Now Leaving: Poor Health; Next Stop: DC

Sorry, friends, for my recent blog sabbatical. Despite not having a summer job, I've kept rather busy with girlfriend visits (that's one girlfriend who I visit/who visits me, not several girlfriends that visit me :-P ), an almost week-long trip to Vermont (briefly mentioned in the last post), apartment hunting (more on that later), preparations for my big move, and another almost week-long trip to North Carolina for my grandmother's birthday. That last trip was this past week and would have been a pretty great time, except for the timing...

About two and a half weeks ago, I woke up one day with what felt like a muscle cramp in my lower back. "Oh well," I thought, "I must have just pulled something in my sleep." A week later, the pain was still going strong, and I had just developed a sore throat to boot, but it was time for our family trip to NC, and neither the back pain nor the sore throat were severe enough to warrant staying at home.

So along I went to our wonderful rented log cabin (very modern, not ye olde Abraham Lincoln-style) in the picturesque western NC mountains. Only one problem: our cabin was at the top of a shoddy, unpaved, twisting, steep country road. Now, it wasn't a big issue the night we got there, but we imagined how well our minivan would handle the road on a stormy night (i.e. not very well) and, two days later, packed everything up and moved to one of the rental agency's other properties. It was a wise choice: it was easier to reach, roomier, more private (at the log cabin, sound echoed throughout the house), and just plain comfier. The only drawback was the poor cellphone reception at the new place, making staying in touch with my girlfriend a frustrating process.

Sadly, my back pain and sore throat did not improve during this time, so about halfway through the trip, I gave in and complained enough to convince my mother to take me to a medical clinic. The clinic's staff were among the nicest people in the healthcare industry I've ever met, and considering how nervous I was that something serious was wrong with me, that made the visit much easier. Fortunately, my greatest fear (kidney problems) was quickly ruled out, and the clinic doctor decided I was just having a muscle issue in my back. I neglected to mention the sore throat problem, because it wasn't particularly bothersome yet. I was prescribed some ibuprofen and muscle relaxants and sent on my way.

After a couple of days on the medicines, my back improved, but my sore throat didn't. And by the end of the drive home this past Sunday, my back pain started to return, and my sore throat had worsened. So on Monday, when I awoke with back pain that was about as bad as it had ever been, I decided that it was time to see a local doctor. However, as luck would have it, my doctor's office was closed for the week, so I had to go to a clinic in Salisbury for the first time ever. I didn't have to wait long to be seen, and while the back pain examination led to the same conclusion as last time (muscle problem), I made sure to mention the sore throat too. And while this clinic is apparently not supposed to examine a patient for two separate problems (I was not, and still am not, sure they weren't connected), they administered two tests: one for strep throat and one for mononucleosis. Guess which one was positive?

Yes, I have mono. After the diagnosis, I was quickly given a steroid shot to boost my immune system and keep my lymph nodes from enlarging. And in addition to the normal prescriptions for my back pain (i.e. another ibuprofen-like substance and two types of muscle relaxants), I was given a prescription for a week-long steroid regimen to keep my mono under control. So far, so good: when I woke up on Tuesday, without having taken any medicine besides the steroid shot that was administered on Monday, my back felt almost perfect, and my sore throat felt much better. So I've passed on the ibuprofen and muscle relaxants for now and stuck with the steroid regimen. My only other encounter with steroids (to my knowledge) is my allergy medicine, which involves very little in a given dose, and I'm tolerating these steroids ok, with the only noticeable side effect being an occasionally increased heart rate. Today, my back pain has made a slight appearance, so I'll be monitoring that over the next few days.

Anyway, the good news is, I should be through the worst of my mono, assuming that the sore throat that started last week was the beginning of the symptomatic part of mono (in case you don't know, mono incubates in its host for 4-6 weeks before any symptoms show). Once the symptoms begin, the sore throat generally persists for no more than 2 weeks. After that, you're supposed to just be fatigued for another couple of weeks or so before being back to normal. However, there are at least two characteristics of my experience with mono that are unusual: 1) I haven't had a fever yet, even though fever almost always accompanies mono. 2) I haven't noticed any significant decrease in my energy level. I'm assuming that I'm just an atypical case of mono, because the other diseases/viruses that register positively in the mono spot test (where they prick your finger and put some blood on a test widget) are too serious and involve too many other symptoms that I don't have. So as long as what I have is, in fact, mono, I should be in the clear soon, although perhaps as soon as I stop the steroids, the other symptoms will surface too. I'm trying not to think about that possibility.

But since it seems to be resolving itself, I'm taking this unexpected turn in my health in stride. It has involved a number of complications: I had to inform my girlfriend about it, of course; I can't do any heavy lifting because of the risk of provoking my spleen to rupture (something else that comes along with mono: an enlarged spleen), which is forcing my parents to take care of many of my packing duties for me (I'm still doing what I can, but I'm trying not to get overconfident and assume that I'm back to normal before I actually am); and my girlfriend and I have to figure out when I'm safely kissable again. :-P

So while the timing is a bit inconvenient, at least my job doesn't start for about two more weeks, at which point mono should be well behind me. Plus, since my family will be taking care of much of the lifting involved with moving, I won't have to worry too much about my move tiring me out, although I wish I could help with that more than I'll be able to.

The main reason for all this detail is, I wanted to apologize to all my friends (mostly Lehigh ones) who I won't be able to see before my move. I was planning on heading north to see some people before my move this week, but since the mono diagnosis, that idea has gone out the window. So sorry, guys, but it's nothing personal. It just wouldn't be a smart idea for me to make that trip in my current condition. But I'm sure we'll find other excuses to see each other in the future (EPiC, anyone?). Now with all that unpleasantness done, moving on...

Last month was monumental, because I found an apartment and most of the furniture for my apartment. Apartment hunting consisted of going to Arlington, VA and walking around to five different apartment complexes that I had determined beforehand. By my second visit, I was convinced that I found the place I wanted, based on its price, location, appearance, and feel. Still, I went to the other places, just to make sure, and by the end of it, I was sure that my first instinct was the right one. And since I'd found a place, the next week, my mom and I went furniture shopping. Although it was rather expensive, we successfully ordered furniture to be delivered (and assembled upon delivery, if necessary) for my bedroom, dining room, and living room. I'm very happy with what we decided on, and once I get all settled in this weekend, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

Dealing with mono has put a bit of a damper on the upcoming move. I was expecting to be really excited about it, but since the potential of mono's symptoms exacerbating hangs overhead, it's tempered my anticipation a bit. However, since I know mono is temporary, I'm still psyched to be moving to a new area, to be starting a new chapter in my life. And in this chapter, I'll be closer to my girlfriend; reconnecting with old friends who have also moved to the area; starting my potential career (if things pan out at HPTi); and exploring a wonderful city that I've enjoyed everytime I've visited it. If anyone has some advice about moving to a new area or specifically about DC, I'd love to hear it. And with the summer coming to a close, I anticipate that I'll be going back to regular posting, starting with this one. I'll do my best to keep in touch with you, even as I leave home in the most permanent way yet. I have one request: please wish me good luck and good health. I'll need both for the upcoming weeks. My move is on Friday/Saturday, and I'll try to provide an update shortly after settling in. Take care, everyone!