Where it began and How I got here...

Last summer (2010) we went on a vacation to Mammoth and Yosemite. We brought our mt. bikes and hit the trails in Mammoth. It seemed tougher than usual to make some of the climbs, which was a little frustrating because I had been running for the last couple of months and felt that I was in pretty good shape.

After a couple more days went visited Yosemite. For me it was the first time there as an adult, it's now one of my favorite places. We did some easy bike rides and some short hikes which was fine, but then we took off for Vernal falls and beyond. It was a paved trail, but I had to rest a couple of times and was in the back of our group, which for me was unusual. Laura and the kids went up the stairs to the top of the falls, but I just couldn't. I was tired and out of breath. So I stayed below.

Maybe I was tired from all the biking. I was disappointed in myself and planned on working out more and coming back in shape the next summer.

I next noticed that I would have one day of fever each month. I would race up to 103 then sweat it out and be fine the next day and off to work. This probably started in July, and went monthly through February. I didn't feel so well in October and stopped my three days a week running routine. I was preparing for the Disneyland 5k the next year. In addition, I had some pretty horrible leg cramps at night.  In December, it wasn't so easy to shake it off the fever and I needed a day afterward to rest. Also, during one of my weekly tennis matches, I cramped up so badly that I could not move for 20 minutes and had to forfeit the match. It was sometime around then that we called to schedule a check-up for me. But they couldn't see me until April!  The doctor did order a blood test in February. The results said that I was iron anemic. That would at least explain why I was always cold. I took another test a couple of weeks later and it was worse. So I started taking an iron supplement.

In late March, before my doctor's visit we went on a cruise.

It was great for relaxing, but I was taking naps every day. I even signed up for acupuncture because it was said to help chronic fatigue. I'm not sure if it did anything for me, but I did enjoy relaxing in the treatment room.

When I finally got to see the doctor, he thought that my symptoms were very unusual. He said that he was going to order a lot of tests, and not fun ones. He asked what my co-pay was, and I told him it was $15, and he said "Great! You qualify for a free (and  immediate) prostrate exam!" I was 47 years old and knew I had that to look forward to when I was 50, and was already freaking out about it, but instead of waiting until the next presidential administration, it was today - It had to be Obama's fault! After that I said something like I had a lot of special events coming up at work and I wanted to push the tests back a bit. He said no problem, that he could just wait until I pass out and come in by ambulance and get all the tests done while I was in the hospital. OK, now I knew it was serious.

He ordered a chest x-ray and upper GI scan in a couple of weeks. Laura thought the pace was too slow and had me see another doctor for a second opinion. I was enduring blood tests almost every week. I should probably mention that I don't do well with needles and almost pass out when I have to have blood tests. Keep this in mind. I took those tests and nothing was conclusive. He then scheduled a blood culture test. They do that to see if anything is living in my blood that shouldn't be.  I have a fast and hard rule with phlebotomists - I don't want to know what you are doing, I only want to know when you are done. The stupid guy who was going to draw from me for this test, didn't listen, or did understand, but he preceded to tell me that he had to draw four large bottles from me, about the size of Tabasco bottles and that he had to draw two from each arm, 10 minutes apart. OK, now I needed to lay down.

I visited the other doctor and he wanted to focus on the blood tests as well.

The third week in May I played in an annual baseball tournament in Palm Springs with a few friends from high school and a bunch of friends that I met when we lived in the Bay Area. I didn't feel great, but I didn't want to let down my friends and I really wanted to play. In the first inning I drew a walk and I had to run hard from first to third, and then scored. When I got to the dugout, I was out of breath and asked to sit out an inning or two. I got on base three times during the game and each time I sat out the next inning, and it's not like there are young guys around to take my place, we've got a few guys in their 60's and some with knee and or hip replacements, and I'm the one who has to sit out to rest!?

After our morning game I went to lunch with a dear friend from my YMCA days. During lunch I got a call from my doctor's nurse. She said that by blood culture results came back and that my doctor was out of town, but she showed them to another doctor and he thought that I should check into the ER today for and IV! There was a bacteria in my blood. Well, that got my attention. I thought about it for awhile and wondered if this was one of those "cover your butts" deals from the hospital, ER is for emergencies, it's right there in the title. Sure, I was a little fatigued, but it clearly wasn't an emergency. But I got zero support for my theory from my friend, Davie, and then I reluctantly called my wife, who also did not support my theory. She called her doctor friend who was familiar with my situation and she also thought going to the ER was a good idea. Was I the only sane person? I wanted to hear from our second opinion doctor, so I had to get the results and have them faxed to him. I had a banquet in Palm Spring with my baseball friends. My thought process was: I had to eat sometime; I could eat now with my friends and then go to the hospital on the outside chance that my second opinion doc thought I should check into the ER, or I could go to the ER now, and then eat by myself two or three hours later. I decided to drive from Redlands to Palm Springs. On the way I got the call from the doc. I should go to the ER. I told him I would, right after I ate.  Arrgh!