The Wilcox Family Blog

July 17, 2008

Cute Faces … Dorky Glasses (Why Fashion is Irrational)

Posted by Doug

It isn’t often that you’ll find me writing about the world of fashion, but I feel it’s time for me to stand up to a modern gullibility of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” proportions.

To be frank, those “cool,” often expensive, glasses frames that many women (and men) wear, look just plain dorky. They looked horrible in the 1950s, and they still look horrible today. Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s better. The thick-framed glassed of the 1950s and ’60s were popular because materials science and manufacturing expense required they be made primarily from plastic, and to get plastic to be strong enough (especially at the time), they had to be big, thick, and ugly.

Modern materials give us a host of inexpensive and classy glasses designs. So why do these horrors persist?

You have a cute (if somewhat pale) face, honey … great color for the glasses, but … dang …

Jeepers, Uncle Ian, what were you thinking?

Dorky in 1950 … dorkier still if you think these are cool.

Yes, even the uber-cool companies are not exempt from marketing trash for your face. Be smarter!

Now, I’m going to prove my point by borrowing one of the world’s most beautiful faces, normally belonging to Catherine Zeta Jones.

Let’s see how dorky glasses ruin even Catherine Zeta. Here she is before a trip to the local optician nee fashionista.

And … here’s Catherine with her super-cool fashion-statement spectacles.

We hope Catherine Zeta Jones has better fashion sense than this, but many people with beautiful faces do not.

See how bad it can get?

Do you believe me now?

So … don’t be tempted to look like a dork just because all the cool people are doing it! Just like wearing your breeches half falling off your butt, tramp stamps, and bell-bottoms (and virtually anything from the 1970s), just because it is or was popular, trendy, faddish, or in some way nifty, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Spend your hard earned dollars on something useful, like foreign missions, books by John Piper, or World of WarCraft.

And the cooler they pretend to be, the worse it gets.

Note: Virtual glasses are from a cool-if-slightly-pokey (showing the dangers of not-careful-enough AJAX development) service called FrameFinder, courtesy of FramesDirect.com .

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:: Time: 6:19 pm :: [5 Comments] :: [show comments]

June 23, 2008

Today, I Could Put on My Shoes!

Posted by Doug

Throughout this illness, which appears to be Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis (although it could be something else), my health has been quite varied. (Also, I have filled in some medical detail after the symptoms descriptions; mostly to clarify what PSRA is, and how and why my treatment is progressing the way it is.)

$No, these aren\'t my shoes, but ... dang ...$
No, these aren’t my shoes, but … dang … [Enunciate the last bit the way Will Smith recommends Beatrice (Edgar’s wife) hire an internal decorator in Men in Black.]

For example, here’s how the past few days have gone:

Thursday: Ibuprofen taken at night allowed me to move fairly well in the morning. As soon as I woke up, I took my prednisone, and within a couple of hours, was able to hobble about without much pain. I had a doctor’s appointment mid-day, but worked at the office and from home around the appointment, and felt very good. By late afternoon, I had a fever, and needed to take a short nap. Still, I managed to get to and lead our small group Bible study, with Nichelle driving. I felt good, and didn’t take any extra medication at bedtime, when the prednisone was definitely beginning to wear off.

Friday: Not taking the ibuprofen seems to have been a big mistake. I awoke at about 5:00 a.m. with serious pain and movement issues. I could barely move my legs, and couldn’t use either hand. I waited until 6:00 to take the increased dose of prednisone Dr. Eranki prescribed, but it took hours to have a noticeable effect. I did go to work, but didn’t make it into the office until 11:30 a.m. Due to the pain and swelling in my left middle finger, typing on my left hand was reduced to 1-finger. Still, in the evening I felt very good. Nichelle and I were able to attend “Run for Your Wife,” a TCAN Players [hilarious] comedy play featuring co-worker Laura Crook.

Saturday: I felt good for a few hours in the morning, but spent most of the day fighting the low fever, playing some games with the kids and hanging out in Azeroth, spending an inordinate amount of time trying to beat a seasonal instance.

Sunday: Good in the morning. I was able to drive to church early for my Geek work (A/V), and even ran a couple of quick errands in Nashua after the service (pharmacy; gas for the mower). By mid afternoon, the fever was back, and I spent a couple of hours starting at supper time just sleeping. Afterward, I felt pretty good.

