What a crazy week it’s been!!

Guess I’ll start with last Friday.  I had planned to go out to eat with my friend Kerry.  It was some place I hadn’t been in a while and was really looking forward to it.  Right up until the time I got in my car and pulled out of my garage.  Got to the end of the drive way and was like “Something doesn’t feel right”.  I got out of the car and, yep!, flat tire.  SO – had to cancel with Kerry.  I just parked the car outside and locked it up.  I had plans the next day, but didn’t end up going to the family brunch.  I was able to keep my manicure/pedicure plans with my friend Kriste.  Tommie went out in the 100+ degree weather and removed my tire and then he took me to meet with Kriste.

I was so stressed, it was nice to get pampered a bit.    Though, I felt a little guilty that Tommie was having to deal with my tire.  While I did that, he went off on a quest to find a place to repair it.  The nail place was really nice.  They were clean inside, used tools that were sealed.  They had a little kids room with character chairs.  You got a free alcoholic (or non alcoholic) drink with your treatment.  I enjoyed it.  I decided to get my hands done in addition to my feet this time.  Ended up they started chipping the next day though, so that is the last time I’ll get a manicure, I’ll just stick with pedicure’s. 🙂  Those last longer for me. Afterwards, Tommie came up and met us at Corner Cafe and we were able to eat lunch together and visit some more.  On our way home, the tire place called and said the tire was ready to be picked up.  It ended up, a piece of wood had punctured the tire, causing my flat!  We’ve had SO MANY flat tires the past several years, it’s just ridiculous!

Sunday was a good day to be lazy. 🙂  In the evening, I met with Rachel and Anthony to take some engagement photos.  They were wanting a photo to send with their wedding invitations.  She had seen the waterfall in Riverside and really wanted some photos taken there, so we met up in the evening and took some photos for them. They were a nice couple to work with.  It was still really hot, that late in the evening.  We’ve had a rough summer, temperature-wise!

Wednesday I went in to get my results from the MRI on my foot.  ((Everything has been happening all at once with me, health-wise, lately!))  He told me that the MRI had shown I had a small cyst on the bottom of my foot (at the base of one of my toes).  He told me I had two options.  #1 – a steroid shot.  He said it didn’t have a large success rate and people end up usually needing surgery anyway….or #2 – Surgery to remove it.  It’s not causing me any pain, and is hardly noticeable.  He wasn’t able to tell me what type of cyst it was or anything.  He named off three different types it could be, but said from an MRI, all it does it let him know SOMETHING is there.  He said of coarse, there is that very small chance it’s cancerous, but he’s never seen that personally.  Since my hand had been bothering me and I was having the bariatric surgery at the end of the year, I told him I think I was going to hold off on either at the moment.  He assured me that would be fine, and he’d be there when I was ready to something about it.  If it starts hurting or grows more, I’ll go ahead and go back, but for now, I want to get these other things out of the way.  Who knows, it might go away on it’s own before I end up going back.  (He said that was a possibility too)

Wednesday evening I had my sleep study.  It wasn’t really a wonderful experience for me! I went in and the lady told me she was going to have to take my blood.  I’m used to that.  She said though instead of taking it from my vein, she was going to take it from my artery.  I said, that sounds scary!  I told her I was a tough stick. She said it’s just deeper and she was going to just stick me once and if she doesn’t get it, she wouldn’t try again.  She said she wouldn’t go digging around.  OK.  SO – she had my lay on the bed and held my hand down and was feeling around my wrist and she commented. “Wow, it’s really faint.”  (yeah, I know) and then stuck the needle in my wrist.  It was taking a long time.  (she WAS digging.)  I’m used to getting blood taken though and was trying my best to hold still and let her do her thing.  After a while of digging around she hit something that made me jump!  She commented “Oh, I had it, but then you jumped!”  Suuuuuuuuuure you did!  I apologized for jumping, but told her she it something really painful.  She said there was a nerve there she probably hit.  She sat there for several minutes putting lots of pressure on my wrist.  It hurt for another 30 mins or so after she left.

