Sorry I've been MIA for the last month. I had so many great holiday posts I wanted to write but to be honest December was one of the worst months I've had in a long, long time and writing on my personal blog was the last thing on my list. On top of several things going on with my family and friends (that I don't feel are appropriate to talk about on a blog), I've been very sick for several weeks and nobody seems to be able to help me. WARNING: This is going to be a long story, but I really need to vent... Don't feel like you have to read all this :)
Last you heard (on this blog anyways) is that I had bronchitus, the same bronchitus I get every year that has always been easily cured by one simple round of antibiotics. Well, no such luck this time. I've been sick for over 5 weeks now, seen 4 different doctors with 6 different appointments, 1 trip to the ER, several blood tests & xrays, and about 10 different prescription meds... and with all that I feel no better than when all this started and don't really have any answers.
Essentially it started when I got meds for bronchitis and was prescribed a zpak and prednisone (the same meds I get every year and have never had a problem). This time, I had an awful allergic reaction to the zpak that sent me to the ER. Then I went on ammoxicylan, which seemed to work great at getting rid of the bronchitis but I was still feeling horrible chest pain and severe exhaustion. Come to find out out I have an ulcer in my stomach caused from the prednisone (or so they think...) and was put on meds for it. They also took some blood tests and found that I have an underactive thyroid (Hypothyrodism).. which apparently accounts for my exahuastion. After these tests (two weeks ago), I was optimistic that everything was figured out and I would be feeling better soon. Again, no such luck. I've tried 3 different meds for this apparant "ulcer" that I have and none seem to help at all - in fact, I've ended up getting worse because of the side effects of those drugs which makes me wonder if I am being treated for the right thing. The only thing thats improved is the exhaustion since they started me on medicine for my thyroid, but the chest and stomach pain have not improved. Apparently, the next step is for me to get an endoscopy of my GI tract... where the put a tube down your throat into your stomach to take a look around... yeah, not fun...
And to make matters worse, I've been having a hard time even getting in to see a doctor at all because of Tricare (military insurance). Technically right now I am not at any base - we've outprocessed from Columbus but don't report to Travis AFB until March 14th and I'm not at Altus AFB with Jake so I really have no doctor in all of this medical mess. It's been such a pain dealing with the insurance and the clinic at Columbus and trying to get so many out-of-town referrals from across the country. It's been a very stressful situation, which I'm sure isn't helping me recover any faster. Any tips on dealing with Tricare are very appreciated!
On top of all that, today I had to say goodbye to Jake for another 10 weeks :( We were able to spend the last 10 days together (which were wonderful, even if I wasn't feeling great... everything's better when my husband is with me...) but now he is back in Oklahoma to complete his last few months of training. At least this time, when he gets back we will be able to finally resume our lives together at our new base... we've been apart 4 months already so now I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel!!
Okay, now that I've had a chance to vent, I'd love to ask for your prayers. First please pray for my family as they are going through some tough stuff right now and can really use your thoughts and prayers this week, and secondly I ask you to pray for my healing. This ongoing sickness, especially being off and on so many different medications with no relief, is really taking a toll on every part of my life - physically, mentally, emotionally... and I'm starting to really wear thin.
Anyways, I hope you all were able to enjoy a great holiday season with your loved ones; despite everything going on, I was still able to have a really nice time with my family and friends.
Praying for a better January and a wonderful 2011 for everyone!
Blog Timeline
Here's a little guide to how my life has evolved since this blog first started back in 2008. Looking back now, I've gone through some very distinct and significant chapters. The archives at the bottom follow along accordingly :)
December 2008-July 2010:
Graduating from college, experiencing life as newlyweds, moving to the far-away land of Mississippi, enduring the hectic lifestyle of Air Force pilot training, discovering my passion for web design, and transitioning into life as a real "grown-up".
August 2010- December 2010:
Moving back in with my parents in California while Jake was away at training in Oklahoma, living in a complete state of "limbo", growing my newly launched web design business, and loving life back on the best coast - oops! - I mean west coast ;)
January 2011- March 2012:
Discovering what it's like to have life-altering medical issues, struggling through tragic loss, physical pain, emotional pain, never-ending doctor's appointments and medical tests, all while trying to start our new life at Travis AFB... Learning to trust God even in the darkest times and constantly praying for healing.
April 2012- Present Day:
Experiencing healing from my physical pain, enjoying a career that I absolutely love, making the most wonderful friends here at Travis, and striving to live every single day to the FULLEST. God is so good! John 10:10 - Read it :)
December 2008-July 2010:
Graduating from college, experiencing life as newlyweds, moving to the far-away land of Mississippi, enduring the hectic lifestyle of Air Force pilot training, discovering my passion for web design, and transitioning into life as a real "grown-up".
August 2010- December 2010:
Moving back in with my parents in California while Jake was away at training in Oklahoma, living in a complete state of "limbo", growing my newly launched web design business, and loving life back on the best coast - oops! - I mean west coast ;)
January 2011- March 2012:
Discovering what it's like to have life-altering medical issues, struggling through tragic loss, physical pain, emotional pain, never-ending doctor's appointments and medical tests, all while trying to start our new life at Travis AFB... Learning to trust God even in the darkest times and constantly praying for healing.
April 2012- Present Day:
Experiencing healing from my physical pain, enjoying a career that I absolutely love, making the most wonderful friends here at Travis, and striving to live every single day to the FULLEST. God is so good! John 10:10 - Read it :)
4 comments:
I'm so sorry Linds! I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers and your family!!
Linds, I had no idea all this was going on! I'm so sorry!!! You are definetly in my prayers!!!!!!! I am here if you ever need to vent, talk, get your mind off things, relax...anything! I know there are many many others who will do the same, but just don't forget I'm here for anything!
Hang in there! Things will work =)
I will certainly be praying for you and your family. As for Tricare, I have heard that if you are going to be in a different region (even if your sponsor isn't) for more than 60 days you can be switched to the Tricare for that region. If you think this might be something you'd want to do, let me know and I can try and get you more info. I know some families here who have done that in the past and I can ask about the process.
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