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Old School BMX 1980 - 1988 => Old School Race (riders ready, pedals ready... GO!!) => Topic started by: Dennis Dain on September 30, 2010, 08:48 PM
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Hey guys and girls, I am doing this as it's own thread because I did not want to dilute my 'history' thread with my personal news.
I received a few messages from my friends as to my whereabouts but, at the time, I was not feeling up to discussing my situation. I am going on 4 weeks now dealing with a medical situation that still falls into my Doctors catagory of "we don't know what it is". First, let me put you somewhat at ease, it's not life threatening. (as far as I will let it be) I have not spent any time in a hospital, just in and out of Doctors offices and multiple labs.
Overview of symptoms; pretty much every day for these past 4 weeks I've had a fever that varies from 99 to as much as 103, night sweats (I wake up throughout the night soaking wet), something resembling a rash but it's under the skin with no surface irritation. The worst of that bieng on the back of the lower legs above the ankle, but also raised red bumps on the fronts of the knees and elbows. Now the last few days I have red dots covering my back.
If you have seen recent pictures of me, you know that I am very lean and in pretty good shape. Normally I am around 160 pounds. In less than 2 weeks I have dropped 8 pounds. That has robbed me of a lot of energy plus the swelling in my lower legs makes walking uncomfortable. I have missed a lot of work due to this.
So far, the first blood test of basics showed that my liver and kidney are perfect, all my other 'markers' are dead center within their parameters. The next blood test was for 'cultures' to see if any virus was growing in my blood. So far negative for what they tested for. Also during this time I had a chest Xray where they thought they saw a shadow in the chest area. So then it was into the CT scan (cat scan) to see what was up with that. Results, NOTHING!!! I went to a new doctor yesterday who is now testing for Limes Desease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Tomorrow I have an appointment with an Infective Disease doctor. That sound promising! My wife has been close by me through all of this with none of my symptons. (even though she said she would love to drop weight like I have)
My spirits are up now that I have changed doctors and I feel that we are on the verge of figuring this thing out. This is the only place I have mentioned my condition because, like I said above, some have inquired. I am armed with lots of new (old) stuff for my thread especially after I did the Hall of Fame introduction speech for the guy who designed the Schwinn StingRay, Al Fritz.
Thanks for listening, you guys are the best.
Dennis 'the Red Baron' Dain
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hope this gets sorted out soon dennis
good luck snd get well mate :daumenhoch:
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would'nt be an allergy to a simple thing like a washing powder would it? Know it sounds a totally stupid thing to say,but i've had it...rash round the ankles,sweats etc,off food.
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hope you find out soon, and get it sorted,
best of luck
:daumenhoch:
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are you stressed at work, or in your personal life?
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Best wishes Dennis, hope you feel better soon and the doc's sort out the problem :daumenhoch:
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all the best dennis
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dennis hope this all gets sorted for you as soon as mate, good to hear your spirts high :daumenhoch: :4_17_5:
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Hi Dennis,
I hope you get some answers soon - get well soon :daumenhoch:
James
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Wishing you all the best Red.
Whatever it is I'm sure you'll kick its ass :daumenhoch:
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Hope its resolved soon.
Get well soon Dennis, :4_17_5: :daumenhoch:
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Dennis,
I sincerely hope you get a quick answer and fix to whatever is causing these problems, and bless God for your Mrs for sticking with an infectious you :LolLolLolLol:
I know you will fight through whatever is going on atm and come out fighting fit :-*
Thanx for the times you took time out for Tone, not forgotten x we owe u one and if u need us or just an ear we're a message away :-*
Mrs Ratty
x x x x x
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Best wishes from me and my family Dennis :daumenhoch:
Jon
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Hey Dennis , hope you get to the bottom of this soon . Best wishes :daumenhoch:
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Hope you get a quick resolution to this. Good luck with the new doc
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Chin Up Mr Dain :daumenhoch:
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Sounds like your having a tough time :(
Hope your feeling better soon :daumenhoch:
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Thank you all for the kind words and positive wishes.
Someone asked about soaps and food...that is the first thing that gets asked by all the doctors. That is one of the strange things about where the skin disorders are, FRONT of the knees and BACKSIDE of the elbow, opposite of where the sweat is. The leg part is above the sock line (I wear the low cut socks that end an inch above the ankle bone) and there is no skin disorders under the sock line.
I swear all my symptoms put together are the strangest collection. Lets see what tomorrows specialist has to say...