Got all the wires around me and she turned out the lights.  I kept waking up during the night., I think mainly because of the wires behind my ears.  When I would sleep on my side, it would make them press into my ear and was very uncomfortable.  Finally, when I got tired of tossing and turning I lay awake for a while wondering what time it was, since there’s no clocks and no windows.  I eventually sat up and was sitting there a while when she said over the microphone. “Are you going to lay back down?”  “No.”  “Well, it’s 5:30, earlier than you wake up, is that OK?” “Yeah”  “You want me to unhook you?” “Yes, unhook me, I’m done.”  She came in and unhooked everything and told me I could use the washcloth to wipe the stuff off my face, which I did.  When she left, I went in and used the bathroom and came out to wash my hands and she came back in and said “Shhhh, be quiet, I don’t want the other person to wake up.”  Really??  Me flushing the toilet and washing my hands are going to wake up the person in the other room with the shut door??  I was so done with everything by that point.  I grabbed my things and left.  I ended up leaving some stuff and had to go back and knock on the door.  I know that didn’t make her happy either, but I’m not leaving my phone.  I couldn’t wait to get home and wash all that sticky stuff out of my hair and take a long nap!!

Thursday afternoon I took my Grandma Joan out for lunch.  I took her to Red Lobster, which I had owed her since she took care and cooked for me when I had my last Thyrogen scan.  It’s one of her favorite places to eat.  So we had a nice lunch and I made it home with a little time to spare before I had to go back out to the doctors.  I had a follow up appointment for my new blood pressure meds.  The one’s I had been on before had caused swelling in my feet and ankles and I just hated that!!  Luckily, when he checked my blood pressure, the new meds seem to be working!  I’m so happy.  I so love my doctor.  It took a while to find one I like.  I also told him about my hand hurting me so bad.  I was thinking he’d send me somewhere else, but he told me it didn’t sound like carpal tunnel, which I was worried about.  He said it sounded like either a pinched nerve or tendinitis.  He told me the wrist support I had been using was the wrong kind and to get a wrist support with a splint in it.  (I need to find one this weekend!)  If it still bothers me, he’ll send me to physical therapy.  I have two weeks vacation coming up in August.  I’m hoping that will be a nice rest for my hand!  I also went up to the lab, since I was there, and got some blood drawn I had meaning to do.

On my way home, my grandma called and said she had been throwing up non stop and was feeling miserable and was wondering if I was OK.  We didn’t eat the same thing at lunch, so I guess whatever she got must’ve not been good.  I haven’t been able to get in touch with her since.  I know she had a rough night. 🙁

Tomorrow I’m going to re-do the dinner thing with Kerry and then go to a class get-together.  At this weight, I hate to go, but I’m going to suck it up and try not to worry about it and enjoy myself.  Sunday, I have more pictures to take.  I haven’t checked the weather to see how it’s supposed to be!

Well, this is already too long that most people will probably end up giving up reading it before getting to the end.  Ha ha.  I’ll go ahead and end it here.  Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Well – Today marked the first day of the 3 month diet required by insurance for the gastric bypass surgery.  I was expecting to meet with a dietician and physiologist one on one and go over a plan.  When I got there though, I found out it was more like a small group meeting.  There were 3 other ladies there and they came in and had us fill out some questionnaire’s and just gave an overview of what we’ll be going over in the upcoming meetings.  They both wanted us to give them goals that we would accomplish between now and our next meeting also.

The dietician gave us a list of things that we’d need to work on.  The things I picked out to work on was to go out and buy dessert plates to eat all my home meals on.  Also I need to get used to not drinking 30 minutes prior, during or 30 minutes after a meal.  That will be something I won’t be able to do afterwards.  Also I will be working on getting in the habit of always having water on my desk and drinking it throughout the day and trying to cut out all carbonated drinks.  That won’t be 100% right away, but it’s something that will need to stop before surgery, because afterwards, not allowed.  As for the physiologist, the only first goal is to get 60 minutes of activity a week.  That does not seem like much, and we are certainly allowed to do more, but there were a couple of people that said they never exercised, so this will be a start for them.  I admit, I’ve been horrible since it’s been so hot out.  I need to make a point to go back to the community center though.  I have a membership I pay for.  It’ll help if Tommie goes with me.  It’s just been too hot lately to walk outside!  SO – this is my start. (official)

This past weekend I had a photo session with a lady and her two kids.  I got a few good pictures out of it. 🙂  This coming weekend I have some engagement photos I’m going to take on Sunday.  I’m slowly saving up for my next lens that I want.  I’m so hard on myself when I take photos.  I never do as good a job as I want or hope to.  I really wish I could learn Photoshop more!  It’s hard for to learn by reading, and easiest for me to learn by someone showing me and then me doing.  (or by someone walking me through)  I tried a few walk throughs on You Tube, but just couldn’t get what I was trying to do the other night.  It was so frustrating.  I’ll try again at a later date.

