Update

This has been a bad week. M hasn't gotten sick anymore, but we had a lot of tests this week. She had a gastric emptying exam on Wednesday. It was so bad, it was just really long. Today she had an upper GI and blood tests. For the upper GI, they had to strap her to the table, so her ankles, knees, waist, and chest were strapped down. Then they pulled her arms above her head and strapped her wrists, then taped her head down. Then I had to stand there and make her drink her chocolate barium while they did the X-rays. It wasn't much fun for either of us. Luckily the test was short. Then we did the blood test. They missed the vein in her right arm, so they ended up having to stick her in her left. That was a nightmare. But she got a balloon, stickers, a new toy, a puzzle, a book, and chocolate ice cream out of it.

The gastric emptying exam will tell us if there's something wrong with the opening at the bottom of her stomach where it empties into the intestine. The upper GI will tell us if she has a problem in her esophagus, stomach lining, or if her intestines/colon are twisted or out of place. The blood tests are a more comprehensive RAST panel and more intestinal disorders.

If the GI specialists gets an abnormal report from the tests they'll call us by Wednesday. If everything is normal we won't hear from them. She has a follow-up appointment with the GI specialist on the 8th.

Hubs and I had a talk and we've decided that if they don't find anything from these tests that we're going to go with the CVS diagnosis. These tests will rule out any severe problems, so we don't feel the need to continue to put her through rigorous tests if it could be as simple as she has a crazy sensitive gag reflex. What they'll probably do is stop the testing and observe her, meaning we'll have to return to the specialist once a year for a check up. I'll update if we hear anything before Wednesday. After Christmas I'll decide for sure about the LOST updates. As long as she's well then I'll probably do them. I can't skip out on the last season. :)

If you don't hear from me before Christmas, Merry Christmas to all of you!

Update

We went to the GI specialist today where they ruled out Chrohn's disease (HUGE RELIEF). They said they think she has a condition called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, but they're not 100% certain. Unfortunately the only way to diagnose CVS is to rule a bunch of other stuff out. So we're having more tests done. Next week she'll have more blood panels done then she'll have an upper GI exam and a Gastric Emptying Scan. If anything on those tests comes back abnormal her specialist will notify us immediately. If everything come back normal I think they will probably go with the CVS diagnosis. The doctor is pretty sure that's what's causing it, though, sure enough to go ahead and start treating her for CVS, because it's just 1/2 tsp of medication per day. Next week is going to be a really rough week. She's already terrified of doctors now, and I know dragging her to the lab two or three times next week is not going to go over well. Besides the blood draw I'm most worried about the upper GI exam because she has to drink a cupful of barium. Have you ever drank barium? It's like liquid chalk. It's not going to be much fun to force a two year old to down that and I honestly don't know if I'll be able to.

I'll have to take M to the tests by myself because they only allow one parent in the lab. Hopefully we'll have some news by our appointment on January 8th.

I've been considering my blog the last few days and if all of this blows over by the time LOST starts back up in February I may go ahead and blog until the season's over. It is the final season after all. But it will hinge on M's health at that point. I'll keep you all posted.

update

M has an appointment with a GI specialist on the 10th. I wish I could write a happy blog post and be all funny, but I seriously can't right now. Thank you for reading anyway.

M update - kind of

We had a good Thanksgiving and still have not heard the results of the RAST test. M ate and didn't throw up so I was happy. We should hear results later today or Monday. I have a feeling in my gut that the RAST will come back normal, which means on to a pediatric GI specialist, CT scans of the intestines, tubes down throats, and more blood tests. It's not fair.

I have decided that I'm definitely ending the blog. I won't delete it until I can let everyone know what's wrong, but I feel I have no other choice. She needs me, plain and simple. I need to focus on my family and my daughter. I'll miss the blog, especially when LOST comes back on in February, but I don't know what else to do.

If you're a member of one of my mommy communities I will try to check in there occasionally, or you can e-mail me at allkindsofcreativeATgmail.com

I'll miss everyone I've gotten to know through my blog. There are countless other wonderful blogs out there to read. I know a lot of people who have kids who are sick blog about it as an outlet and I think that's wonderful, but I just can't do that. I'm not made that way. If you really want updates on M, though, e-mail me at the address above and I'll tell you any information that I may have.

Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog, even though it's not that much to look at. You're all pretty awesome and I'll miss you.

ETA: Her doctor just called and she has no food allergies, so we go to the GI specialist next week.

M update

Most of her tests came back today and they were all normal. All that's left is the food allergy test and it's still pending. The nurse is supposed to call me as soon as they have the results. If the RAST is normal then it's on to a pediatric GI specialist.

Taking Stock

My life has been a complete whirlwind lately, hence the deplorable state of my once cheery blog. I have honestly never felt more lost in my life.

See this little person? She is one of the two loves of my life. The great love of my life is the Hubs. She's a close second. You see, I would do anything for them, anything they needed, without batting an eye at my own self preservation. When she came into our lives she made everything better. She made Hubs a better man. She made me a better woman.

She's a beautiful ball of sunshine. She doesn't walk, she bounces. She has an eternal grin, and infectious laugh. She has big blue eyes like her dad and dark blond hair like me. She likes pink. She likes to wear a tutu with cowboy boots. She's a good friend and a perfect daughter. She's a whole lot better than I could ever hope to be.

And she's sick. And we don't know why or with what. We don't know if it's serious or minor. We don't know. The not knowing is the worst. I've spent a lot of the last week evaluating what's important to me. I love blogging. I love my online communities. I love facebook. But I don't know if I can or should do them anymore. You see, she's scared, and more than anything she needs her mommy. Truth be told, Hubs and I are both scared, too. And when I'm not being brave for her, we need to be there for each other, not keeping up with our internet obligations. So I'm considering ending my blog. I know there are a very few of you who faithfully read it and to you I'm truly sorry. I haven't made an iron clad decision yet, so the blog will be left up for now. Tomorrow we're going to Children's Hospital to have some tests done (if you are a friend on Facebook, please don't mention this there. We're limiting what we broadcast to the world). I'll post when we know results from that test at the end of next week. Hopefully I'll have made my decision by then.

Thank you for reading. I really do appreciate all of you.

New Moon Premiere

So my city had a New Moon premiere last night. It was a charity function. Tickets cost $100. I didn't go. Kristen and Taylor were there. Hubs and I drove by the theater. At one point Hubs said, "There's Jacob! I see him!" I said, "Where?!" and he said, "He turned into a wolf and ran away!"

The Hubs thinks he's funny.

We saw a police car with it's lights on. It was awesome.

That was my trip to the New Moon premiere. Did anyone else go to a premiere?

I don't even want to go to the movie. The first movie made me sad because it wasn't much like the book. Then I saw the previews and I am not a fan of Obi-Wan-Kenobi Edward. My friend is making me go with her, though. She promised me some movie theater nachos. That's right. I can be bought.