I’m giving an update about the last couple of weeks and my bout with illness.

It looks like the initial thinking was correct: that while I did have an infection (or two) I also was going through a flare of myositis. These two things are dealt with in opposite ways, which has placed my body in a really uncomfortable position. On one hand, I take a higher dose of steroids in order to try and control the inflammation of the disorder. On the other hand, the infection must be dealt with by antibiotics.

Neither of these solutions are permanent. You can’t take antibiotics indefinitely and you for sure can’t take prednisone at high doses for a long time, as I’m sure many of you have learned firsthand. This is one of those times where my specialists and primary docs are really taking a moment to stop and think about the next best move. Either way, it looks like the next few days or weeks are going to be an uncomfortable experience until I can shake one or both of the problems. I’ll head to the University of Kansas Medical Center again today to see the lead rheumy on my case. Hopefully he and the others can work on a plan to stop the infections and the flare in their tracks. This may involve infusions I have received before such as IVIG or Rituxan.

I’ll try to update the next step over the weekend. This has been one long week, and I feel like I’m in a bit of a daze mentally and physically. Tonight my thoughts and feelings are with those who are doing just as bad or worse.

To those suffering, and those who just have their other personal challenges in life, don’t give up hope. The experience of life is sometimes not how fast we can find a solution, but what we learned about our strength and abilities while enduring the wait.