I'll keep you all posted.
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Hi Dennis
Sorry to hear this, hopefully the specialist will be able to cast some proper light on what it is and fingers crossed it clears up soon and you are back to your normal bouncy self :daumenhoch:
All the best
Marty :)
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...sounds weird. Perhaps i'd go to a uni clinic and see if the ..virologists..?.. might find anything, just in case...beat that fookin virus, whatever it is :coolsmiley:
StingRay, really.... how awesome can it get, oh maan :yahoo_silent: :D
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dennis hope you get it sorted out real soon :daumenhoch:
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Well now I've seen a specialist and he has seen me...The 'infectious desease' doctor gave me the once over and he is thinking that my auto-immune system has gone into overload due to a virus of some sort.
...then...he looked at the CT scan of my chest and told me that there are definitely swollen lymph glands in the right side of my chest cavity. The word Hodgkins Lymphoma gets spoken out loud. Possible cancer. But even after seeing what the CT has to offer and saying the "C" word, he still feels strongly that the auto-immune overload is the the actual problem with the Lymph gland system being overrun.
So I gave more blood (my 4th time) for more tests to figure out what disease is in there. I am scheduled on Monday for an Oncologist and a heart specialist. The doctor today said he feels they will probably need to get a biopsy of my lymph gland but they will discuss it further. I am involved with a medical facility that has 100s of doctors working together and it appears they have no problem working together. I feel confident these guys know their stuff and will get me on the right track.
I consider myself the ultimate optimist. I always take the positive road, it's who I am. So I will take this thing one step at a time and deal with it accordingly. If you are a praying person as I am, I would not mind it if you include me in you prayers. Otherwise you are welcome to send positive thoughts my way. Anything is welcome.
Thanks, Dennis
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Sounds like a right nightmare Dennis. keep us posted mate.
Positive thoughts and prayers in abundunce :daumenhoch:
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Get well soon, Mate :daumenhoch:
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Sounds like a right nightmare Dennis. keep us posted mate.
Positive thoughts and prayers in abundunce :daumenhoch:
+1 many positive thoughts and prayers heading your way Dennis :daumenhoch:
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Just use the same mental attitude to beat this as you used to win so many races Dennis, i have faith in you! :2gunsfiring_v1:
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Chip up, keep positive and let those who know best do their stuff and fingers crossed a solution can be found to these problems... :daumenhoch:
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/> Bach prelude & fugue 21 well-tempered Klavier I (by no means the best interpretations/ recordings :10_2_12:)
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/v521/fischflo/stingrayDennis.jpg)
Bach - Jesu bleibt meine Freude ; by every means the best interpreter of this piece)
I wish you ..goddammit ..all the best :daumenhoch:
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Tell me about the picture above. If it is actually a picture of you I would like to know more. If not, no big deal.
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nope, no big deal , :). Rode, but never owned one --just a pic from a book, about the bike I think :D
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wishing you well Dennis :daumenhoch: the optimistic approach can be the biggest healer of all :)
on a more sombre note, sorry to hear your wife thinks she's overweight :-X :angel: :LolLolLolLol:
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I'm always so engrossed in your other topic, reading and re-reading through I missed this... :idiot2:
So Very Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery Dennis. Carl (UK)
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So here is the latest update after all doctor visits and tests this last week. All the blood tests and cultures are inconclusive as to nail down any disease or virus. The one thing that shows there is a problem is there are definitely swollen lymph glands in the upper chest. We did a PET scan of my whole torso and it showed no swollen lymph glands anywhere lower.
I am going in for surgery Tuesday or Wednsday and they are going in somewhere around my neckline with a scope and whatever they will use to remove one of the swollen lymph nodes for a biopsy. There is still a chance the swelling could be caused by the overactive immune system. If not that, we are looking at some kind of lymphoma/cancer.
Hopefully this surgery and biopsy will give us the answers we need to start the fight and healing process. I am in great spirits and very possitive I will whip this thing. I am actually looking forward to my recovery and getting back on my excercise equipment and getting in better shape than ever.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Dennis Dain
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Dennis, you're doing all that needs to be done and that is what counts. You're a lean and healthy guy, and whatever there is....... you're the guy to beat it, I am sure. Just make sure you won't get into more stress than you can easily handle, take it slow and take all the rest you feel you need to take. You can be damn sure we're all thinking about you and praying that it's something you can overcome.
Rest and sleep alot, completely let the way you feel guide you -- sleep is the greatest healer ....just look at the lions.
