Funnies

Ok... my last post made me depressed. If you want to see what I found out at the doctors today, please feel free to read it. And then if you want to feel happy again, look at some of these fun discoveries I found on the web.



http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/10/god-of-cake.html - YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!! I LAUGHED SO HARD!!!


http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html

PCOS

WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS TALK ABOUT THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS SO IF THIS SORT OF THING MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GO READ ANOTHER BLOG.

Today I went to a new doctor. I told you about the guy at People's Wellness Clinic. He is a good guy, but the last visit I went on... I don't know... a few red flags came up. He made me put my hand on that metal claw thing that supposedly could tell me what foods I'm allergic to and what illnesses I'd been exposed to. Whatever... I'm all about being open-minded, but that was just ludicrous. No, I don't believe that Magic 8 balls can tell your future, anymore than I believe a metal lie detector test can tell me what my food allergies are. Sorry. I just don't.

So I brought up the visit with my Aunt, who is an ER Nurse. She said maybe I should go see a real doctor. She recommended her Internist. Unfortunately her Internist refuses to see any new patients... and I'm starting to feel hopeless again... my pants keep getting tighter, my weight keeps going up... even though I've really careful about what I eat. On top of that, I haven't had a period in months.

So I was talking to a good friend of mine, and telling her about all the stuff that was going on with me. I've been to my regular OB/GYN several times begging him to help me. It's not that I'm trying to get pregnant, I just want my body to work right. He keeps telling me it's "normal" not to have periods every month. Lots of women go through it. Right. But does that make it NORMAL??? No.. we are designed to have a monthly cycle. Period. (I couldn't resist). When I haven't had more than 6 periods in a year, it's time to give a girl some freaking help.

So I made an appointment with the new guy. He's really nice, makes you feel really comfortable, and sat down and talked to me about what I have been going through, my diet, my exercise habits, the fact that I have gained 15 lbs in the last 4 months. Fun huh?

Then he does a quick exam, sends me to the lab for blood work, and then a Sonogram. I was at his office from 8:30-11am but I got my answers. The physical exam came back normal. The Sonogram showed ovarian cysts. I have PCOS.

"But I don't have any of the tell-tale signs?" I asked him. He told me the only reason I haven't gained more weight than I have, and haven't had any of the big symptoms is because of the frequency and duration of my 5 day/week, 1 hour/day workouts. Wow. I feel a lot less guilty about the weight gain. Apparently I have actually been slowing it down. That sucks. Anyway there are things you can do for it, medications you can take, and it's manageable. It won't kill me. It sounds a lot better than that horrible Adrenal Fatigue disorder Dr. Carsrud says I have... so maybe he was wrong? Or maybe I have both?

I haven't completely written off Dr.Carsrud, I'm just making sure I get the best diagnosis, and get this taken care of as quickly as I can so that I can stop worrying about it.

Either way my doctor is referring me to an Endocrinologist/Reproductive specialist who is going to help me figure out exactly what is going on, the best medication to put me on for it, and get this all squared away.

At least now I have something concrete, instead of theories and "I think you have's." Irritating.

Hopefully my next blog won't be medically related :(

Blog Out.

Happy Easter!

On Friday, I did a workout dedicated to Jesus and what he went through to die for us and our sins. I know it sounds ridiculous to do a workout dedicated to Jesus, in fact, I too was sceptical. But then I went through the workout, and realized that it really did help me to feel some sort of connection. First I had to lift a 35 lb bar 143 times, to equal 5,000 lbs, from ground to above my head. Then I had to carry that 35 lb bar for a mile. I think it was walking the mile with the weight on my back, thinking about how terrifying it must have been for Jesus to carry his own cross, that really made me feel like the workout was teaching me something. I could imagine the fear, the physical pain, and the emotional hurt that might have been going on within him, but I'm not really sure, I'm not sure what emotions would have gone on inside the mind a perfect human being.

I think Easter is a great holiday, and I even made it through sans chocolate this year! A lot of new things are coming, Easter is a time for rebirth and starting fresh. What better way to start fresh than opening your eyes to a new outlook on life! I am going to stop being so negative about the things in my life I cannot control, and start finding ways to make the best of life's problems.


And now for some awesome Easter comics...

Hoppy Easter!!!
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!



see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

So I'm not Crazy...

Yesterday I got my test results back. I've started wondering if it was all in my head, perhaps a psychosomatic intestinal problem. I started thinking... maybe my hormones are fine, maybe I'm totally a hypochondriac who thinks something is wrong with her thyroid, her metabolism, but really I'm just not eating well enough.







Wrong.







It was actually really scary to see my test results. He started out saying how great this level was, how great that level was, but I could see his paper and he had circled several other levels he hadn't yet spoken to me about. Then we got to my liver panel. The blood work from a year ago had already shown elevated liver enzymes, but the newer panel was worse. Basically something is going on and my liver is having a hard time dealing with it and cleansing my body of toxins. It won't kill me, it isn't a huge deal, but if I don't figure out what it is, then eventually it will turn into an immediate problem, so the goal is to make sure we get my liver back in shape.







