Welcome to my pity party, where floods are just the beginning

Originally published on Hemophilia News Today by BioNews, Inc.

First the world acts up, then the body — with back and knee problems.

Welcome to my world, where it seems like I’m perpetually hosting a pity party. The past year has thrown more curveballs my way than I’d ever anticipated, leaving me caught in a never-ending hurricane of challenges. While I’m sharing my struggles here, I’m also keeping in mind the resilience of those facing far worse.

Last week, the outer bands of Hurricane Idalia swept through my Florida city of Punta Gorda, a place still bearing the scars of last year’s Hurricane Ian. My condo’s roof, damaged by Ian’s wrath, remains unrepaired, leaving us vulnerable.

The forecasters had predicted Idalia’s course to hit north of us, but my neighbors and I were skeptical. After all, we’ve seen our fair share of direct hits of Category 4 hurricanes predicted to hit north of us, including Charley in 2004 and Ian in 2022. While Idalia did bring flooding to my city, it could’ve been much worse. My heart goes out to those who bore the brunt of the storm farther north.

The storm within

While Idalia spared us its full wrath, the emotional turbulence it brought mirrored the chaos within me. My health, much like the weather, has become increasingly unpredictable. My recent kneecap dislocation, after 35 years of somewhat normalcy, sent shockwaves through my world. The remaining pain and uncertainty are a storm of their own.

Consultation with an orthopedic surgeon led to plans for physical therapy and a brace, but my doctor warned me that surgery looms if a dislocation recurs. Unfortunately, a recurrence happened the other night: My kneecap partly dislocated while I slept, waking me with a sharp pain and an ominous clunking sound.

Because of my bleeding disorders, hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease, the bruising and swelling around my knee intensified, signaling clearly that these dislocations would be more than a minor setback. My physical therapist, alarmed by the extent of the damage, urged me to reach out to my doctor.

Then, to add to my woes, my lower back chose that inopportune moment to act up, leaving me struggling to move.

The timing couldn’t be worse. I have plans to travel to Wisconsin on the horizon, and the last thing I want is to be bogged down by these issues. But life’s storms are seldom considerate of our plans. As my doctor used to say, “Medicine waits for no one.”

So welcome to my pity party, a gathering where I share the storms life has thrown my way. As I navigate this stormy chapter of my life, I hope to weather each challenge one step at a time and perhaps even discover unexpected blessings along the way.