Clinic visit recap, Day 2

Today I learned about Chinese medicine and the eastern philosophy to treating the body and that I still don't like needles. The damage to my kidneys is of course the object of this trip, but the cause of the damage is still unknown, but were getting somewhere. Some of it may have to do with contracting a rare parasite when I was overseas. This is around the same time as the heat stroke. There is only one lab in the country that can test this and they won't be able to do it until next Thursday.

The clinic is not willing to point fingers at any one medical group, but they have all been pretty adamant that my care thus far has been horribly mismanaged. Tests and follow ups that should be standard were never done, from 1993 all the way through Ironman 2008. In contrast I have never had three doctors working almost exclusively on me for six straight hours a day for three days. I can't even get a doctor to stick around for fifteen minutes when I go to them.

Whatever the cause, the analogy in a metaphysical, eastern philosophy sense, is that my body is now represented by 'fire'. It is something I am drawn too by nature. The reddish hair, I'm a Leo, I'm one of those guys who radiates heat and sleeps without covers, I live in the desert, I like hot drinks, I like hot baths and spa's, spicy flavors, fear and anger have fire status as well. Whatever I want to believe in or chose to want to categorize, in eastern medicine the kidneys hold the water of the body and I burn my up. Being drawn to Ironman, an event and training regime that naturally breaks down the body through catabolism, (heating the muscles) was in some ways destined. Some of these tests I have done look at energy flow and energy patterns. Mine show to be way off the chart of normal. Which means my body has a problem regulating the adrenaline in my body which is, yup you guessed it, controlled by the kidneys.

I will be leaving here, broke, but with a plan. Nutritionally there is much that can be accomplished. Not necessarily in changing the diet but how and when and why I need to eat and drink. For a long time I have used the affirmation that, "food is for fuel, not entertainment," which is a good way to live but doesn't address the needs of the body or the plan I need to overcome some of these dangerous things I have done to myself.

The good news is that unlike every other doctor I have spoken too since April, these guys are certain that I can train again for races. It may take years of planning and training in a way I have never done before but eventually yes it looks like a half iron race could happen at some point down the road.

There is already talk of a second trip up here. The next one would only be one day but it would be an out patient procedure to look at my kidneys, something that couldn't have been done this trip. I am actually coming up in August for a company retreat about an hour from downtown and if I can actually do it, I may skate for an afternoon for this three hour deal. Did I mention that the scope they use goes up my urine tract? Um yeah, I want to go home after a freaking blood draw, and they want to put me under for three or four hours, stick a device up my what-o to check me out and then drive an hour back to an unfamiliar place and sit through meetings. I am kind of hoping that this test is not necessary or that I can do it down in Arizona somehow.

Thanks for all the kind remarks guys. It makes days worth it.