Updates

It has been awhile since I posted anything so here is an update.

Jason's Job

So about a week ago we thought he was going to go back to the dreaded Rover shift (which means no week-ends off ever and almost no chance to get any overtime). There has been quite an upset at work. A lady in the office was out due to back issues so someone from one of the shifts went into the office which left a vacant spot and Jason gladly filled it. Being on a crew meant that Jason got to experience 6 days off in a row once a month (Oct & Nov) plus 2, count them 2! week-end off in a month. AND opportunity to get some much needed overtime (I love that time and a half!). Mid month they told us that Jason would be going back to the Rover shift (everyone is going back to where they belonged) and we were bummed, I was hoping for some overtime over the holiday's, but we had been expecting it soon. Then like three days later everything changed and they said "oh, no, she can't work a full week yet, you can stay where you are until Dec 28th. Which is great. Because, all the days that the family is using to celebrate Christmas he now has off and doesn't need to ask for time off and use his vacation or holiday time! Yeah!

The bummer is that soon he'll be back to the Rover shift. At least they are just 8 hr days, not the 12 that he has been doing over the past month.

Pets

Last week on Tuesday I a saw a cat walking along our driveway. I didn't think too much of it because we see stray cats all the time. I did stick my head out the window and call to it, but it had little effect on it. That night we had a bible study and apparently he was sitting at the door because one of our friends let it in. She bent down to pet it and felt every bone in it's spine and she said to herself, "This can't be one of the Blidberg's cat, they would never do this to a pet." That was, of course, after she had let it in on our porch. Mom shooed it back outside and Kat got it some food to munch on. During bible study we came to the conclusion that we ought to help out this kitty. Sadly, when we went out to let it back in it had gone for the night.

Two days later on Thursday Kat saw it in the yard and opened the door to give it a friendly call, but it thought she meant ill for it and it ran away. We thought that was going to be the end of the kitty. However, that evening as one of the daycare grandparents were leaving I heard, "Hello, I didn't know that they had a kitty all one color." Which we didn't. As I am standing in the kitchen in waltz's this gray long haired cat. He walks up to me as if to say: "Move lady, I need to get to the food."

Jason and I capture it, which was "hard", since it wanted to be picked up and immediately started to purr the moment you talked to it. We put it in the dog's kennel for the night (in case it had some evil disease) and in the morning I brought it to the shelter. The shelter has this program where for $65 you can have a stray spayed/neutered plus have shots and vaccines. Luckily we only had to pay $35 because he was already "altered". He got a clean bill of health and has now joined our happy family. So, Meet Titus! He is super friendly. When he isn't eating or sleeping he is curled up on our chests watching TV with us!

TTC

No news on the pregnancy front. Still trying, still charting, still hoping that soon I'll be "with child".

Gastric

I had another flare up of my gastritis (sp?). I called my doctor and confessed that I had not done the meds that I had been given correctly from the first time. She thought that one of the meds I have been taking so I have stopped that and started pepcid. We are giving my tummy 2 weeks and then "we'll see" whatever that means. Tuesday will be 2 weeks. Also, because I have not had a period in nearly 60 days (which is not abnormal when coming off of "the pill") she is going to give me Provera to jump start my period. Maybe that will jump start the baby creating too?

More Pets

I don't have kids, I have pets and here is a couple more pictures of them.

This is Cali, she has just come home from apple picking! :)

And this is Izzy participating in her daily routine of playing with her ball. Sometimes Cali and Vinnie join her in her daily calenstetics of running from one end of the apartment to the other tossing and rolling on her ball.

This is Vinnie, curled up on the couch, doing what he does best....sleeping.

All Done

BTW.

No more tummy problems. What ever it was is done! Praise God!

Delia Called the Dr and the Dr Said

I called the doc to see how on earth I got this gastric stuff and she said it was probably the fair food on Saturday. She also said I only have to take the malox concoction when I'm in pain and to take note of the foods that hurt. She also said that after two weeks/ten days to stop the pepcid and see how I am and if I'm fine then Yay! and if not then we'll go from there and find out what's up.

I am praying that it was just the fair food and that I'm fine.

Annoyed

I hate all my meds, but for the next 10 days I need them. Argh. This is my crazy med schedual.

