Update for April 30

Our DSL modem is fried, so we have no internet access at home. As I type this into MS Word, I realize the date in the title will not match the actual posting date. C’est la vie.

On Monday, I flew down to the Houston area to stay with my parents. My sister, who lives in Italy due to my brother-in-law’s Army career, has been visiting our parents. She and my adorable niece and nephew will be flying back to Vicenza on May 8th. I wanted to see them before they left the country, so I decided to brave the airport and fly home.

Normally, flying does not cause me any grief. I have been flying since I was an infant, and I have no fear of airplanes—and no fear of heights. But being on immunosuppressant drugs, I was a little nervous about being in a closed metal tube, breathing everyone else’s recycled air. I worried about what germs I would be exposed to—about what microscopic organisms were crawling all over the surface of my try table or seat belt latch. I decided to ignore my anxiety and fly anyway. Seeing my family was just too important.

When I arrived at the airport, my mother and three-year-old niece were waiting in the passenger loading zone. As soon as my niece saw me, she began waving furiously. My mom told me that when I waved back, my niece exclaimed, “I’m so happy now!” What a wonderful start to my visit!

While home, I tried to help my sister with her children. But I was drained from the flight. And my niece, with her infinite supply of energy, exhausted me. It didn’t help that I picked up a cold on the flight home, and it was slowly wearing my body down. I had a hard time sleeping soundly because I heard every noise my one-year-old nephew made. Every time he woke up babbling or crying, I woke up too. All of these factors affected my running schedule.

On Tuesday, after a night of tossing and turning, I woke up at 4:25 a.m. and went for a 68 minute run. I was quickly reminded how humid and uncomfortable running in Houston can be! After my run, my mother joined me as I walked a mile cool down. We chatted, and it was nice having some one-on-one time to catch up. On Wednesday, I went for a 50 minute run. After the run, I felt too weak to go for a walk, so I took some medicine and climbed back into bed. By Thursday morning, I was exhausted and my throat and sinuses were killing me. I did not complete any portion of my planned 40 minute run.

I am now back in St. Louis, and I can feel my suppressed immune system struggling to fight this cold. My lymph nodes are huge, swollen rocks. I feel dazed—discombobulated. I know getting over a simple cold is going to be so much harder while on Imuran. I just which I knew how long it will take—I have a race on Sunday!