The results are in...

I went back to the doctor yesterday for a full body physical and to review my lab results.

Full body physical:
My body is in great working order. My muscles are in good condition. My reflexes were checked and everything responded. Lungs and heart sounded perfect. Skin looks good (no signs of any cancer splotches and the elasticity of my skin is right on par). There is a small cyst on my cervix, but it did not concern my doctor because she thinks it is just a reaction to the constant birth control changes that I've been going through (side note- who the hell knew that your cervix doesn't look the same every day?? I know I didn't! Apparently everything about it can be different from day to day). She has it in my file that my aunt has had cysts removed recently so she will check on it again when I go back in September. Organs all felt normal to her and I had zero pain when she was pressing down on my stomach and other organs in that area. Oh, and with all of my clothes on (jeans, tank top, sweater, and light sneakers) I weighed in at 124.2, which is a healthy weight for my height (5'5"). I need to increase my exercising, which shouldn't be a problem since I'm starting to get my energy back (thanks largely to the fact that I'm finally sleeping through the night again) and the temperature should be dropping again soon (hopefully) so I can start jogging with Sassy.

Lab Results:
The tests came back negative for allergies and thyroid issues. That is good and bad. It's good because that means that my body is healthy but it's bad because that also means we aren't sure WHY I'm not digesting things properly. My thyroid levels were normal, albeit a tad on the high end of normal (level should be at 1.0 and mine are at 2.8), so we'll be keeping an eye on it but it is no longer a major concern for us. My liver enzymes came back perfect, protein levels were a little low but still in a good range, blood sugar levels were PERFECT (super awesome because diabetes and hypoglycemia run high in the family) and no sign of Celiac's. OH! And my cholesterol levels both came back in the excellent range (which is REALLY good for me because we have cholesterol problems on dad's side so I was wondering how those would be).

End Result:
In the ten days between doctor visits I started having more regular movements through my stomach, colon, and intestines. Not perfect, but a large enough result that it was determined I do NOT have to do a full on elimination diet. I can cut back on taking the fiber pills (instead of nine a day I only need to take six and the goal is to not need them at all). I will still be taking fish oil every day for the rest of my life (the health benefits overall are incredible so there is no reason to NOT take it) and I'll probably be on the Cal-Mag powder for the rest of my life (again, for the health benefit, since the magnesium has greatly improved my sleep which has improved my mood immensely). We decided to focus on an extremely high fiber diet along with a gluten free diet. I will need to consume between 30 and 40 grams of fiber a day. In theory, that wouldn't be too tough if I could have whole grain breads, high fiber cereal/granola bars, etc. HOWEVER- being gluten free puts a mild damper on that. I will really be focusing on fruits and vegetables. Beans, of course, are the best source for fiber but I've never been a bean fan. Guess I need to learn how to be. I will be eating salads frequently, and I think I decided that fruit will be my go to for breakfast (at least on work days). There are a lot of great berries out here so smoothies seem like a great option for me. I am also extremely lucky to live where I do because gluten free is a big thing out here. There is a grocery store/bakery in Everett that is straight up GF and has a pretty wide variety of things (from baked goods to frozen meals). I also have a few co-workers that are GF so they will help me out with finding recipes and making sure I'm on the right track. I'm very fortunate in that aspect.

SO- All in all, everything is peachy. We don't necessarily have an answer to the problem, but I feel like we're getting somewhere. My doctor was really excited about my results and how well my body has responded the the few things she has made me try. I like how easy going she is. She is really positive and helpful and I like how she asks me about what I feel is the best thing for me to try and then she gives me her opinion. Turns out, we were on the same page. She is really glad that I'm on board with trying whatever I need to try out to get my body working right, instead of just trying to find that quick fix. Far too many people would rather just stick with taking pills to fix a side effect as opposed to trying to find the root cause of the problem and finding a healthy track to be on. I have learned that it really is important to find that root cause. Trial and error may suck up front, but the long term results are truly worth it. I'll have a healthier lifestyle because of it. I finally feel motivated...

Doctor, Doctor, give me the news....

Well, I finally did it. I finally went to the doctor on Tuesday. For as healthy as I felt, I knew I wasn't 100%. Doctors scare me, though, so I never wanted to go... I lacked trust and faith that they knew what they were doing because I had too many bad experiences. I am proud to say I found a really good doctor this time. She is an ND, so her focus is finding the root cause of my problems, instead of just fixing a random cause here and there. I was 100% completely open with everything that I felt was not right. The more I talked, the more notes she took. The more notes she took the more questions she asked. I learned that the medical field has advanced so much that even issues that cousins or aunts or even nephews have can be related to me and they use that knowledge to help diagnose what could be the root of my problems. What I thought was "normal" (since I had been dealing with these symptoms for quite some time) turns out to not be normal at all and I should have been trying to fix things years ago.