Over the past several months, my hands have been hurting me, and over the past week, my hands have gotten really bad, with what I think is carpel tunnel.  I don’t have time to deal with this right now!  It’s mostly when I use my mouse.  My middle and ring finger just buuuuurn.  I feel if it’s not one thing, it’s another!  I feel like a hypochondriac, but I’m not!  Everything just happens all at once!  This past week I had an MRI done on a toe.  It’s been a bit swollen for several months.  You can’t really tell unless you compare my two feet, but once you do, you can tell.  They couldn’t really feel anything in there and the XRay’s were OK, so now I’m just waiting on the MRI to see if it’s anything to worry about or if it’s all in my head. 😀

Tomorrow is my “in office” day and it’s going to be filled with meetings and classes!!  First I have to meet with my supervisor, manager and co-worker to discuss the two weeks we are taking for vacation and what my co-worker needs to do to try to help me while I’m gone.  Then we have training on a new process and then we have our monthly department meeting.  I’m sure my manger will call me in with questions at some point in the day also, since he’s been keeping a close eye on my balancing, and I think is trying to stream-line it. He’s new to the hospital and is trying to learn the whole process to make it better, and at the moment, I think is focusing on my job.  I’m hoping at some point in between all that I’ll get some work done.

Well – It’s getting late.  I think I’m going to maybe check out Facebook a little more and then read some of my book before bedtime.

As always, feel free to leave me a comment – even if it’s a “Hi” 😀  <3

Well – Today I had my appointment with the surgeon.  There really wasn’t much to the appointment.  It was basically getting me set up with other appointments, getting my starting weight and answering any questions I might have.

After speaking with the surgeon and telling him some of my issues, it looks like I’m going to go with the bypass surgery.  I was leaning toward the sleeve to begin with, but one of the major issues I have is acid reflux.  I have a family history of esophageal cancer.  I have had several family member’s pass away from this and I get a scope once a year to keep an eye on mine, and take medicine for it.  The doctor said that a lot of people complain that the sleeve surgery makes reflux worse, yet the  bypass can cure reflux.  SO – after hearing that, there is only one choice for me.  He said he knows it “sounds” more scary and more complicated, but it’s really not.

So, it begins.  There are things I have to do before the surgery is approved.  I set up those appointments today.  I will need to have a sleep study, a psych evaluation, meet with a diet  tech and an exercise specialist.  I’ll also need to attend a support group meeting and get an approval for surgery note from  my doctor. My three month supervised diet with begin on July 18th and after that period is when I will try to get approved for the surgery.  I’m nervous and excited at the same time.

I need to start planning our vacation soon also.  I’m thinking Tommie is wanting to get out of town ASAP. 🙂  Maybe after my Aug 7th appt.  We’re planning on going to see my parents.  I haven’t been to Baltimore since they moved there.  Actually, I’ve never been to Baltimore ever.  It’s part of the country I haven’t visited yet.  I think we are both in need of a get away!!  There are several people I’ve been wanting to visit.  It’s so hard when people are spread out.  I’ll eventually make my rounds!

Well, that is the update for now.  Leave a comment for me if you like. 😀  Or not. 🙂

This has been a weird week, with the holiday right in the middle. I’m not sure if that has been good or bad.