Don't force yourself to anything at all, lie down and watch tv.
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All the best Dennis; we're thinking of you.
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Thanks for all the thoughts, kind words, and prayers. I appreciate it.
Yesterday at 2:00 I went in to pre-op. They addmitted me, settled me in and wired up all the IV tubes. At 5 minutes to 4:00 the anesthesiologist comes in and says he is giving me a 'margarita'. My wife says I continue to talk to her for about a minute and a half. I barely rememer anything after he gave me my injection. I was OUT!!! I remember waking up abruptly in post-op around 6:00 and pretty quickly regaining focus. I was released around 7:00 and the wife got me home.
Of course the base of my throat is sore, I haven't changed dressings yet so I don't know how big of an incision they made and the inside of my throat is a little raw from the breating tube but I am feeling better by the minute.
Of course they can't give me an instant answer but the surgeon told my wife he took a quick look at the biopsied lymph node under a microscope and said it did not look like lymphoma to him. That would be good news indeed but will hold the celebration off for the actual results.
Thanks again for all your well wishes and I will keep you posted.
Dennis
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Great news so far Dennis - and thanks for letting us know so quickly that the op went okay.
I'm not a praying man but healing vibes are still coming your way.
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It's all good. Thanks Jon.
:)
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Hey Dennis, it's all sounding positive :daumenhoch:
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get well soon dennis
kind regards
chris and daisy
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So far so good RB. Probably just dirt ;)
Wishing you the best.
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So far so good.....Good luck for the final results :)
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Only just spotted this thread.... all the very best for a speedy and full recovery Dennis
....sending full on positive vibes to ya stateside buddy :daumenhoch:
John
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good news 8)
I also once had one of those margaritas, weird weird stuff. Knocked me out from one second to the other, yet I was conscious, I only could'nt move :laugh: or kick the doc. I wonder what that stuff is called and where do you get it :D
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Hey everybody, I have good news!!! The biopsy of the lymph node they removed from my chest shows NO sign of lymphoma. (NO CANCER)
Now as great news as that is, I still have a medical challenge that falls into the catagory of 'we don't know what's wrong with you'. I still have a daily fever that peaks around 9:00 every evening between 100 and 101.5. I still have night sweats. There is still something in my system that is causing my body to work overtime trying to fight this off.
My doctor ordered another set of blood tests today, that is the 6th blood letting in the past 5 weeks. I cannot begin to tell you how many diseases and virus' I DON'T have. They just keep checking things off their list. I'm gonna go back to work on Monday and try to get back on track. I will be meeting with another specialist on the 15th. He is a Rheumatologist.
(What do rheumatologists treat?
Rheumatologists treat arthritis, certain autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal pain disorders and osteoporosis. There are more than 100 types of these diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, lupus, back pain, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia and tendonitis. Some of these are very serious diseases that can be difficult to diagnose and treat.)
I am not out of the woods yet but I am in great spirits. Good to know there is no cancer but still have to keep fighting something we can't quite pinpoint.
Thanks again for all the good words.
Dennis
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Some positive new Dennis - excellent!
I really hope to get to the bottom of this soon - I'm sending further healing vibes your way.
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Dennis,
so sorry to hear you are not well :'( but great news its not the big C
your one of the good guys and healing vibes coming at ya from me and Emma,
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/y79/dingobmxer/dennis.jpg)
get well soon my friend
Dingo
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That picture of Emma holding my get well note is about the sweetest thing I have ever seen! It brought me to tears. :-[
It is 10:00 in the evening as I sit here typing this and my temperature is around 101 degrees. Every night it does this and then I go to bed and sweat. Dang it, every day I am trying to put a little weight back on and every night I drop the 3 pounds I put on that day. Hopefully next week when I go back to work I can put some muscle back on. Just a little bit each day would be nice.
Baby steps...
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healing vibes Dennis :daumenhoch:
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As you guys know, Dennis is a great friend and an outstanding person. he is, however, very reserved and many of his closest friends were unaware that he might be sick. He chose to tell the UK brotherhood cause he feels comfortable with you guys and I echo that sentiment even though I haven't been around like I used to. (Hell, I haven't been around many of the sites bicycle-wise.)
As his friend and honorary monkey, I truly appreciate the good words and the sentiments towards my friend.
Thanks.
Get well soon Dennis.
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Dennis...
