Thursh

Yesterday I noticed that my mouth had started to crack around the corners. Uncomfortable, but nothing to really be too worried about. I slapped on some Vaseline and kept on going threw the day. I woke up this morning and my mouth was killing me. I looked in the mirror and guess what folks....I have thrush, UGG!! 

Now for those who don't know, thrush is caused by an infection from bacteria known as Candidiasis. Normally our body is able to keep this bacteria balanced within our system. But, when your immune system is weakened it can effect how much is grown, and when too much grows...Voila! Thrush. 

It should be pretty easy to get rid of. I called my doctor's office and since I've had it before, they should (hopefully) be able to write up a script and fax it over to my pharmacy before quitting time. For me, I prefer the lozenge method of getting rid of thrush. Much easier on my system than the liquid and cream medication doctor's can also use.

So here I am, watching cheesy (yet awesome) movies on the SYFY channel and trying to keep my mind off of the added pain from my mouth. One more thing I have to worry about, blah! If you guys want any extra info about Thrush or how to treat it I'll have two url underneath here that you can move over too. One is from WEBMD and the other one is from the Mayo Clinic. If you guys have any ways of treating thrush write it in the comments section, I would love to see if there are any real good homeopathic ways of getting rid of this. Until next time!  


http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-health-thrush

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oral-thrush/DS00408

I'm Back!!!

Holy Crap! It has been forever since I've written here and I can only say to those who follow me that I am truly sorry. Things just became so overwhelming that I had to take a break and focus on trying to stay positive, not become depressed, and get ready for my surgery. I can't believe that three weeks since  surgery day have flown by! Needless to say, I'm so happy to be on this side of things and like I said to my surgeon before going under, "No regrets". 

I'm still having dumping episodes, but I knew already that this surgery was to try and help reduce the amount of episodes and severity, not cure me. There isn't a cure for what I have and there isn't a guarantee this surgery will work. I'm having my good days and bad days, but one constant is that the horrible burping and flatulence that I would get after having a meal has gotten insanely better! For three weeks in, that alone is a huge relief. I'm a little nervous about how my body will react when I start adding in actual food since right now I'm on a mostly liquid diet. 

For my next few blog updates I plan on going over things that I experienced and learned while on my little "leave". I'll talk about having my original surgery date rescheduled less than 48 hours before to have a test for a rare disease, going in and coming out of major stomach surgery, the different protein shakes I've tried, putting food back into my diet, and what my next chapter in life has in store for me. 

I still have a long way to go, lots of healing, changes and decisions that need to be made. But as always, I try and accept the challenge!  

Next Steps...

Chronic dumping syndrome...not  a fun problem to have at all. It's embarrassing, frustrating and tiring to have. In my case, its on the more severe side. No medication has helped and the next avenue is surgery. It's been incredibly frustrating and the latest addition to this mix, a feeding tube, has had me hyperventilating multiple times. (Little brown paper bag, you are my friend)

I am so not a fan of this. It took me two months just to wrap my head around getting a port placed in my chest, and thats under the skin. This thing will be seen coming out from beneath my skin! And it might be a permanent fixture! (Cue freak out... OMG, WTF!)

This Friday we meet with my doctor to finalize most of this and set a final date for next month. There is only a 10% chance this surgery will help in anyway...but its a chance I have to take. I'm only in my 20's and if I don't do something soon, things will only get worse. If it doesn't help, I'll have to feed myself with that freaking feeding tube till they come up with something better; which could essentially be never, Oy Vey! Getting gamma radiation and turning into a giant green rage monster keeps looking like a better option with every turn!

So here I go, somewhat ready to face this next steps head on (with my trusty brown paper bag of course). Wish me luck people!

Movie Snacks!

One of my favorite things to do is go to the movies, especially as of late. It's a nice way to get out of the house, but still be fairly safe since all your doing is sitting for a couple of hours to enjoy a cinematic adventure. One thing that stinks is if you have food allergies there aren't many snack options. Now I know, that there are normally signs that say, "No Outside Food or Beverage Allowed". But when you can't eat anything from the movie snack bar and you want something to nibble on while enjoying your feature film you might need to get *ahem* creative.

While the options (even for those of us with allergies) are numerous, here are five suggestions that I think make great movie snacks for either at home or in the theater:

1) Hot Air Popcorn: The main problem with movie popcorn is brought already popped and "seasoned". When you don't know where food is manufactured its not worth the risk eating it. To be safe, pop your own at home and jazz it up anyway you like. There's nothing like sticking by the old standby; when you think movie, you think popcorn!

2) Chips: Both of these options can be found meeting any type of allergy requirements. The options are endless now-a-days, from vegetable chips to lentil chips to regular potato chips. Whats nice is it gives your the crunch your looking for if you don't have the option of eating popcorn.

3) Nuts: If you aren't allergic to them, nuts can be a great snack at the movie theater. From peanuts to pistachios they're a healthy snack that will allow you to get some protein while watching your movie. On a side note, I find that if you have a stomach problem, take it easy on how many nuts you eat at once. It can cause some serious stomach distress...not something you want happening during the flick.

4) Allergy Safe Candy: If there is a type of candy that you like to eat (mine is Surf Sweets Gummy Bears, they're freaking delicious!) grab a pack and bring it with you. Trust me, it'll be so worth it if you have a sweet tooth.