Today: Today I was able to move my legs well enough to put on shoes and socks for the first time in several weeks! (After taking prednisone a few hours earlier.) The biggest problem today is my left hand. I do have a low fever, but it’s only about 1/2 a degree above normal, which to me is starting to feel normal.

By this evening, my movement ability had dropped a bit, but not much, but I became febrile again enough to notice. Oh, well, today was better than usual.

PSRA Details / Symptoms / Concepts

Tomorrow will mark my fourth week since the onset of obvious symptoms, and I had noticed some minor symptoms before that. Wow!

Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis is only a probable diagnosis. I will have an echocardiogram in a few weeks, as well as another Lyme disease titer, to rule out Rheumatic Fever and Lyme disease, respectively.

However, PSRA does seem to fit the symptoms. Neither PSRA nor rheumatic fever are testable conditions; they are syndromes—collections of symptoms—and the symptoms must be weighed carefully to figure out what the overall diagnosis should be.

The biggest meaningful symptoms or test results have been a positive blood test for a recent strep infection, the swelling and joint pain in my legs, hands, and shoulders, the fever, and vast number of negative tests for heart problems, liver function problems, active infections, etc.

Note that arthritis essentially means joint pain, so the reactive arthritis (assuming that it what I have), is not the type of arthritis that we all tend to develop as we age. (There is some x-ray evidence of that happening in my back, which is completely normal for this point in my life, and has not affected me in any way.)

I have a few days to go on my antibiotic treatment, and have already started tapering down the prednisone. Today has been my best freedom-of-movement day so far, and I hope that trend will continue. The guys in my at-work Bible study laid hands on me and prayed for my recovery today, which was very moving.

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:: Time: 10:31 am :: [10 Comments] :: [show comments]

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Comment by cindy — June 23, 2008 @ 7:23 pm

Glad to read your update, we are continuing to pray as well. As a family we seem to be branching out from just mental illness into some physical weird stuff as well! Aren’t we all special!! But wouldn’t trade anyone!
Comment by PJ — June 24, 2008 @ 4:26 am

I’m thinking she was referring to You with the mental illness statement Doug. Glad to hear they think they know what you got… we think we’ve finnaly got me figured out too, but will wait for MORE test results before posting. And Cindy? I think I’d trade Aaron for a new fising pole….them I wouldn’t get a call every week that starts out “Hello, Brother, I have a question for you…”
Comment by Crystal — June 24, 2008 @ 5:43 am

I’m wondering why you aren’t/ haven’t been getting IV antibiotic therapy to knock it down rather than having to digest oral antibiotics before getting the benefit.
Seems like with a persistant fever like that…I dunno, I’m not a doctor, either, I just play one on TV.
And Paul, you should just keep Aaron rather than trade him for a new fishing pole. You have all the fishing poles you need in order for you not to catch any fish.
What you need is a CATCHING pole.
Comment by Doug — June 24, 2008 @ 7:38 am

I don’t have an active infection, according to my blood tests and knee fluid draw, so the IV antibiotics don’t seem to be that important. The fever seems to be related to the inflammation. (I need to ask about how that works.) Lately, though, the fever has been more off than on, which is a big improvement.

Yes, I’m actually one of the mental health cases. (Yep, it’s true.)

Ha. I hadn’t realized Aaron starts all his phone conversations that way! My favorite is when he calls and wants me to fix his computer.

Loved your fishing pole comments. Paul, you wouldn’t want a new fishing pole. How could you part with your pink Barbie® one? Of course, maybe I could use your reasoning at work. “I can’t get my code debugged … I need a new computer.”

You guys might know what’s wrong with Paul (well … that list could go on and on), but won’t even hint at it? Weasels.
Comment by Doug — June 26, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

So … my infectious disease doc is relatively certain that this is, indeed, PSRA. Just got back from an appointment with him.

I will be re-EKG-ed and re-echo-cardiogrammed in a few weeks, to rule out acute rheumatic fever.

