2012

Since we are coming upon the end of the year, I thought I would write about what 2012 has brought us.

2012 was our first year of marriage. The marriage aspect has been great. I couldn't have asked for a better man to be at my side; to love, respect, honor, and help me. While I knew something was wrong with my health in 2011, we had no clue what we were up against this year.

• This year has brought…..unexpected roommates for us (twice).
• This year has brought…..Crohn’s disease for me.
• This year has brought…..many ER trips, many CT scans, ultrasounds, colonoscopies, chest x-rays, blood work, medications etc
• Many bad side effects to medications, failed medications, experimental medications
• This year has brought…..3 sinus surgeries at one time for me
• This year has brought…..many lost friendships, many new friendships, many ups/downs.
• This year has brought….Ben and me closer together than I ever though imaginable. I simply cannot imagine my life without that man by my side.

While I wish to not be sick, I know that this chronic disease is not curable and I must make the best of it.

While I know there will always be ups and downs, I don’t want to ever relieve what myself and my family has been put through over the last year.

I want to put the past year behind us and move forward. I am excited to see what 2013 will bring us.

So here’s to an exciting new year!!!!!

What a crazy few weeks its been.....

The last few weeks have been trying to say the least.

As mentioned in the before post, I was getting a sinus infection within 1-2 after each injection of Humira. My GI and I decided it was time to stop the Humira.

We also decided that I needed to come off the Prednisone (steroids). So on Thursday, October 25th (? I think that date is right), I started taking 5 mg of Prednisone every other day. I will continue this for 2 weeks and then not take anymore.

While weaning off the Prednisone, he placed me on another type of steroid called Entocort. This steroid is specifically for the gut.

I can say the withdrawals from the Prednisone are not fun and can last weeks. Right now, I have a low grade fever; go from cold to hot constantly; my bones all over my body hurt; headache; shakes; tired as all get out.

I had my ultrasound of my abdomen on Wednesday, Oct 31st. I am required to get these every 6 months to monitor the cyst on my liver and left kidney. I should know the results of these tomorrow.

On that same day, I also visited an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Specialist. He came to the conclusion that my body is resistant to the antibiotics. So while it is fighting the sinus infections, it is never fully getting rid of them. I have been diagnosed with a Chronic Sinus Infection.

Tomorrow, Nov 5th, I will be having a CT Scan of my sinus cavities. As of right now, I am probably looking at having sinus surgery in the near future. While this is not something I would prefer to do, I want to feel better.

If you don't mind, please keep me in your prayers over the next few weeks.

At least we tried....

I had my monthly GI visit today. And after repeatedly getting sinus infections, my GI and I decided that it would be best to stop my Humira injections.

This sucks because the Humira is actually doing its job for my Crohn's. However, because it greatly suppresses my immune system, infection takes over.

He is putting me on 6mg/daily of Entocort (sp?) and I only have 2 more weeks worth of weaning off of the Prednisone. Entocort is supposed to have WAY less side effects than the Prednisone.

I will also continue with my Pentesa (anti-inflammatory) at 3000mg/daily.

Please keep me in your prayers!

10 Things you probably don't know about me and living with Crohn's disease

I thought I would make a list of things that most people don't know about me and my Crohn's disease.

1. I have a low grade fever about 5 out of 7 days of the week. Normally it starts in the late afternoon, early evening. My eyes will start burning and my energy is instantly gone.

2. I am achy most days as well. You know how your body aches when you are feverish? yeah, that's what I feel a lot.

3. I inject myself with Humira every other Sunday morning. For that whole day, I just mainly sleep as it is impossible to keep my eyes open.

4. I miss having a social life, but I don't miss those people that were just my party friends. Turns out, I don't hear from them at all now that I don't party.

5. I take 28 pills a day. That is 28 between my prescriptions and supplements.

6. My potassium sometimes gets so low that I get intense cramps in my legs and feet, that I have to try to walk off. most of the time this happens in the middle of the night and results in crying. Every time I go to the ER, my potassium is so low, they make me take a giant horse pill *barf*

7. I don't sleep at night, which means during the week, I get hardly any sleep. On average during the week, I sleep about 2-4 hours a night....and that is after taking sleep aids. I take many naps during the day on the weekend.

