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Description
Tumor, rubor, calor, dolor: the cardinal signs of inflammation. It's a curious thing how well we understand the many functions of our bodies. I've been studying the intricate processes for years, growing in knowledge each day, and I still don't understand my body. I don't get why rubor and calor come to my face when it isn't damaged (I hope), or infected with thousands of tiny pathogens waiting to kill me on the spot.

I can't figure out why I can't always move when I want to. Sometimes I wonder if it's because not enough calcium is allowing my thin and thick filaments to bind properly, or perhaps the filaments themselves are damaged. Perhaps I have a myopathy like desminopathy, and one day I won't be able to move at all. But it passes, and I go on my merry little way.

Sometimes my heart beats faster than it should, even though I haven't been running. I worry that I have ventricular tachycardia, and my poor heart will start quivering like it should during ventricular fibrillation, and I will die right on the spot. I can't think like though, because I am still young and healthy. Maybe I've drunk too much coffee, but I rarely have more than the single cup I sip at while watching the morning news. Scarier yet, perhaps the parasitic giardia has invaded my gastrointestinal tract, and in the process of establishing itself, has dehydrated me (let's not get into the gross details) and my heart is pumping harder to deal with such a high hematocrit for female blood. But I'm not dehydrated; I'm feeling perfectly hydrated. My heart beats slow back down to where they normally should be, and I'm left scratching my head.

The sweating drives me nuts. I can't deny that more likely than not, it's my sympathetic nervous system innervating my sweat glands due to something that is stressing me out or making me nervous. But I can't help but think I could have a plasmodium infection, and I'm going through the cycle of fever, chills, and sweating the hosts undergo. I haven't, however, been to any tropical countries recently, and all my current blood tests would have picked up the presence of trophozoites in my erythrocytes. I must be going crazy.

Then there's the stomach butterflies. Maybe it's my stupid sympathetic nervous system again, innervating all that smooth muscle down there. Maybe a handful of proton pumps in my gut aren't working properly, and are pumping in large amounts of acids to upset my stomach. Transepithial transport malfunction could be to blame, but I'm really not dehydrated. Something that's always possible is that I have a food allergy, and I'm having the typical Type I Hypersensitivity; the mast cells could be degranulating as I wonder. But I haven't eaten recently, I'm not vomiting, and I stay away from the things that do cause my vomiting spells.

It's the strangest thing. I want to blame the sympathetic nervous system for the heat in my face, and vasodilation due to infection for the redness in my cheeks. I want to pretend I don't know other reasons for all these symptoms, but during finals it's hard to deny you know the pathology of many pathogens and diseases and mutations that cause all the stupid things your body is doing.

I guess I must admit I know the causative agent of all my symptoms, and I've known it for a while. But don't think for one second I'm going to diagnose myself in front of all of you. For one, I don't think any textbook or lecture prepares you for these things.

And honestly, I still need to do my research on my flushed cheeks

Description
Tumor, rubor, calor, dolor: the cardinal signs of inflammation. It's a curious thing how well we understand the many functions of our bodies. I've been studying the intricate processes for years, growing in knowledge each day, and I still don't understand my body. I don't get why rubor and calor come to my face when it isn't damaged (I hope), or infected with thousands of tiny pathogens waiting to kill me on the spot.

I can't figure out why I can't always move when I want to. Sometimes I wonder if it's because not enough calcium is allowing my thin and thick filaments to bind properly, or perhaps the filaments themselves are damaged. Perhaps I have a myopathy like desminopathy, and one day I won't be able to move at all. But it passes, and I go on my merry little way.

Sometimes my heart beats faster than it should, even though I haven't been running. I worry that I have ventricular tachycardia, and my poor heart will start quivering like it should during ventricular fibrillation, and I will die right on the spot. I can't think like though, because I am still young and healthy. Maybe I've drunk too much coffee, but I rarely have more than the single cup I sip at while watching the morning news. Scarier yet, perhaps the parasitic giardia has invaded my gastrointestinal tract, and in the process of establishing itself, has dehydrated me (let's not get into the gross details) and my heart is pumping harder to deal with such a high hematocrit for female blood. But I'm not dehydrated; I'm feeling perfectly hydrated. My heart beats slow back down to where they normally should be, and I'm left scratching my head.

The sweating drives me nuts. I can't deny that more likely than not, it's my sympathetic nervous system innervating my sweat glands due to something that is stressing me out or making me nervous. But I can't help but think I could have a plasmodium infection, and I'm going through the cycle of fever, chills, and sweating the hosts undergo. I haven't, however, been to any tropical countries recently, and all my current blood tests would have picked up the presence of trophozoites in my erythrocytes. I must be going crazy.

Then there's the stomach butterflies. Maybe it's my stupid sympathetic nervous system again, innervating all that smooth muscle down there. Maybe a handful of proton pumps in my gut aren't working properly, and are pumping in large amounts of acids to upset my stomach. Transepithial transport malfunction could be to blame, but I'm really not dehydrated. Something that's always possible is that I have a food allergy, and I'm having the typical Type I Hypersensitivity; the mast cells could be degranulating as I wonder. But I haven't eaten recently, I'm not vomiting, and I stay away from the things that do cause my vomiting spells.

It's the strangest thing. I want to blame the sympathetic nervous system for the heat in my face, and vasodilation due to infection for the redness in my cheeks. I want to pretend I don't know other reasons for all these symptoms, but during finals it's hard to deny you know the pathology of many pathogens and diseases and mutations that cause all the stupid things your body is doing.

I guess I must admit I know the causative agent of all my symptoms, and I've known it for a while. But don't think for one second I'm going to diagnose myself in front of all of you. For one, I don't think any textbook or lecture prepares you for these things.

And honestly, I still need to do my research on my flushed cheeks