Glucose Fun

I went to the doctor last Friday for my 15 week check-up and he was slightly concerned about a couple symptoms I was exhibiting.  So he told me he was planning on me doing the Glucose Test at 20 weeks but the symptoms made him want to push it up.  I showed up to the lab at 7:30am Monday morning after 12 hours of fasting expecting to do the 1 hour test...well to my surprise I had been set up for the 3 hour test - oh joy.  At least I brought a big book to read!  

The first needle stick went well...then came the sugar drink which actually wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.  Sure, it's sweet but it wasn't horrible.  The second needle stick was quick, hurt a little...then started to ache.  It cause this lovely souvenir:

The next two rounds of blood drawing were not so nice.  Four sticks for the third round and three needle sticks for the fourth.   The poor phlebotomists...they could NOT find a good vein.  They ended up having to take the fourth draw out of my hand.  OUCH!  

I finished my four hours of solitude and headed to the car where I scarfed down the snacks I'd brought.  Apples and peanut butter had never tasted so good in my ENTIRE life.  It had now been 16 hours since I had eaten...and even pre-pregnancy that would have been no bueno.  Now that I have little Skeletor to answer to it wasn't pretty.  

The following day my doctor called with the results - I had passed with flying colors!!  Yay!  I'll likely have to repeat the test at 28 weeks like a normal pregnancy...which I'm ok with...I just need to have a good talking-to with my veins.  

That little souvenir above?  It looks like this now:

 

Mom of the Year

Last Thursday started out really awesome but then took a turn for the worse.  Miles and I were up at the base for a playdate with some friends.  He was climbing all over the jungle-gym but wouldn't go down any slides, which I thought was strange because he LOVES slides.  He's always asking "Slide?".  So I climbed up and asked him if he wanted to go with mommy... "YES!"  I sat him on my lap and down we went.  When we got to the bottom he started crying and I thought he was scared.  The slide was fast and sort of jostled us back and forth.  

The incriminating slide:

 I tried to make him stand but he wouldn't.  So we sat down and had a cookie, and I gave it a few minutes.  We tried again and he still wouldn't put weight on it...I made him try to walk and he limped.  I thought it was a sprain, so I called the clinic to see if he could be seen.  The clinic was closed for training so I decided the ER would be our best bet.  (But I was for sure thinking they would tell me I was overreacting and it was just a sprain)  The doctors took all the necessary information, then we waited...and waited.  After an exam they sent us off to radiology.  God bless the pour soul who had to help me that day.  Miles was SO ANGRY (no wonder...he hurt and we were twisting him all around to get xrays) and screamed a scream I have never heard him yell.  I was teary the whole time, trying to calm him down while pinning his tiny thrashing body on the table so the radiologist could get a good shot of the bones.  After xrays were over we headed back to our curtained corner and waited some more.  The doc came in and told me "well...it's broken". 

You can see the break on his tibia.  It goes diagonal from top left to bottom right, near the bottom of the bone.  You can also see my fingers trying to hold his foot still.

I was STUNNED!  And then I immediately felt horrible.  I had made him go down the slide...on my lap...and then I'd made him try to walk it off.   Mother of the Year right here.  They sent down a guy from orthopedics to wrap Miles in a temporary splint with orders to return the following morning to get his real cast.

The next morning we showed up to get the cast...we let Miles pick the color.

After the cast was on they had to cut down both sides to allow for swelling.  We'll go back this Friday to get it cinched back up and re-wrapped.  

 

 

 

Daddy and Miles after 2 hours of casting

 He has done ok with it all, considering.  His patience is definitely impacted.  He can't get around as easy and that frustrates him.  We have watched Cars 2 six times in the last three days...his request...and spent a lot of time snuggling (which although I hate the reason...I'll take snuggles when I can get them!)  Our good friends Rebecca and Kelly got him a present to play with, it's a racecar track that is only about 1.5ft tall so it's the perfect height for him to play.  He has already started crawling around...he just drags the casted leg behind him.  He hasn't tried to walk on it yet - but I'm sure the time will come - he is a stubborn little guy.  

Thank heavens for baby legwarmers!!  It is still chilly here and we can't fit any of his pants over the cast so he's been in shorts and a legwarmer on the non-broken leg.  

Checkin' in

In case you're curious about how our Isagenix journey is going...you can hop on over HERE and see for yourself.  

Say good bye!

