response from the Attending Neurologist which … rather curtly doubled-down on the attitude of the initial assessment, and said they knew what they were doing, he knew more about the disease than I did, and that I was presymptomatic for MJD in all their tests, whatever I might happen to think I was experiencing. Though he did grudgingly allow that the genetic test may show something, and if so they’ll address that.
Well, actually, no, they won’t. Because once I have the test results, whatever they show, I’ll be finding a new neurologist. I’ve just seen the difference in how people can be treated, and I know which way I want to go.
Jim Downey
Filed under: Connections, Feedback, General Musings, Genetic Testing, Health, Machado-Joseph, Preparedness, Society, Survival | Tags: arthritis, ataxia, balance, Big Medicine, blogging, cardiac stent, dystonia, health, jim downey, Jujitsu, kata, Machado-Joseph Disease, martial arts, medicine, MJD, neurology, neuromuscular disease, pain, peripheral neuropathy, SCA3, science, self care, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, Wikipedia
Yesterday morning, after having had time to digest things from Monday, I sent a message to my “care team” at the local large-institution university hospital which shall remain nameless. It was a less accusatory and more distilled version of my last blog post, outlining my thoughts and concerns about how the assessment had gone.
Why?
Because in this day and age, you have to be your own best advocate as a patient.
And it worked: within two hours one of the neurologists called me directly to discuss my concerns. It was a good discussion, actually, with a fair amount of back-tracking and back-fill on his part, along with assurances that they really DO understand that this is something that needs proper and prompt attention. REALLY.
I expect, cautiously, that going forward things will be more a meeting of the minds rather than the doctors assuming that they have a monopoly of knowledge about this disease, and will pay more attention to what I say I am experiencing and think it means. But we’ll see.
And that touches on what I wanted to write about today: self care. Or, to borrow a phrase from my old economics textbooks, enlightened self interest.
There are good people in the world. In fact, as cynical an old bastard as I can sometimes be, I think that most people actually want to do the right thing in most situations. We’re a social, collaborative species.
And I think that most medical professionals want to do everything they can to help their patients as one of their basic motivations. Yeah, sure, a bunch of other motivations can also come into play, but I doubt that there are many medical professionals who are truly only in their job for the opportunity to lord it over others. But sometimes, in the stress and demands of their jobs, they need a reminder that you’re a person with a medical concern, and not just a medical puzzle to be solved. So, as I said, you have to be your own best advocate. Recognizing that fact after my experience Monday was an important step for me on this journey.
It also reminded me that I need to shift my thinking in some other ways. Specifically, that whatever I can do to improve my condition will just be a help dealing with it over the long haul. The last time that I learned this was after the stents were installed six years ago, and I had to go through cardio rehab, since about a third of my heart had never fully developed. That was a hassle. But it shifted my thinking, strengthened my heart, and gave me more strength and endurance than I’ve ever had in my life.
So this morning, for the first time in decades, I got back to doing my old martial arts exercises (adapted for my age and condition). The stretching and flexibility components will help me with the early stages of dystonia, and the katas and bo-staff work will aid greatly with my balance and coordination. They’re not going to reverse the effects of MJD, but they will help me make the most of the remaining abilities I have for as long as possible.
And while I was appalled by how inflexible I’ve become, and grateful that there was no one in the room watching me, it felt good to be doing something that I know will help. I had been considering taking up Tai Chi or yoga, but decided that the deep old knowledge I had from my years as a student and instructor of Jujitsu would give me comfort and would be one less barrier to making this a routine in my life, as my (almost) daily 3 mile walk has become since my stent procedure. And comfort is an important component of self care.
Jim Downey
Communion Of Dreams 