This is why I'm whining...

So, if you follow me on Facebook, you'll notice an inordinate amount of whining emanating from my page over the past week or so. Here's the whole story...

About 2 1/2 weeks ago I woke up one morning with the tell-tale signs of a UTI. Normally I have to drop everything and run to the nearest dr's office that will take me, but this one didn't feel so urgent. So I read online that you could, in theory, get rid of it by drinking about 52 gallons of water each day and eating your weight in cranberries. So I did that! Can I just tell you how much fun that was?! It was awesome. Several days later said cranberry-and-water-binge was still occurring, yet the symptoms remained. I declared defeat and made an appointment at the local clinic. The last antibiotic they put me on didn't work well, so we tried a new one and I went home, thinking within 7 days I'd be good as new.

Yeah, not so much. 3 days later I noticed a few red spots on my underarm/ chest area. Then another one on my back. Hmmm... I checked out that little paper you get from the pharmacy that tells you all the ways you could die from the medication you're on. Well, apparently red spots forming anywhere is one of them. Quick call to the Dr didn't reassure me in the slightest. When the Dr. gets on the phone and starts grilling you about where the spots are, how big they are and how much pain you're in, well that certainly can't be a good thing. "We need to see you immediately" was her response, so I packed up the kids and in we went.

Her diagnosis was a Sulfa drug allergy- which, ironically, is also an allergy my mom has. She put me on Prednisone and said I'd see the rash begin to go away within about 5 days.

The next day it was so much worse. Like, horribly, terribly worse. "Is this normal?!" I thought. It can't be normal. Nevertheless, I'm reading online how bad a sulfa allergic reaction can be, so I go with it. I'm taking the Prednisone  exactly when I'm supposed to and in the mean time, am spreading neosporin on this atrocious rash by the tubeful.

Next morning? You guessed it- again, it's worse. It's beginning to take on its own zip code  And it's morphing. Blisters are forming, dark spots got darker and the pain that comes with it is so bad. I call in to the Dr. and get the voice mail  So I leave my name and a detailed message. No response. I go to bed that night feeling like they probably got my message but I'm apparently this whining baby because this is just how a Sulfa allergy works and I need to suck it up.

Only thing is, the next morning I wake up and I feel like my whole body hurts. At this point the rash covers a large part of the right side of my torso. It hurts to move my right arm at all and sometimes the pain is so blinding that I have to stop and just breathe. This CANNOT be normal. I snap a few pictures with my phone and call in, this time determined to talk to the actual Dr. After explaining what's going on and how it looks so much worse, I send her the pictures. She calls me back within about 26 seconds and says, "We need to you to come in right now, we don't think this is an allergic reaction, we think you have shingles.

I go in and within minutes my shirt is off and Dr's and nurses are gathering to see what is apparently a very, very bad case of shingles.

See, all those days where I went essentially undiagnosed? Yeah, this virus was just wreaking havoc on me and spread into something way worse than it should have. Again, awesome.

If you've had Chicken Pox, you too have this virus inside you. It lays dormant and will emerge in 1 out of 3 people in their lifetime. It comes out of dormancy for 3 main reasons- intense stress, an infection or antibiotics that don't quite agree with your system. So yeah, I'm a two-fer in that regards. Quite the over achiever, if I do say so myself. Why didn't they diagnose me correctly the first time? Well, I'm a bit miffed on that one as well. When I went back in and they did say it was Shingles, she showed me the picture of what a Sulfa allergic rash looked like. Yeah, it didn't look like that at all. I wanted to say that, but human decency stopped me from ripping into the poor PA. At that point, there wasn't much I could do about it anyways. I have Shingles. Which apparently is something more common in those over the age of 50, again, probably adding to the reasons why she didn't diagnose me correctly the first time. I have 3+ medications that I have to stop and take upwards of 8 times a day for the next 2 weeks. An anti-viral, a topical gel, a pain pill that focuses on nerve pain, a regular ole pain pill, etc. My phone dings all day long signaling it's time to pop another pill.

I'm on day 7 out of 14 right now. The rash looks better, but it's still really nasty to look at. I could post pictures, but yeah, that's just gross. Suffice it to say I have a "moderate-severe" case. It aint pretty. I'd take the ugly rash though if I could give up some of this pain. I have new found respect and empathy for anyone with a medical condition that results in chronic pain. I'm 2 weeks into this and it's so incredibly hard. Not only do I have the burning/ itching/ painful rash, but Shingles also results in deep muscle and nerve pain that is dreadful. I'm told this will likely go on for another 2 weeks or so, then I might just be one of the lucky ones that experiences nerve pain for an additional few months or years. Oh heaven help me.

On top of that all, Adrian's been gone on a business trip all week long. I feel so blessed to have my mother-in-law nearby and so many willing neighbors who are entertaining my kids, doing my dishes and bringing us dinner. THANK YOU. Oh heavens, thank you. I'm not usually the one who needs help, I'm usually the one who helps others, but I just don't have it in me to care this week.

