The Beginning

A few days ago, a friend suggested that I start writing a blog...

This reminded me that I actually tried to do that in the past , but since then quite a lot has happened.

So, I thought that I should probably update the old one, but also start a new one .

Where should I begin?

Perhaps the best place to start would be one of the books which inspired me over the last 10 years.

“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

“I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

The beginning was probably before it all started. It was not yesterday, but over 10 years ago.

I was in the midst of what seemed to be a fairly successful and promising career, as a hematologist. I was also the wife of a successful scientist and the mother of 2 wonderful boys. Like many other physicians, who also want to have a normal family life, I worked "around the clock", balancing and juggling between the hospital, the lab and my family. Like most of my colleagues, I also found time for trips abroad and recreational activities, in between local and international conferences. 

With my busy schedule, neither I nor those around me were surprised when I started to be quite exhausted at the end of the day. When I had times in which it was hard for me to sit in my office and I had to lean on my desk, it seemed a bit unusual, but still it was not extremely out of the ordinary. 

When I started having bouts of coughing when drinking and episodes of difficulty breathing during exertion I briefly consulted a colleague pulmonologist, who thought I had mild asthma and gave me a ventolin inhaler, which was quite helpful. 

My fatigue became worse with every activity. I had to take frequent rest periods in the middle of my clinic, or even when cooking dinner, I could no longer run from the hospital to the lab and back home and a month after a trip to San-Diego for a conference, I was still having "jet lag". It became hard for me to climb a flight of steps or even eat an entire meal, keep my eyes open or sit without supporting my head. 

At this point those around me became concerned. Some mildly abnormal results of blood tests and the concern of those around me led to a consultation with an endocrinologist, who thought this was most likely a neurological illness and made a referral to a neurologist. I think that was probably where it all really started. 

To be continued...