Cheers!

The doctor said that I am progressing really quickly and that he is encouraged by how well I have responded to treatments. We discussed all of the questions and concerns that I have had over the past couple months so that helped as well. Basically he said that I need to continue with my medications and come back in 4 months. Depending on how I am doing then he might try to start taking me off some of the medication. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and thoughts. They mean so much.

Doctor's Appointment

Tomorrow is my return appointment. Say a quick prayer that I will be receiving positive feedback and the ability to eat any food that I want in moderation. I'll try to post as soon as I can tomorrow but I will be working late again so there are no guarantees.

Stress=No Sleep

After I saw my doctor almost 2 months ago and got on some good sleeping pills I had been getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night which was way up from the 2 or 3 that I had been dealing with before. I thought that I had this problem solved. Until last week. Last week I started coverage again for one of the local high schools and now I am back to not sleeping well at all. I thought that maybe it was time to up my dose of sleepy meds but that didn't help either. I have come to the conclusion that this is a direct result of the stress of covering sports again. Now, for those of you who know me pretty well I'm sure that you are not shocked by this. But for the others who may not know me as well, I take my job WAY to seriously and personal. If a kid gets hurt if will bother me for days, maybe weeks or years depending on the severity, trying to sort it all out in my head. On Friday I had to air-lift a kid to the hospital and it has been bothering me ever since. The kid is now recuperating at home but that experience will be with me forever. Just like the time in college when one of the athletes broke their neck, or when I had someone almost sever their finger in the weight room, or when I had a janitorial staff member have a heart attack and die in the gym after a basketball game. Those things have stuck with me for years and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I'm not someone who can easily detach and leave those things at work when I go home. I am an over-analyzer and a perfectionist so being in situations that seem to be out of my control are hard to deal with.

All of this to say that I am not sleeping well and I don't know what to do about it. I'm afraid that if I go back to not sleeping then I will start to get worse again. I can't go back there, I can't go through all of that again. I need advice. Please help.

Medically Speaking

I am doing okay. Recently I have been having more good days than bad and even my bad days aren't as bad as they were. I added 2 more medications today and in 2 weeks I will add one more. My doctor's appointment is in 2 weeks and at that point I will have a better idea of where I am in this long process and how much longer I have to go. From now on I will probably just post quick status updates rather than detailed explanations. If you ever have an questions or want to know more feel free to leave a comment or email me specifically. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, I could not have made it this far without help and support!

A Day to Remember

Today is one that will always bring back very specific memories. I can remember exactly where I was and who I was with when we were told about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I will always remember the sense of patriotism that followed for months afterwards. I still feel that patriotism, but I don't think that the rest of the country does. It is a shame that we are fighting a war that continues to effect our freedom every day but has very little, if any, support from the people it protects. I have lost at least one friend to the war and maybe more people that I don't even know about yet. I am grateful for the sacrifices that the soldiers make every minute to be where they are and fighting for a country that does not think they should be fighting. Please remember our soldiers today and say a special thanks to God for living in a country that has freedoms worth fighting for and people that are willing to fight.

Steady

Right now I would say that I am holding steady. I don't feel as if I'm improving or getting worse. Every few days I feel like I'm getting better but then there will be a setback. I consider it progress that I am not getting worse on a daily basis but I would rather be getting better. I still have most of the same symptoms that I have had the past couple years. Daily I battle with fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint aches, cognitive issues (memory, concentration, and logical thinking), and hunger. I am still on the restrictive diet and even though I have found ways to eat more foods, I am still hungry for foods that I want but know that I can't have. I know that in the end, once I'm healthy again, none of this will matter but it seems so overwhelming right now.

My job is picking up steam and I am going to start coverage for a local high school next week so that will add a lot of stress and hours. My house has still not sold. My contract with the realtor ended last week so now I'm trying to sell it on my own. I have put an add in the local papers and had a few calls about it but nothing serious. I know that God has a plan in this but I haven't been able to see it yet, which is I'm sure why I still have not sold it. When God decides to reveal His plan to me I know that things will fall into place and the house will sell. Does anyone else know what His plan is that can fill me in?

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. It lifts my soul to know that I have so many friends caring for me, watching over me, and praying for me. May God bless you all as much as you have blessed me!