Down But Not Out

So just like her and her, I've been sick. Super duper sick. Not able to function sick. Can't lift my head off the pillow sick. It's been a week and a half and I'm still not over it. But I am out of bed now. I didn't leave my bedroom in an entire week. My husband didn't dare cross into our bedroom as he was so afraid of the virus. He slept in our Winnie the Pooh room that I have set up for my niece, Jayda when she comes for sleepovers. I'm not sure what I had/have. It started off very much like the flu (fever, throwing-up, ear ache), then turned to a cold...sorta (sore throat, head ache, running/stuffed nose), and then has turned into this horrible cough. Plus I liked to add morning sickness on top of all that. And like she said here: Tylenol doesn't help the nose, the congestion, and the cough. Being sick when pregnant blows. I remember that from last summer. I had a fun week. But not as much fun as Tim who was the lucky duck who got to teach my Primary class. He got home from church and I asked him how the kids were. His reply: "They are insane!" Ya, I know.

Wanna know how I got so sick? I picked it up in BC when I went home for this:

Danyca's blessing. Everyone there was so sick...and I brought it back to Alberta with me. However it was worth it. I'm so glad I got to go and see little Danyca be blessed. She's beautiful eh? I bought her that little pearl bracelet. Totally LOVE her! I love going home to see the family. It's so great. I didn't see much of Tim though. When we put him and Brendan (my brother-in-law) in the same town they seem to get lost together -- like at Christmas. Kimmy and I become single when we go home for a visit. Ya, the sickness was totally worth the trip!

A Year in Review (2007)

I totally stole this from another blog. Loved the idea, so I wanted to do it here too. Here's a summary of our 2007.

January

Tim started his last year of school

Bought a new car

February

My cousin miraculously survives being in an avalanche

March

Rachel announced she's pregnant

Tim finished school & is now a Journeyman Electrician

Ashlee went to the ER with a kidney stone

Tim turns 27 years old

April

Tim sold his horse Felize

Camping at Fairmont Hot Springs

Tim bought a new Quad

Ashlee bought a new treadmill

Ashlee got her wisdom teeth out

Bought an old holiday trailer

May

Grampa had to go to an assisted living home

Camping at Writing on Stone

Camping at Lewis & Clarke Caverns

Tim fought his first house fire

Jenn announces she's pregnant

June

Camping at Waterton (Belly River)

Bought a new truck

Camping & Quading at Pole Haven

Britnee graduates highschool

July

We're Pregnant

Camping at Writing on Stone

Camping in Montana

Ashlee turns 25 years old

Trent & Tara announce they're pregnant

August

Attended my cousin Kyle's wedding

Grampa passes away

Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

Attended my cousin Carlene's wedding

September

We lost our baby

Ashlee goes to the ER with fluid on her hip

October

Spent Thanksgiving in Castlegar with Kimmy & Brendan

November

New nephew Dallin was born

December

We're Pregnant Again

Celebrated Christmas in BC

Phew, 2007 has exhausted me! Here's hoping 2008 is AWESOME!

Fluid on the Joint

Here's a little update on my hip problems:
I've been seeing the doctor weekly. Each week my hip is a little better. It's not even close to 100% though. Sitting is pretty good now. Driving is fine. I can't quite take a full stride when walking yet though. My biggest problem is twisting. Twisting is a no go. Lateral movements are just not happening. There's not really any pain involved...it's pretty much just a restriction of motion. And very annoying.

The doctor has been very thorough with me though. I go back and see him again next Tuesday. He's going to see how well it heals on its own, but he said that he won't stop until it perfect again. At my age 99% isn't good enough. So if it does heal all the way on its own then he'll send me to physio. We'll see...

Inconclusive!

The tests came back inconclusive. The doctor went through every test that they ran on me with Tim and I...and there were many. They tested me for gout, staph infection, rheumatoid arthritis, just plain arthritis, lupus, lyme disease, some muscle diseases, and so on. Everything came back normal other than the test that showed inflammation (no kidding). But I'm happy with inconclusive if that means they've ruled out some of the nasty things that it could be.

