The Girls' Gulf Pictures

This is my daddy's cousin and those are Red Snapper. And Red Snapper are DELICIOUS. They're Skyler's favorite.
This is my mother, who has one job and one job only at the beach, and that is to dig for shells. She knows the perfect spots to dig and find a cache. She has found some of the most beautiful, in tact shells I have ever seen.

For those of you who are curious, this is a dead Yellow Stingray. They can be found throughout the Gulf of Mexico and in the southern Atlantic. They do shock you if you step on them, which Bryant found out the hard way several years ago.

Dear Sadie,

You are over 16 months old and this is what you're up to these days:

You like to color and write and you found a green permanent marker and colored one of my coffee table books yesterday. Luckily, your sister caught you and took it away before you moved on to the furniture and carpet.

For some reason when you color, you like to put your arm around to your back and the back of your head and color there where you can't see.

You try to stick everything in my mouth, even electrical plugs. You are starting to learn where your mouth, ears, nose and eyes are. You are particularly good at pointing out your nose because you like to put your finger up it.

You love the bath. You take "bahs" outside in the little green container. You are always going over to the stairs and beckoning me to come up with you to give you a "bah." I took you swimming yesterday and I was a nervous wreck because you kept trying to get away from me. You kept calling the pool a "bah." I refuse to take you again without getting you a life jacket.

You're so happy to have your sisters back from Alabama. You used the cat as a substitute sister while they were gone.

You're cutting your two year molars and it is very hard on you, and thus very hard on all of us.

You still call your pacifier "bippy." Some of your favorite things to say are "bippy-api" and "baba-bippy." Your little language must be catchy because now the rest of your family says those things too.

FWD:

Sadies trying to get mama kitty to smell scentsy samples with her.
CB#: 4802270902

FWD:

Now she wants to share cat food with her. She has talked a lot today. She said "i want bath" and "smell that."
CB#: 4802270902

A Health Update

Some of y'all have been very sweet to ask about me. Thank you. The truth is, though, that I keep waiting and waiting to have some definite news to tell everyone, but nothing is definite yet.

The pet scan showed cancer on my sigmoid intestine, but when my gastroenteologist went in to biopsy, he couldn't find it. Apparantly this happens alot, because several people have told me they know someone whose had the same experience.

So, then my gastroenterologist ordered what's called an octreoscan, which is a very specific test for hormone-producing cancers. Bryant and I watched the scan on the computer and saw areas where we thought there was more uptake of the nuclear medicine, which indicates where the cancer is. The nurse who administered the test thought as we did, that she was seeing uptake too. Apparantly the radiologist didn't see it that way, because he said things looked normal. (I am in the process of getting a second opinion with a radiologist at UAB.)

Many of my doctors have told me this is normal with a carcinoid, that "it can take years to find the actual cancer", but I refuse to accept that. I can't keep living like this. My hair is falling out, I'm in terrible pain all the time, I'm on way too much medication, and so on and so forth. Some days I get nauseous and just throw up out of the blue.

I switched oncologists and started going to one who specialized in endocrine, or hormone-producing cancers. He is very thorough and I really like him. I told him how bad my hip pain was, so he ordered a bone scan of that area to make sure there was no cancer in my bones. Luckily, there wasn't, although I must say I am sick and tired of being sick and tired and getting negative test results and no further along in the treatment process.

My oncologist also ordered an upper endoscopy because I have so much upper left quadrant pain. My gastroenterologist did find an ulcer, which explained some of my pain, but I already knew I had the ulcer. I felt exactly when it started and I think it was from taking too many NSAIDS.

Then it occured to me that my pain got about 10 times worse around the time of my period, so I started wondering if endometriosis was the problem, because it is "the great imitator" and has been known to mimic cancer. My oncologist sent me to a new ob/gyn who is good at what he does, but has a very abrasive bedside manner. So, I had laparoscopic surgery a couple of weeks ago and my ovaries looked very bad, but he didn't find any endometriosis.

He had to burn and drain my ovaries, but he told me they would fill right back up again, so we would have to come up with a more permanent solution. They are definitely part of my problem, because when they are polycystic and fill up with cysts like that, they make way too much male hormone and wreak all sorts of havoc, ie contributing to my diabetes, etc. He also said that he knows I have some wierd endocrine problem on another front. So maybe my ovaries are actually behaving like this in response to the other hormone problem. In other words, the polycystic ovaries are probably secondary to the other hormone production.

I had an ultrasound on Friday because my ovaries are already hurting me again. I am trying a new medicine, but it doesn't seem to be working. I will probably have to go ahead and have a hysterectomy. I am okay with that though, since my ovaries are constantly poisoning me and causing me pain. I know menopause at 33 won't be fun, but it's better than what I'm going through now.

Also during this time I had to get on heart medication because my heartrate was so high all the time and my blood pressure would get high sometimes too. I did extensive heart testing, ie stress test, etc., and my cardiologist assured me that structurally my heart looks good. It must just be reacting to the hormones. I'm also short of breath and wheeze alot, but I'm not sure if my lungs or heart causes that.

My ob/gyn is sending me back to my gastroenterologist because he is 100% sure that my left flank pain is large intestine pain. He told me, "Stop trying to make me fix your colon." I actually agree with him. The pain is very bad in my sigmoid intestine, where the cancer showed up on the pet scan, and which is probably causing my hip pain and maybe my ovarian problems too. I have an appointment with my gastroenterologist tomorrow and will see what other kinds of tests he can run. I have a great urologist who is trying her best to help me and I also see her this coming week.

I feel like I have made some progress because of the polycystic ovary diagnosis and surgery, but I still have a long way to go. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things that have transpired, but this is the best I can recall at the moment. Thanks again for your care and concern. I have been very lucky and have had a lot of help. My mother has come out twice now. Bryant's mother has come and stayed several times to help. My friends take Sadie for me sometimes so that I don't have to take her to doctors' appointments. They also bring me meals from time to time, so I feel very blessed.

I do wish I could be a better mother. I feel bad that I don't have energy to play with my girls. Skyler and Sibley went to stay with relatives in Utah for two weeks in June and now they are in Alabama for two weeks. That has been another major help for me. They will have a great summer, thanks to our extended family. They are having a blast partying with cousins.

Well, I'll update again IF I ever get to the bottom of things.

Sadie's new favorite past time...

writing on herself and others.

Also, she has a word for horses. It's oh-dee-oh-geeze. And she thinks horses and all other animals, including chickens, say "RAAAAAR."

Lately she's been loving fruit snacks and spaghettios. She's also a dipper. Any food that is served with dip is simply used as an eating utensil with which to scoop out and eat the dip.

She's a wanderer. On the 4th we had a picnic at the park with friends and she wandered all over the place. She was wearing the shoes Grandmama bought her, so she would walk way over to the rocks and check them out. Then she'd walk to the other side of the park and check a few kids out. Then she'd walk over to where a ballgame was being played and try to join in the fun. And while she was at it, she stole every drink in sight.

Her favorite book is her new baby book. She still obsesses with other babies.

Romney for President!

My parents got to meet Mitt Romney at a fundraiser in Atlanta last month. They were thrilled. So was I. I am a big supporter, and not just because he's LDS. I believe he truly is a man of great character.

And, while I'm politickin', Enslen for Probate Judge!