I can almost smell it...

Success...

News: Dr. G was in a bicycle accident and fractured his pelvis. Please keep him in your prayers.

His nurse called and said that the growths are just cysts. I will have a follow up in three months. If I feel any swelling or pain, they will get me in as soon as possible. The lymph nodes can only be biopsied with surgery. My T3 levels are higher than they should be, so from what I read, it points towards Hashimoto's ( which my Grandma Smith has) or Hyperthyroidism. (I'll talk to my endocrinologist Nov 1st.)

Linda found a blog with a little boy with the same symptoms as I have. After a long and painful journey, they learned that their son had Demyelination... They found some specialists in Austin that were able to treat him. I tried calling today, but got the receptionists' voice mail. I printed out the new patient packet.

From what I've read Demyelinating Disease is a branch of other diseases like MS and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. So now, I just have to hope I can get in to see the specialists in Austin and if I need a referral I'll be able to get it and my insurance will pay for it all.

Guess what we get to do this weekend? Get Zee glasses! His school nurse says he needs glasses. When he was little (2, maybe...) Medicaid requested that we take him to the ophthalmologist. Way back then the doctor said that he needed glasses, but because he was so little and the vision loss wasn't severe, it would be a waste of time and money since babies can't really take care of them. I would rather not go to Wal-mart, but since he's covered with Medicaid, I guess that would be the easiest place. Of course, poor little Tzipi doesn't understand why she can't get glasses. I'm praying she won't need them just like her Abba.

Tzipi is doing really well in school. Her teacher says she can tell that Tzipi was in Head Start. She doesn't struggle with the same things her classmates struggle with. She bugs her Abba all morning, Can I go to school now? Now? How 'bout now?

Zee is doing really well. His work is getting harder and harder, but he's keeping up. He struggled with keeping quiet in class, but we've talked about it, and he's working hard to control his mouth. He's working to earn a Poptropica Hoodie. He has to apply himself and keep his mouth shut and obey his father without a snarky attitude. We will see how long it takes to earn it.

Well, that's all I can think of right now.

Update

I don't know when I will hear about the thyroid biopsy now. When I called the ENT on Monday, the receptionist said that Dr. G  had been injured and was unsure when he would be able to let me know of the results. So I guess I'll keep waiting.

Why I love Sukkot

Because we had so much rain this Sukkot, we only got to sit and eat last night in the sukkah. It was well worth the wait though. Embracing the cooler temperatures, spending time with family, and getting outside is a very healthy way to live. Most of the time, I don't have time to be outside. This holiday encourages being outside and enjoying what G-d created. It's also nice to know that families all over the world are following this custom. Here in Lubbock there were so many families that were celebrating Sukkot, it made me realize that no matter where we live we can love Torah and obey His commands. Surely there are people in Amarillo that are doing the same thing, but I have yet to meet them.
There are many spiritual reasons that G-d mandated Sukkot, but I'm not going to go into that. I just wanted to post that this year was pleasant and I'm so happy that we got to stop and remember how precious and connected this life is.

Dr. Usala

Well, Tina came and took me to Dr. Usala! I had so much fun getting to chat with her. We were there for a very long time. But time=quality with doctors. Dr. Usala was very thorough and very nice. I appreciated his time.
1. there is something wrong.
2.we don't know what it is.
3.we may need a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to figure it out.

4. it looks like guillain-barre syndrome.
Side note: Andy Griffith has GBS.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/guillain-barre-syndrome/DS00413
I have choked on spit quite a bit. In fact just two weeks ago I choked so bad, that my manager almost sent me home. This is the only weird thing that I just thought was me. Maybe it's not.
I'm sorry this isn't longer, but we're going to Lubbock this morning, so I have loads to do.

Thank you so much for taking your day to be with me Tina. I enjoyed our time together so very much! Hope we can get together again soon!

A friend in need...

 

My friend Kathy has offered to go with me for the fine needle biopsy. She survived the worst type of thyroid cancer. I go to her for a reality check when I get too freaked out. She said that she would have loved to have someone come with her, she went through it alone. So Tuesday we will set off from work and go to the Hospital. I will be awake and will see the long tiny needle as they poke it in my neck. She will be there to keep me calm and distracted. We called the hospital and will allow her in to the procedure with me. It should take an hour. I'm not sure if they will biopsy the thyroid and lymph glands, but they might. I will post as soon as I know something more.

Update

 I saw Dr. Plata on Wednesday. I thought it was silly that I was seeing a rheumatologist, but I actually like him very much. He's a good doctor. Knows A LOT! If you ever need to see a rheumatologist, I highly recommend seeing him. He said, I DO NOT have fibromayalgia. I have a drop foot and I need to wear an orthotic brace on my foot so I don't trip and fall. He said that it definitely seems neurological in nature and said that he could not rule out MS. Lupus and Vasculitis were two other options. He took tons of blood and a urine sample and will look over all of my previous tests to see if he can catch something the others missed, or order a more specific test. He was curious why I haven't had a lumbar puncture, but with my syrinx in my spine, he said they might not be able to do it. He would look into it. He's funny and smart and a terrific listener. I am glad I went.