My doctor switched my blood pressure meds lately.  The previous one’s I were on were causing my feet and ankles to swell and just for me to retain water.  It was very uncomfortable.  He really didn’t want to take me off of it though, because none that he has tried in the past has worked on me.  I just kept complaining though, and he’s gave me a new one to try.  I’m hoping they work, because the swelling is all gone now!  I won’t know until my next follow up appt. (in a month)

I received very sad news this week via FB.  Our great niece, Taty, down in Mobile had been shot in the face by her boyfriend.  She is only 17 years old.  Such a beautiful girl.  There was a lot of damage and she was in critical condition there at first.  Since the incident, she has been stabilized.  It’s so hard when you see young people making bad decisions and you can’t do anything about it.  I’m glad that she seems to have a lot of loving, family support surrounding her at the moment.  She’s going to need it.  This is going to be a long and painful road to recovery.  My heart goes out to her.  I’ve always had a special place in my heart for her, ever since she was young.  I’ve only “seen” her a hand full of times, because we don’t make it down to Mobile as much since Tommie’s mom passed away.  But when we did come to town, most of the time they would make an effort to come see us.  Since FB, I’ve been able to keep up with her more, also.  Her Aunt and my sister in law have kept me updated on the situation, and it’s much appreciated.  Just breaks my heart.  I think about her every day.

My appointment with the surgeon is on Monday.  I’m excited to talk to him and get started on this path!  Tommie has offered to go with me.  I’m glad he’ll be with me.  I’d like him to be there with me every step!  He’ll be my main support.  I’ve talked to several women at work that are in different stages of the process.  I think it’ll be nice to have those people to talk to that have gone through it or that are going through it.  Of coarse, I’ve been told I’ll have to go to support groups also.  But that is a good thing. 🙂

This weekend I’m taking pictures at a wedding.  I’m very nervous about this.  Whenever I’m asked to take pictures for a wedding.  I make sure I tell the person – “I am NOT a professional photographer!  This is a hobby of mine!  I tell them I’m nervous, because wedding’s are a very important day and you want to have good pictures.”  Ha ha.  If they still want me to, OK.  First one I took pictures of was just a small courthouse wedding.  I don’t think I did great.  Of coarse, I’m always hardest on myself.  This will be a first big one.  I’m almost sick to my stomach, I’m so nervous!  I’ve asked one of my best friends to come and help me.  Always makes me feel better to have someone else taking pictures too, then we can have twice as many and more angles.  Plus two heads are better than one!  Dawn will bring her ideas along as well, and that will help.  Wish me luck!

Well, I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July.  Until next time!

I had a pretty busy week last week, it went by fairly quickly.

I went to see my doctor last week.  There were several things I wanted to talk to him about.  Lately I’ve been gaining weight, no matter what I do.  I’m not sure if this is due to them trying to get my thyroid meds regulated or the blood pressure medicine I’m on.  They had a really hard time finding a blood pressure medicine that worked one me.  No matter what they tried, it had no effect.  He finally found one that worked, but it causes my legs, ankles and feet to swell (which I HATE!).  I’ve dealt with it for a while now though.  Finally, with this last visit, he gave me a new one to try.  I haven’t been on it long enough to see if it will take away that problem or not.  I’m hoping that it fixes that problem and causes a lot of other things to get better.  Time will tell.

My 20 year class reunion was this weekend.  I didn’t go.  I was just not in a right state of mind to go.  I DID get to see a few friends I haven’t seen in a while though!  My friend, Jennifer, made time to have dinner with me and a few other friends on Friday.  It was so good to see everyone!  I think next time we need to choose a less busy and less noisy place to go.  We had over an hour wait to be seated and once we were, it was really too loud to have a good conversation.  Jennifer was the only one of the five us that got together that was going to the reunion.

A co-worker of mine is getting married this coming weekend and has asked me to take pictures at her wedding.  I get SO nervous about this, because I’m NOT professional, it’s just a hobby of mine, and a wedding is SUCH an important event in one’s life!  I’ve asked my friend, Dawn, to come with me to help.  I hope I can live up to her expectations.  She SAYS she’s not that sentimental when it comes to pictures, so we’ll see.  I DO take TONS of photos, so she should get plenty to choose from!  Ha ha.  Especially with two of us taking photos!

Today I have an appointment with a podiatrist for some swollen toes that I have.  My doctor wanted to me to go see a specialist, just in case it was a cyst or something.  I’m hoping it’s nothing to worry about.  It’s not even noticeable, unless you are looking for it….but of coarse it bothers me.