Each day my hip is slowly getting better. I'm moving more. I can go down stairs, but not up them quiet yet. Sitting up is getting better. I am driving now, but not without pain...pain from sitting and from moving my leg from the gas to the brake. And I walk with a limp (how uncool is that?). The silly part is I limp not because of pain but because of lack of mobility. The doctor think because each day is a little better that it's probably a viral infection in the joint. Oh fun!

I'm all hopped up on Ibuprofen (a major prescription dosage) to help with the inflammation cuz it's not really doing anything pain wise.

Oh come on already!

They say it's not over till the fat lady sings and she's not singing yet. If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

So I've spent the last two days in the ER...again. Seriously I come up with something new every few weeks. I started with the kidney stone, then the wisdom teeth, then there was the head cold plus 3 infections while on vacation, let's not forget the morning sickness, then the loss of our baby with emotional and physical pain, and now this....

I woke during the night to notice that when I tried to roll over in bed pain shot through my leg. The pain was so intense that I couldn't move my leg on it's on. I had to pick it up with my hands and move my leg. At 7:30am I had to call Tim back home from work cuz I couldn't move my leg enough to get out of bed. So back to the ER we went. The doctor checked me out and right away ruled out a pulled muscle. He pretty much scratched his head cuz it also didn't sound like a blood clot. But to be on the safe side the doctor sent me for some blood tests to check for a clot and sent me for an ultrasound on my leg. In the ultrasound they found no problem with the artery in my leg but did notice a bunch of fluid on my joint. Ya my hip is all jacked up. Which totally made sense as to why I couldn't sit, move my leg side to side, or forward and back. I could only lay flat on my back or stand straight up (with Tim's help to get me there). The doctor phoned my at 6:30pm last night to tell me he's still not sure as to what would cause a 25 year old to have fluid on her joint. Then he called me again at 9:45pm and told me to come back into the ER the next morning so they can check on me and do more blood work. Well obviously because I can't sit that means I can't drive. And forget about moving my leg from the gas to the brake peddle. So I called my little sister out to spend the night with me and then take me to the ER cuz Tim had to go to work.

Well this morning I woke up and now my shoulder is sore too. Not nearly as bad as my leg though. Britnee took me to the ER where the doctors there still don't know what's causing this so they are testing me for everything under the sun. I was sent for blood work AGAIN. This makes the 5th time in 3 weeks that I've had my blood taken for tests. Good thing I'm okay with needles. However the blood work today was ridiculous. Usually I just had to fill a couple vials of blood...three at the very most. Not today though. I had to fill two bottles that look like these and were about 6" tall. By the second bottle I was only dripping into it. It took forever to fill. Then the lab tech had to fill 7 vials after that. Well after the two bottles and the second vial I was so light headed and I almost passed out. The tech had to stop. hehe (That part was actually the funny.) Once the dizziness went away the tech went back to my other arm (where I had the blood drawn from yesterday so it was already bruised) to fill the other vials. Needless to say I have giant bruises on both of my arms from the blood work.

Well I go back to the doctor on Monday as they'll have the results by then from all the tests. I'm pretty nervous though as I know they're checking me for some autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus. Neither of which aren't horrible.

I'm overwhelmed, but trying to stay positive. I know the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle. And I guess this means He knows I can handle this. I'm exhausted though. Oh come on fat lady....please start singing already. Please!

**Ignore the typos and such as I'm not rereading this. I'm tired and going to bed instead.

Montana Vacation

Finally I downloaded the pictures from our Montana holiday. I know it took me forever. My excuse is I was sick and I'd rather lay down than sit in front of a computer. Anywho, but late than never.

We headed out late on Saturday to go to Kalispell. We got there, stopped for gas, and the guy at the gas station said we should spend the night at Ashley Lake, 20 miles outside of Kalispell. Sounds good. Well after driving more like 30 miles we see the sign for Ashley Lake. That turned into a gravel road for 20 miles and then we heard it. We had a flat tire! It's pitch black outside and Tim's now trying to change a flat tire. We didn't have a jack (what vehicle doesn't come with a jack?), but we borrowed one from a cabin near by. This part of the story is much longer, but I won't bore you with the details. Anywho, the guy that owned the cabin told us that Ashley Lake doesn't have any public camping..NICE. So we head back out and go to a lake that he told us about. Ya, well the site was full. Finally at 1:30 am we pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot in Kalispell and slept there. Ya, that's how we roll.


