(no subject)
Two months is a long time to ignore a live journal, especially after three years of pretty regular updates. But I think I needed the break. More than that, my family needed my time.
Lots of changes around here. Audrey and Jacob have been homeschooled since about two weeks before Thanksgiving. Their school simply wasn't anything close to what it promised it would be. They were miserable, I was frustrated and they had learned nothing. So for the past six weeks I've done a lot of trial and error. Come up with some good plans and rejected some that obviously weren't working, and finally reached a pretty regular routine. I'm confident that at least they won't be falling behind and they (Audrey especially) are blooming under the regular attention.
Of course it never rains, but pours. Soon after Thanksgiving I managed to catch some kind of really nasty stomach virus. 5 days later and 12 lbs down (mostly from dehydration) I managed to creep back into my usual existence only to be be brought up short by a pretty major flare up of pain and mouth ulcers. As many of you know I have suspected Lupus for well over a year now. The tests they ran last Christmas were inconclusive so the rheumatologist diagnosed fibromyalgia and told me she couldn't do anything for me. My GP has basically ignored everything I've mentioned and acted as though I were making things up. When this most recent flare hit hard I called the doctor, wouldn't take "sorry we can't fit you in" for an answer and got the doctor to look at me. Between my lip which was twice it's size with blisters on it, and my body that was so swollen my shoes barely fit, he seemed to finally understand what I had been talking about all along. He said, "It's as if you're having a huge allergic reaction." I about died. Does he not understand what Lupus even is? Anyway, it convinced him to run the blood work again which is all I wanted in the first place. I suppose "great" is the wrong reply when they call back to tell you you have a chronic auto-immune disease. At least the nurse seemed very taken aback by my response. But since I already knew what I had, I was just really glad to have blood work that forces the doctors to acknowledge that my symptoms are not in my head. If I had another doctor tell me to just take more Motrin, I was going to strangle someone. Obviously my condition is not as bad as it could be. I don't have any major organs effected at this point and there are a couple of medications I can try for the oral ulcers and joint pain. I'm counting myself as very, very lucky, because I know how much worse it could be. I'm also grateful that my husband never said I was crazy, or faking it, or anything along those lines. He always believed in me! I know that many men wouldn't have been so patient. So, call me strange, but for a pretty hellish time of it, it's actually been a really good month.
Anyway, there is more that's happened and I need to backtrack a bit and put down some things I want to remember. But that's all I have energy for tonight. Very quickly I wanted to wish you all Happy Holidays even though they're mostly over. And to a couple of you on my f-list, my prayers are with you. I hope things work out for the best and I'm here if you need anything.
Good night my dears!
Lots of changes around here. Audrey and Jacob have been homeschooled since about two weeks before Thanksgiving. Their school simply wasn't anything close to what it promised it would be. They were miserable, I was frustrated and they had learned nothing. So for the past six weeks I've done a lot of trial and error. Come up with some good plans and rejected some that obviously weren't working, and finally reached a pretty regular routine. I'm confident that at least they won't be falling behind and they (Audrey especially) are blooming under the regular attention.
Of course it never rains, but pours. Soon after Thanksgiving I managed to catch some kind of really nasty stomach virus. 5 days later and 12 lbs down (mostly from dehydration) I managed to creep back into my usual existence only to be be brought up short by a pretty major flare up of pain and mouth ulcers. As many of you know I have suspected Lupus for well over a year now. The tests they ran last Christmas were inconclusive so the rheumatologist diagnosed fibromyalgia and told me she couldn't do anything for me. My GP has basically ignored everything I've mentioned and acted as though I were making things up. When this most recent flare hit hard I called the doctor, wouldn't take "sorry we can't fit you in" for an answer and got the doctor to look at me. Between my lip which was twice it's size with blisters on it, and my body that was so swollen my shoes barely fit, he seemed to finally understand what I had been talking about all along. He said, "It's as if you're having a huge allergic reaction." I about died. Does he not understand what Lupus even is? Anyway, it convinced him to run the blood work again which is all I wanted in the first place. I suppose "great" is the wrong reply when they call back to tell you you have a chronic auto-immune disease. At least the nurse seemed very taken aback by my response. But since I already knew what I had, I was just really glad to have blood work that forces the doctors to acknowledge that my symptoms are not in my head. If I had another doctor tell me to just take more Motrin, I was going to strangle someone. Obviously my condition is not as bad as it could be. I don't have any major organs effected at this point and there are a couple of medications I can try for the oral ulcers and joint pain. I'm counting myself as very, very lucky, because I know how much worse it could be. I'm also grateful that my husband never said I was crazy, or faking it, or anything along those lines. He always believed in me! I know that many men wouldn't have been so patient. So, call me strange, but for a pretty hellish time of it, it's actually been a really good month.
Anyway, there is more that's happened and I need to backtrack a bit and put down some things I want to remember. But that's all I have energy for tonight. Very quickly I wanted to wish you all Happy Holidays even though they're mostly over. And to a couple of you on my f-list, my prayers are with you. I hope things work out for the best and I'm here if you need anything.
Good night my dears!