Learning to Make Lemonade

Remember that "funny" story about the health horrors I faced the day before our wedding? Well, it hasn't exactly gone away.

After the wedding, we immediately left the USA and headed to a fun honeymoon in Jamaica. I was on the mend, but was still cautious with my stomach problems. The last thing I wanted was to end up in a foreign hospital.

It wasn't until the third day of our honeymoon that I was plagued again with whatever "virus" was running through my body. Thankfully, it went away after a few days.. but then it came back again when we arrived back in Montana. At this point, I was getting worried.. really worried. All the stomach flu's I've had before went away within a week. What the heck was going on?

As soon as I could I called a number of doctors searching for appointment openings to figure out what this was. Naturally, their openings were a month out. I thought to myself, "At this rate, if I wait a month I'll be skin and bones." I had lost a ton of weight before the wedding, and wasn't gaining it back. In fact, I kept losing more and more. I felt and looked so sickly.

I called the doctors office every.single.day for WEEKS to try and get in sooner. The front office knew my name and birth date by heart because I called multiple times a day. My persistence payed off though because I was able to get in sooner. Though, I couldn't get a lady doctor because we only have one female gastroenterologist in town.. and she's highly requested by female patients.. probably because other women like me aren't comfortable having male doctors examine their bums. I had to get over my insecurity because at this point I didn't care who was going to examine me, I just needed to be seen.

My doctor ended up being a really nice guy. He recommended two procedures, an upper GI and colonoscopy, to try and figure out what was going on with my body. Though, he couldn't schedule me in for another month. Can you imagine my frustration? I've felt like poop for a month, physically and mentally.. now I have to wait another month of this?

I got on a cancellation list, and luckily was able to get in within a few weeks. My husband, God bless his soul, took time off to take care of me for the procedure. He has been so patient and understanding with my health issues. My procedure went well, and the doctor said he took some biopsies and would know the results within a few weeks. Funny story- I was in the post-op room waking up from the sleepy juice they give you, when all of a sudden I let out this huge fart, (sorry, gross I know). But this is very common with this kind of procedure. Dakota said my eyes widened to the size of a quarter when I did it, and I asked him if I "shit" myself. He then replied, "I don't know it sounded pretty wet." Of course I didn't but he was trying to make me laugh, and it worked! We're so disgusting sometimes but it seriously makes scary situations like these much more fun.

Weeks went by without any results. I was starting to wonder if everything was OK any maybe it really was a month long stomach flu? Maybe I didn't have cancer or all of the other horrible things that went through my mind. I got a call at work on a Thursday from the gastro office. A male nurse was on the line and wanted to discuss my results. He said, "Your biopsies strongly suggest you have Celiacs disease, Okay? Bye."  Not. even. kidding. This was the extent of our conversation. I was completely caught of guard. First of all, I've had gluten my entire life and NOW I'm allergic to it? I called back demanding to speak to the doctor. My doctor wasn't much help either. He repeated the same diagnosis the male nurse shared with me. I asked him a few questions, like, "why am I getting this now? Could it be anything else?" He was little help, and never scheduled a follow up with me.

So here I am today, completely off gluten for a month and still feeling like a bag of dog poop. Skinnier than I've ever been & skeptical that Celiacs Disease is the only issue I have going on. I've had to strongly advocate for myself, scheduling more appointments and other procedures.. all while I'm trying to be the best wife, teacher, daughter and friend I can be. It's been, without a doubt the lowest point I've ever been in my life. My husband has had to take care of me for three months now. Some days I can't even get out of bed.. can't do my laundry, can't make dinner, literally stuck in bed. I'm losing weight, chunks of hair, and the hospital bills are wracking up. 

Towards the end of my blog posts I always have a moral of the story so here it goes.. Life sucks sometimes. It's not always fair and it's OK to feel that way.. But you have to learn to make lemonade out of lemons somehow. My husband and family have been there for me every step of the way. Right now, they are the true blessings of this unfortunate situation. I've never felt more vulnerable. At times, I feel so bad for my husband. He's had to cancel many plans just to to take care of me. Never, have I heard him complain. When he vowed, in sickness and in health, he meant it.  My mom flew down from California to take care of me for a week. They are my strength. I'm trying to lean on God too but it's been really hard to hear him. Maybe that's the point? Maybe he wants me to lean more on him and keep praying. My friends and family reading this, your prayers and positive vibes would be much appreciated.

Love,

Lex