Near the end of the summer I started noticing a theme: I was getting sick everyday. Whenever I ate, no matter what I was eating, I would get super sick. I have been allergic to dairy for years so I go out of my way to avoid dairy. This was not dairy related. I was getting horribly sick. I would have sharp stabby stomach pains all day, I would get tired almost instantly after eating, a migraine quality headache would soon develop and I was experiencing awful joint pain. Initially I did not connect the headaches, fatigue, or joint pain. I went to the doctor shortly after the semester started, just for the sick and stomach pains. We talked about what could be causing it and she order a lot of blood work.
Those that are successful at obtaining my blood without hurting me will be given a huge reward. To my recollection this has never happened. I have had everything from a phlebotamist inserting the needle and moving it around to find the vein. I have had blood taken from both elbows, the back of both hands, and even from between my knuckles at one point. When having my blood drawn at the doctor's office, it took two people. The first person attempted to get blood from my elbow and couldn't do it. The second person came in and took blood from the back of my hand. The problem, then, was that both were from my right arm, my dominate arm. I lost all feeling in my right arm for the rest of the day, which made driving a fun game.
I went back to the doctors this week to follow up. My blood work showed that I am severely anemic and that I have hypothyroidism. The Anemia I can understand but I have not fully understood what exactly hypothyroidism entails. However, the test for bacterial infections and parasites were clean. In between the two doctors visits I realized that everytime I eat wheat I would have all of the symptoms. So I haven't had gluten in a month. I feel so much better and I'm only getting sick when the dining services sneaks gluten into my food.
So it turns out I have Celiac Disease. Apparently 1 in 100 people have it. It's an autoimmune disease that makes it impossible for my intestines to process gluten (the protein found in wheat, barely, rye, and other grains). I have to load up on the fruits and vegetables and I am trying out weird gluten free foods. It has made eating in the dining hall insanely difficult so I am working with housing to try to move out of the dorm.
In one month I have been diagnosed with anemia, hypothyroidism, and Celiac Disease. My body hates me!
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Monday, September 26, 2011
Update on Life in Seminary
I'm going to take a break from my New Testament Exegesis homework to update the world on my life. Okay, honestly, I have not started the Exegesis homework...but I will get to it. I have not blogged in eons so I thought I would remedy that.
Where to begin?
Princeton Theological Seminary is amazing and I am so glad I came here! The people are amazing, the classes are amazing, the professors are amazing, and everything is so amazing! I am being completely serious, but allow me to elaborate. As i have said previously, the people here are phenomenal. Since the fall semester is underway, I have met even more people and I am just impressed with the high caliber of people here. Everyone is awesome for his or her own reasons but all in all everyone is great. In addition, it's not just students. The faculty and staff are great too. I am particularly in love with David Wall, the registrar. He helped me get everything together so I could register and stay when it looked like everything was going to hell in a hand basket. He is amazing and helpful and friends with Burns.
The classes are intense and it is quite evident that AUC did not prepare me for this. I clearly have a bachelor's in bullshit! I have a 20 page paper due in 3 weeks and I have never written a paper that long before. The writing center is going to become my best friend! There is a lot of reading and everything is more intense that it was in college and I am going to struggle but I will make it work and I will learn so much.
I have attended karaoke night at the IVY a couple of times so far and that is overly entertaining. I have been to a party at one of the private clubs at the University. I have attended Shark Week and my first hall party (big fan of Brown 2). I have made so many phenomenal friends already. One great thing I have experienced is joining a club.
Tonight I attended the first meeting of BGLASS (which stands for Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Supporters). We talked about the many different events that will be taking place this year. Amazing things like attending a Mennonite hymn sing, opening worship an intercultural café, events with the covenant Presbyterians and the Yes Coalition (and maybe GLAAD, service projects, BGLASS week, hosting forums on the OT and the NT as well as the possibility of getting together with Princeton University as well as the Westminster Choir College. I am incredibly excited to be involved with this. In fact, I sort of dove right in and will be helping with opening worship as well as representing BGLASS in working on the Intercultural Café with other campus groups. BGLASS is essentially everything that I wished I had in college. I am extra excited and thankful for this in my life as I am struggling to figure out my life.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Life Experience
I think I'm having a not quite a quarter life crisis.