Yesterday I was in pretty good shape. Today has brought slower walking and some bad finger pain (with swelling), but my leg swelling is down (though still there), and my fever seems to be more infrequent. Today is also my last day on antibiotics.
Comment by Paul — June 29, 2008 @ 4:21 am

Ok, as we’re still waiting on results and more test (UNGH) I guess I need to post an update too. Went last week to see Dr Felix (again) and explained to him about the whole back pain and ER deal, and told him about the testicular pain (which by the way is directly related to the back pain… the more the back hurts seems the worse the pain there is too!) at which time I went for MORE blood work and X-rays of my back, all of which came back as, yes you guessed it, normal! Now, I can’t ell you how many times now I’ve tried to explain to these Drs that the pain in my back is NOT a muscle, as you can rub it and i can bend over without any more pain. Its a pain in-behind or on top of the hip area, but they all keep giving me muscle relaxants (which still get used LOL) and pain pills…. neither of which seem to help. Standing and walking are terrible at times, to the point I stay mainly on the couch when I’m home. Dr felix has me on a antibiotic (Crystals recommendation) just in case its an infection of some sort. I will be having a WONDERFUL urologist appointment first thing Tuesday morning to see what he thinks. What ever this is, its slowly working its way thru my body, started at my neck and is now in lower back. Eventually I’m thinking it will come out my toes and I can get back to normal life!
Comment by Crys — June 29, 2008 @ 5:37 am

Yer mom made the observation yesterday that the back thing could be related to something congenital, citing one of the reasons Duane was given up for adoption as him having physical problems with his legs and such. I think it is entirely possible that over the last 36 years wear and tear in that area, all he had to do was sneeze wrong and he likely has ruptured some degenerated disc or something. Many times stuff like that won’t show up on an xray, it takes an MRI. I think the boys hurting is coincidental. Clarification: the antibiotics are to rule out epidydimitis which is infection/inflammation of the spermatic cord…you know…the hose what helps the baby juice make it from the juice factory to the momma eggs. (there…now you have my highly technical medical explanation even if I can’t speel to save my life) They seem to have ruled out testicular cancer (which would tie the back and the pain in the boys together) since the AFP and the HCG was negative. Yes, they do a sort of pregnancy test to check for tumors down there in guys. They would excrete the same kind of hormone as it grows as the mommy would when there is a bun in the oven. Whooda thunk it?
Comment by Martha — June 30, 2008 @ 7:27 am

Dang…..So sorry you and Paul are having so many issues…Glad for Blog so I can keep up with you all. Some good news here…Rich’s knee replacement seems to have finally calmed down and he is happy he had it done and is planning on other knee in a few years. I think I will get medication for myself when he gets next knee done….take care you all…and congrats to Nichelle on her continued downsizing!!! Love ya
Comment by Doug — July 1, 2008 @ 11:09 am

You don’t remember the epididymis line from Ghostbusters II?

Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray): Hi, Egon. How’s school? I bet those science chicks really dig that large cranium of yours, huh?

Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis): I think they’re more interested in my epididymis.

So, Paul is defective, eh? I didn’t realize Mom and Dad had gotten defective merchandise. Maybe there’s an extended warranty available.

Of course, I have brain damage (really—it’s why I have no peripheral vision on the left side), so who am I to talk?

We could discuss Aaron, too, but I don’t think my BLOG’s database is large enough.

Next time Richard is in for a replacement, just have them tack on a personality replacement as well …
Comment by Doug — July 9, 2008 @ 2:22 pm

[Redacted from an e-mail I sent …]

Status Report

Well, I’m improving, albeit very slowly. The favored diagnosis is still Poststreptococcyl Reactive Arthritis, although Rheumatic Fever is not completely ruled out of the differential.

I still have pain, swelling, occasional fever, and movement difficulties. However, they are not bad enough to keep me from working full-time or participating in much of life. (I am, however, disappointed that I can’t get in my exercise. Going from running 1-2 miles a day to walking with a limp at best is quite a change. So, I’ve been playing more World of WarCraft with the kids, and not hitting the weights, road, or elliptical.)

There are still days when I’m feverish and worn out, but they seem to be relatively rare. Last Saturday was one, and I spent most of the day either sleeping or in a slightly-fevered fog. Sunday, on the other hand (there may be a weather related connection), was an absolutely wonderful day, and Nichelle and I (the boys were at the Dunn’s house) took NaNi to Canobie Lake Park after church. That insane 4-year-old child was very disappointed at some of the height restrictions, but did go on and love at least one “black diamond” rated ride which I chickened out of. All in all, I managed 4-5 hours of near-constant walking or being on my feet, which may have contributed to Monday being a relatively bad day for movement.

