Zen and the Art of Speedskating

If you hear hoofbeats in Central Park, think Horses- not Zebras. –

Oft repeated medical saying

What the above quote means is that in most medical cases the correct diagnosis is usually the simplest & most straightforward answer.

However there are some cases where the doctor looks you in the eye and says, as one just did to Jess: “You qualify as one of the most unusual 4-5 cases I have seen in my 30 years of practicing medicine.”

In short, Jessica is a Zebra.

It took the doctors four different treatments until they found something to help with her painful & shifting arthritis. So far, the only thing that has brought her relief is a strong dose of prednisone.

But there are now a host of other issues. Some are probably side effects of the various treatments/drugs that were tried, some could be related to whatever the underlying mystery condition is.

One good thing is that when a Zebra sighting is confirmed, the specialist Zebra hunters are alerted. After a late night emergency room visit, the word & call is out, and we are having multiple visits with specialists over the next few days.

This is not the time to be watching episodes of the TV medical-drama “House”. The reality sucks. Wish us luck…

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This is Jessica checking in here. I appreciate all the concerned responses to the post about my medical condition, and all the good will/emails coming from all directions feel great.

Andrew can be a little intense in his expression of concern for me, so I wanted to give my own view of what is happening. There has been a flurry of interest on the part of specialists, as my symptoms continue to not respond to treatment. I have some interesting tests coming up tomorrow which should provide a narrowed focus for further investigation.

My symptoms are no fun, and I rely heavily on my mother and my mother in-law, who have both recently visited. Andrew has been a fantastic support, and even sacrificed a very important speed-skating related trip to Norway to help take care of me. He is understandably stressed out.

Baby RZ is doing great. She’s getting a lot of grandma time, and loves all the attention. Right now the assumption is that I have a condition that is temporary. Until we have reason to believe otherwise, the expectation is that all this will eventually resolve. I’m trying hard to be positive, and some days are better than others.

We will keep everybody posted as soon as there’s news worth “printing!”

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P.S. These pictures are worth printing right now, here is RZ & my Mom. RZ is deploying her 1000 watt smile!

RZ & Me, a few moments after this picture were taken, she reached out, and grabbed my glasses right off my face. I was so proud of her; I did not mind my complete blindness.

I’ve been under so much stress, I think I’ve lived in this same comfy sweatshirt and hat for the last month.

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