A Visit from the Wild Side

Tonight the hospital felt a little more like home as J and K hitched a ride to Louisville and are spending the night. Thankful for a room big enough for an air mattress and God allowing management to have the heart to let them stay. I am watching them drift to sleep and feeling I am almost home. Jillian was all smiles for the first time in this week, so it was worth allowing her to miss a day of school. She has snuggled and watched tv, told me all about her day. Korbin has been playing with a medical glove. LOL. adding some pics that are not my best look, but will be a treasured memory someday.

UL hospital stay February 28, 2013

Well the last time I went through this, I made Rob promise me that he would kill me before he let anyone ever put me on steroids again. I did put up a fight, but they said they would use a different kind of steroid. I see not one difference. I'm a train wreck, cant sleep and already losing feeling in my legs. Maybe it's the emotions, but I'm very unhappy with the nursing care here...very understaffed. In Owensboro, they checked on me often and usually returned with meds in 15 minutes. Here it's forever. They put a pic line in to replace the IV since I need a nutritional IV as Im not eating. It's now been 3 hours since they said they were coming. Enough complaining though. I am extremely happy that the room is large enough that Robs brother is bringing J and K to spend the night with us tonight. We got permission from the nurse, so I hope there's no issue. I wish My baby could be here, but she's too much for me right now :( Brandon will be 22 tomorrow, so I wish I could be with him too. The surgeons office called today and told me not to freak out, but they were putting me on the surgery schedule for Monday. It is tentative since she does want to see me before that decision is made. There is a chance if Im better, she will want me to get stronger a while before surgery. Her associate said its riskier to go into surgery in an emergency situation. I expressed that Im afraid if I wait, I'll end up back in the same shape. She assured me that would be taken into account. So now just waiting and pretending my ice chips are a big juicy filet mignon!

Crohn's Crisis Day 3 February 27, 2013

Just an update for family and friends. Blogging was therapy in China, so Im going to use it as such again. Miss my kids so much!! Last night was a long night of drinking the horrific Go Lytely (what a stupid name) to prep for my scope. I survived with meds by the time it started to make me so sick and crampy that I was about to die. They came to get me this morning at 8:15 for my procedure. Dr. Davis came in shortly and let me know that it was severe ulceration, but only in the Colon and not in the small intestine like he thought. He feels that he's done all he can do and decided to send me to Louisville to Dr. Galandiuk who is the surgical specialist who fixed my brother after a botched job in St. Louis. He thought it would be Friday before I would go, so we prepared for another treatment and blood transfusion which would be my third as they're having a hard time getting my hemoglobin rate to where it needs to be. Before we could start, Louisville called and said they wanted me tonight. It was two hours later before my discharge was ready so Rob went home to prep the kids while Kevin waited with me. I had a few minutes at home, but spent most of it with my sobbing JBug who is taking this all horribly! Since the day she was placed in my arms, that girl has been a clinger although her personality would never show it. I am heart broken she has to go through this again, but reminded her of Gods promises to us and that she would rather have a strong mom than a sick one. We finally left home about 6pm as it started to sleet and as we got up into Indiana, it turned to a blinding snow. We were driving 45 with trucks zooming passed us and 2 near accidents, but God delivered us to the steps about 8:30. I already had a room, but the desk mistakenly told us we had to wait in admissions in ER while they processed our paperwork. While Rob went to park the car, I had to sit in the middle of car wreck victims like I had never seen before and it sent me into a panic. Finally a hospital chaplain came by and sorted out where we needed to be, so we made it to our room. The room is nice and large. I have now seen the resident that works under Dr. G. They took 6 more units of blood to test and started an IV. Im now back on an ice chip diet. The are going to put in a central line tomorrow so they can run a nutritional fluid. Its after midnight here and I have my pain and nausea meds and Im waiting for everything to kick in so I can sleep a little. The events of the day have me a little stressed. I've come a long way compared to how stressed I would have been a few years ago. God knows how to build us in his own way. Tonight Im de-stressing through prayer and in that prayer I poured out my fears and distress over missing my kids. He reminded me of an abandoned baby named Ming Zhu that had to have surgery a short time ago, with no one to love and hold her little hand.I am so surrounded by love and support that I am overwhelmed. That has to give me courage. So, my prayer tonight is for peace for all of us as we reflect on all God has brought us through and to see ways this situation can bring glory to him.

Crohn's Crisis 2013

Last fall I started flaring between remicade treatments , and I kept hoping it would be a temporary thing.
This month the flare grew more serious than before until I was pale and extremely fatigued from losing blood. I taught school all week feeling bad and had my blood drawn Thursday, but my dr and nurse were out on Friday, so I stayed in bed miserable all weekend. Rob insisted on the ER on Monday morning and it was good because my blood was down to 8.6 with 12 being normal. I was admitted shortly after being given some nausea and pain meds. Then when I got to the room, I had to start prep for a CT scan. That came back showing a possible progression from my colon to where it connects to the small intestine. I was already leaning toward surgery since my blood test showed it was UC and not Crohns. A colostomy will cure UC but Crohns can continue to spread past the surgical site into other parts of the digestive system. Tonight, I just finished my colon prep. In a few hours we will do my scope and see what's going on. Im praying that I am a candidate for surgery and we can go ahead and end this. I know this is fully in Gods hand, so I believe he will intervene if surgery is not right for me. Most of all, I'm just thankful for the other three times he has brought me through this. Im stronger this time because of it. I'm also praying for my sad kids. They are just missing momma, especially Jillian who hates to go anywhere without her family. Praying Gods peace over them. I can make it through anything if I know they're fine. These times always make me appreciate what momma went through and her perspective in having to face dying and leaving behind her children. It must have taken great faith. "Even though my condition isn't terminal,It makes you feel like your dying at times," said my big brother who has walked this same road. I am going to close for tonight and update tomorrow after my scope with hopefully some idea about a plan of action.

Laikyn's Birthday

On Saturday the ninth, we celebrated Laikyns 3rd birthday. She had a wonderful day. The room was decorated in all things Minnie and as I brought her in, she said, "OOOOO Miniminimini Mou". We had mostly family in attendance with many aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandad. Donnelle and Colton also came since he and Laikyn play together so much at church. We started with a pizza party and then opened presents. Mommy and daddy got her a Minnie Trike, and several Minnie toys. She seemed to love it all. She yelled "mine" about her first few presents, so noted we need to work on that sharing concept a little more. Im sure it's harder when you've never really had things that belonged to you. After everyone left, she rode her trike most of the night and had a ball. It was a beautiful day and I was so happy to FINALLY share it with her!