Wikipedia defines BONK as “hitting the wall.” “In endurance sports such as cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver andmuscles, which manifests itself by sudden fatigue and loss of energy. Milder instances can be remedied by brief rest and the ingestion of food or drinks containing carbohydrates. The condition can usually be avoided by ensuring that glycogen levels are high when the exercise begins, maintaining glucose levels during exercise by eating or drinking carbohydrate-rich substances, or by reducing exercise intensity.”
How would you like to HIT THE WALL 3 days a week for more than 6 years? What would it feel like for YOU to HIT the wall and, in addition …. to KNOW with certainty that you’re going to hit the wall? The anticipation is emotionally as brutal as the BONK itself. As Irene regrettably drives to dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, she anticipates not only the experience which she must endure; she also anticipates the “AFTER-ward” affect which usually lasts through the entire night …. fighting CRAMPS, unrelenting ARM PAIN in her fistula region where the needles puncture through her skin and, of course, the 24/7 nausea. I continue to describe the nausea as that of the SURF of the sea …. sometimes the surf is UP and sometimes the surf is DOWN …. but the surf is ever-present.
Irene’s in recovery mode this evening …. and it’s horrific. However, if her pattern remains true, she’ll battle throughout the entire night and shake herself off tomorrow morning, tending tasks throughout the day with badgering, chronic fatigue and relentless nausea. Her arm pain has also become chronic; she is soooooooooooo looking forward to her vascular surgeon visit with Dr. Eichler at UCSF in a couple of weeks. Her “invisible disability” is masked so well by her victorious attitude that people who see her on non-dialysis days scarcely believe that anything plagues her at all.
I, too, can scarcely believe her poise & buoyancy after 6+ years on this surreal journey. Although very difficult to face physically and emotionally, she’s become accustomed to the three day a week BONK on her surreal journey of faith.
Thanks for caring,
Dave
