Saturday, March 31, 2012
Can we even make it to church?
It's been 3 weeks since I've been to church. It bothers me I can't take communion with this disease since September, but it's even harder when you physically can't go. I've been feeling awful all morning and am laying in bed with a heating pad in tears while Drew sleeps and Adam cares for Lucy. Yet another day no yard work is getting done and we need it.
I've been in the bathroom almost all
Morning. I ate the same foods, took my anxiety meds and still had problems. I know I'm starting to worry about the Zoloft working, the diarrhea all morning every day even on this limited diet, no appetite, and my parents health. I pray that God heard me. I beg him for things to get better for our family and me. All sorts of changes are going on at work and that worries me too - will I even have a job at the end of this?
I get lovely cards and emails from so many praying, but here I am. I beg God to have mercy on me, and help me through these difficult times. Depending on what happens with mom's hearing and sinuses and dads wrist, we may need to care for them and the kids. That was to be MY job. I need Gods help to get through this and pray that things will soon get better.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Doctor Visits
The morning started at very nauseating again, and I stayed in bed at Mom and Dads most of the AM after forcing some food down. I had 2 doctor visits today - one with the OB/GYN to check another issue (turns out to be minor), and one with the surgeon.
The surgeon said my incisions were healing up really well, and I could bath or swim - yea! She also said the throbbing on my side where the gall bladder was is very normal as well as the loss of appetite. Most people lose up to 15 lbs after the surgery. Now, I had called her office 2x prior and had 1 visit with another surgeon. Why the heck was this the first time hearing this? She said my gallbladder biopsy was very irritated and inflamed, so it gave me some confirmation that I made the right choice to get it removed. It wasn't obvious if it was a problem for the pain, but since it was definitely inflammed on such a bare diet, it was time to go. She did say the nausea was very abnormal. She recommended gas drops to see if that helped relief gas (one of the side effects of the surgery, and unfortunately, one of the huge side effects of my juice boxes which I'm back up to 5 on, since I started losing my hair). Diarrhea is another side effect of both. The joys. She seemed to think I was recovering 'ok' but not 'thriving' and wanted to see me again in 2 weeks to ensure I was getting better. I still can't lift over 15 lbs for 6 weeks, so that sucks with the kids. The surgeon also recommended getting a GI test to watch how things move through my intestines. She was concerned about how they felt during the surgery (I was backed up big time after 5 weeks of hydrocodone to control the abdominal pain). So, I've called and asked to get that scheduled. Best to get everything checked out.
I noticed my hands were trembling a lot today, and looked up Zoloft - the new med I was on. Apparently, it causes nausea, tremors, and diarrhea, and usually subsides. I'm on my second week, so I figure I'll start using the Xanax the dr. prescribed, and gut it out. It takes 3-4 weeks usually to see the effects, so I'm hopeful the stuff I'm feeling will go away as I further recover from surgery and get used to this med. If the effects don't go away in 4 weeks, I'm going to try a new med. At least I'm sleeping through the night with the sleeping pill; that makes life better. Wish I could sleep in, but that doesn't happen with 2 kids :)
On another note, my eosinophil counts doubled with last weeks food trial of strawberries. No abdominal pain, but definitely noticable in blood work. I called the immunologist, and asked him about the patch testing he had wanted to do for the chicken, before I try it. I told him to look at my strawberry labs too. So, he called and had a nice conversation. He wanted me to try another week of strawberries and see if the eos raise further. If so, no more strawberries. If not, then it's probably ok. Eos can rise from outdoor allergies, post-surgery, etc. so it's not super clear. I have my labs tomorrow for eosinophils. Then Monday, I get a 3rd round of environmental allergy testing and patch testing for meats. I see the doctor on Wed and Fri to see if I produce a reaction. I'd be more than happy to give up strawberries if that's what's causing this. I will miss chocolate covered strawberries, but it's not worth the hell I've been through. I'd give up a lot at this point. I hope we can find the allergens through these food trials. It's nice to have someone to talk to about this. He seems very interested in my case (it is really food allergies, so he's learning something new with my case), and really wants to help. I meet a different GI doc at Loyola on May 7th, the same day as the Endoscopy at Northwestern. I hope to find someone I can relate to better than the team at Northwestern. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the continued prayers. I'm very hopeful things will get better soon!