My treatment regimen at this point includes a dose of prednisone in the morning, which will slowly taper down over the next four weeks, acetaminophen if the fever goes up, and an 800 mg dose of ibuprofen at night. Now that the swelling isn’t as severe, the ibuprofen seems to be better up to the task of making it easier to move in the morning.

PSRA Mechanics

I also have an explanation of how this thing works. Essentially, it’s a case of immune system confusion. The streptococcal bacteria are antigens that the immune system identifies. The immune system responds with fighting the bacteria by producing antibodies that bind with the antigens to eliminate the bacteria, and increasing the production of white blood cells. This sometimes causing fluid to build up in affected areas. In the case of PSRA, however, the immune system’s own antigens resemble the streptococcal antigens closely enough that the immune system continues to fight the infection even after it’s gone. The prednisone acts on this by mitigating the immune response, reducing the inflammation.

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June 18, 2008

Gas at $23 a Gallon (No, Not Here)

Posted by Doug

Now that I have your attention (the headline is explained below), let me tell you about my nephew Mike Matheson and the missions trip he is leading to Guinea-Bissau …

Missonary Kid/MK Minister/My nephew Mike Matheson. (I warned Mike I’d get even someday for the time he swiped my camera at my Mom’s wedding and put all sort of shots like this one on it.)

Mike Matheson is a missionary kid (MK) who married another MK and now works as a minister to MKs and their families with Wycliffe Bible Translators, at and around the JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Services) center in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

Currently he’s co-leading a group to Guinea-Bissau, which is on the western coast of Africa. Gasoline there was averaging $23 per gallon … until supply ran out completely. (Yes, the whole country seems to be without gasoline at the moment.) Thankfully, the driver they needed for part of their trip managed to save up enough gas ahead of time to get them where they needed.

I highly recommend reading up on Mike’s trip, which has been updated whenever e-mail access allows, at the Guinea-Bissau Team BLOG and the GB Team Notes Page. You can follow the exploits of Mike and Beth and Leigh at their main ministry page.

Mike grew up in Brazil, and Beth in the Philippines. They are among the most caring people we’ve ever met, and have a real heart for working with the unique needs of MKs and their families—which they are singularly qualified to understand. (Nichelle and I think so highly of them that they are our designated choices to inherit our brood if we both kick.)

Map of Guinea-Bissau

You can read more about the Republic of Guinea-Bissau via Wikipedia or the CIA World Factbook.

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:: Time: 8:48 am :: [6 Comments] :: [show comments]

June 17, 2008

Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis (Probably)

Posted by Doug

$As you have all been pestering me for one, here\'s a mostly relevant Calvin and Hobbes.$
BLOG readers begged for Calvin and Hobbes …

At the moment I feel sleepy but almost good, after a feeling very miserable all morning, and sleeping most of the rest of the day.

My rheumatologist, Dr. Eranki referred me to an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Strampfer.

We discussed all sort of symptoms and possibilities. He fell for our typical joke of, “I’ve had this pain in my neck for 16 1/2 years,” almost recording that as a symptom.

The two front-runners are Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis (PSRA) and Rheumatic Fever. Although the diseases present slightly differently, there is still debate among some doctors as to whether they are indeed separate diseases, and not merely different manifestations of the same thing. Rheumatic Fever can lead to heart damage, which I don’t have, although I may get long-term antibiotic treatment if Rheumatic Fever is considered a probable diagnosis.

Poststreptococcal Reactive Arthritis, however, is fascinating, and perhaps a better match. I had one blood test in which my ASO was elevated, showing a past Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection. One of the ways in which PSRA differentiates from Rheumatic Fever is that the joint pain in PSRA responds very poorly to normal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, which has, indeed, provided me nearly no relief. Another strike against Rheumatic Fever is the lack of Sydenham’s chorea symptoms—”rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements affecting primarily the face, feet and hands.” (Although I have been described as an uncoordinated jerk, that isn’t quite the same.)

Other possibilities include Human Parvovirus B19, but it seems not quite as likely. Likewise, my retest in a few more weeks for Lyme disease will be carried out, although we don’t find that as likely, either, it’s very important to diagnose as early as possible, as it can cause very serious long-term damage if untreated.