Nathan and I are saying good bye to the fat versions of ourselves.  I have tried so many diets and have NEVER had long term success with any of them...and many I never had any short term success with either!

About a year ago a girl I knew from back growing up in Pleasant View, posted some before and after pics on Facebook.  She looked AMAZING!  She had lost something like 130lbs in a year.  I asked her how she did it, she told me Isagenix.  I asked her about PCOS (something I knew she and I had in common)...she said the Isagenix helped with it.  I looked into it a bit but I was honestly so overwhelmed with the upcoming move to Italy that I forgot about it.  Then a few months ago another friend from growing up posted some of her before and after pics on Facebook.  I, again, inquired and she also had used Isagenix.  So I spent a LOT of time looking into it and decided to give it a try.  We ordered all our stuff, prepped our food, took before shots and all our measurements, and started yesterday!  It is a bit spendy, but if it works it will be worth every penny.  

I am detailing our Isagenix Journey HERE if you want to follow.  Please be warned our before shots are on there...and my tummy is WHITE, WHITE, WHITE!  (My swimsuit is a tankini)

I'm really hoping it works for us, I want to be healthier and thinner so I can be around a long time...I don't want Miles to have to worry about caring for us at a young age because we didn't take care of ourselves. 

If you want more information on Isagenix, go HERE. 

Wish us luck!!

Diverticu-what-is?

I have this problem...not sure why...but my body seems to target holidays to get sick.  Remember Halloween 2010?  I also remember once or twice being so sick on Christmas growing up that I didn't care about opening presents.  So it should not surprise me when I got sick over Thanksgiving.  

Sunday the 20th I started getting a stomach ache...I chalked it up to stress and went to bed.  I woke up Monday feeling like I had a ball of nails sitting in my stomach.  I immediately thought I had another ovarian cyst and figured I could tough it out...afterall there is NOTHING they can do for them except drug you.  So you end up spending hours in the ER, getting poked, prodded and gawked at...all for naught.  We had to run up to the base to drop off Miles' passport application (we FINALLY got his birth certificate...2 months after we finalized...and that was the "expedited" {read: expensive} timeframe) and while we were there I knew I wasn't going to be able to tough this one out...something was wrong.  I could feel a large, hard something if I pressed on my lower left stomach...and it felt like a million tiny knives were stabbing me on the inside.  I was pissed...I didn't want another solid cyst that would require surgery...but I was in SEVERE pain so we headed to the Navy Hospital.   The doc I saw was really good...and after exams, blood work and tests I was expecting to hear "ovarian cyst" but instead he said Diverticulitis.  Um...come again?  (The lining of your colon gets inflamed and infected) He said it was unusual - it's usually a disease people over 60 get - but all the tests pointed to Diverticulitis.   He got me an Rx for two antibiotics (one was the antibiotic they give to people who have been exposed to Anthrax...) and an opiate pain killer.  He wanted me back the next morning...and he wanted me to go home and REST (Diverticulitis can be dangerous if your colon ruptures and all that gross stuff leaks into your abdominal cavity) so Nathan took the day off to spend with Miles so I could rest.  I loaded up on the drugs and tried to sleep.  Tried.  Let me tell you - that antibiotic mixed with the pain killer was HORRIBLE.  I was dizzy and nauseous and I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me.  Not to mention the pain never went away so I could never get comfortable.  Every time I moved or breathed I felt lots of little stabbies.  

I went back the next morning still in tremendous amounts of pain...and the diagnosis was still the same.  Come to find out my parents both have diverticuli (pouches in the colon walls) so it isn't a total surprise that I got sick.  But after discussing my diet with the doctor (which has recently been modified because of my pre-diabetes diagnosis...I never mentioned that?  Ya...sucks.  I found out the week before Halloween after a routine blood test) we discovered that my Diverticulitis was caused by the 3 tomatoes and 1.5 pints of raspberries I ate on Saturday.  I was being punished for eating healthy.   (ok...I know that's not actually true, but it's funny to say)

We skipped the traditional Thanksgiving activities (poor Nathan)...I spent the week in a drug-induced semi-conscious pain filled ball on the couch.  For Thanksgiving dinner I had a glass of juice and a couple saltines.  Yummy.  So we had a make-up Turkey dinner on Sunday...and the turkey I cooked - HOLY MOSES was it awesome.  (Stuffed the body cavity with lemons, clementines, garlic and onions...basted the turkey every 20 mins...covered skin with butter)  My tummy still isn't 100%...but at least I can eat solid food again! 