Now granted- this isn't anything serious in the grand scheme of things... But for me- this is hardcore. It's enough to make me jump head first into whatever my doctor wants me to do, even though I may not like the sound, or taste, of it. This week I started taking 9 fiber pills, 1 tablespoon of fish oil, and 2 scoops of fiber powder a day on top of trying my hardest to increase my liquid intake (I am proud to say I have doubled my daily liquid intake since Tuesday). I am about to go get my blood drawn so I can be tested for food allergies, thyroid problems, and something else (can't remember). On Friday I go back to the doctor for a full body physical. After my doctor analyzes my test results we will be switching my diet over to a food allergy diet to see if certain food groups could be the cause of my problem. This will be the hardest part... I might have to go gluten free (at least we have lots of gluten free stores in the area), I might have to give up caffeine (no coffee?!?! YIKES!), I might have to give up citrus (sad day... my favorite!), I might have to go organic (my wallet is already crying at that thought)... Who knows. What I do know is that I have a great support system here. I'm still scared of the unknown, but at least I know that the unknown will become the known shortly.

If I have been short tempered with anyone, I apologize. My actions/poor word choices are inexcusable... Stress and not feeling well does not excuse my attitude problem. All I ask is that everyone just bears with me while I go through this process. I have never done doctor stuff well and I'm scared. As childish as that sounds, I can admit that I'm scared....

Nobody's journey is seamless or smooth. We all stumble. We all have setbacks. It's just life's way of saying, "Time to change course."

Life always seems to get in the way of updating this... I wish I could say I've been having grand adventures and stuff, but I haven't been. There have been an adventure here and there, though, since the last time I updated.

Clyde is now 5 months old (or will be on July 20th). He completed puppy training with ease. He is super smart, and super food motivated. He can sit, lay down, pound it (aka shake), roll over, come when called, stay (sort of), wait (sort of), walk on a lead (with treats to keep his walking behavior nice), and we're working on playing dead. Our trainer was super awesome so we signed him up for the next level, which starts on July 28. We'll also bring Sassy, since she knows her basic commands.

Jake and I finally went on a date. We went to Color Me Mine! where I painted a wine glass for my mom and he made Clyde a food bowl. I want to go back so I can make Sassy a bowl and maybe we can make a nice water bowl for them. We also went with Jason and his girlfriend (who is SUPER awesome, btw) to the MINI rally on Saturday. It was fun, for sure. I was glad we all went. The atmosphere at a rally is so alive!! can't wait til next year to do it all again.

Work has been busy, but I've been enjoying it. I've really started to enjoy some of the tasks that I'm learning. I've been training on some QA tasks lately, which is really enjoyable. I really like working with the QA team. They are funny guys. Speaking of- I interviewed with our QA manager for the Lean/Trainer/Documentation Assistant position. It went well. Really well. I am glad that my butt was kicked into gear to apply for it. If I don't get this position the QA guys have other plans for me. Either way, I'm slowly moving my way up!!! YAY

I'll try to update more often... But no guarantees. For now, it's bed time

Odds and Ends

March definitely came in like a lion this year. It came charging at me and it's only halfway done. I became a full time permanent employee at Intec. I'm pretty stoked about it. Had a nice conversation with the plant GM and he wants me to start thinking about where I want to go/what I want to do when I grow up. So, now to start really exploring the company and see what interests me so I can go for a Master's.

My birthday came and went. Another year closer to 30. Another year of feeling like I haven't accomplished anything in my life. It's hard to move past that. We had friends over for dinner but other than that it was laid back.

Now we are almost done with April. We have a new family member- A German Shepherd pup named Clyde. He is hell on wheels paws. He is two months old. Every day gets easier, but he is quite stubborn. I love how our little family is finally complete.  I still have that feeling that I haven't accomplished anything, overall, but when I look over and see Jake napping with Sassy at his feet and Clyde on his chest I think about how very fortunate I am in my day to day life.