Today I am back on prednisone (a corticosteroid), for a longer-term treatment. It’s offered the first significant relief in about two weeks. I cannot express how wonderful it is to be able to stand and sit without being in serious pain while moving, nor just to be able to sit or lay down for a while without being able to get comfortable. I still limp quite a bit, but my stride has gotten longer than 6 inches, and each step isn’t accompanied by pain. The fever continues, albeit more intermittently, making this day 21 with a fever, blowing away whatever my childhood chicken pox fever record was. I have been very sleepy today, but I think it’s just my body catching up on rest after being in constant pain for nearly three weeks.

But … by the next morning (18 hours later), the prednisone has mostly worn off. The fingers in my left hand are almost impossible to move, and my stride is much shorter again. :: sigh :

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Comment by Mark — June 18, 2008 @ 5:23 am

I’m so glad you’re feeling some relief, and I will continue to pray for long-term relief for you!

Oh, and I’m also glad to see that you found a suitable Calvin and Hobbes cartoon.
Comment by Crystal — June 18, 2008 @ 5:41 am

You are blessed with some wonderfully aggressive,inquisitive doctors there! So glad you are getting to the root of things finally and feeling somewhat better! Wonderful news!!!

This, however, confirms my theory that Florida is the medical community black hole of the universe where they send all the uselss doctors who couldn’t make a viable diagnosis if a text book fell from the sky and landed open on the exact page they needed to put it all together. Yes, you went to Yale…yes, you interned at Johns-Hopkins…you finished your residency and the next step is Beverly Hills, Florida????? Huh?
Comment by Doug — June 18, 2008 @ 6:46 am

After hearing so many stories about Florida healthcare, I am inclined to agree with you. (Like the hospital that released my Dad after an accident (despite my Mom’s strongly expressed opinion that he should stay overnight), and only altered their opinion when he collapsed on the way out. (If I remember the details correctly.)

I guess with an aging demographic they just figure they don’t have to be very skilled; most of their patients will go away “of natural causes” if they wait long enough.
Comment by Nichelle — June 18, 2008 @ 10:15 am

Something cute…I’m sitting here using the computer and I hear Doug in the background moving about, and then hear, ow! ow! ow!. I turn around to see what was going on and he is up on the elliptical. Yup…he’s moving about and thinks, sure, let’s see what I can do. It was quite funny! What a riot he is. Can’t wait for him to be well again!!!!! His humor and sarcasm is still there and that’s great.

A side note…it’s quite strange how we’ve switched roles here. I tell him to suck it up and get some faith, but that hasn’t worked yet. LOL
Comment by Doug — June 18, 2008 @ 1:18 pm

Today I am actually at work, thanks to the prednisone. This morning, while I was waiting for it to start working, I was at the computer, and Naomi asked, “Dad, do you have any appointments today?”

When I told her I did not, she said, “Well, I think you should call and get one for today.” Apparently she has really enjoyed going with me on appointments, probably because of how everyone tells her how cute she is, or because she hopes to snag a pastry from the little food kiosk that’s on the ground floor of one of my doctor’s office building.

I have another appointment tomorrow, a follow-up with Dr. Eranki, my rheumatologist, so NaNi will get to accompany me on that.

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June 16, 2008

Walking? Nyet.

Posted by Doug

This comic from Bloom County keeps coming to mind. (Copyright 1983, the Washington Post Company. Used under the “Get with It, This Is the 21st Century” interpretation of the Fair Use clause.) See http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/.

Today I received numerous answers from my doctor; unfortunately, they were all along the lines of “Those results were negative,” or “I don’t know.” I do know that I’m still running a fever (even after 5 days of antibiotics), but it seems to be slightly more controllable with medication, and it is nearly impossible for me to walk, even with Vicodin helping to manage the pain.

On the bright side, my echocardiogram concluded that the enlarged heart shown on my chest x-ray was simply a test anomaly. This also concluded that, if I do have rheumatic fever, it hasn’t done any damage to my heart. Still out there is the possibility of Lyme disease.

One ironic thing is that I have a severe vitamin D deficiency—just like what incapacitated Nichelle for many years. (See, there would have been ROI on that cube with a window view I recently requested at work.) However, the vitamin D deficiency isn’t likely to be the cause of my symptoms, as it wouldn’t cause the localized swelling, nor fever, and wouldn’t have set in so suddenly. (It’s also easily treated.)

I see an infectious disease specialist tomorrow, and I see my rheumatologist again on Thursday; we hope for more definitive answers. So far a large number of things have been ruled out. I’ve had so much blood and fluids drawn in the past week, that my weight has dropped 3 pounds.

