As soon as I got out of bed this morning, I knew it would be a challenging day. My energy has been a two out of ten, with only a few times in the day when I had a bit more energy. I managed to get my daily slow walk around the block done before finding a shady spot to sit, read, and talk with others here.
My big event for the day was to wash my hair. They frown upon showering here since when you increase the body’s core temperature; the blood moves out to the capillaries near the skin to cool you off. When it does that, it decreases blood circulation, and people can get lightheaded and faint. I shower, but keep it short and use warm water only. It turns out I did not have the energy to wash my hair. I plan on trying harder to hydrate tomorrow and see if that will help with my energy.
My lab work test came back, and my potassium levels are dropping. I feared that they might take me off the fast and put me on juice. But I also had a moment where I thought maybe I would be done with this, and it would not be my fault. That moment of relief was short-lived as the resident who came to check on me said my attending had already looked at my labs, and if there were a concern, I would have known by now.
I signed up for this and will see it through. If you ask me two months from now about the experience, it will differ from living it each day. Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity.
