Stuck in bed again

Well, once again it's official. I'm ill. Stuck in bed for the last two
days, with just about enough energy to make myself soup. All the usual
- dizziness, the usual digestive rebellion, etc. And earlier on today,
I get a phone call from the doctors' surgery saying that they want me
to come in because they've had my blood test results back, and the
latests set have an unusually high ESR.



A high ESR suggests that there's a lot of protein bonded to my red
blood cells, which in turn (don't ask me how) indicates an increase in
inflammation. Which means, as if I hadn't noticed (hah), that my gut is
going ballistic. Again.



Don't know what they'll say on Thursday, when I see the doctor, but
there's basically two possiblities, and I reckon they'll have about as
much of a clue as I do. Either (a) this is a bad (and fairly sudden)
reaction to the Azathioprine (please no - I'd like something to work,
please), or (b) I'm falling between two stools - the Az isn't supposed
to kick in for three months or so, and I'm not taking any other
medication, so hopefully the mice are playing while the cat's away, in
a manner of speaking.



On the plus side, I'm watching the Space Shuttle launch. From about T
minus four hours. Which is kinda interesting - we're now a T minus one
hour, and the astronauts are all safely tucked up in their overblown
space truck. Hope none of them need to poo. IBS would be a hell of a
thing in free fall... my God. that's a scary thought. Lends a whole new
meaning to the phrase 'explosive decompression', hah. Meanwhile, I can
only watch in envy. To me, the space programme is just the sort of
greater cause that I'd like to be able to devote myself to -  so
watching all these guys has something of a religious feel. I'm probably
too old and broken down now - but it was something which has stayed
with me since college - the conviction that it's important in life to
know that your effort has been devoted to something you really believe
in.