So good to be home!

All right, I guess it's about time I post another update. Hopefully this will be the last post for a while about my health issues. My surgery was on Tuesday May 4th. The day after my last post. The surgery went well, The main complication being the prednisone. I guess when your injured your body creates a "natural" steroid to help heal your body, but if you are taking steroids your body shuts down that natural response to fight the injury and the pain. So they had to give me really high doses of steroids the day of the surgery, and also high doses of morphine to help with the pain. The first few days post-surgery were much more rough than I had anticipated. Probably a lot because of the steroids. I had a lot of pain, and anxiety, couldn't breathe well, see well, walk well. As I started to feel better I was very tired of being stuck in the hospital. Mother's Day, and Derek and Daelyn's birthday were especially hard for me. I'm sure all you other moms could imagine how hard it would be to be away from your kids on mother's day, or your baby's 1st birthday. They kept me in the hospital a total of 2 1/2 weeks. (a few days longer than expected because of an infection I ended up with in my central line site.) Luckily for my kids, their AMAZING grandparents were able to be with them. Things usually seem to work out the way they are supposed to. When we found out I would need to have this surgery, my parents were in town for the temple open house. It was so nice to have them there as we got things ready to go to the hospital. They headed home sunday, and my mom turned around and came back tuesday, so the first week I was in the hospital my mom was able to be in town to help with the girls, and trade off with Derek to spend a little time with me in the hospital. Derek was able to use sick leave to be with me in the hospital for most of my bad days. My mom had to leave friday, but Derek's parents who had planned to come for the temple open house the next weekend changed their plans to be able to come a few days early, and stay longer. So they arrived sunday, and were able to stay til sunday. They did so much to help Derek and the girls, and it was so nice knowing my girls were being well taken care of, and having some quality "grandma-grandpa" time. I was SO APPRECIATIVE of all they did. I was hoping to be out of the hospital before they left town, and felt bad that I didn't get to see them more and to express my gratitude more to them. The same day they left, my sweet mom traveled back again, and stayed for another week and a half. I was so grateful to have her there when I was finally released, as the first few days home were a little rougher than I had anticipated as well. I finally got to come home on Wednesday the 19th, and it was SOOO GOOD to be home. It was so good to see my girls. Even though I got to see them in the hospital a couple times it wasn't the same. I was worried about my IV lines, and they were unsure of all the macines etc as well. I sat on the floor and Daelyn smiled and came to me and hugged me so tight for the longest time without letting go. It was so WONDERFUL!!!! Holley, and Brinley were so cute and excited to have me home as well. It felt SO GOOD.

Anyway, I'm doing much better, and still just so glad to be home. I'm still taking things pretty easy, as I still have pain from the surgery, but I'm able to do most of my regular household stuff. (Just not as much of it, or as fast maybe.) I'm not supposed to lift more than 20 lbs for a couple more weeks still. It's been so hard not being able to lift up Daelyn. What a blessing that the week I got out of the hospital was also Holley's last week of school. Since my mom left, Holley's been my super helper. She lifts Daelyn in and out of the crib, high chair, car seat, for me. And since Daelyn's walking exclusively now, I'm able to hold her hand and walk her to where I need her,(provided she's willing, and If not I call for Holley, who comes to my rescue and carries her for me.) Holley has accepted this responsibility well, and I've been very proud of her for being so willing and helpful. Brinley has also tried to be helpful, and lately loves to make her bed all by herself.

On a final note, the biopsy of the bowel that was removed in the surgery, was able to finally confirm Crohns disease. Although this is a big diagnosis, that I'm not sure we've completely wrapped our minds around, we are so grateful to finally have an answer and know what was causing all my problems. We found a Gastroenterologist in Mesa that we will be working with that we feel really good about. He's got me now tapering off the prednisone to take me off it in a few weeks. He's also put me on a prescription thats supposed to help protect my bowel from future damage. We have still to figure out how much this disease will change and affect my day to day life. But that's something we'll just have to learn with time. We're told it's a 50% chance that I'll have to have future bowel surgeries, like the one I just had. I hope I'm in the 50% that doesn't ever have to have another one, but we realize still that it's a possibility that we need to prepare for. As for now, I am free from the Horrible, miserable, cramping pain that I was suffering from for so long. Which is a very WONDERFUL thing. So grateful to finally find out what was wrong. Ironically almost a year exactly it took. I started having symptoms during my pregnancy but thought it was pregnancy symptoms, started looking into it after Daelyn was born and the symptoms didn't go away. Then to have the surgery so close to her birthday, and be in the hospital again, exactly a year after I was in the hospital to have her was a little ironic I thought. I'm also very grateful for good medical insurance, My itemized statement from the hospital was over 20 pgs long. I don't know what we would do if we weren't insured, what a blessing. So glad to be home and to be feeling better. Thank you all so much for your love, concern, and prayers!

ps Hoping soon to get around to posting happier stuff, pictures, 1st birthday, temple dedication etc, but thought some might be wondering about the surgery.