They (Not) Seein' Me Roll, I Hatin'

Neurologists again today. No rollator because "they (the insurance company) will want to know a diagnosis and I don't have one. I can't put down MS, because that will stay with you forever and you don't want that."

I also don't want my shoulders and arms to hurt all the time and I'd like it if my hips hurt less when I do things like, oh, WALK, but hey, whatever. So, I'm sticking with my trusty old cane for the time being.

Today they actually bothered to spin the "Random Possible Diagnosis" wheel, however and came up with....

(ding, ding, ding)

Rheumatic Fever

Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, despite other tests showing no evidence of a streptococcal infection, though I might have had strep throat in Sudan in January of 2008, they have decided to run a second, more sensitive test looking for strep.

They're mainly running at this from the pain and movement disorder angle - you might be able to call my movement stuff "chorea." Maybe. Most of the other symptoms for rheumatic fever are extremely non-specific and kind of subjective.

Anyway, we'll see what this round of blood work shows.

Anyway, rheumatic fever typically affects children and is fairly rare if the initial infection is treated with antibiotics. I had a metric butt-load of antibiotics shoved down my throat in Sudan, but I guess it's possible that I had strep. Or maybe I had strep at some point in the past and have either forgotten or never had it treated. Who knows?

It's not clear to me if treatment will solve my problems. Nor is it clear if an episode of rheumatic fever (it recurs) typically lasts this long.

Anyway, we'll see.

They're also sending me for neuropsychiatric cognitive testing. Not sure when exactly. Not sure exactly what it entails either. I will be interested to see if I show cognitive deficits. I also kind of wonder what having above normal intelligence to start with does to the cognitive tests. Should be moderately interesting.

Oh and for today's bonus round: The intake nurse asked me if I was listening to music because my trunk movement/jerks were so bad at some points today that I was pretty much constantly jerking almost to a beat while sitting in the chair. Let me remind you all that this was the NEUROLOGY intake nurse! Am I really the only one with this problem?

Anyway, I'd just like to say that I think I might hold the record for old-timey diseases I've almost been diagnosed with since I first started having major issues with fatigue and aches back in 2005:

- malaria

- tuberculosis (mmm, consumption)

- rheumatic fever

Old-Timey Diseases I still need for my "collection":

- female hysteria (ok, not really, someone would get stabbed for this BS)

- yellow fever (does it count that I've been vaccinated?)

- "a touch of river blindness" (long story...)

- leprosy

- plague

- scurvy