An Open Letter From Ace Comment Count

Ace

I've been conspicuously absent the past few days. I will not be covering the basketball game this afternoon, nor the game on Tuesday, and I'll be working in a limited capacity for the rest of this month.

Allow me to explain.

Over the past few weeks, my health has taken a turn for the worse. The diagnosis of gluten intolerance I received over the summer hasn't been the be-all, end-all answer I'd hoped; there is more going on, and right now I don't know what. I've been dropping weight at a rather alarming rate. I covered the Syracuse game on Tuesday while weighing 115 pounds. (I'm a hair under 5'11", and haven’t weighed this little since middle school.) My brother drove me to and from the game, because I didn't feel comfortable getting behind the wheel of a car—not the first time he’s done that over the last month, unfortunately.

That's the bad news. I'm very limited physically right now, to the point that covering games in person is not a feasible option, even though there's no part of my job I enjoy more than settling into my spot (or leaping out of it) on press row at Crisler.

The good news is I have no shortage of support. My physician came into the office on a scheduled day off to see me on short notice on Wednesday afternoon, and as soon as I left he was on the phone with specialists at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital; I'll be in and out of appointments at St. Joe’s this week to begin anew the process of determining what, exactly, is going on with my body. As far as doctors go, I'm in very good hands.

The same can be said for my support system at home and at work. My parents and my brother are doing everything within their power to ensure that I'm comfortable, supported, and in good spirits; other than going to appointments, I barely have to leave the townhouse I share with my brother unless I'm up to it—they are taking care of me. I have friends near and far checking in on me, providing moral support or much-needed distraction; those often go hand-in-hand.

Brian, as he has been throughout my time at MGoBlog, has been remarkably supportive, especially when considering I've often had to bail out of work on short notice, and it's not like this is a large operation in which one employee's absence can go unnoticed. He's allowing me to scale back how much I'm working this month, which I hope will be all that's necessary before I'm able to return to writing at full strength, even if it takes longer for my body to reach that point. I've been able to do so time and again the last four years. Very little can stop me from doing what I love: writing.

For their part, the people in the sports information department for Michigan Basketball—especially the SID par excellence, Tom Wywrot—have been extremely flexible and understanding during this time, and I cannot thank them enough for it.

Same goes for fellow MGoBlog writers Seth Fisher, Alex Cook, and Bryan Mac, who've covered my ass on more than one occasion* when I’ve been unable to write, as well as our photographers, Bryan Fuller and Eric Upchurch, who've been extremely generous in offering their support. Thank you, as well, to MGoRightHandMan Dave Nasternak, who filmed high school games this fall when I didn't feel up to it, drove me to games when I did, and even stopped by the studio last weekend to give me a loaf of gluten-free bread after a podcast recording. I’m so lucky to be able to work with you all, and I don't get to convey my appreciation enough.

[Hey, look, they did it again; the NJIT preview is here, and you sure hope you've read Alex's great post on Spike Albrecht.]

If I haven't responded to your emails, phone calls, messages, or tweets in recent days, I hope this serves as a reasonable explanation. I'll get to them when I can, if they truly require a response—these last few days have been spent in near constant communication with doctors and my family so we can get this figured out as soon as possible.

If I've been an asshole to you recently, as I know I have been with a few of you (including some who were beyond undeserving), I apologize. This has been a very stressful time. That’s not an excuse for taking it out on others.

If I told you I'd make plans with you, grab a drink, be in touch, or the like, I must apologize as well; right now, my life is on hold. Trust me when I say that I'd like to see or hear from you soon, but my big mouth occasionally promises more than I can provide, and that's been the case more than usual lately.

I turn 27 tomorrow. I've been dealing with strange health issues that have affected my everyday life since I was 17, when I'd often shoot awake at night in a cold sweat thinking my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I've been able to get through school and largely work around my health problems for a decade. Now is the time I must put my health first and foremost. Diagnoses of de Quervain’s thyroiditis, depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and most recently gluten intolerance haven't fully addressed what's happening; this time around I'm determined to search until the true answer is presented.

I'm confident, with the remarkable support I have, that I'll get to the bottom of this. If there's a place to be sick, it's Ann Arbor, where it's hard to walk around the block without bumping into someone at the top of their chosen field. I still plan to write while the search continues, just not quite as much as I have in the past. I hope you’ll bear with me in the interim. If you’re looking for a way to support me, I hope you'll consider donating to MGoBlog. Brian is paying me full-time for work I don't fully have the capacity to do at the moment, and I don't plan on going anywhere. Supporting the site is the most direct way to support me both now and for the long haul.

Thanks for your understanding.

Now let's get Jim Harbaugh to Ann Arbor.

Comments

Bagheera

December 6th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^

Dang.  That is some tough sledding, but not to worry, they'll figure it out and you'll be healthy as a horse in no time.  Get well Ace!

Cranky Dave

December 6th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^

About your health struggle Ace hope you get things figured out soon. My wife went through a similar situation-numerous appointments and a couple of years before getting a diagnosis so I can really empathize. Good to hear youve got such a strong support system though. Take care of yourself and we'll look forward to more posts from you when you're feeling better.

Moonlight Graham

December 6th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^

podcast. I look forward to both every week, not only because you're so knowledgable but also because your good nature and passion for what you believe in comes through in your work. I know your positive attitude and determination will get you through this. Good luck and God speed.  

Minus The Houma

December 6th, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^

You take care Ace, I hope you make it back as speedy as you would like while it being healthy for your body.

