Note to Western readers: this post will be more enjoyable if you have this playing in the background.
Dear Russia,
Please stop being so creepy. Yes, I’ve seen you. You thought that I didn’t know that you’ve been checking up on my blog, but I did. I’ve known all along. The built-in Stats feature of Blogger has shown me that you’ve looked at my blog not just once, but 149 times, and never from the same computer twice. I submit to you the evidence from Exhibit A below, unaltered in any way:
So Julie has been pressuring me to write about my dengue experience although it gets less interesting to me the more time that passes, and also it seems inappropriate to dwell on it so soon after the bad news she got health wise that was actually serious. It’s actually a pointless story with no moral at the end, just gruesome details in the middle. Nevertheless, she has persisted and agreed to my terms that if I’m going to write about it, I get to spice it with levity and hyperbole. I seem unable to write in any other manner.
WARNING: the following story is not for the faint of heart and may contain the word “vomit” many times. I may give more details than simply the fact that vomiting happened, but I promise not to discuss colors or tastes. Read at your own risk the story that follows.
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Friday night, I had my (now) monthly check-up, but this time with the kidney doctor, Dr. Granera, whom I have not seen in probably 3 months. Since I have been feeling well recently, I was expecting more of the same as previous check-ups. “You’re young”, “there’s still hope”, “be patient” – these are the common phrases I hear from my doctors when referring to my kidney failure, which is the primary issue I am dealing with at this point. (My Lupus symptoms are controlled by medicines and don’t cause any pain or need for concern at this point.)
So I went in with high hopes, not at all expecting the news he had to deliver. I’ve been told from the beginning that it might take 3-6 months for my kidneys to recover, and I don’t think I ever considered the option that they might, in fact, not recover at all. When I left the hospital at the end of January, my creatinine count was around 5 (should be less than 1 and started at over 11). Since March, it has fluctuated back and forth between 2.8 and 4.1, but most recently was 3.4. In addition, I had another more extensive test that showed I currently only have 17% kidney function. Based on these tests and the amount of time it’s been without significant improvement, I am now considered to have chronic kidney failure; it is no longer acute.