I’m hoping this week to see a few other friends I haven’t seen in a while.  My friend, Mama Judy, is off and wanted to get together at some point this week,  Also, my friend Karla’s husband, Chris, is coming home from being out of the country for a long time and she’s having a family get together for the 4th.  I’m planning on stopping by.  My husband, this past year, has started to go with me less and less to things (I’ve tried to not push him as much), so it makes it hard, sometimes, to make myself go by myself, but I try. 🙂

I hope everyone has a nice 4th of July!

Waiting is so hard! My appointment with the surgeon seems like it’s taking forever. Just anxious to get questions answered and to see if this is the path I’m going to take. At this point, it really takes a lot for me to go out and mingle with people. I have a few friends that are always here for me and I don’t mind them seeing me whatever I look like. They are always non-judgemental and supportive. But others, that I don’t see that often, I even hate for them to see me this way.  If I end up going this route, I can’t wait to get started with the pre-surgery diet.  Get on a plan, get more energy, more self confidence.
I don’t like to blame my thyroid for my weight.  I know I have a couple of loved one’s who usually bring up that it’s probably harder for me, because of my thyroid history.  It might be true, I’m not sure, but I don’t like using it as an excuse.  BUT, I must say, ever since my new thyroid doctor has been messing with my thyroid medicine dose, I have gained and it’s been harder on me.  This past year, I’ve just felt like there has been “something” up with my health that they haven’t been able to pin down.  I’ve gone to the doctor(s) with several symptoms and have had so many tests run on me, that always come back clear.  It’s VERY frustrating.  Frustrating when you have a feeling something is wrong, but doctor’s can’t find anything that is causing it.  I have another appointment this week with my doctor to bring up a few things.  Now a days, it seems like the family doctor just sends you to specialists if it’s anything other than a cold.  I’m hoping I don’t get sent somewhere else this time.

My calendar has been pretty full this month.  Though at times, it’s taken everything I have to do something I have planned. Yesterday, I had every intention of going out and getting a few things done yesterday morning, but ended up just not doing it.  I’m thankful my husband went with me to my family function yesterday, because otherwise, I think I would’ve buried myself under the covers and not moved.  It was nice to get out and sit in the shade with the breeze blowing and just listen to everyone talking and having fun.

Once I get up from here, I need to clean house a little and once Tommie is out of bed and moving, hopefully have some friends over to play a game.  So many things around the house that need to be done that we’ve been procrastinating on.  I have had the HARDEST time getting anyone to have time to come work on things around my house that I need done.  I’ve offered jobs to three people of things that need to be done, but I think everyone’s schedules are just so busy this time of year!  We also need to refinance the house, but found out we need to clean up Tommie’s credit report.  (same thing happened when we bought the house – there is someone else’s info on his credit report, so we have to go through all the hassle of sending off letters to get it cleared up)  I also need to get started on a scanning job for my grandma, but need to figure out getting my scanner hooked back up.  Lots of organizing needs to be done around the house too.  Just need to DO IT!  Also, need to plan our vacation!  I think we’ll be taking it in August or September.

Well, hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Until next time!

So, I went to the Bariatric Information Seminar today. It is the first step in the journey. I didn’t really learn a lot that I hadn’t already known from my own research, but I was impressed with the Doctor. He is the same age as me and seemed to truly enjoy helping people with this issue.

It seems like it’ll be a long process. I’m lucky though, because of my insurance, it cuts off 3 months of the prep work time. The nurse said most insurances require a 6 month, supervised diet prior to approval of the surgery. With my insurance, it only requires 3 months, as long as it’s done by their office. I suppose that gives you time to change your mind and/or get your mind set on the big change you will be making to your life.

Another thing I really liked about this office is that they have every type of support you could think of. You will have follow up’s with the doctor’s for the rest of your life. They also provide nutrition counseling, psychological counseling (which really interests me), exercise specialists, support groups….you name it.

I’ve always thought that this would be something that I wouldn’t even consider, but it’s just to the point that I think this is my best option.  I still haven’t decided whether I want to do the Gastric Sleeve or the Gastric Bypass.  That is something that I will discuss with the doctor when I have my one on one and see what he thinks is my best option.  I have had several “issues” in the past I need to discuss with him.  I went ahead and scheduled my Dr. appt after the seminar, so my one on one with the doctor will be on July 9th.