The surgeon said my incisions were healing up really well, and I could bath or swim - yea! She also said the throbbing on my side where the gall bladder was is very normal as well as the loss of appetite. Most people lose up to 15 lbs after the surgery. Now, I had called her office 2x prior and had 1 visit with another surgeon. Why the heck was this the first time hearing this? She said my gallbladder biopsy was very irritated and inflamed, so it gave me some confirmation that I made the right choice to get it removed. It wasn't obvious if it was a problem for the pain, but since it was definitely inflammed on such a bare diet, it was time to go. She did say the nausea was very abnormal. She recommended gas drops to see if that helped relief gas (one of the side effects of the surgery, and unfortunately, one of the huge side effects of my juice boxes which I'm back up to 5 on, since I started losing my hair). Diarrhea is another side effect of both. The joys. She seemed to think I was recovering 'ok' but not 'thriving' and wanted to see me again in 2 weeks to ensure I was getting better. I still can't lift over 15 lbs for 6 weeks, so that sucks with the kids. The surgeon also recommended getting a GI test to watch how things move through my intestines. She was concerned about how they felt during the surgery (I was backed up big time after 5 weeks of hydrocodone to control the abdominal pain). So, I've called and asked to get that scheduled. Best to get everything checked out.
I noticed my hands were trembling a lot today, and looked up Zoloft - the new med I was on. Apparently, it causes nausea, tremors, and diarrhea, and usually subsides. I'm on my second week, so I figure I'll start using the Xanax the dr. prescribed, and gut it out. It takes 3-4 weeks usually to see the effects, so I'm hopeful the stuff I'm feeling will go away as I further recover from surgery and get used to this med. If the effects don't go away in 4 weeks, I'm going to try a new med. At least I'm sleeping through the night with the sleeping pill; that makes life better. Wish I could sleep in, but that doesn't happen with 2 kids :)
On another note, my eosinophil counts doubled with last weeks food trial of strawberries. No abdominal pain, but definitely noticable in blood work. I called the immunologist, and asked him about the patch testing he had wanted to do for the chicken, before I try it. I told him to look at my strawberry labs too. So, he called and had a nice conversation. He wanted me to try another week of strawberries and see if the eos raise further. If so, no more strawberries. If not, then it's probably ok. Eos can rise from outdoor allergies, post-surgery, etc. so it's not super clear. I have my labs tomorrow for eosinophils. Then Monday, I get a 3rd round of environmental allergy testing and patch testing for meats. I see the doctor on Wed and Fri to see if I produce a reaction. I'd be more than happy to give up strawberries if that's what's causing this. I will miss chocolate covered strawberries, but it's not worth the hell I've been through. I'd give up a lot at this point. I hope we can find the allergens through these food trials. It's nice to have someone to talk to about this. He seems very interested in my case (it is really food allergies, so he's learning something new with my case), and really wants to help. I meet a different GI doc at Loyola on May 7th, the same day as the Endoscopy at Northwestern. I hope to find someone I can relate to better than the team at Northwestern. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the continued prayers. I'm very hopeful things will get better soon!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Still recovering
The adventure continues. No major changes, beyond the trip to the ER. I dont feel very good most of the day. I get up, shower, help get the kids ready as best I can (but Adam does most of the work), take a ton of meds, then off to Mom and Dads. I usually eat breakfast with the kids - forcing myself to get something in as I'm still feeling full and slightly nauseated. Then, I play a little with them as much as I can and rest for much of the morning in bed. My side continues to throb, and I'm praying it's just a sign that I'm healing internally. I just woke up with the pain last week, and it hasn't gone away. I'm off the painkillers, just taking basic Tylenol.
My mom took me to the lab today, where I had nearly 20 vials drawn. Lots of checks on vitamins, etc. to determine if anything else is off balance and why I'm losing my hair. My primary care is taking over my labs, so I'm grateful for that. They are very nice and very responsive.
I force myself to eat at lunch with the family, and try to stay up most of the afternoon unless I feel really bad with the throbbing. I look forward to seeing the surgeon on Thursday to see if no appetite, the nausea, and the pain in the side is normal. I feel bad back on so many of my old meds that I had to take to cure my steroid psychosis, but it's helping me cope daily. I'm still very emotional and try to hold it in, espcially in front of my kids. But I cry a lot in front of my parents and my husband. I've begged God to get me better. My godmother send me my uncle's relic of St. Philomina, and I've been praying to her as well. I truly hope God will heal me and things get better. It's been a very long 8 months.
