Thursday, April 13, 2017

In defense of being proactive...

13 April 2017: "They are all on the same track!" --my nurse practitioner today, explaining why all the nodes on the left side of my head and neck are swollen.

I am not one to get sick a lot or go to the doctor before things get bad, but I had a hunch that I ought to go when stuff kept getting and staying swollen (since Monday). And I have this weird bump, painful bump on my head, on the left side, right above my hairline. I kind of figured that the head bump, which felt different and isn't a lymph node was a sort of red herring.

Today everything felt just achy enough to make me get nervous. I called for an appointment and got right in. In about two minutes, the NP diagnosed foliculitis (the bump on my head) which my body is fighting, thus the swollen lymph nodes. One (pretty darn expensive) antibiotic prescription later, and I should be on my way to feeling better.

So I guess today's "listening" post is about listening to two voices: the NP's, who connected the dots of what was going on (I literally said, "Oh! I see!" in response!) and the voice in my head telling me to get checked out.

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