We couldn't repair the tire and we couldn't buy a new one. Our tires we're 100% Canadian and could only be bought in Canada. So I phoned my sister and she went and bought us a tire and brought it down to us (more on that later).

We spent the next 3 nights camping on Flathead Lake. So beautiful. Our site was right on the water. We had our own private beach. It was awesome. By this time though I was deathly sick with a head cold and morning sickness. I wasn't having much fun.

Tim swam with the dogs and took them boating. Actually all 4 of us fit in that dingy at once.



Wednesday we went to Big Sky Waterslides. My sister Jenn brought her family and our tire to Columbia Falls. They didn't let pregnant ladies on some of the slides, so Jenn and I had to sit out of some. I didn't really want to do the super steep ones anyways. Tim and my sister Britnee did. I liked the tube rides.




We spent that night at Whitefish Lake (ya not so nice). A stupid train went right by the campsite all the time. So on Thursday, MY BIRTHDAY, we moved on to Dickey Lake. I've camped their tons as a kid. And part of my birthday presents was snorkeling gear for myself and for Tim (I guess it was his bday too) and Dickey Lake is so crystal clear it made for perfect snorkeling.



And then that evening for my birthday my mom and my granny drove to see us (it's about an hour drive from Jaffray). It was great to have dinner and a bday cake with them. (Don't mind how I look in this photo. I was feeling pretty sick this day.)


Saturday we crossed back into Canada and visited Mom and Dad in Jaffray for a bit. Then Tim and I along with Dad went to Thunder in the Valley in the Crowsnest Pass. It was amazing. But I don't have any pictures for ya cuz by this day I was super duper sick and not feeling like much of anything. The fireworks were the best I've ever seen. They said they spent $35,000 on them. There were tons of people there though. We had a great spot to see the fireworks. I'm going again next year.

1st Prenatal Appointment

I had my first prenatal yesterday. It wasn't anything fancy. It's still too early to hear the heartbeat. Went through mine and my family's medical history. And spent most of the time talking about my heart problems (I have SVT). The baby and I are doing well. It's 100% a normal pregnancy. Nothing crazy or eventful (which is so good). The morning sickness is good one day and bad the next. Yesterday was a good day, so I was able to run some errands after work. And today...so far, so good. Oh and Tara and I are now due a week apart.

I'm still alive....I think

We've been home from our vacation in Montana since Sunday. I know...I've been missing in action for a few days. I have a good excuse though. My head has been in the toilet. Ya know, people speak of this "morning sickness" that's supposed just make you queasy and crackers and gingerale fix it -- well that's not what I've got. I've tried the crackers, the dry toast, the gingerale, the gingersnaps, and all that. Ya well those came up too. If it went in...it would come out. So I stopped putting stuff in to see if that would help. Nope. I tried going to work on Monday. Made it most of the day. Not so cool throwing up in a public toilet. Finally gave up and went to the doctor. **Side Note: You see I have more than one sickness going on. I'm trying to get over a head cold, 3 different infections (yes three), and then morning sickness.** So Dr. V told me that it looks like I'm over infection #1, gave me a prescription for infection #2, told me to stop taking the antibiotics for infection #3 cuz it was making infection #2 worst and adding to the nausea. He told me to try gravol for the morning sickness (or all day sickness), but just in case that didn't work he gave me a prescription to stop the vomiting. Well the gravol went it...it came out. No way would it stay down. So after throwing up more than 10 times in a single day (I realize Casey you probably beat that.), Tim took me to Shoppers Drug Mart at 10 pm to fill the prescription. And that stuff is AMAZING! Very expensive, but amazing! I can eat again.

Seven weeks tomorrow!! I've got my first prenatal August 8th. Not that I haven't already seen the doctor 3 times in the last 3 weeks, but at least this is a planned visit. His head nurse and I are on a first name basis--we speak on the phone even when I'm on vacation.

DAY SEVEN

Well it's day seven of the wisdom teeth...and I'm feeling better. I'm able to eat better food now, it just takes me a long time to eat it. After breakfast I decided to go to work. Well my mom asked for some pictures so I guess you'll all get to see me at my finest. Please take into consideration when viewing the photos that the chipmunk cheeks and double chin are a result of swelling. And the yellow bruise on my jawline, I believe, is where the dentist had his knee (okay I'm kidding). Viewer discretion is advised...
Can you see the nice yellow bruise? This is the good side of my face.
Yes, this picture was taken on day seven. Cute eh? Just use your imagination as to how days one through six looked (I won't post those pictures).