We've had Reeses at our friend Kathleen's house since before the surgery, and we all miss him. Drew asks where he is every morning and each night when Adam brings us home. It'll be nice to drive so mom won't have to run me home to walk him each afternoon, and to have him back around again. We've been very blessed to have such good family and friends helping us. My parents and Adam have been more than amazing; I truly don't know how I would've gotten through this without them. It makes me wonder when women say they want to be divorced and could care less if they have kids without a husband. I'm very blessed to have such a good husband who has cared for me for 8 very long months. Lucy turns 1 on May 9th... I so wish to be better by then. I hate being so shakey and emotional, but I'll get through. Being on so many meds, it's hard to know what's causing what at this point.
May 1st I find out if I need surgery on the pre-cancerous moles, and May 7th, I have my Endoscopy #3 to see if I passed fruits and can move to group 3 with chicken/turkey/pork and beans and legumes and some nuts. I hope that these next two months will be a huge turning point.
I sincerely appreciate all the prayers. I know God is still with me; I'm just waiting for the answer to the prayers :)
My mom took me to the lab today, where I had nearly 20 vials drawn. Lots of checks on vitamins, etc. to determine if anything else is off balance and why I'm losing my hair. My primary care is taking over my labs, so I'm grateful for that. They are very nice and very responsive.
I force myself to eat at lunch with the family, and try to stay up most of the afternoon unless I feel really bad with the throbbing. I look forward to seeing the surgeon on Thursday to see if no appetite, the nausea, and the pain in the side is normal. I feel bad back on so many of my old meds that I had to take to cure my steroid psychosis, but it's helping me cope daily. I'm still very emotional and try to hold it in, espcially in front of my kids. But I cry a lot in front of my parents and my husband. I've begged God to get me better. My godmother send me my uncle's relic of St. Philomina, and I've been praying to her as well. I truly hope God will heal me and things get better. It's been a very long 8 months.
We've had Reeses at our friend Kathleen's house since before the surgery, and we all miss him. Drew asks where he is every morning and each night when Adam brings us home. It'll be nice to drive so mom won't have to run me home to walk him each afternoon, and to have him back around again. We've been very blessed to have such good family and friends helping us. My parents and Adam have been more than amazing; I truly don't know how I would've gotten through this without them. It makes me wonder when women say they want to be divorced and could care less if they have kids without a husband. I'm very blessed to have such a good husband who has cared for me for 8 very long months. Lucy turns 1 on May 9th... I so wish to be better by then. I hate being so shakey and emotional, but I'll get through. Being on so many meds, it's hard to know what's causing what at this point.
May 1st I find out if I need surgery on the pre-cancerous moles, and May 7th, I have my Endoscopy #3 to see if I passed fruits and can move to group 3 with chicken/turkey/pork and beans and legumes and some nuts. I hope that these next two months will be a huge turning point.
I sincerely appreciate all the prayers. I know God is still with me; I'm just waiting for the answer to the prayers :)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
1 week after
I wish I had some good upbeat news to post here, and I am so disheartened I don't. Nine days after surgery, I still have no appetite, and terrible panic attacks. I was given meds for the anxiety and depression and for sleep - which ended me up in the ER yesterday.
I'm so tired of feeling so miserable. I want to be hungry and want to eat, and feel ok after I do. I'm managing as best I can and an grateful the pain is gone. Please continue to pray this heals. I need my health and faith renewed...
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Surgery recovery
It's been 5 days post surgery, and unfortunately, I'm not where I thought we would be. Maybe I was over eager, or just too optimistic. The surgery went well and I'm moving around fairly well. The incisions hurt, but that's to be expected. The biggest problem is I'm nauseaus all the time. I have no appetite and when I force something down, I feel like I've eaten way too much and I'll explode. That's with rice and Gatorade. It's so disheartening. I'm grateful not to be on pain meds beyond regular Tylenol. I just want to be able to eat again.
I was on my knees last night begging God for help. It's been so long. Lucy is now 10.5 months and I've missed so much time with her. Im still losing my hair in chunks and I don't know why.
I'm going back on meds for depression again, as I just can't handle the constant disappointment. Even the hypoglycemia is back, since I was put back on anti-anxiety meds.
There are so many wonderful people in my life and I am truly very blessed. I told Adam today I sound selfish asking to get better with all the good things and people that surround us, but I want my health back.