Again, wish me luck on my journey, and to me making the right decisions.

Sorry it has been a while since I have written on here.  I just don’t seem to have much to blog about.  There are some things I’d LOVE to vent about, but it might be unfair to some to have me air it, so I keep it inside.

SO – For the past several months, my endocrinologist has been messing with my thyroid medicine to try to get me on the right dose.  In the meanwhile, my weight has been going up.  If you know me, you know I’m already at my limit.  The gain has caused me some other issues that have popped up.  It’s really gotten me down and feeling discouraged.

I have never wanted to in the past, but I’m getting to a point where I’m considering some type of surgery to help me.  I’m a yo-yo dieter.  I have been up and down in my weight and have tried several different diets.  I do well, while I’m focused, but always end up reverting back to my old ways.

I work for a hospital and every month they have free seminar’s talking about the options they offer at the Bariatric Center.  The surgeries have become more common place these days.  I know several people who have had them.  Most of the people have wonderful results.  A few, I’ve seen gain back some that they lost, but never to where they were before the surgery.  I’ve went to several people that I know personally that have had the surgeries/procedures and talked to them about their thoughts and feelings on it and what it was like.  For the most part, I get positive feed back.  There are three different options, as I see it.  The Lap Band, The Gastric Bypass and The Sleeve.

Thursday I’m going to go to the seminar.  I’ve asked my husband to go with me.  I’m lucky to have a husband that supports me in whatever I choose to do.  He loves me either big or small. 🙂  Before listening to what they have to say, I’m leaning towards The Sleeve.  It just seems like it is the least invasive surgery.  I’m not really interested in the lap band.  I would MAYBE consider the bypass, but I’d have to definitely talk to my Doctor about it.  I’ve had stomach issues in the past that the doctor’s have never been able to figure out the cause of, and I’m just afraid if I start to re-route things that it wouldn’t be good for me, but as my cousin’s wife pointed out today, it might fix it!  SO, you never know.  I’ll bring up everything to the Dr if I decide to proceed and see what their opinion is.  I’m also curious to see if they offer counseling.  I think it’d be SO good to be able to talk to someone through the process.  I know a lot of issues are mental.

From the few people I’ve talked to, they weren’t aware of counseling, but said there were support groups you could attend for people going through the process.  I would be going into this knowing it’s not a fix all.  It will change everything though!  My Grandma has made a comment in the past that I’m so stubborn that she knows I can do it.  It is true, once I can get myself focused, I can usually accomplish it, but it’s just getting myself to that point that is hard for me.  Even more so to stay there.

I know I need to lose.  I don’t “care” about being skinny, necessarily, but I DO want to be a lot smaller than I currently am.  The reasons I want to be smaller are: I want to be able to be active and not worry about my joints hurting from supporting my weight.  I want to have to not worry if I can fit into a booth at a restaurant.  I want to be able to go to an amusement park and fit on the rides.  I want to be able to go on a plane and not have to worry about having a seat belt extender.  I don’t want little kids to ask me why I’m fat.  I’d like to travel internationally, but worried stuff I want to do won’t be “fat friendly”.  People are just mean to overweight people.  Not everyone, but a lot of people are really insensitive to it.  Lastly, I want to stop hearing my family members tell me they are worried about me constantly.

So, wish me luck in making the right decision.

I feel like I’m falling apart.  If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.  I hate to be one that constantly complains though.  Sometimes I feel like I complain too much to the person who is around me the most….my husband.

The past few weeks, the new symptoms I’m having is just a constant ache/pain mostly in my hands.  The severity comes and goes, but it’s always there.  At first I thought it was my joints, because I felt like maybe I was getting arthritis or something, but the more I experience it, it doesn’t feel like my joints.  There was a point at first where one of my joints in my ring finger was tender to the touch and felt like it was swollen a bit, but it is feeling less tender now.  The pain is sort of hard to explain.  It hurts to ball my hands into fists, or wad a piece of paper up.  It doesn’t seem to stop me from doing anything, I just carry around the ache.  I also have it in one of my shoulders.  There was one day this weekend when it seemed to be worse that even my teeth on one side of my mouth hurt.