Being here at Princeton this summer, there have been a lot of instances where I wish that I didn't come straight here. I wish that I had taken a year off and got a job somewhere doing something ministry related and just dealing with people. I've been doing school for the past 16 years and I'm wondering if it might be time for a break. There are so many people here that took time between college and seminary and went abroad or worked for non-profits. They have life experience that they can relate to what they're learning and I don't have that.
Being here at Princeton this summer, there have been a lot of instances where I wish that I didn't come straight here. I wish that I had taken a year off and got a job somewhere doing something ministry related and just dealing with people. I've been doing school for the past 16 years and I'm wondering if it might be time for a break. There are so many people here that took time between college and seminary and went abroad or worked for non-profits. They have life experience that they can relate to what they're learning and I don't have that.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Goals
I am at a new point in my life. I've just moved to a new state and started at a new school. I've just started seminary and that's kind of a big deal. Since I am starting a new phase of my life and putting really big changes into my life, I decided to add some more. I've decided that I need to set some goals in my life and try to keep them.
There are the obvious goals that I am setting for myself: remember to do my homework, study every day, pass my classes.
And then there are my other goals like lose weight. In order to meet this goal, I am setting an attainable goal of going to the gym 3 times a week. I need to find a way to motivate myself to get dressed and walk down the street. Also with that, is to eat healthier. No more snacking...well, limit snacking etc,.
Some of the other goals I'm setting have dates I want to achieve them by while others are vague. Some of the other goals I'm setting are: write a book, take a road trip with no predetermined destination, get married, save money, take more pictures, learn to drive a stick-shift, learn to snowboard, visit the Holy Land, get season tickets to the Bruins, see a Red Sox/Yankees game, do more things that I enjoy (baking, wedding cakes, kayaking).
There are the obvious goals that I am setting for myself: remember to do my homework, study every day, pass my classes.
And then there are my other goals like lose weight. In order to meet this goal, I am setting an attainable goal of going to the gym 3 times a week. I need to find a way to motivate myself to get dressed and walk down the street. Also with that, is to eat healthier. No more snacking...well, limit snacking etc,.
Some of the other goals I'm setting have dates I want to achieve them by while others are vague. Some of the other goals I'm setting are: write a book, take a road trip with no predetermined destination, get married, save money, take more pictures, learn to drive a stick-shift, learn to snowboard, visit the Holy Land, get season tickets to the Bruins, see a Red Sox/Yankees game, do more things that I enjoy (baking, wedding cakes, kayaking).
Monday, February 14, 2011
My brain is a scary place
I'm not sure if I mentioned this when I first started blogging but I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in the tenth grade. You see, when I was younger my teachers suggested that there was something wrong but my parents never had me tested. So my teachers, not knowing quite what to do with me, would have me sit in the corner with a book. I wasn't the ADHD kid that would run around, but rather the one who needed something to do. I would finish my work so fast and if left idle I would run around and be crazy, but if they kept giving me stuff to do I was alright. When my sister brought me to the neurologist he asked me how I managed to live life thus far. He was amazed that no one had put me on drugs before. I spent 10th-12th grade on an amazing cocktail of narcotics. At different points I was on concerta, Aderall, Ritalin and Strattera. They all had their own very interesting side effects. Straterra was a special drug in particular because it gave me narcolepsy.
When I went off to college I decided that I was going to stop taking meds. I decided that I didn't want to be dependent on narcotics...even if they were prescribed and even if they helped me. Over the past three and a half years I have reconsidered many many times. I am currently at the point where I want to go back on Aderall. That was the drug that helped the best. I was actually able to concentrate when I was taking that.
Right now I can feel it when I lose concentration. Literally, it's as if I can feel the chemicals in my brain change. Some one asked me what it feels like and it's very hard to describe. I suppose the best way to describe it would almost be like having something crawl on your skin except it is in my brain. That sounds really wrong but I think it is the only way to even come close to putting the feeling into words. Describing the symptoms is easy (the racing thoughts, the many different unrelated thoughts, the desperate need to do something, the need to move physically), but describing how I think it feels when the chemicals change is something I do not even understand myself.