8. Due to my steroids (Prednisone), and the increasing/decreasing required to find a good dosage for me, I have gained 21 pounds in 2 months. NOT COOL!

9. I now know more about my body, more about side effects of meds, more about Crohn's than I really ever realized I could know.

10. At the age of 34, I feel most days like I have been hit by a truck, but I keep moving along. I have some really bad days and some really good days though.

Tell me about YOU!

I borrowed this from Heather, who I think also borrowed. I thought I what a cute way to learn more about my readers.

This is quick and fun...for me to read. Here's what you do, leave me a comment and let me know the following!!

1. Who are you?

2. Do you blog, too? Leave me your link! I want to follow you! (if I don't already)

3. Do you remember how you found my blog? A link-up? Another blog?

4. How long have you been reading?

5. What keeps you coming back to my blog?

6. What would you like to see me blog about more?

7. What is something we have in common?

8. Tell me a fun fact about yourself!

Glade Expressions

I received some awesome coupons in the mail through bzzagent.com

Life

It's been a while since I have had a post.

What's going on in our world?

I am back on the Humira shots and *crosses fingers* so far, I am doing well. I go to my GI this week and hopefully he will start weening me off of the Prednisone. I still have some days where I feel like absolute poo, but overall, I am doing well. I have had some sickness since I gave the ole immune system the boot again. I had a sinus infection and a stomach flu within a week of each other. YUCK!!!!

Other news? hmm.

I got a promotion at work. WOOHOO!!! I am the lead over my department now. I have taken on more responsibility and I am busy ALL day. Which I prefer. Makes the days go by faster.

Other than that, nothing really new with us. Declin is turning 5 this week. I can't believe it!!!!

Well, there is my update. Hope everyone is doing well!

My husband

Monday, September 3rd, will be 9 months since I married the love of my life.

I would like to share some of the things about Ben that don't often get talked about.

Ben is the most loving person I have ever met. He loves unconditionally.

He loves me like no other person can. He has proved that he is there through sickness and health. He is one of my biggest supporters with my fight against this disease.

He is always willing to help anyone, even if its something he really doesn't want to do.

He is the kind, loving, sensative, strong, Godly Prince that I have waited for.

I can't imagine my life without him by my side. I can't wait for many more days, months, and years with him.

I love you with all of my heart, Ben!!!

root canal and GI visit

Well today was definitely an exciting day. (insert sarcasm)

The tooth that was giving me problems a few weeks ago, well it requires a root canal and crown. Today was the first step of that process. Root canal is complete, I have a temporary filling until I go back for the crown fitting and placement.

Anyone that knows me, knows I would rather have my head cut completely off than even step into a dentist office. However, I must admit, I think I found a great dentist this time. He is so understanding to my fears and worries. It didn't hurt at all today. If anyone is looking for a good dentist in the DFW area, look up Sam Koo in Irving. I highly recommend him.

After spending an hour or so at the dentist, it was time to head over to my GI specialist.

It was decided that now that all my infections are cleared up, I am able to go back on Humira. I will start my injections again this Sunday. I am honestly excited to get the ball rolling. I know that I will be down and out for a while, but I have to look at the big picture and pray for remission.

We also decided to go from 20mg to 10mg per day on my Prednisone. This makes me SUPER happy. In the 2 weeks that I have been back on 20mg, I have gained probably 10 pounds and have not been sleeping AT ALL.

I did also learn from some blood work done recently, that my Hepatitis B vaccination is NOT active. The Hep A vac is active, but apparently the Hep B didn't work with me. So I will be doing the 6 month series for the Hep C vac again. How strange!!!

So, that's where I am at today. Fun stuff, right? :)

Crohn's disease and Gluten Free

I have decided that I really want to track my progress and disease on my blog. So that I can keep up with what is going on and look back on my progression, or series of events. But also so that if I can help anyone else through this battle of Crohn's disease and going Gluten Free, I can. Please feel free to share my blog address with anyone who you might think would be interested.

I am going to start with an email that I sent someone with Crohn's disease and Celiac disease today.