Wisdom Teeth

Are you freakin' kidding me? A wisdom teeth extraction has been for sure the worst pain I've had so far. Now I've never given birth, but I have had a kidney stone and have had "the paddles" used on me to slow my heart down. I know everyone's different with their wisdom teeth. Tim had a steak dinner two days after his were taken out. And my friend's husband ate corn on the cob the day his were taken out. And then there's me. I've written off soup and yogurt for a good long time. I've had way too much of then these past few days. So I've moved on to soggy pancakes and mashed potatoes. And thanks to Skye for the Frosty from Wendy's tip. I'm pretty sure all the pain killers I'm on are burning a hole in my stomach. I feel nauseated 85% of the day. And the stitches in my mouth are driving me bonkers. It's now day 5 and I'm still so stinkin' swollen I can hardly speak. What the freak! I'd post some pictures of my swollen chipmunk cheeks if they didn't look horrendous.

Yes, yes...I'm complaining. For two weeks I'm not aloud to use the quad, the hot tub, and my new treadmill (which I don't think I told you guys about). And all I want to do is have a bag of chips. However I've now come up with a new fad diet..the Wisdom Teeth. In 3 days I lost 3.5 lbs.

*Let me explain why wisdom teeth are worse than a kidney stone. Now the kidney stone was killer pain, however it only lasted (for me at least) 2 hours. With the wisdom teeth I'm on 5 days of throbbing pain (not killer pain), but FIVE DAYS! And it's still not over.

OUCH!

Have ya ever had a kidney stone? Well I don't recommend one! Talk about killer pain. I had super bad pain on my right side (from belly button to spine). I couldn't even stand. I did however make it to the bathroom to throw-up a few times. It was supposed to be Tim's first day back to work as a Journeyman Electrician, but instead he had to take his poor wife to the ER. The doctor is now treating me for a kidney infection as well. I read on a few website, including this one, that kidney stone pain can be compared to labour pains. Well the kidney stone sucked, but at least it only lasted 1.5 hours. I have a feeling labour pains will last much longer.

I'm feeling much better today than I did Monday morning. But my back/kidney on the right side is super sore. At least there is no shooting pain now.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

THE GOOD

I'm 24 years old and my dentist told me this morning that I still don't have any cavities. Yep, never had a filling in my life. My perfect record is still in tact. And that's the good.

THE BAD

I have three wisdom teeth and they all need to be pulled. Luckily I don't have the fourth or it probably would have needed pulling as well. I have my consult for this on March 26th. And that's the bad.

THE UGLY

I apparently need braces to pull my jaw/bottom teeth back. My jaw slides forward when I'm relaxed or sleeping and my front teeth line up instead of my bottom teeth being a bit behind. I guess this will stop me from grinding off my front teeth compeletely...so the dentist says. And that's for sure the ugly!

Just Stuff

Well I’m away on business this week. Yep, living out of a suitcase. The hotel bed is about as good as Papa Bear’s–it sucks. I prefer Mama Bear’s (so soft). Can’t sleep a wink without my husband next to me. And to top it all off....my shower this morning was ICE COLD! It took my breath away. I just love travelling for work.

Next week I have a dentist appointment. At 24 years old my wisdom teeth have decided to finally make an appearance. So I’m crossing my fingers that the dentist will say that I have room for my new teeth and that he won’t yank them. I’ll keep ya posted on that.

Sheesh!

Today I had my yearly “doctor” appointment. Now if these appointments aren’t terrible enough the nurse told me the Dr. B has a resident working with him and wanted to know if I was okay with that. I believe my exact words were, “It’s uncomfortable anyways, so why not!” Ya well I should’ve thought a little harder about my answer, but I just figured it would mean one extra person in the room...whatever. Not the case. I failed to realize that Dr. B would be teaching this young resident. How fun. I’m staring at the ceiling while two gentlemen are discussing my cervix, ovaries, and uterus. And the dear resident got the “inside” scoop on IUDs. Oh ya, I’m having a great day!