Adams taking me to the surgeon today, as the constant nausea is not good. Thursday we see my primary care and the psychiatrist. Everyone is intrigued by my case and very helpful, but I want a solution...and end to this mess that started in August. I continue to trust in God; I just don't know what he wants from me...
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Surgery Scheduled
Took 2 days, but the gallbladder surgery is official scheduled for Thursday, March 15th. Adam is planning on taking me while Mom and Dad watch the kids. Reeses will be going on puppy vacation again to the Wardlow's. We're so grateful for our family and friends.
The scheduling took quite a bit of coordination, but they managed to get us in next week (it was that or April - yikes). I'm very hopeful this will take away at least some of the pain, and if God willing, all of it and return me to normal. One can only hope and pray.
We also got great news today that the insurance will cover the formula. That's over $45K in unpaid bills that we now don't have to come up with. What a blessing, considering I'll be drinking a lot more of this stuff in the future too.
I'm looking for another GI doctor at Loyola where my parents go, and they are helping with referrals. I hope to get another opinion and find someone that I can have a better patient relationship with. I don't feel that prednisone and psych meds are the way for me to manage this the rest of my life. There has got to be some other things that can be discussed.
I get the second biopsy of the colon tomorrow - it was being retested due to the eos showing up. I'm hoping it's not active, but either way, I'm going through the surgery, starting up the food trials, and take my pain pills until I can't stand anymore. I'm very curious how I'll feel after the surgery, but at least it's a shot. Who knows- maybe the pain all along was this and the eos were just there. ;) Far fetched, but would be nice.
The scheduling took quite a bit of coordination, but they managed to get us in next week (it was that or April - yikes). I'm very hopeful this will take away at least some of the pain, and if God willing, all of it and return me to normal. One can only hope and pray.
We also got great news today that the insurance will cover the formula. That's over $45K in unpaid bills that we now don't have to come up with. What a blessing, considering I'll be drinking a lot more of this stuff in the future too.
I'm looking for another GI doctor at Loyola where my parents go, and they are helping with referrals. I hope to get another opinion and find someone that I can have a better patient relationship with. I don't feel that prednisone and psych meds are the way for me to manage this the rest of my life. There has got to be some other things that can be discussed.
I get the second biopsy of the colon tomorrow - it was being retested due to the eos showing up. I'm hoping it's not active, but either way, I'm going through the surgery, starting up the food trials, and take my pain pills until I can't stand anymore. I'm very curious how I'll feel after the surgery, but at least it's a shot. Who knows- maybe the pain all along was this and the eos were just there. ;) Far fetched, but would be nice.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Rough weekend
Well, we made it to church yesterday evening; it took a lot of strength to get
to church, but I did my makeup and dried my hair at least - it bothers me how thin it's getting, but what can you do? I'm up to 5 juice boxes to try and increase the protein levels again. The call Friday evening by my GI doctor that there were
eosinophils were in my colon, that they were re-reviewing all of the
biopsies; the treatment with prednisone; the need to increase my psych meds which I was soo proud to get off of (they think stress may be causing the pain/eos vs. allergies).... it's catching up with me and made it a hard weekend mentally and emotionally. Just makes me really wonder what my body is doing and why it's doing it. What am I doing to cause these reactions?
We meet with the surgeon on the gallbladder early tomorrow. We will likely proceed with that, as we know I have biliary colic and it should be removed. Then, we'll restart foods that I've already covered and see where I'm at. If that goes well, I'll start fruits. It's been needless to say a very disheartening few weeks. I'm questioning everything, second-guessing everything, and wondering why God gave me children I can't care for (I hate thinking that, but it's been 7 months... I don't get it). After all the drugs, formula and light veggie diet, I should not be having issues; this is only 1 of 4 food trials. No one understands what is happening, and that is very scary for me. I don't cheat on the diet, I don't cross-contaminate, I follow ALL the rules and instructions since this started. My body is just doing its own thing.
I appreciate your prayers. I truly hope that God helps me in the decisions needed the next few weeks and if it be His Will, this resolves soon. I'm sure my brother says the same things for the last four years, and continues to do so. That would be the biggest miracle if we both made it through this back to full-health. I can't imagine it, but it was be such an amazing blessing for our family. I always dreamed of taking care of my family and my parents as they aged, not them taking care of me and raising my children. It's incredibly heart-breaking. People mention going out to eat, going out on dates, being intimate with Adam - trust me, when you feel this awful, that's the last thing on my mind. This has been hard on everyone, including my relationship with Adam and I'm grateful he stands by my side. I'm grateful my parents have been here daily and nightly to help us through, even when they are hurting and tired or frustrated with managing 2 little ones.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming weeks, as we make some tough decisions and try to find out what's causing the stomach inflammation and the eos to return.