This is my personal experience thus far:


I have Crohn’s disease (was just diagnosed in May, but they believe I have had it for 15 years or more without treatment and/or diagnosis). I have an ilium stricture and have not been able to get in remission since being diagnosed. I am hopefully going to start Humira again soon, as I had to stop because I got several infections after the initial loading doses.

I was tested for Celiac disease, and it came back negative. However, my GI specialist feels that I should try to reduce gluten in my diet as much as possible. I am not 100% gluten fee.

This is just what I am doing right now, as recommended by my GI specialist.

Also, eating out and being GF is extremely hard. Unless they have a totally separate GF kitchen, there will be cross contamination.

I do not eat any raw vegetables.
I do not eat any seeds or nuts.
I do not eat any peelings on fruits or vegetables.
I do not eat anything leafy. (spinach, lettuce, etc)
I do not eat anything stringy (no stalks on broccoli or cauliflower. No celery. No string beans. No okra.)
I do not eat any type of beans or peas.
I only eat raw fruit that can be easily broken down (bananas, peeled peaches, peeled apples, peeled pears)
I have found that regular potatoes do not work for me. any recipe with regular potatoes, I substitute with sweet potatoes.
I can eat broccoli florets and cauliflower florets, but they must be cooked to death.
I can eat squash and zucchini, but they must be peeled and have no seeds.
I eat a lot of chicken and fish.
I have tried to cut out red meat as much as possible.
Pork makes me sick almost instantly.
NO POPCORN.

As far as GF, I have found several websites were you can buys GF ingredients for way cheaper than the stores. I buy a lot of mixes and flours and cookies, etc through these sites.

Each person is different on what they like as far as GF. Personally, I am not a fan of the rice pasta, but a lot of people seem to like it. To me, its too much like rice to be pasta. haha.

www.Allergyfreegirl.com
http://www.katzglutenfree.com/Default.asp
http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/
https://sugarandspicemarket.com/
http://betterbatter.org/
http://www.glutenfreesaver.com/



If you add me on Facebook, I have “liked” a ton of GF pages, and they often advertise sales, etc on FB and you can sign up for their email lists to get email updates, recipes as well. I try to always “share” the deals, good recipes, etc on FB.

I hope all this helps. Please feel free to comment and/or email me with any questions. We are all in this together and I would love a new Crohn’s/GF friend.

Sunday Social

This week, I am joining up with Neely and Ashley for Sunday Social!!!

Join us!





1. What were you like in Middle School/HS?
I think I was just a regular kid in middle school. High school, I was a gymnast and had been for many years. I was also a partier and liked to hang out with the older kids. Probably should have done less partying and more school work.

2. What were your favorite past times?
Shopping, talking on the phone, hanging out with my friends, slumber parties, gymnastics.

3. What songs were you obsessed with?(Backstreet Boys anyone?)
Hmmm. I listened to a lot of country music back then too. I am sure it was someone oh so hot that I thought I might meet and marry someday lol

4. What fashion statement do you look back on and cringe?
overralls. units. lol

5. Who was your celeb crush?
I probably still had a crush on Donnie Walhberg from NKOTB. lol

6. What were your favorite tv shows/movies?
Family Ties. Growing Pains. Who’s the Boss. Married with Children. The Cosby Show. The Wonder Years. Perfect Strangers. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Full House. Saved by the Bell. Family Matters. 90210. Friends!!!!

About time for an update

Just wanted to get on here and throw an update out for all those that are curious about my health.

Things have been crazy for the last few weeks!!!

I started my Humira injections on Thursday, July 27th.

The next Friday, August 3rd, I woke up with my face feeling weird and puffy. By Friday night, the whole left side was swollen up and throbbing, and I had a fever. So off to the ER we went (at midnight. poor Ben). I immediately tell them I am on Humira, so they make me wear a mask. Apparently I had a small infection in a tooth (back molar). When my immune system crashed, my body couldn't fight that little infection and it turned into a full on absess and took over my face.
Because I was on Humira, they wrote me 2 antibiotic scripts and a pain pill, then I was out of there with in 30 minutes.

