Back to School
- Pamela Mills
- Jan 24, 2017
- 3 min read
On January 17, 2017, I went back to school. This was a big day for me. It is not because I am working towards any degree or hopes of starting any particular career. This day was so important because I felt healthy enough to do it. This is also a test to see if my health can handle a simple daily routine outside of the house and doctors.
I was diagnosed with CVID, Common Variable Immune Deficiency in January, 2010. It was then that my life changed so much. It took 6 months for me to get prior authorization to begin my IVIG, (Intravenous Gammagobulin) therapy. It took the same amount of time to get authorization to begin my Xolair therapy. So during this time, I continued to decline significantly.
April 9th, 2010 I was told by my doctor that I could no longer work. This was at a time when I was on several antibiotics and steroids, and nothing was working. I know my doctor was working with me to just keep me out of hospital at this time. The four months prior to this, I hadn’t been able to work a full week, or even a full day. I was just doing what I could and working with my boss, just to keep things going. My boss was the business owner and thankfully was very understanding.
It was about a year later that I started having other health issues. In the next few years I needed several surgeries. I called this the ‘domino effect’ because it seemed one problem led to another. My health was doing a yo-yo. It would get better and then worse. I would get up, and then I was knocked out again. One of my neighbors said to me that he thought I was going to die. Thankfully, I was doing better at that time.
Then another domino fell. This time I was me doing all the falling. It turned out that my years of dealing with ruptured discs in my back had taken their toll. I learned that I was falling due to nerve damage to my legs. This led to epidural injections and a couple of years of physical therapy. I worked hard to rebuild my muscled that had atrophied during my years of illness. I exercised to rebuild some semblance of stamina. The pain was difficult to endure, but it was better than the sciatic and other nerve pain that I had been feeling. Then, by Christmas 2016 I was able to walk a mile on a good day.
During this time I also worked on many other things. Good nutrition, healthy diet, weight loss, and more. I managed my insurance so that I could get my Xolair injections every two weeks. My boyfriend and I learned to manage my energy levels better. My depression was in remission and I was painting and crafting again. I was happy and being social when I could. This led to me not having an infection for nine months.
So now, I am back to school. I am taking a sculpture class for fun. As an artist I think this will be right up my alley. I even got my doctor’s approval!! So Shasta College… here I go.
I promise to upload pictures to my FB page as I go along in my class, may my work be great or horrible. Lol.
To my fellow Zebras, keep working. Recovery road is miserable… but we are Zebra Strong!! Love and hugs to you all.
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