Things I swallow every day, and why...

This doesn't include ibuprofpen taken to manage chronic pain, or Tylenol PM to help me sleep at night. Neither does it include the asthma inhalers that I use to treat and manage my asthma.

Fish Oil - just started this today because it's a good idea. We don't eat nearly enough fish and I have a family history of cardiac issues. Also with my pseudo Thrombophilia diagnosis it seems prudent seeing as it also promotes circulatory healthy.

Prenatal vitamin - because I am in my child bearing years, was recently pregnant and breastfeeding, and hope to be again soon.

Vitamin D - because I am deficient and because it helps to boost the immune system as well as help with joint and bone aches and pains.

Folic Acid - because of my recurring pregnancy losses and because it helps to prevent clotting in people with Thrombophilic diseases. I've noticed that without it my skin erupts with lesions that do not heal, but when I am taking it regularly my skin is actually quite healthy.

Baby Aspirin - because of my recurring pregnancy loss and pseudo Thrombophilia diagnosis. The idea is to keep my blood thin and prevent clots from forming in the placenta leading to poor fetal growth, preeclampsia, and fetal death. So far I'm 1 for 3 in this being succesful and with my next pregnancy (assuming there is one) I will also be receiving daily injections of Lovenox (a blood thinner similar to heparin).

B complex with B12 - I just started this today as well. I've known I needed to take it for a while, but I just can not swallow it in pill form without immediately gagging and vomiting. The smell alone is enough to make you keel over, and the pills are large enough to choke a horse. Today I found it in liquid form and found it to be very doable, so I am adding it to my daily supplement regimen. Folic Acid is a B vitamin, and is metabolized more effciently when taken along with the B complex and B12 vitamins.

Prozac - all of my chronic health issues cause my body chemistry to be consistantly out of wack. In addition, I live with chronic pain (headaches, joint pain, muscle tension caused by Hyermobility Syndrome) which leaves me in a constant state of over stimulation. These things combined leave my nerves very "raw" and lead to a constant state anxiety, tension, and irritability. Prozac is not my first drug of choice, but it is the safest drug for use during pregnancy and since I am still in my child bearing years with the potential (and hope) to become pregnant this is the best for my current situation. I do not take it during pregnancy, rather I will stop as soon as I find out that I am pregnant and stay off of it for the duration of the pregnancy.

I'm toying with the idea of adding Vitamin C to my regimen, but have not made that decision as of yet.

Hi-ho, Hi-ho... to the Rheumatologist I go...

Day 48: My little bit of happy ~ visiting with my friend Julie!







Today I went North. Because we have Kaiser and the only Rheumatologist available to me is (exactly) 75.2 miles away from my house. That's ok though, it gave me a reason to stop in and see a good friend we don't often have the chance to visit with!



Why did I visit the Rheumatologist, you ask? Because Kaiser denied my referal to the geneticist. Which I am NOT happy about. At all! So my primary care doctor refered me to Rheumatology instead. She did some x-rays and ran more blood work for more auto immune disorders that I have not previously been tested for. I'm praying for a diagnosis, but after 30+ years I'm not holding my breath! Frustratingly, Ehlers-Danlos is not one of the things she is testing me for. At least not right now.









One common misconception about homeschoolers is that they often get out of doing work. Oh contraire mon frere! See, my little chil'ens are hard at work right there in the Rheumatologist's waiting room! There were TVs on and they were having a hard time finding a way to work without too much distraction (both have rampant ADHD, and today was not a great ADHD day... could have been so much worse though!). This was the solution they came up with!

And THIS is how a bored out of her skull active 2 year old entertains herself when her mommy drags her along to the doctor's office!

This is also a good example of why my camera travels with me EVERYWHERE I GO!!!

Finally, a doctor who listens...

"You guided my conception and formed me in the womb. You clothed me with skin and flesh, and You knit my bones and sinews together. You gave me life and showed me Your unfailing love. My life was preserved by Your care."

~ Job 10:10-12

Day 28: My little bit of happy - succesful doctor's appointment!!!

I had an appointment today with my primary care doctor. I am beyond frustrated with this shell I am forced to live in, with no explanation as to why it is so faulty and broken. Well, no explanation from a human, medical, perspective.

My body is a prime example of the weight of sin on this world. I've not had a day in my life where I didn't have an open sore somewhere on my body. I've suffered with chronic pain for more than 15 years now. When I started having babies I added my teeth to the list of parts of my body that failed me grieviously. And of course no one can find a real concrete answer for why I've lost so many babies.

So finally I had had enough. I walked into my doctors office and laid it all out to her and said, "this is what I want to be tested for." In all of my years pre Kaiser I was blown off by doctors. Sometimes Kaiser gets a bad name, but has definately been in the top 10 list of the best things to ever happen to me. The doctors I have seen have listened to me. They have not hesistated to run tests and dig into my medical situation. Grantedhe, I have my 7 dead babies to thank for that. This is just not normal and makes doctors finally pay attention and listen!

So, today I had 20 vials of blood drawn for a total of 24 tests. And I also received a referal to a geneticist to pursue a possible Ehlers-Danlos diagnosis. If not that, hopefully I will finally walk away with SOME kind of diagnosis to validate all I've been through with this frail body of mine in the last 30+ years. I'm really not holding my breath as I've thought we were close a time or two before, but wouldn't that be wonderful?! Even if they can't *do* anything for me, it would be so nice just to have an explanation.