My Absence & BlogHer

Sorry I have been gone for so long.  My gastroparesis acted up again and had me in the hospital twice, the first time for almost a week.

Since I've been home, my grandmother went into the hospital and today had a surgery she was not expected to survive due to congenital heart failure.  I'm thrilled to announce that she made it through the surgery and is now in ICU.  She's not out of the woods yet, but the first major hurdle has been cleared.

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm going to be going to BlogHer this August.  Is anyone else going?  I'd love to meet up with you while you're there if you are!  Leave me a comment and let me know.

Finally I'll leave you with this from my Cute Overload calender cause it made me laugh, probably harder than I should have!

Friday Fragments

Nothing much going on today, so I'm going to try some Friday Fragments with Half-Past Kissin' Time.

We think my husbands kidney stone may have passed painlessly.  He hasn't had any pain since Wednesday night.  He's not using the little pee strainer he's supposed to be using, he says it's too annoying.  Of course he would be mad at me for not doing that.  He's supposed to catch the stone so that they can see what it's made of so he can avoid them in the future.  Men!

My anxiety has been up.  The holiday season is always bad for me.  My depression gets worse & my social anxiety disorder kicks into high gear with so many events, gatherings and parties.  I really hate that this disorder can take away the joy that so many others get to feel.  It's not just me, it's no fun for my family, cause I'm always super stressy.

Plus the holidays are filled with tons of food everywhere, much of it I would love to eat, but can't because of my gastroparesis.  Wouldn't that make you grumpy?

I think I want a Kindle for Christmas, but if I get one I think I want the new $389 one & not the $150 older version, but what if I don't like it.  It wish I could go into a store & see it, try it before I buy it.

I can't find a Stretch Armstrong.  When my boys are little they had them & called him Stretchie-Betchie.  Jack wants one this year (yes, he's 15) and I don't think they make them anymore.  Toys R Us online doesn't have them.  If you see one let me know.

I think that's all the fragments I have time to share today.  Have a great weekend, friends!

Gastroparesis On Television!

Well I never knew I could be so excited about someone talking about a chronic illness, but since it's one of my chronic illnesses I wanted to share it with you.  The Today Show featured a 14 year old girl who suffers from gastroparesis, the same condition I have.  Her's is more severe than mine, I only needed a feeding tube for about a  month.

Also she still has an appetite, which I do not.  I have not felt one twinge of hunger since October & may never feel it again.  Now that seems like a good thing to me as I can't imagine the hell of feeling hungry 24/7, but not being able keep in any food.

I think there is a commercial before you can see the piece, but it is really informative about GP.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It was so bizarre watching this clip, it made me cry.  It feels like some kind of validation that yes I am seriously ill and there are others out there who suffer from the same thing.

My doctors are not currently considering a pacemaker for me as I'm able to keep enough food down to maintain my weight for now.  It's mostly smoothies & ice cream, but I miss steamed veggies!

I'm Still Here!

Hey guys! After 9 days in the hospital I came home last Saturday. This was possibly my longest stay yet. I did find a new Dr. who is treating my bi-polar and my gastroparesis together, more of holistic approach.

We have had a rough time lately, though. A few days after I came home my boys grandfather, not my dad but my ex-husbands dad, had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It ruptured, but they caught it in time. Unfortunately, the surgery set off lots of clots in his legs & they had to amputate both legs. Obviously this has been a really rough time for my boys and I'm thankful that I have been home this week to support them. He seems to be doing well now, but is still in ICU and has a long road ahead of him.

I am slowly catching up & hope to be around to visit you all soon. Thank you for all of your prayers, well wishes & even cards. My blogging friends are really amazing people and I appreciate you all.


* If you haven't entered my giveaway on Read, Review, Repeat to win a copy of Madeleine Wickham's latest hardcover book, A Desirable Residence, please hop over there now. Madeleine Wickham also writes as Sophie Kinsella and does the hugely popular Shopaholic series.

Really?

Hi bloggie friends!

Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been home from the hospital for several days now & just starting to recoup my strength. When I go to the hospital now it's just for pain relief and to "reset" my stomach. They keep me all hopped up on goofballs while I eat custard & other foods usually reserved for people with no teeth. I go back to the U of M Hospital on 7/8 for another appointment with the super-specialist.

When Chris & I went camping a few weeks ago we passed a Hobby Lobby. I'd never been in one, but have heard crafting friends rave about it, so my hubby pulled the old motor-home in and in we went.

I have to say I was underwhelmed. Not because it was bad, but just because this Hobby Lobby is so much like the Michael's I'm used to going to. Same layout. Maybe their owned by the same company.

Anyway, sometimes I just see things that set me off. This was one of them.



I guess the fact that they say pedicure socks make it better, but if I ran into any flip-flop & socks wearing person I'd have to refrain myself.

I've never been a fan of the flip-flops. Don't jump on me, I just can't stand that thing between my toes. I wish I could wear them, their so cute and so prolific now, but I just stick to my rip-off Birkenstocks.

I've got a great giveaway coming tomorrow (hopefully) so check back to win a really cute piece for your kitchen!

If you're a reader, I'm posting lots of new book reviews on Mimi's Year In Books, so click over & check it out!

We Interrupt This Blog...

I just realized that I haven't updated in a while. I'm having a little mental health break.

I do have some good news to share. I didn't hook up to my "feed bag" that I'm on for my gastroparesis last Friday. Saturday morning my stomach growled for the first time in 6 months! I didn't have any message to my brain that said, "you're hungry", but the physical sensation was there.

I called my gastroenterologist and he's going to wean me off my tube feeding next week. In a couple of weeks I'm going to see a specialist at the University of Michigan hospital. Lastly I have an appointment with a pain mgt. doctor to try to help me with my consistant pain.

Stay tuned cause I'll be back in a few days with some updates, reviews & giveaways.

What's Next...

Up next for me is total parenteral nutrition or TPN is basically tube feeding on a short term basis. Well technically next is a endoscopy (tube w/ camera down my throat) & colonoscopy (tube w/ camera up my bum). I hope they don't try to save $$ by using the same tube. I'm going to request that they do my endoscopy first just in case ;-)

It will be a busy week here in Mimiville. Monday 2/8 Jack gets his braces put on, Tuesday I have an appointment with my regular physician and I have to have lots of blood drawn. Wednesday the colon & endoscopy, Thursday they placement of a peripherally inserted central catheter or PIC line which will go in my shoulder into a vein and down into an artery. This will leave an outlet that I will hook up my TPN or bag of liquid nutrients that will be used to get my body strong enough so it can try to heal itself.

None of this will heal my gastroparesis, but I will hopefully have enough energy to feel much better.

As a side note I'm a little worried about the amount of calories in this TPN. I grew up with a mom who was overweight and always trying to diet and the second half of my adult life has been that way. I know it's not healthy to lose 40+ pounds in 2 months, but I have an actual waist for the first time in years and I'm so much skinnier! Now obviously this isn't my first priority, but if I have to have a condition where I will never be hungry again, I should at least get to be skinny, don't you think?

I'll keep you all updated & hopefully get around to your blogs to say hi soon.

Um...Hello?

Is anyone still out there?

Dear readers, it's me, Mimi!

Since Chris last updated I spent one more night in the hospital, but I think that was the end of it. I pray that was the end of it. I haven't added up all of the days, but starting from the last week of October I spent 1/2 of November and most of December actually in the hospital with this Gastroparesis.

(Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach muscles don't contract to process or "chew up" the food that we eat. Also I have zero appetite and often pain when I do eat.)

I've been away from the blog so long that I feel like I have nothing to say. My life has been very small lately.

My mom is doing very well after her mastectomy. There was a second spot they found in her breast after the surgery, so we're thankful she chose that road instead of a lumectomy. She does not need chemo or radiation.

She sends her truest thanks to all of my readers who sent cards and positive messages. The cards often brought tears to her eyes, that strangers cared enough to think of and pray for her.

I'm going to try to get around and get caught up with all of my bloggy friends.