I'm a mutant!

So, this is a thing my nephrologist is pretty sure I have: Hypokalemic periodic paralysis. In short, I'm a mutant. When under stress from thing like illness, injury, or, well, stress, potassium in my body doesn't do its usual job of making muscles work. Instead it gets absorbed into cells, where it stays until the crisis is past.

This results in temporary paralysis of the extremities to vary degrees. Looking back over my life, I can identify several occasions where I thought my stiff legs or arms were just a normal thing that went with whatever was happening at the time.

Luckily, my HPP appears to be mild. Some folks have attacks hourly. Mine only show up when I'm under extreme stress and can be years apart. I should note that this diagnosis is based solely on observed symptoms and lab work. There is a test for HPP, but nobody wants to pay for the genetic screeening, especially not when the case is not causing any real threat. Dr. Dharwan is going to call around to see if anyone is doing a study and needs more subjects.

sigh... I'm a mutant. Guess I need a colorful spandex suit and a silly code name.