January - 2012 started with illness that took a long time to finally heal. After doing at least two different rounds of antibiotics, they finally did a throat culture and determined that I had thrush. Once it was finally treated correctly, it went away quickly.
February - My grandpa Dale died on February 24th after dealing with congestive heart failure for many years. He contracted pneumonia and his body was just not able to fight it off. I went to see him on his last day and though he was not awake at any point, I hope he heard me tell him that I loved him and that it would be okay if he needed to go. I miss him terribly, to this day. I officiated the funeral because I could not deal with the idea of some stranger trying to eulogize a man he/she had never met. It was not an easy task but so incredibly rewarding to honor him this way.
March - I changed my MS medication to Copaxone instead of Rebif. This meant taking a daily shot instead of a shot three times a week. However, the difference in fatigue and general feelings of malaise improved dramatically. I continued to experience health concerns including frequent digestive problems that I suspected were gallbladder related. It's easy for the doc to just chalk it up to the MS though so it's hard to tell what is actually going on.
April - I went to see the reproductive endocrinologist in Iowa City this month. I asked him for a better fix to the PCOS and he actually offered to do a complete hysterectomy. I have considered this in the past but shied away due to the major surgery aspect. Additionally, I have enough menopausal symptoms already, I didn't really want more. It is something I have continued to think about and pray about.
May - Steve's grandmother passed away this month. He dealt well with this, though she was last of his biological grandparents who was still living. Her husband is doing well though and we hope that Grandpa Jim will be around for many years. Millie was buried in the National Cemetery. This month continued with back pain and digestive issues.
June - Due to the continuing health issues, I had to have a lumbar MRI and x-ray to determine if there was an MS reason for the problems that I had been experiencing. Fortunately and unfortunately nothing was found. This was good for my MS but it was later determined that a 5mm kidney stone was the cause of the pain and problems. I ended up suffering from the stone and resulting infections for about three weeks. I went to the emergency room at least four times during this period because of the pain and other effects of the stone. I don't know if I ever passed it or if it is in my bladder just waiting to cause some more pain.
July - I turned 30 years old in July and while this was a little nerve racking, it was compounded by the ongoing health concerns that just wouldn't give up. I had a great birthday however and got to see fireworks on my birthday in Carthage with Steve and Eric. My step-sister also got married this month and the wedding and reception were both beautiful and fun.
August - I fell down our stairs at the beginning of the month and broke the big toe on my left foot. It is the first bone I have ever broken. But after falling down 13 steps, I figured that only breaking a toe was pretty good business. It hurt very bad and I ended up having to wear a boot to stabilize it for six weeks. Also this month, my grandpa Jack died. It seems like he had been gone many years due to the dementia that changed his personality so much. But he was always loving and funny, even to the end. He will be very missed. He was buried in National Cemetery as well and actually right next to Steve's grandmother.
September - This was the month of our 5th Anniversary and FINALLY our honeymoon! We spent three nights and four days in Eureka Springs, Arkansas at a bed and breakfast. We got to see a large cat sanctuary, a drive-through zoo, a cave, lots of shopping, and have lots of fun. It was a great time and both of use really enjoyed the time we spent together during the trip. I did still have to have the boot on and the constant rain made it difficult to walk at times. But it ended up being a great trip to remember and a great way to celebrate our anniversary.
October - We found out when we got back from our vacation that Steve would be laid off from his job. So October was a month of stressing out and worrying about Christmas coming and all the money that we would not have to pay bills and buy Christmas presents. I also continued to have digestive problems and was missing, it seemed, at least one day every pay period of work.
November - This was the month of medical tests. I had a follow-up MRI of my brain and a base-line MRI of my cervical and thoracic spinal cord. No new lesions were found on my brain and one active lesion was found on the cervical area of my spinal cord. No treatments were completed due to my upcoming surgery. The surgery was scheduled after the doctor finally ordered a gallbladder functioning test and it was realized that my gallbladder was only functioning at 7% and was causing all the digestive issues that I had been having for THREE years. This was also the last month that my husband was employed and he was laid off right before Thanksgiving, though given a very nice severance package.
December - I had my gallbladder out on December 7th, a Tuesday. The following day I ran a fever of about 101F all day until it finally went away. Then the next day, I continually threw up and had to go back to a clear liquid diet. Then the next day my poor digestive system revolted. It was not fun. But after dealing with all that, getting the staples out and healing up, I am feeling better now than I have in a long long time. I still have to be careful of some foods but overall, I am much better. At the end of the month, my husband interview and was offered a new job with a new company. God has certainly provided for us!
So, a pretty rough and tough year but ended on a high note with me feeling better and Steve getting a new job which he seems to like.
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