The point of saying that I have ADHD was to apply it to my blog. You may have noticed that my posts jump around a lot and that I change my mind a lot. For instance, the last post I had was about the possibility of doing an M.Div and law. I'm not sure that's the route I want to go down now. It was only a few days ago and yet I've changed my mind. One of the symptoms of ADHD is a lack of impulse control. I make decisions quickly and then they change. one day I'm deciding that law is the route I want to go down and then the next day it's changed completely. I'm not a fan.
I suppose this is all to say that I am impulsive. My blog posts will contradict themselves. I will make up my mind only to change it later. The odd thing is I can normally control it when it applies to other people. When I have to make a decision that involves other people and has an impact on other people I can think things through and come to a proper decision and stick with it, but when it comes to my own life that is unheardof. If you cannot deal with my crazy unpatterned and unorganized thoughts I would stop reading now. Things might get better when I go back on meds or when I finally get into a seminary (the biggest life decison will not be looming over me at that point). I would love for you to stick around, but honestly I understnad. heck i don't even want to be stuck in my head with my thoughts most of the time.
When I went off to college I decided that I was going to stop taking meds. I decided that I didn't want to be dependent on narcotics...even if they were prescribed and even if they helped me. Over the past three and a half years I have reconsidered many many times. I am currently at the point where I want to go back on Aderall. That was the drug that helped the best. I was actually able to concentrate when I was taking that.
Right now I can feel it when I lose concentration. Literally, it's as if I can feel the chemicals in my brain change. Some one asked me what it feels like and it's very hard to describe. I suppose the best way to describe it would almost be like having something crawl on your skin except it is in my brain. That sounds really wrong but I think it is the only way to even come close to putting the feeling into words. Describing the symptoms is easy (the racing thoughts, the many different unrelated thoughts, the desperate need to do something, the need to move physically), but describing how I think it feels when the chemicals change is something I do not even understand myself.
The point of saying that I have ADHD was to apply it to my blog. You may have noticed that my posts jump around a lot and that I change my mind a lot. For instance, the last post I had was about the possibility of doing an M.Div and law. I'm not sure that's the route I want to go down now. It was only a few days ago and yet I've changed my mind. One of the symptoms of ADHD is a lack of impulse control. I make decisions quickly and then they change. one day I'm deciding that law is the route I want to go down and then the next day it's changed completely. I'm not a fan.
I suppose this is all to say that I am impulsive. My blog posts will contradict themselves. I will make up my mind only to change it later. The odd thing is I can normally control it when it applies to other people. When I have to make a decision that involves other people and has an impact on other people I can think things through and come to a proper decision and stick with it, but when it comes to my own life that is unheardof. If you cannot deal with my crazy unpatterned and unorganized thoughts I would stop reading now. Things might get better when I go back on meds or when I finally get into a seminary (the biggest life decison will not be looming over me at that point). I would love for you to stick around, but honestly I understnad. heck i don't even want to be stuck in my head with my thoughts most of the time.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Last Day
1/5/11 8:00 AM
Whoa! Today is my last day in Bamenda. We've been here for five days and it has gone by so fast. I'm not ready for it to end. Tomorrow around 9:00 AM we will meet to head to Douala. Our plane will take off from Douala at 11:40 PM and we will have to sat goodbye to Cameroon.
Spending time here and seeing how people live has made me want to reexamine some things in my life when we get home. We have seen different levels of society in our tine in Cameroon. In Nkikoh homes did not have electricity or running water. Here in Bamenda homes have electricity. The house I am currently staying in has Internet but no running water. We've been to Fru Ndi's compound which is amazing and to the royal palace in Bafut.
When I next come to Cameroon (and I hope there will be a next time) I will pack very differently. I will absolutely not pack anything white...the dust turns it red. I don't need long sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt does just fine. It us not as hot as they made it out to br so I can reduce the number of things I brought to wear. I will have business cards with all if my info on them because everyone wants our addresses, emails, and even Facebook. I will bring things like chewing gum for all the kids fascinated by my skin. Though it's a pain I will use a suitcase instead of my bag because it is hard to take clothes out of the bag. I will also bring an extra bag for the things I bring back.
Whoa! Today is my last day in Bamenda. We've been here for five days and it has gone by so fast. I'm not ready for it to end. Tomorrow around 9:00 AM we will meet to head to Douala. Our plane will take off from Douala at 11:40 PM and we will have to sat goodbye to Cameroon.
