Fast Times @ ‘Rona High
Thought I’d post something here to keep ya in the know about why I was working from home this week (in case you noticed; if you didn’t notice, then = yay!).
I have rheumatoid arthritis that affects my entire body. It’s not just joint tissue, it’s bones, organs, blood and even my voice. Have you ever noticed why I’m really raspy on the radio sometimes? Now you know why. My energy level has been zapped for a while. This is also very, very normal and has been under investigation since early 2018 by a number of specialists. No concrete conclusions but the obvious answer is: my disease.
Ok.
The drugs I take to protect my body against the auto-immune destruction of my joints, tissues, organs, etc. suppresses my immune system. It’s called Enbrel, you can Google it if you want to know more. It’s kinda sketchy, but hey, it works (for me).
The drugs come with side effects, too. Like Neutropenia.
“Neutropenia occurs when you have too few neutrophils, a type of white blood cells. While all white blood cells help your body fight infections, neutrophils are important for fighting certain infections, especially those caused by bacteria.”
I had routine bloodwork done on Monday and got some bummer results on Tuesday morning, which is why I decided to begin self isolating (round two). Results indicate I may have an “infection ?” (That’s literally what the report said). Pair that uncertainty with today’s pandemic and it was enough for me to book a COVID test.
I do not have any symptoms relating to COVID that I haven’t had (thoroughly documented by my care team) for years. My family is healthy. I am very much under the impression my disease is going after my blood and marrow (again) and the fatigue is also part of the nature of rheumatoid arthritis. My body gets tired fighting against itself while attempting to fight off outside infections which makes for a very exhausted Amy.
I am waiting for swab results which I anticipate to be negative. I’ll keep ya posted!
Check on your auto-immune friends. This pandemic has been a real jerk!
Wear a mask.
Wash your hands.
Be excellent to each other from 2m apart.