Yay Botox!

No, I'm not getting my face done.

I went and saw the doctor the other day and we got a lot accomplished. First we got things setup so I can start taking Domperidone (the non-FDA-Approved drug they use in Canada.) Unlike the Reglan I took and reacted to, this one doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier so it doesn't have all the side effects. (You can read all about that in this old post.)

Now this is where the Botox comes in! They've just started treating Gastroparesis by relaxing the muscle at the bottom of the stomach with Botox. It's temporary, just like in your face, but sometimes it's enough to "reset" things and people spontaneously get better! They go in through your throat (basically it's an EGD) with a camera and the needle to inject it so it's very expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it. For that reason we're waiting to hear back from the insurance company before we try to set it up.

I also have an appointment to see a dietitian/nutritionist so I can re-learn how to eat. Looks like there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel. It may be a train, but for now it's hope!

Well THIS little piggie went "WAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

So this morning we had an appointment at the vet for little Joey to get his last booster vaccine. Unfortunately we ended up having to take Zipp with us. Last night he was laying in my lap and I noticed he was licking something and getting my leg in the process. I looked to see what he was licking and noticed that his toe was VERY swollen. Of course I immediately checked it out to make sure he hadn't broken his toe or something since I hadn't noticed the swelling until just then. The bones felt fine and he was walking on it like normal so I figured it wasn't broken. It felt like a big swollen lump with some fluid in it.



The vet wasn't sure if it was a hematoma (giant blood blister) or an abscess (giant pimple-like infection) so she used the needle from a syringe to prick it and get a sample of the fluid/tissue in the bump to check out over a microscope. As soon as she pricked it it started bleeding like crazy! She wrapped it up to handle the bleeding while she checked the slide under the microscope. ::extreme sarcasm:: Lucky us- it's an abscess! :: It was definitely smaller after we drained the pool of blood from it, but the slide shows it is infected so it'll take a while before it goes away and he'll have to take antibiotics. Oh well, things happen I guess.

Holiday Update

Hey everybody, long time no see! I know I haven’t been around and I’m sorry for anyone I might have disappointed =( but here I am once again! How about a quick holiday update?

So Eric and I went “home” to Sandusky for the holidays and we took Brodie along. (The other boys stayed with a doggie sitter here in c-bus.) Eric could only stay for a couple days and had to head back on Christmas since he had to work the next day. Since I didn’t have a job to go back to I stayed around to visit with family and Brodie stayed with me. It was a little worried about staying around for the extra days, but it was actually a pleasant visit. My mom seems to be in a VERY good mood now that I’m feeling better and 40 lbs lighter. I don’t know which she’s happier about though.

On to presents! Diane (sister) got me a cashmere sweater in the prettiest green which looks great on me. When she asked me before Christmas what I’d like I told her I needed a necklace that I could wear with everything and she definitely came through. She’s always had good taste. It’s a thicker silver chain with a simple square pendant, but the back of it opens up and you can change the colored stone in the square so it really does go with everything!

My mom apparently had a blast doing the holiday shopping. There were boxes and boxes under the tree for me…. All full of clothes! Of course bottoms are too hard to pick out for someone else so they were all tops. Most of them are to nice for everyday wear around town, but they’ll be great for work and going out. She also got me a (fake) tennis bracelet which is very cute.

*****And for an important interruption****** The news just butted in to tell me that Obama and Huckabee won the Iowa caucus. I can’t say that I’m terribly surprised. I’m just glad Hillary didn’t win. Personally I think America is going to put a Dem in the Whitehouse after the farce that has been the last 8 years. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be very afraid of ALL the GOP candidates. Huckabee, Romney… talk about scary. As if GW wasn’t bad enough? So far I think I’m behind Edwards but I haven’t done enough research to really stand firmly behind anyone. I don’t vote in the primaries so it won’t matter for me for a while anyway. And now back to your regularly scheduled blog.******

Her shopping didn’t end with the clothes though! Eric and I hit the jackpot this year! We got a nice stainless microwave to replace the $20 one we had which barely worked. Exciting, but there’s more! We also got a Hoover Steam Vac so I can clean up after the dogs. We needed it and I was seriously pumped about it. But wait, there’s more! The grand finally and Eric’s favorite part: 32” LCD HDTV!! It’s the Olevia that Wal*Mart has on sale for “Black Friday” and apparently my dad got up at like 4am and drove to a Wal*Mart in the next town over to get it for us. It’s awesome. Now we need to get some HD programming…. We have an over-the-air antenna somewhere around here so that’ll get us some but until the BlueRay Vs. HD-DVD war is over, that’ll have to do!

While my mom did shopping, my Grandma bought all of it and my parents went halfsies on the TV with my Grandma. My grandma is so awesome =) and she was very proud of herself getting such great gifts for us. Oh yeah, Eric got a jacket and a sweater from my mom.

Things were fun over at Eric’s folks too. I got a very cute pair of pants (that actually fit!) and a sweater, but I had to take the sweater back because it’s wool and I can’t deal with that scratchy stuff. I also got a stuffed reindeer that was dipped in cinnamon scented wax so it’s like a room freshener and a gift card for Kohls to buy more clothes. With all this weight loss I really needed the clothes! Eric got a small toolbox full of tools, a hand axe, and some fireplace logs. I think that’s all he got… or at least all I can remember him getting. They’re great people though and it was great getting to see them again.

Now that I’m back in C-bus I got myself a little present: a gym membership. I’m taking a lesson from Mike and I’m going to get my ass to the gym! I’ve already lost a lot of weight, but I need to get healthy. Even without weightless as an issue I really need to put on some muscle and get some endurance. One of my very best friends joined with me so we’re going to use the buddy system to get our butts in there. Wish me luck!

Well, I hope your holiday season treated you as well and mine did! And I wish you health, wealth, and happiness in the new year!