Happy Spring everyone! Sorry it has been so long between blogs! We really haven't had much going on, just waiting for warm weather! Last weekend was great, we have really been enjoying our neighborhood, taking walks and going down to the lake and watching the birds finally come to our bird feeder! The pictures are from last weekend, Ian played Steve, our trainer in a fun game of tennis. They made a bet that Ian could beat Steve with a frying pan and sad for Steve, but Ian won 6-4. They only played one set as Ian started to get some tennis elbow :)
We also discovered a new ice cream place in nearby Mt. Airy that I cannot stop talking about. We met our friends Rachel and Joe there, and it is probably the closest thing to custard we can get out here. Its called Jimmie cone, and of course when you get a cone they cover the icecream completely in rainbow jimmies! It is fun and really yummy, and I just recently found out they can do twist icecream, like oldschool mc donalds. We are for sure going back this sunday and I can't wait, I've been begging Ian to go back ever since last sunday. It reminds me a little of Oscars, in a close second place however.
I have been a little sad this month, I pulled a muscle in my back that has not allowed me to do a whole lot. I've reinjured it twice now lifting boxes that weren't particularly heavy. Its right along my spinal column so almost everything I do has been affected by it. I have been stretching and walking and putting heat on it, but I can't remember being this hurt with what feels like such a seemingly small injury. I have been healing really slowly which isn't what I'm used to. I was fully expecting to be better after 4-5 days and it has been several weeks. I hope to get back to exercising with Steve next week, as I've really enjoyed working hard and feeling really healthy. Please pray that I do not reinjure it again as I can't do a whole lot when I do. I went to the doctor and he just told me to take it easy and gave me a muscle relaxer that has actually helped a lot.
On another note, some of you know that I've been dealing with a different back pain on and off for a long time now. I went to a gastroenterologist finally and had a nuclear medicine study called a HIDA scan. It actually turns out that my gallbladder functions at about a 50% capacity, but is not causing my back pain. I have chronic gastritis that I can keep under control with what I eat thankfully. The doctor wasn't concerned about my gallbladder yet because I don't have any symptoms (gallstones, elevated liver enzymes, severe pain) I might have to have it out in the future. He told me to watch what I eat that I don't make a habit of eating high fat foods (which is fine with me). I was honestly quite surprised that they found this out, I was fully expecting to pass the test with flying colors and have to figure something else out. I guess some doctors know what they're talking about. :) (I don't like going to the doctor if you didn't already know). Anyway, the moral of the story is I have to watch my diet for the rest of my life for two separate reasons. I have been fine with it for a really long time and kept my pain under control. I believe I caused my gastritis by taking a lot of ibuprofen in high school while I was playing soccer dealing with pretty bad shin splints. I do regret this, but don't regret the fact that I pretty much can't drink soda for the rest of my life. (Every once in awhile is ok).
I believe my gall bladder issues might have been caused by birth control. One of the adverse effects is gall bladder disease. I will have to have the HIDA scan done in 6-12 months and I am hoping and praying that my gall bladder will get better after being off birth control (I have been off for about 5 months). I never thought there were problems with taking extra hormones and didn't think there was any big deal with them. Now I am scared to think what could have happened if I had taken them long term. I feel like a different person without all the extra hormones in my system. I feel healthier, have lost weight, and feel more normal. It is hard to describe, but I feel so much better that I don't think I will ever take another hormone in my life. I just hope and pray that my gall bladder will reverse its disease so that it won't cause problems in my future. I see all kinds of bad things in my line of work, adverse effects of medications, weird crazy diseases caused by them and such. I never thought I would be one of those people oddly enough. I am really convicted that God is leading me down a healthier path with a new outlook on life because of this. Its scary to me to think how many other people are out there that have even worse reactions to hormones than I have had and the link is not made, or they have worse sequelae. I have something I can deal with and take control of. If you just look at the adverse list of warnings and actually believe that they might happen to you (something I denied up and down) it just might make you think twice.
Anyway, thanks for listening! Hope you all enjoy your spring! I am loving it already, and am getting ready to see my parents in a couple days. We are going to see the cherry blossom festival in D.C. and go to Williamsburg, VA beach and Assateague Island on the western shore of MD and hopefully see some of the wild ponies. So I will have another post and more pictures to come shortly! Take care!