You should ask your doctors (or a local herbalist) for an herbal regiment that can support whatever other regiment they see necessary. Herbs can help heal the causes of what is happening and not just treat the symptoms as much modern medicine does. Get well soon man!




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Wave83

December 6th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^

I hope you get better as soon as possible.  Thank you so much for taking the time to write this post and let us know what is going on with you.  Now concentrate on yourself and your health and don't worry about this silly Michigan sports stuff (unless you want to).

Be well, buddy.

ammoguy79

December 6th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^

Hopefully your medical team is able to come up with a long term solution for what ails you. Nothing worse than getting a runaround or half-hearted solutions in regard to ongoing medical issues.

MonkeyMan

December 6th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^

Hope things turn up for you Ace. Years ago my dad was at death's door and they injected gold into his blood- I was dubious but the damn thing worked. Ask lots of questions of your doctor, somettmes they don't think of everything and a number have tried my suggestions (OK- these weren't always great).

If you post more about your symptoms and test results I will do some research and take a go at them. Some other folks here probably have good ideas too. Doctors will be right 99% of the time but its amazing what some don't consider.

mgowill

December 6th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^

I can understand some of what you are going through.  I have had increasingly more problems with my eyesight and an optometrist, a retinal specialist, and a visit to Kellogg Eye Center was what it took to reveal that I have Choroideremia.  

  • Genetic disorder
  • Nightblindness
  • Loss of peripheral vision
  • Eventual loss of central vision
  • Complete blindness by age 50 likely

There is no cure and the treatment is limited to high doses of certain vitamins as a potential preventative against further deterioration.  High doses of Vitamin A and my horrible diet of beer and red meat triggered another condition that runs in my family.  Gout.  So at 39 years of age, I have switched to a ovo lacto vegetarian diet and given up alcohol and beer.  It's been about a month but I feel much better.

I am glad to have my support staff, comprised of my wife and family.  Good to hear that you aren't navigating through this alone Ace.  I hope you can find some answers, because for me it was over a year and a half to get the correct diagnosis and I was getting really frustrated.  I would probably still be without a diagnosis if it hadn't been for my wife's insistence on going to Kellogg Eye Center.

Take care and keep your family close over the Holidays.  Thoughts and prayers for you to find some answers.

tpilews

December 6th, 2014 at 5:33 PM ^

I have been suffering from gout since being diagnosed at 24. Doctors, honestly, don't know anything about how to treat it. Since I stopped eating wheat and sugar this past May, I've had very little issue with gout, and I've dropped 54 pounds. Never been this healthy and I eat tons of red meat, but the majority of my diet consists of healthy fats.

Ivan Karamazov

December 6th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^

Get well soon Ace!

I always enjoy your content and as a fellow Pioneer its great to have that connection to my favorite blog. Here's to a speedy recovery and hopefully a resolution to your medical issues.

steve sharik

December 6th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^

Get well quickly, man.

I like the Cleveland Clinic advice above.

What I can suggest is that you eliminate all other sources of stress from your life.  Have an attitude of gratitude at all times for the things in your life.  Visualize yourself in vibrant health, and give thanks using that same atitude of gratitude, as if you are already healed.

funkifyfl

December 6th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^

Get well soon Ace. Not that I'm a doctor, but I had sudden weight loss, frequent urination, chronic fatigue, and other symptoms in my early 20s. I rationalized all of them, but i eventually discovered I was a type 1 diabetic. You may want to quickly test your blood sugars and see if they are out of whack. Anything above 200 or so, and you may want to see an endocrinologist. Again, I know this is unsolicited, but I can relate to having frustrating health issues.

Mortimer

December 6th, 2014 at 3:47 PM ^

This was actually the first thing that came to mind when Ace first wrote about his health issues. I'd like to think some doctor has checked blood sugar by now, but in my experience that isn't always the case. Good luck, man.

UofM Grad 2009

December 6th, 2014 at 11:39 AM ^

A guy I know(close friend of my father) had very similar symptoms........low energy, no appetite, subtle shaking, beginning to lose balance. He was actually diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and is now basically comatose in a wheelchair after about a decade.

Hope everything works out for the best!

aiglick

December 6th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^

Get well soon and may you finally learn what this disease is so you can fully recover.

Your health is very important and may it be fully restored.

BIGWEENIE

December 6th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^

11 years ago the Doc's had me dead. Still going and they say its my attitude. Good luck and dont ever get down. Think of it as a fight and nothing is beating you.

Dough Boy

December 6th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^

I hope that a diagnosis comes soon that will help to relieve your current suffering. In spite of your condition, you are doing yeoman's work for this site. Keep up the hard work, and know that you have the Mgoblog community's full support!

Don

December 6th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^

Done. I wish helping you figure out the problem was as easy. Sounds like you've got a great support system around you, and the answer is there somewhere.

Ex Nihilo

December 6th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^

I hope you find healing real soon. From someone who has been through unexplainable illness, it can take a long time for healing, but you will find it. Meanwhile, take care buddy and go blue.

Ex Nihilo

December 6th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^

I hope you find healing real soon. From someone who has been through unexplainable illness, it can take a long time for healing, but you will find it. Meanwhile, take care buddy and go blue.

samsoccer7

December 6th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^

Get well soon Ace. As a physician, sometimes the degree of empathy is not as strong as it used to be, but I teared up a bit reading your recent plight. I wish you the best and I hope they get a diagnosis soon and that you feel better. Props to the rest of the team for helping you out too, bunch of good guys.