Spending time here and seeing how people live has made me want to reexamine some things in my life when we get home. We have seen different levels of society in our tine in Cameroon. In Nkikoh homes did not have electricity or running water. Here in Bamenda homes have electricity. The house I am currently staying in has Internet but no running water. We've been to Fru Ndi's compound which is amazing and to the royal palace in Bafut.
When I next come to Cameroon (and I hope there will be a next time) I will pack very differently. I will absolutely not pack anything white...the dust turns it red. I don't need long sleeve shirts, a sweatshirt does just fine. It us not as hot as they made it out to br so I can reduce the number of things I brought to wear. I will have business cards with all if my info on them because everyone wants our addresses, emails, and even Facebook. I will bring things like chewing gum for all the kids fascinated by my skin. Though it's a pain I will use a suitcase instead of my bag because it is hard to take clothes out of the bag. I will also bring an extra bag for the things I bring back.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
mea culpa
I feel like I have been saying sorry a lot lately. The thing is most of the time, I am simply doing it to appease people. I am not actually sorry. I am sorry for the long break in between posts. That I really am sorry for. I mean to blog more often but stupid life and stupid drama take up way too much of my time.
Apparently I have changed. Someone told me today that "the usual you wouldn't have done that". That got me to thinking...The usual me? Who is the usual me? How can someone tell me what the usual me is? Shouldn't I know the usual me more than anyone? And besides all that, change is good.
The fall semester of my senior year of college just ended. One semester left until I am no longer a college student. One semester left until I have finished my 4 year sentence. one semester until I am hopefully becoming a seminarian. Reflecting on the fact that I have one semester left freaks me out. I really need to buckle down! No more playing around, no more procrastination. It's all about hitting the books next semester.
I have decided that there are certain changes in my life I need to make. No longer can I jerk around and then do everything at the last second. (Yes, I know this will take a LOT of work, but I'm going to start). I am also extraordinarily sick of drama. I am sick of being dragged into the drama of people's lives. I am sick of being surrounded by toxic relationships. My own relationship is perfectly amazing and I have hardly any drama in my own life so I am official done with other people's drama rubbing off on me. Enough!
I am also surrounding myself with more people, but at the same time engaging in hermitism. I have expanded my circle of friends and have begun hanging out with people I have not hung out with in a very long time. I am surrounding myself with all types of people and I enjoy it. At the same time I value alone time. Part of me wishes I were a hermit. Therefore I will create an equal balance of socialising and being by myself. I get stuff done when I have alone time. So next semester I will randomly escape to my dorm room and hide there for a night or for a weekend. I get too overwhelmed when I am surrounded by people 24/7. If I randomly disappear do not get angry, but get used to it.
Ch-ch-ch-Changes!
Apparently I have changed. Someone told me today that "the usual you wouldn't have done that". That got me to thinking...The usual me? Who is the usual me? How can someone tell me what the usual me is? Shouldn't I know the usual me more than anyone? And besides all that, change is good.
The fall semester of my senior year of college just ended. One semester left until I am no longer a college student. One semester left until I have finished my 4 year sentence. one semester until I am hopefully becoming a seminarian. Reflecting on the fact that I have one semester left freaks me out. I really need to buckle down! No more playing around, no more procrastination. It's all about hitting the books next semester.
I have decided that there are certain changes in my life I need to make. No longer can I jerk around and then do everything at the last second. (Yes, I know this will take a LOT of work, but I'm going to start). I am also extraordinarily sick of drama. I am sick of being dragged into the drama of people's lives. I am sick of being surrounded by toxic relationships. My own relationship is perfectly amazing and I have hardly any drama in my own life so I am official done with other people's drama rubbing off on me. Enough!
I am also surrounding myself with more people, but at the same time engaging in hermitism. I have expanded my circle of friends and have begun hanging out with people I have not hung out with in a very long time. I am surrounding myself with all types of people and I enjoy it. At the same time I value alone time. Part of me wishes I were a hermit. Therefore I will create an equal balance of socialising and being by myself. I get stuff done when I have alone time. So next semester I will randomly escape to my dorm room and hide there for a night or for a weekend. I get too overwhelmed when I am surrounded by people 24/7. If I randomly disappear do not get angry, but get used to it.
Ch-ch-ch-Changes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)