We meet with the surgeon on the gallbladder early tomorrow. We will likely proceed with that, as we know I have biliary colic and it should be removed. Then, we'll restart foods that I've already covered and see where I'm at. If that goes well, I'll start fruits. It's been needless to say a very disheartening few weeks. I'm questioning everything, second-guessing everything, and wondering why God gave me children I can't care for (I hate thinking that, but it's been 7 months... I don't get it). After all the drugs, formula and light veggie diet, I should not be having issues; this is only 1 of 4 food trials. No one understands what is happening, and that is very scary for me. I don't cheat on the diet, I don't cross-contaminate, I follow ALL the rules and instructions since this started. My body is just doing its own thing.
I appreciate your prayers. I truly hope that God helps me in the decisions needed the next few weeks and if it be His Will, this resolves soon. I'm sure my brother says the same things for the last four years, and continues to do so. That would be the biggest miracle if we both made it through this back to full-health. I can't imagine it, but it was be such an amazing blessing for our family. I always dreamed of taking care of my family and my parents as they aged, not them taking care of me and raising my children. It's incredibly heart-breaking. People mention going out to eat, going out on dates, being intimate with Adam - trust me, when you feel this awful, that's the last thing on my mind. This has been hard on everyone, including my relationship with Adam and I'm grateful he stands by my side. I'm grateful my parents have been here daily and nightly to help us through, even when they are hurting and tired or frustrated with managing 2 little ones.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming weeks, as we make some tough decisions and try to find out what's causing the stomach inflammation and the eos to return.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Friday night's news - the eosinophils are in the colon
On Friday, I received a call from Dr. Gonsalves stating that while my colonscopy looked clean, the biopsies came back with eosinophils in my colon. I had had them in my esophogus, stomach, and small bowel before, but not the colon. The inflammation of the stomach and the new eos in the colon were unexplanable. Dr. G was going to send the biopsies and ask to have them revisited. We will get more news on Wednesday.
In the meantime, we meet with the surgeon on Monday and decide next steps on the gallbladder surgery and exploratory surgery. Please pray that we can resolve this soon. The eos showing up again has really thrown me for a loop. With my diet, I don't understand how this could be happening.
I pray a lot, and hope that God guides us to make good choices and hopefully find another specialist that can help me work through this chronic illness. I'm ready to move on!
In the meantime, we meet with the surgeon on Monday and decide next steps on the gallbladder surgery and exploratory surgery. Please pray that we can resolve this soon. The eos showing up again has really thrown me for a loop. With my diet, I don't understand how this could be happening.
I pray a lot, and hope that God guides us to make good choices and hopefully find another specialist that can help me work through this chronic illness. I'm ready to move on!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Some more updates...
This week I met my new primary care doctor, whom I really like. She gave me hydrocodone to help the pain. I gave her the run down of the story (AKA the super condensed version of the blog), and she seemed happy to help, even with the disability stuff.
I stopped all food trials except some potato soup (water and potatoes - that's it), some rice, and some rice chex and applesauce to get the new steroids down. I've been drinking more formula trying to put some weight back on and get more protein - I hate that my hair is still coming out in clumps. I've never been more grateful to have a lot of it. Most people can't tell, but I can feel how thin it is and see how thin it is. Plus, I'm the one that cleans up the hair I leave behind, so I'm very aware.
My colonscopy came back clean. The doctor said besides the inflammation in my stomach, she didn't see any signs of eosinophils (my labs I got today confirmed that too). So that was good news. On a bad note, she told me to go back on psych meds and if I had pain, see a pain specialist. And I should go back on all the psych meds as I my stomach was better with them; I reminded her I had SEVERE hypoglycemia with the meds and the depression worsened, which is why I got off of them. She didn't care. I was so ready to burst out at her, she can be so unprofessional and just ready to dump you off on someone else. I had steroid psychosis, I have EoG, and I have abdominal pain now - I would be crazy to have this all in my head. I have proof of all of it. With 2 kids and a husband, and being such a burden on my family, I wouldn't have just made all of this up. Who would I make it up for? I follow my instinct, and have been grateful that God has led me to where we are.