Dear Uterus:

We have had our disagreements in the past.  Truth be told, we don't actually get along all that well...kind of like Democrats and Republicans.  I blame it on your incessant need to tantrum every month or so despite the fact that you won't live up to your purpose and do your part (along with your hyperactive ovary cousins) to help me be a carrier of life.  And while I've come to accept that you'll never function properly, I will not stand for this abuse.  Spending days wasted on hard core pain killers might sound like fun to Charlie Sheen...but the druggy haze makes it hard for me to walk in heels.    Knock it off or so help me you and your ugly cousins will find yourselves at the bottom of a hazardous waste bin faster than Ryan Seacrest goes through a bottle of hair gel.

The end.

Dear Ovaries,

I just cannot understand your recent need to cause so much ruckus.  You have only one job: to make good eggs...a task you never could quite accomplish.  But now, you seem to want to make your voice heard.  Ok, I hear you.  Now stop causing me so much pain or I'll have you evicted.

Respectfully,
The body you've taken captive

Immobile

You know that handy reset button on a computer?  I wish I could have had one this week...or better yet, a fast forward button.  I had a rough couple days at work (oh ya, I got a job...it is the same company I worked for last fall.  A position opened up and they asked if I wanted to come back.  No where near my dream job, but hey...a job is a job, right?)..and then after a rough day at work I still had the hour and a half commute home.  Saturday came and things got worse.  I woke up to HORRIBLE pain and stiffness in my neck.  (My neck is stiff every morning...but today it felt like the day after my accident)  I've been through three rounds of a Flexeril/Lorotab cocktail and slept/rested/been drugged more hours than I've been awake...and I've only seen slight improvement.  Winston has been a cute little companion...he's enjoyed the two days of momma-snuggles.

I'm hoping this week goes better.

Wait, did my doctor just say that??!?

I had my physical the other day. I had assumed the position and then my doctor says "Holly, do you mind if I let Nurse So-and-So take a look at this?" That definitely makes the list of Top Ten Things You Never Want to Hear Your Doctor Say.

(I should mention that everything was fine...no worries)

Fun Stuff

So I still felt like crap today, yesterday...whatever...I'm up waiting for the pain meds to kick in.....stayed home again.  I woke up at about noon and found a pretty good sized bloodspot on my pillow.  Not just blood, but clotty blood.  I guessed that it had come out of my mouth because I could still taste blood and I could feel something running down my throat.  I called the Dr's office and they said to come right in...bleeding shouldn't be happening.  Just as we were getting into the car to leave my sweet friend Marci pulled in the driveway with a cute bag of some of my favorite treats...I can't wait to eat them...may have to wait a couple days though.  

So we head off to the Dr.  I brought the bloody pillowcase too, because I didn't want anyone to think I was not being honest...or exaggerating.  They took more blood, swabbed my nose for the flu and then made me wait for what felt like FOREVER.  This Dr (third one) seemed the most concerned with getting me better...maybe it was because I had been in three times in ten days.  I was so frustrated and tired and sick to my stomach from tasting blood that I got teary.  She came back in and told me I didn't have the flu (um, duh) and that my white count had stayed the same (which I guess it shouldn't have because of the anti-biotics).  So she thought it wasn't bacterial...but she didn't want me to stop the antibiotic...just finish them out.  But she did give me some steroids to help...something?  The one thing that caught her eye was that my mono something-or-others(?) jumped WAY up...which she took as a sign that whatever I have is being compounded by mono.  fun Stuff.  

Oh and the throat bleeding?  She thinks while I was sleeping my throat/tonsils/hangy down thingy dried out a little...then I swallowed and tore some of the skin(?) off.  Yummy.  (Not sure if any of this makes medical sense...I was a little dazed while talking to her)  The one good thing about all this?  The Lorotab...it makes me crazy dizzy and nauseated but I sleep like a baby when I'm on it.  

(You might think it is weird, blogging when I don't feel well...but it is WAY easier to type it once than tell it 5 or 6 times over the phone...especially when my throat hurts as bad as it does) 

Diagnosis

I am home sick today.  I went to the Dr yesterday...they tested me for mono, it was negative.  The Dr didn't think getting my tonsils out was necessary...which I can agree with, for now, because until this nasty bug I never had tonsil problems.  Well that and I don't have time to have them out right now.  I got an antibiotic, but I still feel like crap...so I decided to stay home, get some good rest, take lots of drugs {none illegal, I swear} and kick this thing's butt.  Hopefully. 

