Earlier this week, I made the journey over to Stanford for my post-Spinraza-loading-doses evaluation. The neuromuscular team wanted to check my progress after beginning treatment. They are closely monitoring every aspect of my condition for their records— and to prove to insurance companies and other doctors around the world that, yes, Spinraza works on adults, too (not just kids). That way the insurance companies can stop being discriminatory, money-grubbing, ageist fuckheads so doctors can do their jobs and TREAT THEIR PATIENTS!

Whew, sorry. I got a little worked up there. Usually, I only get this riled up when Starbucks is out of caramel sauce… or I see motorcycles cutting people off between lanes in traffic… or I have to listen to Donald Trump speaking words together in clusters (i.e. sentences).

Anyway, at the beginning of the entire Spinraza process in February, I had an entire battery of tests. I saw physical therapists, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists— basically every kind of therapist that exists, except for the psychiatric kind. Which was unfortunate, because considering how drawn-out and stressful this whole thing would end up being, perhaps seeing a psychiatrist at the outset wouldn’t have been a bad idea. Maybe then I wouldn’t have needed as much Xanax, Netflix, or chocolate fudge ice cream.

They measured everything that could possibly be measured. The strength of my muscles and lungs. The flexibility of my joints and limbs. My fine motor skills. My ability to do long division. And if I knew the difference between their/they’re/there.

Okay, I might have made those last two up.

But, I think they should have tested that.

Anyway, this week, I had to repeat all those benchmarks again. As I am a high-achiever, obsessive-type, I had begun prepping for these tests at home. If there was going to be a test, I would get a good score. If there was a gold star or a happy face sticker to be earned, I wanted two of each. Maybe three. Yes, I am that person. That person in your high school class that always wanted to earn a higher score than you did.

In the days and weeks leading up to my follow-up evaluation, I did stretches at home, lifted small weights, exercised my hands with a squeeze ball, and did deep breathing. I was determined to score better than last time.

Upon arrival, I was weighed. I discovered that I had gain several pounds since February. While I’d like to think this was muscle weight gain, I suspect it’s more likely due to the extra chocolate fudge ice cream.

One of the last tasks in my first evaluation was to lift a pound weight from my lap to a table. I couldn’t complete the task last time. I couldn’t even move the weight at all. The cuff weight just sat in my lap like a useless lump as I poked at it with my tired fingers.

This failure haunted me. I’m sure Kim Jong Un feels the same way each time one of his rockets crashes into the sea.

So, I worked on this maneuver at home. I found a 16-ounce bag of dried split peas in the pantry and practiced lifting it from my lap to my desk. After a few days, I could do it quite easily. I was ecstatic. On the day of my recent evaluation, this was the test I was ready to tackle. I wanted to OWN it. And, in celebration, I promised myself I’d have a margarita on the rocks— with lime.

Unfortunately, I had to do nearly ALL the other tests first before this one. I showed off my slightly stronger biceps, triceps, my increased grip, and the wider range of motion in my hands. I was working muscles that hadn’t worked this well in a few years.

The downside to all this (you knew this was coming, right?), was that by the time we approached the lap-to-table weight test, I had begun to tire. I was able to lift the weight into the air (which I couldn’t do months ago)… but I didn’t have enough oomph to get it on the table.

I began to panic. I tried again. And again. And forced the physical therapist to stay longer in the exam room so I could try again. I could feel the gold star slipping through my fingertips. I did NOT want my damn rocket to self-destruct over the Sea of Japan. No, no, no.

I knew the physical therapist had other patients to get to and I could tell she was annoyed with my obsession with completing this one particular task. I was like a dog with a bone. I wouldn’t LET. IT. GO. I was like Donald Trump still obsessing over Hillary Clinton. I just couldn’t move on.

But, the physical therapist had had enough. When she left the exam room, I nonetheless shouted after her as the door closed, “If I can do this task on video will you give me the points for the task?!? Will you?!? Will you?!?”

Yeah, I was that person.

It didn’t seem to matter that I went on to ace my pulmonary function test… that each measure of my respiratory ability had improved. I was still obsessing about the goddamn weight test. I wanted those points.

After a short rest, I had my friend start videoing me… I managed to lift a weight from my lap to the table in the exam room. Inside, I cheered… HELL, YEAH! I did it. I had proof. However, the physical therapist was gone by then.

But, if we’ve learned anything about me so far, it’s that I don’t give up easily. Upon leaving the neuromuscular department, the occupational therapist came over to chat. Before we parted ways, I burst out, “oh, and could you please tell Tina that I got a video of me putting the weight from my lap to the table?! Could you?!” I took a breath and added in a desperate rush, “I want those points!”

Yeah, I was that person.

Despite that emotional hiccup, everything else went well. And I was happy with how things had unfolded. The whole evaluation took nearly three hours, though, so I was exhausted by the time we loaded up in the car.

But, on the entire 2+ hour drive home, I thought about the celebratory margarita I’d have later that evening. I had moved that weight from my lap to the table. I had video proof of it, even though it may not have counted. And that’s all that matters, right? That margarita would be mine.

I think I deserved it.