Doctor's Visit Results

I had my doctor's appointment today. I am now seeing a new gastroenterologist and I'm on a new medicine and supplement. I will probably have to do both of these the rest of my life. They think that maybe I have an autoimmune disease so I have to have more blood work done as these haven't been tested yet. I am to try these new medicines and see if they work. They seem to think that I have had this condition all of my life and am just experiencing a flare up. It seems that it kind of goes away and reoccurs every few months or years even though I haven't really experienced this particular pain before. We'll see what happens. No quick fix which disappoints me but I guess we're in the right direction. If these things don't work and they don't find an autoimmune disease, I will have to have more tests.

Praise:
*The cyst that was found in earlier ultrasounds has now disappeared!!

Prayer Requests:
*That I will have an easier time with the blood work.
*That the doctors will find out what exactly is wrong.
*That these new medicines will be well tolerated.
*That I will gain some more energy. I have been so tired lately as a result of one of the medicines that I am now taking.
*That I won't get discouraged. I have had a hard time with keeping positive and have wanted to give up on finding a cause or treatment for my pain as it seems that no one knows what is wrong. However, I am trying to stay optimistic and keep on going no matter how long it takes.

As always thanks for your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

Have a wonderful last day of 2008!

Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will srengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Prayer Requests

Well, Christmas is over and my Mom and Stepdad have gone back to North Carolina. I have been feeling a little better but very tired and nauseous (just as a result of my new medicine). I got to a new specialist tomorrow morning. My other one couldn't ever find the time to see me although he said that he needed me to come in again. So, together my general physician and I decided that I needed someone new. Pray for me tomorrow that this new doctor will come up with a plan for what to do next or some treatment for me.

Also, two little babies need your prayers more than I do. Their names are Stellan and Kayleigh. Stellan has been diagnosed with RSV after having heart trouble in the womb. God has already performed a miracle once with Stellan and can definitly do it again. Kayleigh was born premature and is still having trouble in the hospital. She is now 6 months old. Check out their blogs below and keep them and their families in your prayers.

Christmas Day

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, we had our best friends (Courtney and Erika) over for a great meal. It was my first real time "entertaining" in our house. But, everyone seemed to enjoy the meal (they even got 2nds!!) and we had a great time just talking. We had so many plans for what we were going to do and just spent most of the time eating and talking. Sorry- I forgot to take pictures.

On Christmas Day, we went over to Mat's parents' house to open presents and eat. We had a great time as always. Plenty of presents and good food. Here are just a few pictures from the day:

My in-laws

Santa came to visit Granny Hams.

Us "kids"- Mat, Me, Charles, and Mary

The dogs- Bonnie, Patsy, and Hogan. Patsy did not want to cooperate for the picture.

This is how Patsy chose to celebrate Christmas. She just wanted to lay at Dad McCarl's feet.

Me and Cubby (the dog we're dog sitting). He is so sweet and has been like my shadow. I wonder if I really have to give him back. :)

This Christmas was definitly different because I wasn't with my family in NC. Because I haven't been feeling good, we just didn't think it was best for me to travel. I missed my family so much!! I have been doing better but really tired. I did have some pain on Christmas Day. I go back to the doctor on Monday.

My Mom and Stepdad are on their way to our house now. They are going to be staying with us this weekend. It will be nice to have them here.

Have a wonderful weekend! And, don't miss all of the sales. :)

Sunday Update

I love this time of year! I am so excited for Christmas to be here. However, I'm still feeling bad so I am a little bummed.

Here is the update as of today:
*My doctor called me yesterday while she was on her vacation to tell me about the results of my blood work. The only thing that shows up is the issue with my liver. My liver enzymes are slightly higher than they were a week ago.
*I now hurt in my left side all of the time and the pain goes down and over to my right side. Sometimes it is in my back.
*I am also VERY tired. She thinks that it is probably just because my body has so much going on inside.
*The general doctor (the one that called me) is going to call the specialist tomorrow morning and ask what he thinks it is. Also, she is going to see if it is absolutely necessary for me to have another CT Scan or if we can just skip that and have another test.
*I am going to school tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it through both of those days without being too tired and sore. I HATE being out!!


Prayer Requests:
*Wisdom for the doctors. I am so tired of them not knowing what to do.
*That I will not have to have another CT Scan.
*That I will be able to feel okay (or at least somewhat comfortable) at school Monday and Tuesday.
*That there will some sort of treatment before Christmas. Okay, this might be asking a lot but I would love to not be tired and in pain on Christmas.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Now of course you need to see a picture of Patsy. She has been busy today helping us get the house ready for Christmas. Okay, so she isn't a lot of help but she is pretty cute!

This is Patsy's new friend, Cubby. We are keeping him while his Mommy, Daddy, and brother are visiting family for the Holidays. Patsy LOVES having him around. She loves him so much that he has to hide under the side table to get away from her. He is a great dog!!

Have a great Monday!

We elfed ourselves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Health Update

Happy 1 week before Christmas (but who's counting right?)!

I am back home today. I was at home yesterday too but slept most of the day. I went to school Monday and Tuesday and quickly learned why it was that I was supposed to stay home. Monday I did okay but Tuesday I was hurting and exhausted all day. By the time I got to my doctor's office Tuesday night, I was just ready to go to bed (and it was 7pm!!).

After not getting any results with my gastroenterologist, my General Practitioner decided for me to just go back to her. I have had to have more blood tests that I should hear the results of today or tomorrow. Hopefully I will hear today because I would like to go back to work tomorrow. Anyway, my first batch of blood tests showed that something might not be quite right with my liver. I'm not sure about all of the various diseases and disorders of the liver but I know Mat has researched. I just hope and pray that I can have an answer soon. I am very tired of being in pain and tired. Now I'm tired of being at home too!

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers! I hope that you are all enjoying this holiday season.

Christmas Card Carousel

I wanted to join in on Faith's "Christmas Card Carousel" because I love to get Christmas cards. However, I have been lazier than normal this year and am just mailing our Christmas cards and I didn't want to post it on here before all of our family and friends got it in the mail. So, I created a "Smilebox" card for everyone to enjoy.


Have a very happy holiday!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Don't forget to visit Faith's blog for more wonderful Christmas cards!