Help

I am alive.  I am reaching out to you, fellow humans, for some assistance.  I have been sick (this has been happening A LOT lately...too much for my liking...it is like I catch EVERY bug I get exposed to...) for a while (since just after Christmas) and the Dr doesn't have a clue...so I was hoping one of you might have an idea of what is going on with me.  

Symptoms:

-Sore throat for over two weeks...strep culture negative...like so sore I have trouble drinking anything.

-Right tonsil swollen with white gunk on it (sorry, hope you aren't eating right now)...this causes me terrible nights of sleep because I feel like my throat is closing off.

-Headaches

-Weird nausea/dizziness.  I get car sick, but the last couple weeks it has been ridiculous...just to give you an idea...I got myself carsick while sitting ON MY CHAIR at work...

-Tender, swollen gland just under my jaw bone on the right side (same side as the icky tonsil)

-I had no other cold symptoms until thursday-ish...then I started coughing...but not a lot.  Deep barky coughs...and they HURT my chest.  

-Not stuffy

-Not congested

-No sinus pressure  

-Not pregnant (I know what some of you were thinking...)

-Fatigue...I come home from work, eat (maybe) and go to sleep.  Well....try to anyway. 

Diagnosis?

124 steps

I want to get in shape...and so I have thought of a challenge for myself: hike the Old Main Hill stairs everyday.   It may not seem like much, but I counted today and there are 124 stairs from bottom to top.  I was able to drag myself up twice tonight - which is honestly better than I thought I'd do...I thought we'd be calling the paramedics halfway.  So I am going to try and do it everynight, as many times as I can. 

Hopefully the end...

I had another appointment (3hrs...) with my dentist today - I know what you're thinking...'Wasn't she JUST there?'... And YES, I was. The problem is I didn't go the dentist for almost 3 years. I know it isn't smart, but it all started when I got pregnant the first time and I was SOO sick, I cancelled my appointment and then after I miscarried I just forgot, then we moved and had no insurance...yada, yada, yada... I went in February(?) and found out that he had quite a bit to do to fix everything. Here we are 6 months later and almost done. I have had my gums cut away, nerves hit, a rootcanal and I don't even know how many fillings. I think we're in the clear - but he says I might need a root cancal on my very, very back tooth...another root canal...

please wait for me to curb my enthusiasm...


I am going to try and be good and go every six months now. It helps that I have a dentist that I like...well, as much as you can like a dentist. For those of you who may not understand a fear of the dentist (if this is you, and you actually like the dentist YOU ARE A FREAK) I found a picture of what I feel the dentist is like:

Drugs...

Well I couldn't take the stupid tooth pain anymore, so I sucked it up and decided to take the antibiotic.  I got some probiotic pills to take and then also ate active yogurt and lots of cheese and for the most part I have been fine.  I got a nasty headache about 2 hours after taking each dose, and I did get some bloating...but fortunately I never got the diarrhea (thank heavens!!...especially since we spent the last four days camping) I just took my last dose just now and I get to have a blessed root canal tomorrow at 2:45.  Whohoo for me!

I just wanted to let you all know so you wouldn't think I was sick in the hospital with c.diff.

Question...

Any of you who know me know that I have struggled with my weight for the last 4+ years - it is an unfortunate symptom/side-effect of the PCOS and weightloss is also very difficult. The last time I was able to succesfully lose a significant (7lbs) of weight was after all my dental work when my jaw was too sore to eat and so all I had was one bowl of soup at lunch everyday and that was it.
Well in preparation for this new dental 'experience' (and by 'experience' I mean paying through the nose to have a root canal done on my perfectly good - only three month old crown) my dentist prescribed an antibiotic - after the first mix up (read below) I was prescribed Clindamycin. Being the Google-loving internet freak that I am I decided to check it out...especially since the Warning Section of the Drug Fact Sheet had many ALL CAPS warnings and even mentioned fatal more than once. What I found has FREAKED. ME. OUT. One of the major (and it seems all too common) side-effects is c.diff. I am a busy girl and right now I don't have time to spend 4+ hours a day on the toilet... not to mention restaurant patrons don't really want to see me running to and from the bathroom all night.
BUT I have been severly tempted to take the drug only for the possible weight loss it might inflict on me - I know, it sounds so shallow and stupid, but so help me, if I have to get one more lecture from my doctor on weight loss (I see him on the 25th) I will scream.

