don't think, don't worry. everything's just fine. just fine.

Finally, my neurologist called me this evening (the back story to this is in here somewhere)

My scans have revealed a patch of inflammation on my cervical cord. This confirms the intial diagnosis of myelitis. The scans have ruled out a whole pile of other things though. Nasty things, like fluid on the brain, tumours and stuff like that. Clearly this is good news, although it leaves us no further forward in understanding what has caused this inflammation.

I have three options:

1) Do nothing, and wait for the inflammation to subside

2) Have a course of intravenous steroids to try to accelerate the healing

3) Have lumbar punctures to try and understand the underlying cause of the myelitis.

The lumbar punctures would not be very likely to tell us much more than we already know, apparently, and the steroids are pretty serious drugs and may trigger something else (and would also rule me out of international sport for the forseeable future). So waiting it is. I'll leave it another week, then talk to the neurologist again to see if my symptoms have turned the corner, and then probably go and see him for another consultation the week after that. In the meantime "gentle exercise" must be my reluctant watchword (the neurologist pointed out that this was a relative term: what is gentle exercise for me, would be very strenuous for him. I took this as a gentle nudge that I should take things easier).

Frustrating, but I suppose it's a step forwards.

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À propos nothing, except that I saw someone wearing a pair when I was leaving work, I feel that I need to tell you that I really, really hate this kind of shoe. I think they are hideous. I'm not really sure why I think like this, but somehow I feel the need to share that piece of information with you.

If you happen to own a pair of these (or their ilk), I can only apologise, but it's the way I feel.

Phew. Glad I got that off my chest!