july 1, 2011, journal entry

It's been a full and good week.

I feel fulfilled. That's a good thing.

I made some new animal-companion friends and met their human companions. My pet sitting service gained 7 new clients in the past 1-1/2 weeks. At some point I need to count the number of clients we currently have. I think it must be right at 100. All those are not weekly clients; most are out-of-towners. The new business is a joy to work. It's an avenue of service and I make some great new animal friends.

My legs began working much better this week. On Monday evening, 6/27, I was able to walk without pain or effort. I didn't want to get too excited because the true test would be after I awoke in the morning. My legs are at their worst then.

I awoke Tuesday, 6/28, and lay in bed. I moved my ankles and did some stretches with my legs. I took a deep breath and asked my body the question I've asked it almost daily for the past 8+ week, "How well will my legs work this morning?"

I scooted myself into a seated position with my legs hanging off the right side of my and John's king-size bed. I looked at my gloved hands. I don't know why I look at them, but I do. I tell them I want them to work properly again; that I want the function in my hands back.

I scoot to the edge of the bed and place my tip toes on the floor. I scoot a bit more and stand. Deep breath. Poised to lean against the bedside bookshelf if I loose my footing, I put weight on my right foot.

It works! I'm a bit weak, but I don't feel on the edge of buckling. I don't use the book shelf for support - major deal. I put weight on my left foot and begin the "walk" toward the bathroom. At that point my walk is still a shuffle, but less of a shuffle than I've had the past couple months.

There has been definite improvement. As the morning continues, my legs loosen and become more flexible and strong. I can straighten them with ease and without pain. By 11:30 AM a few tears trickle down my cheeks...I am beginning to have my legs back. I even dance a jig in the kitchen.

I bask in the moment of joy. I can only imagine the absolute joy when someone is healed from a chronic disability or disease that affects one's ability to walk.

I think of Dad, who never knew that feeling in his legs after the accident that left him a quadriplegic. I hope that there is a "Hope" where one day all will be whole.

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For the record and apparently what has caused my limbs to become dysfunctional:

I began taking the medication terbinafine (oral Lamisil) around March 14, 2011. I began having some ankle weakness with foot and knee pain around April 11. I thought it was due to simply lots of walking dogs on pavement. I began to notice wrist weakness the week of April 18. I chalked that up to a new cell phone which was an iPhone and was heavier than my previous phone.

By Saturday, April 30, I knew something was amiss. My pains weren't from simple walking or from an iPhone. I stopped taking the oral Lamisil and went on an internet search. Joint pain and swelling are a rare side effect from the drug. Liver damage is the main side effect.

I began work on my liver with some herbs, thinking that within a couple weeks the drug would be cleared from my system and I'd be back to normal. Normal didn't happen.

I saw one of my MD's physician assistants on Saturday, May 7, and we began testing. My liver and kidneys came back with good results. We did further tests for autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis; that too was negative. We also (again) tested my liver and kidneys because the edema continued and my limb dysfunction  and the accompanying fatigue were wearing on me. I began wearing compression toe-to-thigh socks, gauntlets for my hands, and knee sleeves for additional knee support. Life began to be quite complicated...just to walk and dress and move each day. I started physical and occupational therapy the week of June 13th.

Two sonograms of my abdomen were performed on Monday, June 27. My gallbladder appears "diseased" but I have no symptoms of gallbladder disease. I see the gallbladder doctor on Friday, July 8.
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