Apologies to my regular readers for
neglecting my blog. Truth to tell, I have been unwell for most of August. I put
it down to another Lupus flare. But the symptoms just went on and on. The
hospital where I go for regular treatment has been closed since the fire in
April. I heard from other Lupus patients that doctors from our department were available
on Wednesdays at the Helen Joseph Hospital. I really did not want to go to this
hospital that’s struggling to cope now with patients from two busy government
hospitals. But I had no choice. I had to bite the bullet and went yesterday.
My specialist suspects that I have
POTS (Postural tachycardia syndrome) and I have been booked for CT scans later
this month. Lucky for google I have been able to find out more about this
syndrome – more importantly how to cope with it and understand that even though
I’m feeling really crap at times, I will get over this, and if the diagnosis is
confirmed, I will be able to find ways to live with it.
Sometimes it does one good to get
out of your comfort zone and see the world around you for what it is. The fear
of Covid has kept us so isolated, I could not imagine myself standing in long
queues as we do at government hospitals. I had my good man with me for
support and to help me find my way despite ‘brain fog' and vague instructions.
The sun was shining on our first day of spring. People standing in the
queues were friendly and patient. At first, the department where we were
directed was relatively quiet and well controlled. But, by the time we left a
few hours later, it seemed that thousands were packed into a small space (no
social distancing) and people were getting irate and impatient. I was happy to
leave.
When you’re unwell, it helps to
know what’s wrong with you. Then at least you can do something about relieving
the symptoms, or learning to avoid them in the first place. It seems that this
POTS comes from my Lupus and Sjögren’s that I, along with my amazing
specialist, have managed to keep under control for the past 15 years. It seems
now that many who have had Covid are left with autoimmune symptoms, one of
these being POTS.
Whenever I come out of a flare, I
resolve to make the most of each and every day. I know that others may find it
difficult to understand what I am going through, and it’s best for me to do
something positive like read, hand-crafts, play the piano or just sit in the
sun and listen to the birds. That I have opened my laptop and filled in the gap
of my blog speaks volumes. It means that I am on the road to recovery, and
we’ll catch up with Hannah and baby Sarah just as soon as I can.