While I'm going about my day taking care of the kids and doing what I need to do, sometimes the pain just stops me in my tracks. It hurts so bad. Like, worse than natural child birth bad. I'm doing dishes thinking, isn't it funny that I'm able to do this while in a moderate amount of pain only because I know how much worse it can get?! Other times I don't notice any pain and I stop and think, oh my THIS is what it feels like to not have the pain! I'd forgotten... It's really depressing. 

That's why I'm whining. I'm trying to have a better attitude about it all. Sometimes it's easier said than done. Maybe in another week when I'm not in quite so much pain, I'll be able to do that. I'm well aware it all could be worse- I could have a chronic condition or I could have pain with no diagnosis whatsoever. I am grateful that what I have will get better eventually. I really am. I tell myself all of this at least 20 times a day in an attempt to make it hurt less. I think it helps.

So now you know. Take my advice- never get Shingles. ha! Like that's actually going to work...

I promise to have the next post be much, much less whiny.

Hailey Turns 6!

Hailey turned 6 last week- I know I seem old when I say this, but really, where has the time gone?! Six years already?!

We had a little party with family the night of her birthday, which was fun. I made cupcakes and used this amazing marshmallow buttercream frosting recipe I found a while ago. Oh man it's so good!

 Adrian got Hailey 6 roses for her special day. This girl already loves getting flowers. Nana & Grandpa playing with Leah.

Hailey got some fun presents this year- cute gloves and a sparkly necklace from Grandma & Opa in Alaska, Princess figurines from Auntie Raz & Uncle Kory, an art set from us, as well as a few other little things. The big present was this ballet outfit she got from us that also comes with 2 months' ballet lessons, which is something she's been asking for a while now.

Bathtime Mermaid Barbie- a girl's dream come true right?! 

The pretty cupcakes I made for her- YUM. They were SO good! 

Blowing out the candles on her cupcake. Happy 6th Birthday Hailey!!

Christmas, 2012

The 3 oldest kids opening their stockings. We let Leah sleep a little longer. She normally wakes up at around 9:30am, so waking her up at 7am was sick and wrong!!

Right after we got married, Adrian and I seemed to travel a lot for Christmas. We were constantly driving to CA or different parts of Utah for the holidays. After we had Thomas, we continued that tradition until one year we decided we'd had enough. Traveling during December was always terrible and although we had fun wherever we went, having ti haul our presents and wake up Christmas morning somewhere other than home wasn't as special. So for the past several years, we have opted to stay home for Christmas, which is exactly what we did this year.

Adrian's parents recently moved within a few miles of us, and his brother and their family, as well as his grandmother also live within a couple miles, so we still see plenty of family on Christmas!

As the kids get older, Christmas morning just seems to get better every year. Santa Claus is still a firm fixture in our house {hmmm... wonder when that will change?!} so the magic is still very alive and well!

Prepare yourself for picture overload! We had such a fun time. I wish my front room were bigger. That will have to go on the wishlist for our next house!

Leah LOVED these little sunglasses she got in her stocking. She wore them a lot and it was so funny watching her try and put them on herself! Hailey's holding up a card game she got from Aunt Julie & uncle Travis- go fish anyone?!

My sister Jenn has discovered a talent for crocheting. Or is it knitting? I have no clue. At any rate, the kids all got scarves for Christmas, as did I! They're awesome! We all wear ours all the time. It's 7 degrees outside, we often wear them inside as well, lol! 

 I got Adrian this COOL BYU snow hat. So next time there's a BYU football game on TV, keep your eye peeled for the weirdo wearing the crazy blue hair hat. Wait a sec, I'm willing to bet there will be more than one of those...

My mom and step-Dad Michael recently moved to Sitka, Alaska {read her fun blog here!} They got each of the kids cash, plus a Sitka license plate with each of their names on it. Fun! I love the picture of Leah looking at the money. "What IS this?! How on earth can I play with this?!"

Adrian LOVEs puzzles, so my sister Jen gave his this Escher one. THANKS JEN. We affectionately called it the "puzzle of death." He normally cranks out 1000 piece puzzles in a few hours. This one took him DAYS. lol! It was a fun challenge though!

We got the three oldest kids each a Razor Scooter this year- complete with flashing lights in the wheels. They were the big finale for Christmas morning and the kids were beyond excited! Even in this cold weather they've ridden them several times. The most fun though is when we go over to Adrian's parent's house- they have an unfinished basement that's about 1000+ sq ft, so they ride them all over the place! 

On a whim while I was our Black Friday shopping I saw this cute little house that you can color, and decided to get one for Hailey. Oh my- she LOVES it. The entire thing is colored now, and all the kids play in it all the time. We've had to tape it up a bit, but it was $10 well spent in my opinion!!

There you have it- Christmas, 2012!