I am grateful for the dedication my ever-growing medical team has shown. My fellow church members and family members are praying for my recovery. My wife and children are incredibly helpful. Nichelle keeps life manageable, and the kids typically function as my extended arms and legs, without complaint.

I have gotten much support as well from my co-workers. Many have called or e-mailed to see how I am doing. “Tovarich” Gary Dlugy is going to feed my tarantula, Susan (named after one of our VPs at Kronos). Sarcasm master Joe Royal sent these words of encouragement, which would have left me rolling on the floor if I’d been able to do such a thing:

Things are a little dull without you. Meetings start on time and stick to the agenda. Management is starting to be worshiped. It’s becoming a very unproductive work environment.

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June 9, 2008

Day 13

Posted by Doug

Nichelle and I are reprising the roles we had when she was so ill, albeit we have swapped who we are playing. I get to play the part of “Nichelle, the inexplicably sick one,” and she gets to play me.

Today is Day 13 with the still-unexplained fever, leg pain, phalanges pain, and swelling. (The swelling in my leg and foot has become quite “interesting.”) None of the tests I’ve had (and there have been many) have found anything conclusive. I will see a rheumatologist soon (I hope before my currently scheduled appointment of July 8 ), and continue to work—much—with my own primary care office.

The forecast seems to call for uninterrupted fever, with a scattered chance of more severe pain, and increasingly widespread swelling.

For example, yesterday I went to church, and Nichelle drove us to Randolph to celebrate Debbie Civil’s 18th birthday and high school graduation. (Debbie is a blind girl in a wonderful Christian family who used to, along with her siblings, ride our bus to church at New England Baptist.)

The Civil Family and the Wilcox Family. Debbie is the second person to the right of Nichelle. (At this point I could even squat down for the photo, albeit stiffly.)

I hobbed about, but felt pretty good, and was able to walk almost normally for a couple of hours in the afternoon. On the way to the party I slept; on the way back we stopped at the Natick Mall to see the completion of a 7-foot-tall R2-D2 (which we contributed to on Saturday). In the very short walk through the mall, my leg got worse. By the time I went to bed, the pain and swelling was worse.

$I offed to take this home for them, but they didn\'t think it would fit in our van.$
I offed to take this home for them, but they didn’t think it would fit in our van. (See the swelling in the leg?)

I awoke at 5:30 a.m. with my leg in considerable pain, my temperature up to 100.9 (at 101.5 my doctor’s office wants to know about it), and that awful everywhere-hurts-because-I-have-a-fever feeling. I was also really hungry. I gobbled acetaminophen and ibuprofen (and cereal), and then slept virtually constantly until noon.

Today I’ve managed a little bit of work, but the fever and finger pain is still there, so I haven’t accomplished very much. I am trying to let my body get the rest it needs, it just doesn’t seem to be helping much.

In addition to work, I’ve just got to get better for our church trip to Strategy Zone on Saturday.

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:: Time: 7:38 pm :: [1 Comment] :: [show comments]

This Is Why I Have to Practice Saying No Every Day

Posted by Doug

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June 4, 2008

What’s Wrong with … Doug?

Posted by Doug

Okay, here’s the deal …

Last Tuesday (May 27) I was falling asleep in a meeting. Now, bear in mind, I often fall asleep in meetings, but not usually in meetings of only a few people and where I am one of the key participants. I excused myself and went home sick.

(As I think about it, a week earlier I had been complaining that muscle pain all across my upper back—I thought from weight lifting—had lasted more than a week, and when I sat down to do chest flies, I discovered I couldn’t put much pressure on my left arm in the direction required.)

The next few days I took half days off, plus one full day, fighting a low fever (1 to 1.5 degrees above normal), working when I didn’t feel in that brain-dead state that fever brings on.

Meanwhile, I started having more and more stiffness in my legs, especially after sitting down for a while, and developed a pain in my fingers, particularly around the proximal phalanges.

Thursday I got in to see one of my two N.P.’s at Nashua Primary Care, and she explained that it was probably viral, and ordered a slew of blood tests, including a Lyme disease titer, because a number of the symptoms matched Lyme, even though we had not observed a tick bite or the infamous bull’s-eye rash from one. The only abnormal result was a slightly elevated sed rate, which indicates inflammation of some kind. However, Lyme disease antibody tests can be negative for several weeks even when symptoms have begun to present, so I have a retest in three weeks.

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