Another Day, Another Doctor

Anyone else tired of me talking about my aging body? Well, because I didn't already have enough going on...somehow I did something to my right knee. And by something, I mean extreme pain, HUGE swelling and inability to walk. I went into the doctor this morning and they did x-rays to make sure there were no broken bones (there wasn't). They put me on steroids for the swelling and I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor next week. He will most likely do an MRI to see if I have torn my meniscal or ACL and we'll go from there.

In the meantime, I am having to bear most of the weight, when I walk, on my left leg (which is the bad hip) so that is causing more hip/low back pain. Thankfully, I get my hip injection next Friday, so I will have to lay flat for the weekend and that will help give my knee a break. It is almost comical to think about all of these issues - I feel like an old woman!! Maybe all those years of running is finally catching up with me!

On the mono side of things, I saw the infectious disease doctor and it was a big fat waste of time. The good news was that there is no presence of an autoimmune disease in my system at this time. He said he had no explanation for why I keep getting this and I may just have a weak immune system. So, I have to learn to say "no", slow my pace down a bit and not get too stressed out.

I am trying my best to work with my new limitations. I can get through the mornings okay and then when Nolan goes down for a nap, I sleep too...which gives me just enough of a "boost" to make it through the afternoon and early evening until Ryan gets home. So, we are getting by for now. Some days I feel like I have more energy and some days I wake up feeling like I was hit by a truck. But, I know that is totally normal and hopefully I will start having more good days as time goes on.

Craft Time!

Nolan has really been enjoying his Sunday school class - now that he has moved up with the 2-3 years olds, he gets to have a real Bible lesson and do a craft and have snacks. This last week he was so proud to show us his craft and has really gotten into it. So, today I thought it would be fun to do something like that at home. It is finally cooling down a little bit in the evenings here, so if you get outside in the early morning, before it gets too hot, it is really nice.

This morning was one of those, with a nice breeze - in the 70's. So, after we dropped off Lauren at school, we came straight home, grabbed the wagon and went for a walk around the neighborhood. He always loves to pick up rocks and sticks as we are walking...but, today, I gave him the job of finding fall leaves to pick up off the ground. They had to be orange or red, not brown or yellow. He did a pretty good job, although there weren't that many. He was proud of his handful of leaves, so when we got home, I decided we should do a craft with them.

As soon as I said the word "craft", he got really excited - I think he remembered from Sunday school. :) We worked together and made a very cute owl hand puppet. He thought it was a blast and we named him "Tad" (mainly because that is an easy one-syllable name he can say). It was an easy craft that didn't take too long (which was the key for keeping him interested). And it's even better than artwork you just put up on the fridge, because he can actually play with it! So, now I'm thinking we should start doing a different craft each week, since he loves it so much!? Here's our cute owl:

My Growing Kids

I am getting tired of posting about medical stuff, so I am writing this time about the kids!! First of all, since Lauren started school, I have been working with Nolan each day on talking more (he's had a slow start in this area). We use flashcards that I made and he has been doing great. He now knows all his colors and shapes and we are still working on letters. Lately, it seems he says a new word each day (and he gets alot of praise from mom when he does).

Two funny ones - this morning, we drove Lauren to school and we always get there early so we can sit in carpool line and do our devotions (this way, they are strapped into their seatbelts and can't be crazy, so they HAVE to listen). We finished our devotions and I was talking to Lauren about the lesson and Nolan interrupts me and says "pray, pray". I said, "oh, you think we should pray?" He says, "yep". So, we did!

The other one that cracked me up was that I had asked Lauren to do something and she was having a bad attitude and not obeying quickly. But before I could even correct her, Nolan shouted: "La-lo obey!" (La-lo is what he calls her) Of course, she did not think this was humorous at all, but I couldn't stop myself from busting up laughing! At least he is understanding what it means to obey the first time!! :)

As for Lauren, it seems that since she started 1st grade, she is a grown-up. The way she talks, her interests, etc. For example, since she recently kicked the habit of biting her nails, she wants me to paint them all the time. We did bubblegum pink last week and this week was a lavender purple. She also is sweet on one of the boys at school and keeps referring to him as her "boyfriend". We had a talk and explained that it isn't appropriate to have "boyfriends" as this point in her life and there will be time for that later...they can just be good friends. (I can't believe we are dealing with this kind of stuff already!!) The funny part is, though, that I saw him for the first time today and I thought to myself, "He is so cute; I'd probably have a crush on him too!" At least she has good taste!

One thing that I am enjoying as she gets older is that we can share girly things together. She likes to talk about fashion now and we can paint our nails together and she'll compliment me on my hair and ask me to braid hers. It makes me feel so blessed to have a daughter, because it is really fun to have someone to share in all those feminine things with! I see a spa day in our near future!! :)

Health Update

I heard back from the doctor today and they finally got all my blood-work results in! The good news is that everything looked okay - my white blood cell count was a little high, but nothing that indicated something more serious. The Epstein-Barr lab was positive and the levels were abnormally high (this is the virus that causes mono). So, they are trying to get me in quickly to see a specialist who should be able to do some further testing and pinpoint why I keep getting this!

On the other front, I am meeting with my back doctor next week to discuss and schedule the first steroid injection into my sacroiliac joint. I will continue seeing the physical therapist weekly to work on addressing the bulging disc and, hopefully, these shots will help with the problems I've been experiencing with my hip. I also got my "wedge" and have been faithfully wearing it in my shoe to help my short leg stay in balance with the longer one and keep my hips level when I walk. It is definitely a process, but I am optimistic that we will find a resolution! :)

Fifth Time's NOT The Charm

In addition to everything I mentioned in my previous post, I have been feeling overwhelmingly tired this week. I assumed it was just an adjustment to the "back-to-school" activities...but when I started to develop other symptoms, I decided I needed to go see the doctor. So, Nolan and I went this morning and they took some blood and sent it off to the lab.

I got a call a few minutes ago from the doctor and she said I had tested positive for Mono. I almost dropped the phone - this will be my 5th time!! Because of my frequency with the disease, she asked me to come back in first thing Monday morning for some more testing...and she will also be referring me to an Auto-Immune Specialist for follow up. On Monday, they will be checking my white and red blood cell counts. She informed me that the white count being off and the positive diagnosis of mono could be an indicator for some form of lymphoma or leukemia (not exactly what I wanted to hear).

So, we are asking for your prayers once again - that the Lord will give me the strength I need to keep up with my kids and care for them while battling this illness AND that He will give wisdom to the doctors as we continue to search for answers! I am now even more looking forward to that new body God has promised us - because I need it!!!