Have they looked into tropical diseases? Did you tell them you spent a lot of your youth riding with monkeys? Is 'sidehackatosis' even curable?
Seriously..Sending healing vibes and hope you get well soon.. ;)
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Any news Dennis ? , healing vibes being sent :daumenhoch:
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Thanks for the kind words, vibes and prayers guys. I truely do appreciate it.
The update is; yesterday I went to a new doctor (new to me), he is a rheumatologist. My wife choose him because he is also a sports doctor. Rheumatology deals mainly with problems involving joints, soft tissue and certain autoimmune diseases and conditions of connective tissues. At some point during this 'medical condition' I have had issues with each one of those.
The doctor took X-rays of my ankles to go along with the X-rays I already had done of my hips, chest and shoulders. He also sent me to the labratory (again) to draw more blood for further tests. He took down all my info on what I have been dealing with these past 7 weeks and now plans to go over all my info and see what he can come up with before I see him again in 2 weeks.
I really like this guy. True, I have been dealing with 'something' these past 7 weeks, and I still have a daily fever of between 99 and 100 with continued night sweeats, but like this doctor said, if you saw me walking down the street you would think I was as healthy as anybody. He says there is no need to hurry a diagnosis and just through meds or steriods at this. He plans on thoroughly studying and researching my situation and dealing with it accordingly.
I like the idea of not rushing into anything and I like his course of action.
I also have another meeting with the infectious disease doctor on Friday to go over the results of bloodwork from a week ago.
Thanks again to all.
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Sounds like good progress Dennis. Hope its resolved soon :daumenhoch:
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I keep having a look on here hoping to read that everything is sorted. Saying that "no news is good news".
Good vibes sent. :daumenhoch:
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Sorry guys, it looks like I have dropped the ball. Sorry for not keeping you in the loop.
Since my last update I did see the infectious disease doctor. He was the guy who came up with the actual diagnosis of what I am dealing with,' sarcoidosis'. That is the medical term for for my overactive auto-immune system. Although we still don't know what I am overacting to. :shocked: He also set me up with the other specialists who did their part in trying to figure this situation out.
The blood work he did the last time I saw him came back negative. So he told me that he has done all he can for me and I won't be seeing him anymore.
I still have a slight temperature every evening, usually between 99 and 100.5, not bad and not bad enough to make me uncomfortable. I have always been a warm person and I do still have a high matabolism, so maybe that is normal for me. Some good news is that I have not had any night sweats in a while.
It is good to be back to work. I am feeling stronger every day. In case you don't know I am a delivery driver for UPS with a very busy residential route. With christmas coming I need to be at my best to make it through.
My next doctor appointment with the Rheumatologist is next Thursday, the 18th. I will give you an update then.
Thanks again for all you concern. Dennis
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My father suffers from sarcoidosis, Dennis, he has done since he was in his late 30's.
All the best mate.
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All the best Dennis, glad you finally found out what it was.
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good for you to know what you are dealing with Dennis rather than speculating, great to hear your feeling better, hope this continiues for ya dude :daumenhoch:
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Glad to hear that you're in reasonable health at the moment Dennis :daumenhoch:
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Hey Dennis, good news that you have a diagnosis which means that you will hopefully be able to manage the symptoms and carry on leading a "normal" life :daumenhoch:.
All the best
Marty :4_17_5:
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Phew, that's a relief!.. not the C.... :angel:
hm.. what you have got diagnosed with at least sounds as if it could be dealt with to a great degree of success. I hope the holiday shifts won't be too demanding just yet, but I'm sure you're very cautious about that.
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Good to hear that you're getting some answers at last Dennis.
Wishing you all the best mate.
Stay strong :daumenhoch:
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Here is the newest update I have for you. On this past Thursday I saw the Rhumatologist again. I like this guy, he does not mix words and he gives it to me straight. On our last visit he sent me to the lab (again) for another round of blood tests, and again they came back negative. As for the science of medicine I am proving to be a most difficult case.
So the doctor tells me he sees it one of three ways; 1) I have Sarcoidosis and it is in a state of rest. 2) I had some thing else and my body fought it off and I am fine (we doubt that is the case) 3) I have something else that we don't about and I am a timebomb waiting to go off.
His major concern is what is going on inside my chest. He would like me to get another CAT scan so as to compare it to another I had a few weeks ago to see if the swelling has gone down in my lymph glands. Our concern is having another round of radiation in so short of a time. It is kind of scary that part of a medical proceedure to find out if one has cancer can actually cause cancer. He told me the CAT scan is up to me, if I am satisfied with my condition and my health, it is my choice. Who's to say that if I get the scan it will tell me anything? We are going to hold off on that till after the first of the year and consider it then.