Next week marks a whole year that Jake and I have been dating. It's hard to believe that it's been that long... I think we will be going to the Tulip Festival to celebrate, since that's really where it all began =)

Two weeks in a nutshell

February has been somewhat eventful thus far. On February 9 I went home for a few days. It was the first time since December of last year. The first thing I realized is that Florida is incredibly HOT! I have no IDEA how I lived there for so long. Not that I am a Washingtonian by any stretch of the means but I must be getting acclimated to the weather out here. So while I was home I enjoyed some AMAZING food made by the parents (chili, steaks in a port sauce, and RIBS!). Oh how I miss those meals. OH! And Dad made me a Mickey Waffle! YUM! I got my doctor appointments out of the way on the 10th and met up with AJ for lunch. I enjoy how every time I come home he makes time for me. What a great friend =). I also chopped my hair off, which was quite rejuvenating. On the 11th I went out with my mom and aunt for lunch and then we went to the mall to walk around. I got a killer pair of heels for only $20! SWEET! I flew home the next day, sadly. I must say that Spartacus has grown SO much. He actually remembered who I was, which was nice. He is still the rambunctious pup that gave to Mom and Dad in June, just bigger.

Valentine's Day has also come and gone. It was somewhat uneventful. Jake got me a beautiful orchid and a card. I made him homemade sugar cookies that were cut into hearts and I decorated them. I made a nice dinner and that was that. Nothing spiffy but it worked.

I've officially been at my job for 3 months. Looks like I'll become permanent next week since my 3 month mark was during a pay period. I'm pretty excited to be a real employee =). Jake also started a new job last week. He seems to really enjoy it, which is nice. He seems happier these days.

Sassy is loving life, sans the ear infection she just can't seem to shake. Her right ear is ALWAYS problematic. I feel so bad for her. She is getting a little better about letting Jake clean her ear. She still fights when it REALLY hurts, but she isn't running away any more. We give her lots of pets and hugs and treats when she is a good girl.

Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. --John Keats

This week has been a series of positives and negatives. I guess I'll start with the negatives so I can end on a high note...

Winter. Seriously? Who invented this crap? I tried to drive to work yesterday in the snow/ice. I almost made it to work. I got from the house, to the highway, back to city roads and was RIGHT THERE! I tried to hang a left to the parking lot but kept going straight. Not a problem, I can just go to the bottom of the hill and turn around in the apartment complex... WRONG! I got into the apartment complex but then the ice got the best of me. I got stuck. I couldn't move forward OR backwards. I completely lost it and freaked out. I was scared, blocking cars in spots, and just fishtailing. I calmed down enough to call Jake. He told me to just leave my car and walk up the hill to work. On my walk up the hill I got hysterical and worked up and it sucked. I calmed down enough when I got to work but I was mentally exhausted all day. More than anything I was embarrassed and angry that I had to call on Jake to get my dumb car out of the way... Then, to add insult, I get in my car to drive home and made it onto the highway, back on the city roads and got into my neighborhood only to get stuck AGAIN on our street. Ugh. Friggin pissed me off.

I also made the mistake of looking at my finances. Worst. Idea. Ever. I ended up bawling my eyes out in the shower. I am so financially screwed it isn't even funny. I don't even know what to do to get out of this mess....

Positive note: My job asked me if I would be interested in taking on more bookkeeping responsibilities. This training is going to help me move up in the company for sure and will look AWESOME on my resume. This also means they want to keep me around. I am SUPER stoked that management has seen how hard I'm working at doing a good job. All I need to do is work on not acting like I have a chip on my shoulder...

I guess it's time for bed now. Hopefully I'll be over the negative stuff when I wake up...

Life isn't simple. But the beauty of it is, you can always start over. It'll get easier. --Alacia Bessette, Simply from Scratch, 2010

So much went unblogged last month. I picked out my very first Christmas tree. From the wild. Jake even cut it down with a chainsaw! It was really exciting for me, not so much for him or our friends (who were all highly amused that this was completely unheard of where I'm from). We decorated the tree together and Jake even helped me put out Hannukah decorations. Mom sent us enough present for all 8 days of Hannukah and Sassy even got a present or two. We celebrated Christmas with Jake's family, which was really nice and laid back.

Jason and I had a date to Seattle. It was the most time I've ever spent with Jake's brother. It was actually a lot of fun and we got along the whole time. I think Jake was a little jealous because he had to work.

Work has been going fairly well. I think I'm fitting in a little more every day. Some days are busier than others. Jake is in the process of looking for a change. Anything is better than where he is at now. Hoping for the best.

Now it is the new year and with that comes resolutions. I decided on two: I'll take a picture every day so help me see the little things in life and I'm going to use one of my cookbooks at least once a week. I have so many and never use them.

Here's to hoping this year is better than the last year (although the good outweighed the bad in the grand scheme of things).