So, now what with the pain? We're back to the gallbladder issue, and meeting with the surgeon Monday. I'm still having pain when I eat/drink, and I've read and talked to people that have had similar problems. Now that I can rely on teh formula and have the EoG under control, it seems like a good option to finally get it removed and take that out. Of course the GI doctor - I won't mention her name; it maddens me just thinking about her - said there was no way that the gall bladder to cause that pain. But she was also the one that told me that steroids can't cause depression and the mental reactions I had on the high doses, so credibility isn't so good.
We're off to see the surgeon on Monday, and I continue to take the hydrocodone to hold myself over. I think it's the best option for now, and potentially the surgeon can do some exploratory surgery when she's doing the gall bladder removal. Some lab work came back today, and 2 markers showed signs of inflammation. I know my stomach is inflammed, so that could be it, but something has caused more damage since last December on a diet of formula and food trials of basic least-hypoallergenic vegetables. It doesn't make since I would be in this condition based on this diet.
My brother had an MRI today, and we're awaiting his results. He seems to be getting better with the new GVHD treatment and getting off some of his meds too. It's hard to believe he'll be 4 years cancer free next month. I'm so grateful he's alive; I love his so much. I wish my stem cells would've been better and he wouldn't have had to endure the multitude of problems over these last 4 years, but I'm glad he's here and he's still fighting.
My parents and Adam have been a blessing helping me through this, and being with the kids. I try to spend as much time with all of them, and smile at the kids. They bring such joy to my life. I just want to get better. More news next week!
I stopped all food trials except some potato soup (water and potatoes - that's it), some rice, and some rice chex and applesauce to get the new steroids down. I've been drinking more formula trying to put some weight back on and get more protein - I hate that my hair is still coming out in clumps. I've never been more grateful to have a lot of it. Most people can't tell, but I can feel how thin it is and see how thin it is. Plus, I'm the one that cleans up the hair I leave behind, so I'm very aware.
My colonscopy came back clean. The doctor said besides the inflammation in my stomach, she didn't see any signs of eosinophils (my labs I got today confirmed that too). So that was good news. On a bad note, she told me to go back on psych meds and if I had pain, see a pain specialist. And I should go back on all the psych meds as I my stomach was better with them; I reminded her I had SEVERE hypoglycemia with the meds and the depression worsened, which is why I got off of them. She didn't care. I was so ready to burst out at her, she can be so unprofessional and just ready to dump you off on someone else. I had steroid psychosis, I have EoG, and I have abdominal pain now - I would be crazy to have this all in my head. I have proof of all of it. With 2 kids and a husband, and being such a burden on my family, I wouldn't have just made all of this up. Who would I make it up for? I follow my instinct, and have been grateful that God has led me to where we are.
So, now what with the pain? We're back to the gallbladder issue, and meeting with the surgeon Monday. I'm still having pain when I eat/drink, and I've read and talked to people that have had similar problems. Now that I can rely on teh formula and have the EoG under control, it seems like a good option to finally get it removed and take that out. Of course the GI doctor - I won't mention her name; it maddens me just thinking about her - said there was no way that the gall bladder to cause that pain. But she was also the one that told me that steroids can't cause depression and the mental reactions I had on the high doses, so credibility isn't so good.
We're off to see the surgeon on Monday, and I continue to take the hydrocodone to hold myself over. I think it's the best option for now, and potentially the surgeon can do some exploratory surgery when she's doing the gall bladder removal. Some lab work came back today, and 2 markers showed signs of inflammation. I know my stomach is inflammed, so that could be it, but something has caused more damage since last December on a diet of formula and food trials of basic least-hypoallergenic vegetables. It doesn't make since I would be in this condition based on this diet.
My brother had an MRI today, and we're awaiting his results. He seems to be getting better with the new GVHD treatment and getting off some of his meds too. It's hard to believe he'll be 4 years cancer free next month. I'm so grateful he's alive; I love his so much. I wish my stem cells would've been better and he wouldn't have had to endure the multitude of problems over these last 4 years, but I'm glad he's here and he's still fighting.
My parents and Adam have been a blessing helping me through this, and being with the kids. I try to spend as much time with all of them, and smile at the kids. They bring such joy to my life. I just want to get better. More news next week!
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