Things were BAD for a few days. I completely did not have a neck and my face was swollen up over the top of my eye. Don't believe me? here's a picture. eek!!!

By Monday, I was good as gold and back at work.

It was determined on that Monday that I would delay my next Humira injection until after the tooth/face infection was cleared up and I was able to get in with a dentist. (which if you know me, you know that I would rather cut my arm off than go to a dentist)

Now fast forward to Thursday, August 9th. I get to work, not feeling well at all. Had some pretty bad pains in the stomach area. I describe them as what I am guessing contractions feel like. It was a pulsating pain that had me doubled over. With an hour,I was throwing up from the pain. So, I leave work, and call my GI specialist. I am ordered to go directly to the ER. I get there, they give me an IV with pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and prevacid. Then I was off to x-ray and CT scan. It was determined that I had a UTI and a severe Crohn's flare up.

The Dr at the ER would have liked to have me admitted, but my GI Dr suggested that I stay out of the hospital if at all possible due to having no immune system. It was also determined that my body is resistant to one of the antibiotics that I was on for my tooth/face.

So, I came home with 1 of the same antibiotics, a new one, and some new pain meds.

Fun times, right?!?!?

So now that's where I stand. at an absolute standstill.

My dental appt is August 22nd and my next GI appt is August 23rd. At that point hopefully, I will be able to start back with my injections.

From what I can tell, the Humira is/was doing its job. It crashed my immune system as it was supposed to. and when it was time for the next injection, I had a flare up.

The problem was the infections that occurred during that time as a result of the Humira side effects.

So there you have it. I have come to realize that this will be my life for a while. I am ok with it. I have made peace with it. While I don't like being sick, or in the ER, or on all these meds....I have to keep looking at the end result.

I would really appreciate it if you would continue to keep us in your prayers. Also, please be understanding if we cancel plans, don't answer our phones or texts in a timely manner, or just flat out seem cranky some days. My health is one of our top priorities right now.

We greatly appreciate the wonderful support system that we have. Not sure what we would do without our support system. So thank you. You mean more than I could ever tell you.

What I'm loving Wednesday

I decided to get back in the routine of blogging, and I am going to link up with some fun ones.

Today I am linking up with the blog, this kind of love for "what I'm loving Wednesday

I am loving that my wonderful husband has been taking so much care of me while I have been sick.

I am loving that my family is so supportive of me.

I am loving this wonderful, crazy kitty of ours named Belle!

I am loving ice cream, any kind really.





I am loving these wonderful flowers I got from Jeannie (yes they are still alive) for my birthday almost 2 weeks ago!!

What are you loving??? go link up! This kind of love

Humira side effects - week 1

I would like to use this blog as a diary of my side effects, etc.

After speaking with my GI's nurse today, I am experiencing some of the side effects associated with the Humira injections.

1. I have exhaustion at a level that I cannot even explain. If I sit too long without talking, working, occupying my brain....I could literally fall asleep wherever I am. It's like the exhaustion takes over and I can't even think straight. This is described as my immune system starting to lower and shut down, then my body goes into protection mode.

2. I am having very vivid, weird dreams when I am sleeping. The dreams will carry over from night to night and continue on. I have never had dreams like this before.

3. I am in a brain fog. I forget that I have done things, etc. Its like it completely is gone from my memory.


While these are VERY normal side effects, they keep me on my toes. I am having to learn to listen to my body more and relax (lay down, etc) when I feel like I need to. I am writing things down more so that when I don't remember, I can look back.

This is all very real and scary for me at times....and other times, I am realizing this is just a way of life for me now and that's what I need to adjust to. I am praying like no other and asking for God to guide me through this new journey of what my life is becoming.

I did it! I totally did it! I am so proud of myself!! (plus a little medical update)

I did it!!! I am SO proud of myself.

When the Humira was delivered to my desk this morning at work, I thought for sure I was going to vomit and then my second thought was "I can NOT do this!"

Well, guess what?!?!?!

I did it! I gave myself ALL FOUR injections. I did it! and honestly, it didn't even really hurt.