So anyway.  I had mentioned it to my Dr last time I was in, but that was amongst the other things that I was telling him about (has been an eventful couple of months when it comes to my health), so he didn’t really follow up on that one, but the few days after I saw him, it continued to bother me and get worse, so I emailed him to see what type of specialist I should see (since most family Dr’s seem to just send you to specialists when something is wrong), but he ordered some blood work for me.  I go to get that taken tomorrow.  He didn’t say what he was checking for in the email, so I guess we’ll see when I get the results.  My luck with most things that are wrong with me, is that it will all come back normal.  Which is comforting that they don’t find anything wrong, but also frustrating, because I know what I feel.

I have a history of symptoms with clear tests.  Started with my stomach issues which the episodes cause me extreme pain, belching and throwing up, amongst other things.  I’ve had scopes, and colonoscopies and even swallowed a camera that went through my digestive track, which all came back clear.  I had my gall bladder out and took a pill regimen to rid myself of Helicobacter bacteria in my stomach,  even had an XRay taken AS I was having an episode. Still I have episodes from time to time that they have no idea what brings them on.

Next is my knee.  It has been bothering me for over a year.  It started with popping every time I straightened it.  It catches when I get up and sometimes I have to bend it back and turn it a bit to straighten it out without it catching.  I had an XRay and even and MRI.  What did it show?  Nothing!  All clear!  Says arthritis has set in, but that’s it.  Feels like more to me.  Though, now after a long day of getting up and down from chairs, it gets really sore and burns.  I need to go get a 2nd opinion on it, just haven’t yet.

I’m really tired and exhausted at the moment, but I just laid there and laid there and couldn’t sleep, so thought I’d get up and try to get this out of my head to see if it would make me sleep better.  Just laying there worrying about my aching hands and what is wrong with me.  Why my body hates me so!  Tomorrow I will go to the dermatologist to find out about a strange spot/rash on my leg and then to get blood taken.  I’ll be working late to make up my time tomorrow night.

OK!  Now that I got that all out!  My goal is to stop whining about my pain!  If I complain about it, just remind me that I wasn’t going to whine.

Tommie decided lately to try to crock-pot meals.  After a long day of working, neither of us feel like cooking when we get home.  WELL – I never feel like cooking. I wish I liked to cook, but never have.  We have been looking up recipes online to try.  The first week of meals, I have not been crazy about.  I feel bad, because I’m such a picky eater.  Tommie teases me that I don’t like anything that is spicier than mayonnaise.  I can’t help what I like and don’t like….I think it’s a bit discouraging for Tommie.

This week will be a new week of trying new recipes.  Tommie has downloaded a neat shopping list application for his phone and has been adding ingredients to it as he plans the weeks meals.  Tonight he’s putting on some chili for tomorrow.  If anyone has any recipes that they have tried and loved, please share them below with us!

Other things going on with me:

Tuesday I go to the hospital and have my needle biopsy on my jaw.  I’m NOT looking forward to that.  I’m a bit nervous.  It will be an ultrasound guided biopsy.  I know I will be numbed for it, but I think that they will be giving me a shot IN MY FACE to numb me.  Tommie is planning on taking off work that day to go with me.  I’m planning on going back to work once it’s done.  Since I’m working at home, it won’t matter if half my face is droopy or not.  Of coarse, that is my plan, but I won’t know what I’ll feel like until that day.  I’m not expecting it too be tooo bad, besides the shot.  I need the peace of mind though that the test will give me.

Monday night my Aunt Debbie will come by to buy one of my lenses I had for sale.  She got a new DSLR for Christmas!  I can’t wait to see the pictures she will take with it!  She ended up getting a Canon.  I’m wanting to get a new lens for my camera, but can’t decide which one I want.  I use the one I have on it now really for everything, but just want another one that will be one I get a lot of use out of.  I’ve been really disappointed in my photography lately.  I just feel uninspired and not liking my outcomes.  I have been doing pretty good since the new year on getting in my picture of the day from http://365project.org/amesjo/365 . I hope I’m able to keep it up.  Even though every day’s picture isn’t wonderful, at least it’s getting me taking pictures more.  I’d love it if more people I knew were on there doing it with me.