Then there was the issue of my thyroid. With most thyroid problems, if you have an elevated T3 hormone, you have a diminished TSH hormone count, or vice versa... but with my levels, both were low... meaning somehow my pituitary and my thyroid are not communicating. I also have low Progesterone levels, but a normal estrogen level. Meaning basically my endocrine system is not working properly. Awesome. Dr. Carsrud believes that this might be an adrenal issue, something we're going to try to take care of through a few supplements to my diet.







Next is the most fun part. According to my saliva test, my immune system is basically in the toilet. I don't really have one. Normal levels are 25-45 or something and low levels are 15-25. My levels are <5. That means that something is going really wrong in my body. On top of that, or really because of that, I have a strep infection of my lower intestine. Fun huh?







It gets better. Basically the current theory (and that's all it is at this point) is that my adrenals are off, my testosterone is probably higher than it should be, causing my progesterone levels to be low, and keeping my cycle from coming back. On top of it, I have a food allergy that has not been well enough addressed, causing chronic inflammation of the lower bowel, causing strain on my liver, which is slowly going to kill me, and basically completely annihilating my immune system so that I now have strep of the bowel. Awesome.







So what does the good doctor believe to be the culprit??? Milk. My favorite thing in the world is trying to kill me. Granted, I thought I had a lactose allergy, so I started drinking lactose-free milk, eating lactase with dairy products (not that it helped much), but I kept drinking whey protein shakes, never cared if it had casein in it. Now I have to avoid all milk anything. No more chocolate. No more cake. No more fun. :( I also have to avoid eggs, cranberries, and yeast. Luckily, I do not have to avoid gluten. I also am starting a pretty heavy regimen of probiotics to help my lower bowel fight off the strep, I'm taking enzymes to help my liver, a supplement that is supposed to help my endocrine system re-sync itself, and hope that all is well between now and June, otherwise we may have to go a little more aggressive on diagnostics and treatment options.







This sucks.

Happy 26th Birthday, JEFF!

Happy Birthday to the greatest Man I have ever known! In honor of his birthday, I posted some cartoons from his favorite comic website, xkcd.com. I am so happy to have my incredible husband, Jeffrey, in my life. He makes me a better person, and makes me want to continue to better myself. He's turning 26 on April 11th... unfortunately, that's also the day I'll be busy taking him to Universal Studios Hollywood!!!!!... so uh... I won't have time to post. Hence the pre-birthday post.

Why do I love Jeff?

-he's awesome

-he's kinda a know-it-all.. but he really usually knows it all (but I love it when he doesn't and I do!!! muahaha)

-he can eat anything he wants and yet doesn't care too much for sweets

-he has big muscles but a bigger heart and a bigger brain

-I find everything about Jeff attractive, and he is the first man I have ever felt this way about except Brad Pitt... and he's old.. ewww

-Jeff is pretty funny

-Jeff has a very positive attitude almost constantly

-Jeff can sense when my stress level hits a dangerous point, and he knows exactly what to do to ease my stress and calm my fears

-Jeff is my hero

-Jeff reaches stuff for me when I can't reach

-Jeff is handy... he can make and build anything and he does it well

-Jeff is smart, he is especially technology savvy

-Jeff likes things because he likes them, he doesn't care what anyone else thinks, no one else's opinion sways him... except sometimes mine

-Jeff's a great uncle, he is so good with Adelaide

-Jeff's a great cat dad... he's more patient than I am BY FAR with our kitty children

-Jeff's a great space heater on cold nights

But most of all... Jeff's just awesome. He treats me so well, and works so hard at being a good husband and provider for our family. I have never met a man so wonderful and loving as Jeff is. Somehow, God loved me enough to give me Jeff... and I have a lot of work to do to deserve such a beautiful gift. Happy Birthday Jeff.

I've been busy

I have been SO BUSY! My mom came to town and between spending time with her, clients, and starting up a new bootcamp with some elementary teachers, my life has been going 80 miles an hour and doesnt look to slow down for some time... so I decided to write a blog today since it may be the only day I have free time between now and around the middle of April. So far, I went to Lubbock and saw my sister, Meghan, and got to meet her new boyfriend. He is the first boyfriend I actually like and approve of, and he's wonderful to my sister, which makes me incredibly happy. Last weekend I went to Houston and saw my sister, April, and spent some time with my niece, nephew, and family. We had a lot of fun, went to this cool place by the pier with rides and carnival attractions, and ate delicious seafood. I rode all the rides my nephew wanted to and had a lot of fun playing with him. It was a great weekend. I thought someone stole my flip last month and it has been incredibly upsetting to me. Luckily, my mom called me last night and told me I left it with my Granddaddy a month ago!!! Woohoo! So it's back! I tend to leave things there for some reason... Today I finalized all the fun things Jeff and I are going to do on our trip to California for my Personal Training conference. I am psyched! I printed out an itenerary and everything! I am so ready to go! I've also been forced to eat gluten and dairy last night, today, and until tomorrow night, in order to take some samples for a test my new doctor ordered. I am really hoping they lead me in the right direction. That's about it. No great stories, nothing super crazy... if you want more details or stuff I would never post in a million years, call me. Blog Out.