• 6am Levox (thyroid)
• 715 Sucral (new med)
• 815 Eat
• 845 Pepcid (new med)
• 945 Lidocained (new med)
• 1030 Sucral
• 1130 Eat
• 1230 Metformin & vitamins (which are supposed to be eaten with food, but i can't because I have to wait 2 hrs after taking the Sucral so that they can be absorbed into my stomach, because the Sucral doesn't let much pass it as it coats the lining of my tummy!)
• 130pm Lidocaine (this really ought to be taken directly after a meal as it is a numbing agent-liquid form-and anti-acid, but again I can't because I have other pills I need to take!
• 530 Sucral
• 630 Eat
• 730 Metformin
• 800 Pepcid (which is too early but I don't want to wait too long before I take my pain killer....)
• 900 Lidocaine
• Bedtime cough meds (Yes I have a prescription for that too)

However, all my annoyances aside I am happy that there are meds out there to help. Ugh.

So this is what WebMD has to say about Gastritis, which is one of the options of what I have. I am calling my doctor today to find out how this happened...

• Digestive Diseases: Gastritis
  Gastritis is an inflammation, irritation or erosion of the lining of the stomach. It can occur suddenly (acute) or gradually (chronic).
  What Causes Gastritis?
  Gastritis can be caused by irritation due to excessive alcohol use, chronic vomiting, stress or the use of certain medications such as aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs. It may also be caused by any of the following:
  Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori): A bacteria that lives in the mucous lining of the stomach. Without treatment the infection can lead to ulcers, and in some people, stomach cancer.
  Pernicious anemia: A form of anemia that occurs when the stomach lacks a naturally occurring substance needed to properly absorb and digest vitamin B12.
  Bile reflux: A backflow of bile into the stomach from the bile tract (that connects to the liver and gallbladder).
  Infections caused by bacteria and viruses
  If gastritis is left untreated, it can lead to a severe loss in blood, or in some cases increase the risk of developing stomach cancer.

And here is what they say about Peptic Ulcers which is the other options.

• Peptic Ulcer Disease - Topic Overview
  
  
  What is a peptic ulcer?
  A peptic ulcer is a sore in the inner lining of the stomach or upper small intestine (duodenum). Ulcers develop when the intestine or stomach's protective layer is broken down. When this happens, digestive juices can damage the intestine or stomach tissue. These strong juices, which contain hydrochloric acid and an enzyme called pepsin, also can injure the esophagus. The esophagus is the tube that leads from your throat to your stomach.
  Peptic ulcers are no longer a condition that most people have to live with their entire lives. Treatment cures most ulcers, and symptoms go away quickly.
  Peptic ulcers that form in the stomach are called gastric ulcers. Those that form in the upper small intestine are called duodenal (say "doo-uh-DEE-nul" or "doo-AW-duh-nul") ulcers.

Here is Something Fun To Do

Last night as church was wrapping up (we were busy doing the Baptist Blab) I began to get a pain at the top of my stomach. I didn't think too much of it since I had just finished drinking a liter of water in like an hour I figured I just overfilled my tummy a bit.

I got home to my hubby and my tummy was not any better. It hurt to have it touched. I was belching a bit, but even that did little to relieve the pressure. Laying down hurt the most, sitting was bearable, and standing felt all right, but no matter what I did nothing eased the pain. I went online and rechecked all the side effects to my meds and came up blank so I figured it was just something I needed to ride out. At about quarter to ten the pain disappeared for about two minutes and I laid down with my hubby to watch TV.

No sooner had I relaxed then the pain came back two fold and this time on both sides of my stomach and my stomach (but lower). I couldn't stand the pain, I was almost in tears. It was the most pain I had ever experienced in my life. I had Jason call poison control because I had taken one of my many meds only 3hrs apart. However, poison control said my pain was unrelated to the drugs. That was when I got scared. Jason quickly changed out of his PJ's and said: "Get your shoes on."

We now know that we can make it to the hospital in less than 5mins! Which is good to know for when we get pregnant. While were filling out paper work at the hospital the pain dissipated and I was fine. We contemplated leaving, but thought it best to wait and find out what had happened.

The Dr. told us that it was probably nothing serious, but he wanted to do some tests just in case. After blood work and x-rays he announced gastricitist or possibly an ulcer. Fun.

But here is the thing that kills me. He gave me 3 more prescriptions! Like I needed the hassle. And two of them I can't take at the same time as my Metformin. Thankfully it's only for a week. If any symptoms return I'm to call my doctor.

Tonight I will be looking up the two conditions online, because it doesn't make much sense to me to have had the pain all of a sudden with out any previous symptoms! Ugh!