I do have 4 small raised areas on my belly now, but its done! in 2 weeks, I will do 2 more injections, then I will do 1 every other week for at least a year.

According to my GI specialist, I probably will not start feeling too many side effects of the drug or the tearing down on my immune system until after the next dose in 2 weeks.
Hopefully I will be one of those people that don't experience any side effects. (crossing my fingers!)

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and please please keep them coming for us!!!

and it begins.....

Ben and I met with my GI specialist yesterday to discuss the upcoming steps/treatment options, etc.

I will be trying to go somewhat Gluten-Free and I will be getting a ton more blood work done soon.

My GI’s assistant is starting the insurance process of getting the Humira for me…..today. She said it normally takes between 7 and 10 days to get approved. Once that is complete…the specialist pharmacy will overnight the meds to me on dry ice. The day it arrives, I immediately go to the GI’s office and they will administer the shots/teach me how to give myself shots.

The first day, I will get 4 back-to-back shots.
2 weeks later, I will give myself 2 shots.
2 weeks after that, 1 shot.
From there, I will give myself 1 shot every other week.

They said because I have moderate to severe Crohn’s that I will be doing this for a minimum of 2 years, but possibly for the rest of my life.

The assistant has given me some info to research and some avenues to go down to help offset my out of pocket price as this drug is about $3k-6k per month without insurance…..not sure how much the insurance will cover yet.

Anyway, Ben and myself would really appreciate some prayers right now.

a quick update on my health

So the last few weeks and months have been really tough health-wise for me. I have been on the supplements, prednisone, and anti-inflammatory pills for a while. I think at last count, I am taking 28 pills a day. Fun times.

However, this combination or type of pills or something, isn't helping to get me in remission. So, I called my GI specialists office today and requested that they start the insurance pre-approval process for Humira.

Humira is an immuno-suppressant. With this, I will have to give myself injections. I am extremely nervous about this, but honestly, I just want to FEEL BETTER. So if that means that I have to become a hermit (work and home only) because I will have no immune system, then so be it.

I am tired of feeling like crap. (pun intended. lol)

I would like to ask that my family and friends be supportive (and patient with me) in this next step in the journey I am about to take with Crohn's disease and auto immune disorder.

I would also greatly like to ask for prayers. For my health, for my strength, for my sanity, for my marriage, for my husband, for my mom and all of my close support system.

Keepin' it real....

The last month has been a complete blur and so surreal feeling to me. I have done so much blood work, drank 2 too many nasty “cocktails” for testing, gotten an ultrasound, CT scan, Colonoscopy…and had follow up after follow up appointments. Then had a TB test; scheduled more lab work; and scheduled a bowel series barium test for soon. I have been through more pain than I ever thought possible and gone with less sleep, food, nutrition than I ever thought possible. I have tested new medicines, been put on the max dose, then had dosages adjusted. I have taken 20 pills a day for a week now. I feel like I have been through the ringer. And I am PISSED OFF about it. I am pissed that I am hurting. I am pissed that this is happening to me. I am pissed that I can’t eat or drink what I want. I am pissed that I keep getting poked and prodded. I am pissed that I have bruises all over me. I am pissed that I am tired all the time. I am pissed that I can’t sleep. I am pissed that this is happening to me. I am pissed that people think I have been self-diagnosing myself online. I am pissed that people don’t believe I know what side effects I am having from different medications. I am pissed that it took so long for anyone to believe that I am not crazy with this pain. I am pissed that I didn’t fight harder for an answer before. I am pissed that I have a disease that is non-curable. I am pissed that people are not supportive as I thought some would be. I am pissed that I can’t even express how grateful I am to those that ARE supportive.

I am just pissed off. And I feel that I have every right to be. I might be like this for a few hours; I might be like this for a few days. But this is the pissed off stage of my “grieving process” of being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. So please excuse me while I go be a little more pissed off.

medical follow up appointment/Crohn's Disease

Today was the follow up for all of my lab work, colonoscopy, scans, etc over the last few weeks. To say that I am overwhelmed, would be the truth.