He also wants me to see a pulmonologist, they deal with the respitory system. He said that since I have the swollen lymph glands around the lungs that he might see my condition from a different amgle. So now we have an appointment with another 'specialist' next Monday. Wohoo...
But I feel great, my temperature seems to have returned to normal, no more night sweats, my strength is coming back more and more every day. It is tough for me to put weight back on at this time of year with my job getting busier every day. All my doctors and my wife are concerned with my health and overall strength and how I am going to hold up through the Christmas rush season at UPS. I hate using a helper, I enjoy the challenge of doing more work than any other driver and my ego says I can do it all by myself. I may have to suck it up and admit that I am not up to full strength and use a helper. I'll just play it by ear and see how things play out.
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Hey Dennis, thanks for the update, glad you're generally okay even thought not sorted. It sounds like your medical team is doing a good job. Fingers crossed for a more accurate diagnosis at some point :daumenhoch:
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as above, wishing ya well Dennis :daumenhoch:
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Ever the competitor Dennis, wanting to beat the guys around you 8)
Maybe your UPS truck could be seen as a temporary Sidehack! After all, you know how to work and win as part of a successful team :daumenhoch:
Good to hear you're feeling better in yourself. That has to speak volumes.
I can't possibly imagine how your feeling and I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here but for what it's worth, I might be thinking more radiation would only happen if absolutely nessassary and maybe move on the next 'specialist' :-\
As ever, wishing you the best :daumenhoch:
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Good to hear you are on the mend Dennis and getting back to normal, wishing you all the best for a speedy and full recovery :daumenhoch:
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Glad to hear positive things are happening Dennis, fingers crtossed your road to recovery is a quick one
all the best Mark and Emma
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Ok guys, here we go, hopefully this will be the last update I will have to post on this situation I am dealing with. (it's good news, so read on...)
As I told you in my last update, the rhumatologist could not come up with anything new or definite as to what I was dealing with, but he thought it would be a good idea to see a pulmonologist. So as I am heading to this new doctor today all I could think of was... here I am feeling healthy, taking (another) day off from work, going to another 'specialist' to tell him the same story I have been telling all the other 'specialist'...where will this lead me? PLease don't get me wrong. I have a great deal of respect for these doctors and all they did for me. Each one I saw was a stepping stone to the one I saw today. As the rhumatologist told me, "all doctors (specialists) see things differently, they all have different boxes they check off. That was so true today.
So my wife and I sit in the the little examination room telling this new doctor my 'story'. Then he pulls up all my X Rays, CAT and PET scans. We all look at them as he explains exactly what we are seeing. Then he tells me he knows what I have... WHAT? You know what I have?... He leaves for a few minutes to print out an article from a medical online journal. This article, written 5 or so years ago, explains this medical condition that ALL my symptoms fit into.
I have a 'type' of Sarcoidosis. Where most forms are chronic and can be difficult to deal with, the type I have came and went. There is a good chance I will not have reaccurance of this. WOW!!! What a relief. Finally someone knows what I am dealing with and that it is not such a bad thing after all. The iceing in the cake was when he pulled up that Xray I had done a few weeks ago and compared it to one I had done back when this all started and you could definitely see that the swelling of the lymph glands in my upper chest has gone down significantly.
So for now I am feeling real good that we have a handle on this thing. I will do a follow up visit with doctor in 6 months. But for now it is back to life in general and concentrating on getting through December at UPS.
Thanks again to all that have expressed concern. Now I need to get back to my history thread. Keep your eyes peeled...
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Awesome news Dennis, so happy for you and your wife
You can look forward to Christmas now
All the best, Mark
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Thanks Mark. :)
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Reading that update has been a great start to the day Dennis :daumenhoch:
All the best, Jon
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Great news Dennis , for you & your family :daumenhoch: .
Have a great christmas ;)
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Fantastic new Dennis, so pleased for you both :daumenhoch:.
Have a great Xmas :4_17_5:
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excellent news dennis,merry chrimbo to you and your family.
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Hi Dennis,
I just read your latest update - great news!!!
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:)
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Great news Dennis, wishing you all our love. The ratpack :daumenhoch:
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Great news Dennis :daumenhoch:
Now pull your finger out, more OS pics and stories please ;D ;)