So I do this sport

A "rugged adventure recreational sport activity." I did not make that up; that is the phrasing the waivers for my college's dressage team chose. Yes, yes, I do dressage, which, for those potential readers who are not my close coerced friends, is a form of horseback riding.

I started riding when I was about ten because my mom read something about a woman with terrible arthritis who, after riding for a few years, had notable improvement in her finger joints. Riding is (theoretically) a low impact sport, which is basically why I can do it.




Low impact ^^^


^^^High impact

(wow I started writing this post like 9 days ago, what the fuck was I going to say about horses? Horses. Horses?)

Going off of my confusion, the reason I started writing this was a) oh hey I've never talked about the fact that I ride the quadrupeds and b) I had just gotten back from a horse show that had tried to screw me over for midterms via Fatigue.

Actually, on a sad note, I am "sitting in that middle spot" as my coach says, in that I place 7th practically every show. She wondered if it was because of nerves or because I am just wiped out by the time I ride (coaches, of course, have always known that I am immunointeresting). Then she suggested that the team start leaving me in the hotel till lunch. Which, on the one hand, sleep! on the other hand, sad-face.

I told my doctor about the fairly epic fatigue today. (Oh, this is the part where I ingeniously pretend like this whole post was going to be about my doctor's appointment today instead of about a horse show 9 days ago. Which...yeah.) She was pretty unimpressed with all my symptoms, from my lingering cough (seriously, my lungs are just spazzing at this point) to my swollen lymph nodes to my off-track knees (her words, not mine.)

My lymph nodes, you may remember, have been swollen for six months now. Just two of them, one on the left side of my neck farther back than you would expect, one just next to my trachea on the right side (you needed those details). There used to be more of them, so it's good that it's down to two, and they haven't grown (if anything, they've shrunk) so that is also good but they were still worrying me. My doctor said, and I quote, "What do we worry about with lymph nodes? Lymphoma! But if they're not getting bigger and they're isolated in your neck, it's very unlikely. Have you ever had unprotected sex? Then you probably do not have HIV. You know what? I'm not going to give you another disease."

Yes, friends. "I'm not going to give you another disease."

Then she got really excited when she remembered I had mono six months ago, even though student health was still not completely sure that I did. I don't actually know what happened, but it was finals and I was having boy problems and it was hot and my head hurt and I stopped listening to them. Stupid student health.

So it appears I'm doing well-ish. Doctor also unimpressed with birth control side effects so we guess those are not a big deal. Doctor appeared to be on some sort of drug because she usually is not as pleased with my existence as she was today. Actually, she doesn't like me that much. I took myself off of Plaquenil. (psst, little known fact: doctors don't like it when you take yourself off their drugs.) In my defense, people could tell on days when I hadn't taken my meds: "Did you take your meds today?" "No, why?" "You seem happy." That's how bad that drug was for me.

Okay, that is all for today. I apologize to all, you know, seven of you for not updating ever, I am just very tired/busy/tired/stressed/busy/tired lately. I'm on fall break right now but catching up on sleep takes a lot of work. Plus my friend introduced me to and got me hooked on Dexter and that is seriously cutting into my sleep time because GOODNESS CREEPY.