The polyp that was removed during the colonoscopy, came back pre-cancerous. They removed all of it during the colonoscopy, but with my family history of GI cancers, I will have to have a colonoscopy at least every 2 years if not sooner. Cancer is a scary freaking word and it hit me to the core when he said it. Thankfully, it was caught before it turned into anything major and we will be able to monitor it closely.

Next!!! The tests came back postive for autoimmune disorder (which means that my body is attacking itself), positive for Crohn's disease, and positive the ilium stricture.

What this means is that I will continue the 3000 mg of Pentasa a day, 20mg of Prednisone a day, and will be closely monitoring my diet to see what affects foods/drinks have on me.

If I have another flare up, the dr is saying that I will more than likely be put on Humira (which means giving myself injections in the stomach several times a week). He would like to do everything possible to avoid this, as there are MANY risks to Humira and such drugs.

This is life changing for me and something I am not taking lightly at all. I am scared. I am nervous. I am in shock.

I will be doing several more blood tests, skin lab work (for TB, etc), and a bowel xray with barium over the next few weeks. More than likely I will also be reporting to the GI specialist every 2 weeks for a while.

Below is a link that helps explain Crohn's disease for those that are aware (just as I wasn't until a few weeks ago):

http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/crohns

We would like to ask that everyone continue to prayer for us during these times.

Also, I would like to hear opinions, thoughts, prayers, recommendations from anyone that wants to offer about Crohn's disease, etc.

Medical update/life update

Life has taken a definite spin for us this month.



Beginning the first weekend in May, I started having some pretty serious personal health issues. After seeing, my regular dr, a GI specialist, an ER visit, more GI specialist appointments, an ultrasound, and a colonoscopy later…..it is determined that I have Crohn’s disease. And a pretty serious case of it.



Right now, they have me taking 6 anti-inflammatory pills a day and 4 steroid pills a day to try to get everything under control and into remission.



I feel ok, but I am constantly tired and very worried/scared about the outcome of all of this and where this will take us on our journey that WE had planned. We should have known, this isn’t our journey, but it is His journey for us. I am putting all of my trust in our Lord and know that he has a plan for us.



If you guys (if anyone even still reads this blog) don’t mind, please just keep Ben and myself in your prayers. We would love to be covered in prayer during this time in our lives.



Does anyone have any experience with Crohn’s that could give me diet recommendations or any other advise. It would be greatly appreciated.

The A to Zs of Amber

Age: 33....OMG! ugh, I will be 34 this year

Bedsize: Queen. although, with little Belle now sleeping with us, we may need to upsize. LOL

Chores that you hate: anything to do with the bathroom. so gross.

Dogs: not yet, maybe when we get a house.

Essential start to your day: Dr Pepper.

Favorite color: all shades of blues, greens, and purples.

Gold or Silver: silver

Height: 5'5". (I don't want to discuss this any further lol)

Instruments you play: I took piano lessons for many years as a kid and wish I had stuck with it. I can still play Silent Night.

Job title: Underwriting Coordinator

Kids: none.

Live: Irving, TX

Mother's Name: Rhonda

Nicknames: I have many. Am, bear, Grandpa used to call me "doll", babe, honey, love, little girl

Overnight hospital stays: never.

Pet peeves: oh jeez, I have a ton of these.....people being late. people not doing what they say they will. no showers. people complaining about their lives and doing nothing to change it. my list could go on and on and on....

Quote from a movie or tv show: "drink your juice Shelby"

Right or Lefty: Right

Siblings: one brother, Ben. 2 step sisters, Stephanie and Jennifer.

Time you wake up: 6:30isham

Underwear: what about them???

Vegetable you hate: peas

What makes you run late: my husband, lol. its the truth

X-Rays You've Had: this list may get long. hand (when I sewed through it). stomach/abdominal area...many times. head MRI/CT scans many times. dental x-rays.

Yummy food you make: I make a lot of yummy things. now that the warm days are coming up.....its time for pulled pork again. YUM!

Zoo Animal: any of the baby ones.

THE APPOINTMENT-midwife/birthing center

Yesterday, Ben and I had our pre-conception appointment with the midwife at the birthing center. All of this is a bit overwhelming, but we are ready for it. We talked about our family medical histories and what steps/tests we should take, etc. We learned a lot. It was a lot to take in.

