The girls at Apple Annie's!
Daelyn's 10 minute homemade costume.
Fairy & Southern Belle! (Wasn't gonna attempt homemade for these two this year!) They looked cute and loved their costumes!
My cute little Flower!
As for the update on the colonoscopy and all that . . . I feel kindof strange blogging all about all my medical stuff(who really wants to read about colonoscopys and intestinal problems?) but so many of you have been so kind to ask and be concerned that I want to keep you up to date. If you don't want to read all this junk, than by all means just skip it, but here is the latest low down for those of you who may have been wondering.
While waiting for results my weight dropped real low. Down to 100 lbs, which for 5'9" tall is much too low (approximately 30-40 lbs lower than recommended BMI.) I had to quit nursing Daelyn. The Gastroentereologist was not getting back to us on the results of the blood work and colonoscopy and our Family practioner was getting really concerned about my weight/malnutrition, so he called and said he wanted to put me in the hospital for a few days to get me on an IV for nutrition, and also an IV administered steroid. My Sweet hubby, got frustrated, and called the Gastroenterologists office. Derek finally got the Doc on the phone. Apparently my blood work came up positive for Crohn's but the colonoscopy didn't show much, so he wanted to do some MORE tests. He finally prescribed me something to try to help in the meantime though. So I started a steroid, and was able to avoid the hospital stay. My pain still is pretty bad, but it seems that since I've started the medicine, it's not quite as often, (I get a couple good or ok days a week.) It also seems to be helping me put some weight back on. I'm up about 5 lbs. I'm sure Gluten being back in my life is helping with that too. I feel like I'm eating well, but my body just does not seem to absorb any of the nutrition. I'm sure to see me people just think I'm not eating at all. (which brings up all sorts of bad memories from my youth of being called "anorexic" because I was so skinny, people don't usually feel sorry for the skinny girl, but that's a whole different post I'll maybe get to later.) I'm VERY HAPPY that I'm enjoying gluten again, and it does not seem to be linked to my problems. "Welcome back, bread, Pizza, Cake, etc, Oh how I missed you!"
Dr ordered an upper GI, that showed problems in my small intestines that had the radiologist perplexed. She said she'd never seen a case like it before and showed it to some colleagues in tucson who also found it "intriguing." Gastroenterologist found the findings "interesting" as well, and has shown them to other Dr's seeking opinions. Quotations on the words intriguing and interesting are because those are the word choices the Dr's used, make of it what you will. Basically my small intestines are dialated, (approximately twice the diameter of an average small bowel) and not properly functioning. Next step now is a capsular endoscopy. I basically swallow a pill size camera that will retrieve images of my intestinal tract. That will happen monday, I have to prep for it the same as the colonoscopy, which is the part I'm really dreading. It's interesting to me though how they can do something like that. I swallow the camera and then wear some device on a belt that picks up all the images/information from the capsule.
Dr still believes it to be Crohn's and has begun treating it as such, but still no "Confirmed diagnosis." I hope though to see improvement from the prednisone. In all my online "research" about Crohn's disease, symptoms, treatments, etc. My mind keeps going back to this funny post I read on one of my favorite blogs, and I thought I'd share the link to give you a crash course on crohn's as well as perhaps a chuckle or two. If you haven't ever read The Meanest Mom's blog before, you should, she is hilarious.Ms Crohn's disease Autoimmune pageant entry
3 comments:
Prednisone? Isn't that going to be hard on your body? Ohhhh good luck in this battle. I'm thinking of you.
Great pictures of the kids. I love your quick costume for Daelyn!
I'm so sorry you are going through this! It must be beyond frustrating to be "intriguing" and "interesting" when you'd much rather be made better. I hope that the medicine helps and that they have some solutions soon.
First, your girls are SO beautiful! Just breathtaking. Love them! And I can't believe they are getting so big!
Second, sorry I never emailed you back, I got my wisdom teeth out and was out of comission for a week or so, I was thinking abuot you though and I feel bad that I haven't made the time to email you though.
Third, thanks for the health update. We definetly have been worried about you and hoping that you were finally getting some answers and hopefully be feeling better! LOVE YOU!!
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