Then yesterday I saw my ENT, Dr. Guttenplan. He said that my lymph nodes are bigger than they should be. He said he palpitated and couldn't feel any nodules, but we agreed that we didn't want to take the wait and see route. I'm having a fine needle biopsy on Tuesday morning. A bit freaked out, but I'm getting pretty good at the whole needle thing. My son got his ears cleaned (a little after my appointment), so the kids were pretty thrilled to see me. It's a good feeling to see that my kids are liked. The whole office told me how much they like my kids, even Dr. G! We got caught in that terrible storm and the kids were soaking wet. I cuddled with Tzipi while Zee got his ears cleaned. It took us an hour to get home with all the flooding. The kids were pretty freaked out, and I kept praying that our Escort would make it. (I was in the Taurus with the kids, but Avi was behind us in the little faithful wagon.) We made it fine, but man were we glad to be in the warm house!

Oh and a miracle happened yesterday. Proof that G-d takes care of the little things too! I was at my Toastmasters' club and the actual fun stuff was over and we were having a small business meeting. I'm standing listening to our Treasurer speak. And before I realize what is happening, I have tears streaming down my face, as the entire club voted to pay my way to the district conference in October in Lubbock. I've been planning to go, but was trusting G-d for the 75 dollars. I haven't said a thing to my club about struggling to pay. I wasn't able to go to the Amarillo conference last fall as it was 100.00.  I'm so excited. G-d is so wonderful. Toastmasters is one of my favorite things, and it's not a big thing in the grand scheme of things, but He knows.

Stress and other things...

 

It's been a stressful week. Trying to juggle everything is rough. I work hard at stopping and doing something fun, even if it's only 15 minutes. But the issues that cause the stress are still there. I typed in "stress" in the Google Images (where I get my pictures) and they all pretty much looked like this woman. Hand on their head, eyes closed and look of anguish on their faces. Humans are funny that way. I catch myself doing the same thing. 

I go to the rheumatologist today and see my ENT tomorrow. My neurosurgeon was the one that told me I needed to see the ENT. If I need surgery, Dr Guttenplan will be the one to do it. I've trusted him with my son, so it's only natural I would go see him for my thyroid. I'm really nervous about that appointment. (But Zee has an appointment at almost the same time, so we may see each other there, which will make it a little better.) I go to Physical Therapy on Friday morning. I'm hoping we are able to do a bit more. My PT found that my sacroiliac ligament was messed up, so we worked on that. Then he worked on my neck a bit. I'm really sore, but I'm used to pain. 

I do get to go to a fun class on Thursday night. I signed up for a free class at the library to make a cute doll for Tzipi. Free and close are good things.

Work, money, kids, homework, doctors, bills, family, friends, pain, will be there and there isn't anything I can do about it anyway. G-d will make it work out. He always does.

Daydreaming in bed...

 

I'm not sure what I'm dealing with. It started out feeling like allergies, and now my lungs hurt and my whole body hurts if I sneeze or cough. So... I've been in bed reading. I checked out this awesome book! Looks kind of crazy, but it's inspiring. 

 

One of my favorite things about Indiana Jones, was his father's journal. Leather bound and full of adventure. Well this book teaches you how to make your own.

Of course you'll need a journal. I have a journal (with handmade paper) I got when I went to the movies with Leelee and Kevin and then we went to Barnes and Nobles afterward. I've been saving this particular journal because it's so precious, I don't want to start it and give up. I have so many diaries and journals that are half full. Why do I do that? Anyway... I digress. You need to have a journaling kit with a few necessities and you need to carry your journal with you at all times. If you do those two things, you'll be right on your way to filling up your journal. The book also suggested keeping a baggy in with your kit so you can pick up "fodder" along the way. You know... ticket stubs, receipts, articles out of magazines, photo copies, photos, feathers, flowers, you name it! If it goes with your day, stick it in your journal. This book teaches techniques and gives great brainstorming ideas. I'm totally excited about doing this. My main thing is I hate my drawing. Zee can see anything and draw it. But I want my journal to have art in it. So I'm going to get passed my personal hatred and have something my kids might be interested in when they are older.

Happy New Year 5771!

Yay!

Last year I almost got hit by a car on my birthday. This year I need to go to work early, so I know the traffic will be light. Phew!
I get to be a judge at a Toastmaster's contest for Tall Tales speeches. I know my cubicle is all decorated and I have a yummy treat with my name on it. I'm glad that I have the next 5 days off. It will be nice to be away from work for a little while. Especially since we get to go to Three Falls Cove! Yay! Today is going to be a great day.