Some of the suggestions that the midwife suggested to me, to prepare my body for pregnancy are:

`quit smoking. (well obviously)
`eat more protein and fiber, and less carbs.
`walk 1 hour per day.
`take the pre-natal vitamins as directed.
`take the vitamin D supplements as directed.
`drink 3 liters of water per day (this is going to be a huge one for me, as I like my Dr Pepper)
`sleep well (anyone who knows me, knows I don't sleep)
`research/read about some of the genetic testing that has been recommended due to our family medical histories.
`last but not least, get to baby making.

So obviously, I have a few major changes ahead of me. Mentally, I am trying to process all of this and make it work for me physically.

I could use some support and any helpful information, recipes, etc. from our family and friends.

We could both also use the prayers right now. For guidance, patience, strength, and love.

Thankful Thursday (1)

Today I am teaming up with Curious Georgi http://curiousgeorgi.blogspot.com/

(don't forget to go link up if you join us)

and Home is Where the Heart is http://chrissiwithani.blogspot.com/

for Thankful Thursday. You should join us!

Today I am thankful for....

1. my lab work coming back with everything normal except my Vitamin D levels.

2. my amazing husband who took off work to go to my appt with me next week so we can experience this as a couple.

3. for my amazing family (and by family, I also mean some friends that I consider family). even though they irritate the hell out of me sometimes, I still can't live with out them.

4. to have a job with co-workers that I have become really good friends with.

5. that Ben and I agreed to take a "marriage" class at Church. I am excited to learn the correct biblical way for marriage, and to meet couples to continue our journey with.

What are you thankful for?

And it begins……TTC post

Ben and I decided before we got married that we wanted to TTC (try to conceive) right away. TMI? Probably, but I want to document our adventure here so that we can look back on it someday. Like a diary, if you will. :)

Anyway, back in July and August, I did some routine blood work at my primary care doctor. This lead us to find an abnormal parathyroid, several vitamin deficiencies, and sky rocketed triglycerides. My doctor recommended that I see an endocrinologist to find out why/what was going on. Since Ben and I were marrying in a few months, my doctor and I agreed that we should wait to see specialists until I was able to be added on Ben’s insurance with better coverage. So we waited.

Yesterday, I went in to get the process rolling again. Today, I got blood drawn for all of the lab work that is being re-run to make sure I have correct numbers should I need to see a specialist. Fun times. (not!). Blood work results should be back next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me, k?

Back to the TTC topic…..I have always wanted to do an all natural child birth with a midwife, and Ben is supporting this 100%. We have a pre-conception appointment coming up in the next few weeks. To say I am a little overwhelmed, nervous, and scared would be an exaggeration. I am also EXTREMELY excited to begin this process. It’s a very personal choice, I realize that, and it’s not for everyone, but I think I can do it.

So, my questions are, has anyone done the midwife/birthing center route? Do you recommend it? or no? Any stories you would like to share? I need details people!!!

These are my confessions!

Today I am linking up with E at http://www.emyselfandi.com/search/label/Midweek%20Confessions

you should join us!

I confess that I am proud of myself for making some good goals for 2012 and already making the steps to achieve them.

I confess that I am incredibly happy that it is Wednesday and not Tuesday. I love short work weeks.

I confess that Ben and I celebrated our 1 month wedding anniversary yesterday with a date night at the movies to see War Horse.

I confess that something inside me has changed since I said those vows. Not sure I am ready to discuss it completely, but there is definitely a change.

I confess I am excited to see what 2012 brings us.

what about you? what do you confess?

New Year Resolutions

I have been thinking about New Year resolutions for a few weeks now and trying to decide if/what I want to do.

Well this year, I have decided to just make some changes/adjustments/upgrades in my life.

~make my marriage and my husband come before all others in my life. He and our marriage is my number one priority.
~get back into Church. I have let myself fall out of touch with God lately, and that has to change.
~blog more often. I really slacked on blogging this year.
~party/drink less.
~be healthy enough to have a baby.
~save money.
~read more.
~do more craft projects as gifts and home decor

What are you doing for resolutions?