5) Vegetables: If your feeling like changing it up and going really healthy, fresh vegetables can make a great snack. Especially for parents who might not want their kids experiencing a sugar high during or after the movie.

So those are my movie theater snack suggestions. If you have any other suggestions please feel free to leave a comment and I will definitely add them to my list. For now, I'm going to turn off my computer, grab a snack and enjoy some Iron Man!  

Enjoying time with friends...

Last Friday was such an awesome day, I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends that I haven't seen since November. We met up at UNO's, had a drink, and caught up on how each of us were doing. It was so nice to feel somewhat normal. Not to say that I wasn't a little nervous going out, especially since I was hooked up to my hydration bag (the stupid cord gets stuck on everything, *sigh*). Plus I just never know when I could get sick; nothing can damper a fun time like being stuck in the bathroom for half of the outing. But sometimes, you just gotta say, screw it, enjoy the moment and try to take precautions before hand.

1) Rest before going out: Whether its a nap or just relaxing while watching a movie, make sure that you reserve some energy before going out, especially if you have gotten sick during the day.

2) Pick a place you'll be able to enjoy yourself: Be sure to pick places that you'll be able to really relax and have a good time (I try to pick places where I know the outlay of the building, more importantly, the loo).  It can be your house, a restaurant, the movies, etc. As long as you know you'll feel safe, make it a suggestion to your friends as a place to meet.

3) Wear something comfortable: Especially if you have stomach issues wear comfortable clothes. I know, especially us girls, we like to dress up. But instead of wearing clothes that could actually cause you to be in even more discomfort, dress up the comfortable clothes with wearing some jewelry, a little make up, and doing your hair. You'll be able to relax, zenify, and enjoy your company a lot more.

4) Bring some candy or sweets: In case your sugar goes down, always bring some type of candy. It's easy to pop in your mouth and let it sit under your tongue and get absorbed by your body quickly.

5) Eat after you go out: Eating can be a trigger for some of us with chronic stomach illnesses. Because of that, it might be important to try and eat a meal after you are out not while you are out. This is something only you can decide depending upon your situation.

I had such a fun time with the girls, and I can't wait to be able to go out with them again!

Leaving My Port Accessed

So a few weeks ago when I was getting my port accessed for hydration therapy, my nurse let me know that everytime your port is accessed there is an increased chance of infection. Yikes! Because of my vasovagal response to needles I had to wrap my head around the idea of keeping a needle in my chest. When the opportunity presented itself the day of my colonoscopy/endoscopy, I asked them to leave the port in so I could get an idea of what it would be like to leave it in for at least 24hrs since I had hydration therapy the next day. I learned two very important things:

                       1. That sleeping with a bra on is a necessity when you are a female. It keeps the port     from being accidentally tugged if you are someone who moves in your sleep.

                       2. My skin has a sensitivity to tagaderm bandages. Only 24hrs of wearing it and I was developing blisters and was itching the area like crazy.

(Below are pictures of the accessed port, if you are squeamish  don't scroll down)

The following week I left the port (called a gripper needle) in from Tuesday to Friday. It was a bit bulky (as shown below) and could been seen through whatever shirt I was wearing. I definitely felt uncomfortable when someone would take a double take. Since the tagaderm was causing a reaction the nurse used an IV3000 bandage instead. It's still itchy, but there were no blisters forming (Whew!). I also had to use paper tape to keep the port line in place because of my sensitive skin. It kept falling off so I had to replace it a few times.

It was a good thing that my mom had the week off from work. She helped keep my mind off of how uncomfortable I felt both physically and mentally with port accessed.

After the first week a younger nurse came and brought with her a lifeguard needle. It's not as bulky and is a bit more comfortable than the gripper. She was saying that younger people like them better because they don't show as much and they are a bit more comfortable with the gauze thats placed under the black plastic (as shown in the picture below). The lifeguard still shows through my shirt, but not as bad.

The pink tape is something that I had found when trying to search for a medical tape that was latex free and easy on sensitive skin. HY-pink medical tape was something that I found and absolutely love! It's doesn't itch at all and holds the tube in place. If you have sensitive skin, this is so the medical tape for you!

So right now each week for four days I have a needle in my chest and a tube hanging out. I'm getting better at dealing with it. Trust me, I have my moments. My brother has nick named me Iron Man since the day I had the port put in. So when I start to feel a little squeamish I close my eyes and try to think, What Would Iron Man Do? Be chill, make a sarcastic comment, and go create a kickass Iron Man suit. Okay, two outta three ain't bad.
 

Exhaustion

I feel like a broken record. I keep saying that I'll be better about posting here and on my twitter account, and then I'm down for a week. Oy vey! I'm not trying to make excuses but most of these little breaks can be blamed on pure exhaustion. I loose most of what I eat, which can take a chunk out of my energy level, plus my sugar crashes constantly. It makes it very hard to concentrate, focus and write something that makes sense. To top it off, I don't get much sleep, I'm lucky to get three hours, it's frustrating. Ugg! I wish The Flash would come and give me some of his extra energy!

I am going to try to be better about posting on my blog, tired or not. Wake up brain, its time to get moving!