I’ve noticed for the second day now that my back aches. Not the kind of ache I might get after strength training or working on set construction — this is more of a flu-type ache, where it’s kind of sensitive to the touch. But I have no nausea or any of the more unpleasant flu symptoms. For a couple days I’ve had a little bit of a sore throat, a little bit lower in the throat than the spot just below the sinuses where I usually first start to feel cold symptoms coming on… but it gets no worse and I haven’t come down with anything. I don’t seem to get a whole lot of rest out of my sleep, which has been on a pretty normal schedule. I wouldn’t say I’m fatigued, but I definitely feel more tired (sleepy) than I’ve been accustomed in the past. This morning for the first half hour or so at my desk my stomach was not happy, but I chalk that up to riding my bike hard after eating breakfast this morning.

Tonight for the first time I noticed that when I move my eyes in their full range of motion in any direction the muscles hurt. That’s a new one — either the onset of a new symptom, or maybe I only just now noticed it. I’m hoping that’s just from staring at screens too much, which I have been doing a lot lately.

There are so many variables that it’s hard to trace back a definitive cause. This was the first week that I biked to work, except for Wednesday. I recently (a couple of weeks ago) started eating meat again. I had a lot of garbage to take out this week and my apartment had been pretty unkempt for a while toward the tail end of Into the Woods. It’s possible there’s been mold in the air. Longer term… it’s the summer so I’ve had the window air conditioner installed for a few months now, and it’s 8 years old and might have some nasty stuff in there from being stowed away in basements during the cold seasons. It was just a few months ago that my desk moved to a spot with my back to a large sunny window, so I could have more eye strain from that bright environment, although I think I do a pretty good job of getting rid of the glare. I haven’t been physically active for at least 4 months now. My attention to the quality of my diet has left a lot to be desired over the same period.

Some Googling gave me more questions than answers: Celiac (gluten sensitivity), hypothyroidism… for the conditions people were talking about, you need to have blood tests done. One thing I do know is that if this keeps up, I’m going to see a doctor.