Lab results

While I was sitting in dancing school, waiting for Lillianna, my cell phone rang. It was my doctor's nurse with my lab results from last week. She said my blood sugar was way too high at 256. I told her that I have been checking it twice a day and that it's never been that high. She said that this particular test averages my blood sugar over the last 3 months so it would be high because of the pancreatitis. DUH!

I guess I am wondering why they did that test at all. Of course I had pancreatitis. Isn't that the point? Then she said I could discuss this at my next visit. I said,"Well, that would be tomorrow." She said,"Great,see you then."

That just seems like a very odd test to me. I am glad I have my appointment tomorrow because I have a lot of questions. Number one on my list is,"Why I am still so tired all the time?" This is driving me crazy. I can't nap at work. It's really frowned upon.

I'll write again after my appointment. Wish me luck!

Getting back into the swing of things

I can't believe that tomorrow will mark 2 weeks since I've been home. I couldn't even walk the day I was discharged from the hospital. Rich had to help me check my blood sugar in the airport because I wasn't even sure how to do it.
I've come a long way since then.....thank goodness!

The pain is nearly gone although night time is still uncomfortable for me. The least painful position for my stomach is sleeping on my back but it's not a comfortable position for me to sleep in. I'm hoping this resolves itself quite quickly because I love to sleep and would prefer to be comfortable.

I still can't shake the feeling of being tired. Rich said this morning that he thinks it's because I stopped drinking coffee so no caffeine and I'm on a low sugar diet as well as low fat so there is no "sugar high" either. I forgot about that.

I had to go to CVS earlier and when I got out of the car,my legs felt like limp noodles. I felt like I had run a marathon. I will have to tell my doctor when I see him on Thursday. I need to have more energy. I am going to take a little walk while Lillianna is in her Brownie meeting today. Maybe I just need more exercise.(Which I could do if I wasn't so exhausted! It's a vicious circle!)

Other than that,things are going pretty well. My blood sugar has been staying in the same range over the past few days.Lillianna draws a happy picture in my book when it's a particularly good number. She always has to know what my blood sugar is. It seems to give her a sense of peace to know it's not too high.

I will try to write after my doctor's appointment on Thursday.
Stay healthy everyone!

Just a quick update

I wanted to thank everyone for their thoughtful emails,cards and phone calls. I have heard from internet friends, co-workers from both jobs, friends and family.
Your outpouring of love and concern has been overwhelming.

I can happily report that I am much better than I was last week. I still can't do as much as I could before because I become exhausted and need to rest but the pain is almost completely gone. For that,I am extremely grateful.

As Lillianna and I were driving out of the supermarket this afternoon,I was feeling very grateful about getting a second chance to do it all over correctly.Very humbly I said,"We have an awful lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving." She said,"Ya,Auntie Kara is getting married!" (Kara got her engagement ring while we were in Florida so now it's official......thank goodness!) I said,"Ya,that's true but I was thinking more along the line that I was alive and getting better everyday." Lillianna said,"That too but Auntie's getting married!" Ahhhhhh,kids....they bounce back so quickly!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

An unplanned side trip

I have received so many emails from people asking how our vacation was. I will be writing a more detailed post for DotMoms in a few weeks but for now,here's what happened.

The first 4 days were wonderful. It was the vacation we had been hoping for even though the heat and all that walking just about wore me out.
On Monday,November 7th,we went to Chef Mickey's for breakfast. We had so much fun seeing all the characters but as we were leaving,I didn't feel very well. We decided to sit down for about 30 minutes to rest then we headed out to the parks.

By 2:00pm the pain in my stomach had become unbearable and I told Rich I had to get back to the hotel to lie down.I felt like I needed to throw up in order to move the pain. We got back to the room by 4:00pm,canceled our dinner reservations at my favorite restaurant and I got into bed.
At 9:30am the next morning,the pain was so much worse.I couldn't stand up. Rich called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. I was diagnosed with pancreatitis.

I ended up spending 7 days in the hospital. For the first few days I cried and moaned a lot from the horrific stabbing pain. It took a while for them to regulate my pain meds. Every time I moved,I was in the worst pain imaginable. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I can't even believe I survived it. It was a complete nightmare.

The pancreatitis was so bad that it gave me diabetes. Hopefully,that's only temporary. I am on a low fat diet. I check my blood sugar twice a day and take meds for diabetes and for my triglycerides. So far I am doing ok.I was told it could've been much worse. I could've had a heart attack or a stroke.

So,that's the story of our vacation. Since I was smart enough to buy travel insurance prior to our trip,our extended hotel stay,taxi fare and other expenses will be taken care of once we submit our receipts. Always buy travel insurance because you just never know what is going to happen.

All in all,this was quite an eye opening trip. I don't know if I will ever want to return to Disney World again.

And we're off......

Our vacation has finally arrived.
See you next week!!