So my question to you all is this: Should I risk getting horribly sick and take the drug just because it might help me lose a little weight?? (even just typing the question now I realize how completly stupid it is...but humor me please)

Yep...officially the worst luck ever

You may remember when I went to the dentist to get a crown - that wasn't the funnest experience of my life... and you may also remember that I am terrified of the dentist...I will put it off for YEARS.
Well, since I got my crown I have been having pain in my teeth/jaw. Everyday. All the time. I take Motrin and Tylenol 4-5 times a day and have been for about a month. I know I should have called him and gone back right away but look at this way...a guy I hate stuck pointy, scratchy, drilly things in my mouth, caused a lot of pain - that didn't go away...and you want me to go BACK to him??!? I don't think so. But the pain has woken me up from sleep a couple of times, and it sucks to be stuck at work with a throbbing jaw and no painkillers... so I finally gave in and called him.
I went to see him this morning and found out that the tooth that I got the crown on now needs a root canal... He told me about 1 in 20 teeth with crowns get Irreversible Pulpitis ... and you guessed it, I am one of the 'lucky' ones.
Nathan calls me a Medical Wonder, because things are always going wrong. (Sometimes I cause them, like when I tripped going up the concrete steps to work yesterday and got a big bruise on my shin) but I seem to have the WORST medical luck. I wonder if I broke a mirror sometime at a Dr's office??
I went to pick-up an Rx for painkillers and an antibiotic...and he called in Penicillin...no good since I'm allergic to Amoxicillin. So I had to call and get him to switch it. But hey - at least I have Lorotab now - that should ensure some pretty wicked awesome dreams tonight!

I survived....barely

I just returned from the dentist. I didn't think I was going to make it there for a while, but I pulled through in the end. I had a couple cavities filled and a temporary crown put on (I'll get the real one in a couple weeks and despite my pestering, it won't be pink). The bad news is that I apparently have a bit too much 'gum' for my dentist's liking so he had to cut away some of it...and the wonderful numbing agent is just starting to wear off and I can tell I'm going to be a bit sore.

So back to work I go - answering the phones with half my mouth still a bit numb ought to be interesting.

Now I know why...

...bears hibernate.

I hate the snow...I know it is fun to play in and ski in and whatnot...but I am sick of it snowing every night I work at the restaurant... When it snows business is slow and so I don't make much money...cause lets face it, sitting on my butt polishing silverware and raking in $2.13 an hour isn't the kind of money that pays the mortgage...

It is coming down so hard right now that I can't see the trees across the street from the office.


And to add another freaky medical malady to my ever-growing list... I seem to have phantom tooth pain. It started last weekend (while in SLC) and it even bled a little on Sunday - then the pain got bad enough to wake me up at night so I made an appt with my dentist (which is HUGE because I HATE HATE HATE the dentist) to have it checked out...and after an hour of tests and x-rays and WAY to many pointy objects being shoved into my mouth nothing could be found that would cause the pain...nothing. No cavity, no nerve damage, no decay, nothing... And yet, as I sit here the throbbing of my teeth (now my front two and one just to the right) is making me want to poke shart point objects into my dentist's face...

Diagnosis is...

I went to urgent care this morning :( I have had pain in my chest for the last couple weeks (ever since my nasty cold/flu bug the first of November) and this morning it was so bad I had trouble getting up and I slept horrible...

By the way - if you ever want some entertainment...go in to a medical clinic and say you are having chest pain...that gets everyone jumping pretty quick. Once they came to the conclusion (that I had already) that it WASN'T a heart attack, they looked at other causes. I even got to have an EKG...which is not nearly as exciting as it is portrayed on TV...stupid Grey's Anatomy... :(

The doctor decided that I have costochondritis...which besides sounding like a problem you would get shopping at Costco is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects my ribs to my breastbone... which would explain why sleeping us hard and waitressing hurts, etc.

The bad news is that they don't know what causes it...it could be a cold/flu, stress, virus... and there is no way to 'cure' it so I just have to wait for it to get better on it's own...I can take Motrin for it, which I plan on adding to the Ambien I'll take tonight so I can get a good night's rest :)