The Diagnosis
The moment I suspected something was not right with me I was at a science camp for high schoolers at Trinity University the summer before my senior year. I was sitting by the pool with a fellow camper and a University student counselor when I noticed my ankles were swollen. My companions agreed that was strange, but since I was preoccupied by a pretty packed schedule at the three week camp, I put it on the back-burner and would consult with my parents if it was still a problem when I got home. It was. When I say my ankles were swollen, I mean painfully so. My mom had me into our family practitioner's office within days of my return. He immediately ordered a set of labs including bloodwork and more importantly, a urine sample. He suspected the kidneys were involved. A couple of days later I was at home by myself in our temporary apartment. We had sold and moved out of the spacious home of my childhood two months earlier and were living on top of each other in a cramped condo with a ...