2019: The Year of the Wrist

I joked that 2019 was the year of the wrist, and it seems like 2020 is off to a similar start. Everyone is dying to know all about my wrist saga, right? Probably not, but I’ll share anyway. In early July I slipped on the wet floor after taking a shower. I fell down to the ground and laid there for a minute. I felt banged up on most of my right side - toes, hip, ribs, and WRIST. A week or so later everything felt better but my wrist. I thought perhaps it was because I was carrying around a four-month-old and lugging around a car seat. Another week went by and I decided to see my doctor. He said maybe it was sprained and prescribed some cream to put on it to help with pain and recovery and suggested a small splint. Two weeks later it still hurt, so he finally took an x-ray. The results came in, and I had fractured my radius. I felt disappointed that it had talked four weeks to get an accurate diagnosis, I also felt frustrated that it would take another week and a half to see the hand specialist. When I finally saw him he had an occupational therapist make me a thermoplastic splint. At least it was purple and pink! I wore it all of the time except I could take it off to shower which was nicer than having a fiberglass cast, but it was still very hot and sweaty to wear in August. About two weeks into it, my left shoulder started killing me. It hurt so much that I decided to go to urgent care and was diagnosed with tendinitis and given a sling. So there I was with a cast on one arm and a sling for the other arm. You don’t have to be a mother to know that this is nearly impossible for a stay at home mom of two. I went to my primary care physician and got a cortisone shot in the rotator cuff area but didn’t receive any relief from it. After four weeks of the thermoplastic cast, I got an MRI and discovered I had a tear in my triangular fibrocartilage complex - a body part I didn’t know I even had until it gave me a hard time. I saw my hand specialist after a month of the cast, and he said the bone should be healed but that cartilage doesn’t heal on its own. He did a cortisone shot in it, and it didn’t provide anything relief. I also was skeptical about this method because I wasn’t looking to mask the pain of an unhealed injury for the rest of my life. I contacted his office ten days later to say I hadn’t gotten any relief from the shot, and his nurse said I could come in for another shot. I felt frustrated and confused about why a hand surgeon wouldn’t do hand surgery. I decided to reach out to the parents of one of Sarah’s friends from school. The dad is an orthopedic surgeon at another hospital, and he helped me get in with the hand specialist there quickly. I got to see her the next day on September 19. I immediately felt connected and heard when she actually did a physical exam on my wrist. The former surgeon had never even touched my wrist before diagnosing and treating. When she suggested surgery I honestly was relieved and very ready. She told me I didn’t have to go with her and her treatment plan, and I feared up because my pain was finally being validated, and we had a treatment plan that made sense to me. I told her I was on board, but she still wanted me to think about it over the weekend. Her plan was to anchor the TFCC back to the radius. I would have a soft long arm cast for two weeks and a fiberglass long arm cast for six weeks. Then I would have months of therapy. On Monday I called her and booked it. She was able to do the surgery about four weeks later on October 14, three and a half months after my injury. I was kind of nervous about the surgery but also very ready to finally be on the road to recovery. When I woke up from the surgery, Robert told me it didn’t go according to plan. The part of the TFCC that was injured was actually frayed in the middle instead of being detached from the radius area, so she didn’t need to anchor anything back together and did a debridement or clean up of the frayed TFCC. The good news was that I would only have a soft short arm cast for two weeks followed by four weeks of a brace. The bad news was that a full recovery was unlikely. The goal would be to get back to about 80%. The funny part was that she said I would no longer be able to do pushups. Darn! Ha! I was to ice my arm for 20 minutes every hour, but of course, I really couldn’t feel it through my gigantic cast. I had a metal bar on the entire underneath of my arm from the base of my fingers up to my elbow, and then it was wrapped in gauze and an Ace Bandage type thing. I think I took my prescription pain medicine for about two days and switched to Ibuprofen after that for another few days. I couldn’t lift anything over five pounds, so I couldn’t carry either kid. Robert took the first week off of work, and then he had to go out of town for his doctoral program, and my mom came and stayed with us. I had my follow up appointment with my PA at 10 days post-op. She increased my weight limit to 7 whole pounds. Big deal! Ha! She took out my stitches and gave me a brace. At this point, I realized that I only had two small laparoscopic incisions. I really didn’t know what it looked like before that. I immediately started occupational therapy. One of the silver linings of all of this is that I have really enjoyed the two therapists I have had. I’m able to get the first appointment of the day at 7:30. I leave at 7:00 so Robert gets the kids ready while I’m gone, and I get home just in time for him to leave for work. I have been trying to view it as “me time.” It’s a scheduled appointment that I have to keep, and I get to kind of check out and get my hand and arm massaged and exercise it. The therapists are very easy to talk to. They have been very pleased with my progress and continue to tell me that my progress is normal even though it’s slower than I had expected. When my surgeon had said it’s a simple surgery I guess she meant it’s simple for her to perform. When telling my therapist that, he told me it still takes about a year to recover. I saw my surgeon again on November 26, six weeks post-op and she renewed me for another six weeks of therapy which didn’t surprise me. I saw my PA again on January 7, and I was on the fence about whether or not I thought she’d release me. She did not. I wasn’t terribly disappointed because I don’t want to be released until I feel very good about my ability to perform everyday tasks and am experiencing minimal pain. She renewed me for another six weeks of therapy, and I’ll see the surgeon again on February 27. This time she included work on my rotator cuff because it was still causing me pain. The therapist has been helpful with that. Apparently, one part of the rotator cuff is unusually tight and another is unusually loose. I have no idea what the parts are, but I know it causes me pain and limited mobility. It was caused by overdoing it with my left arm when I couldn’t use my right arm. My main causes of wrist pain are things in the “pronation” position as they call it. Things like typing on a computer (like right now) and playing the piano. I am hoping and praying for continued improvement with those things because obviously, I can’t avoid them forever. My surgeon released me at the end of February when I saw her, and I’ll continue doing what I’ve learned from OT and do those things at home and just give it time (about seven more months), and then I’ll hit one year post-op. It’s been an interesting experience. On a funny note, in fourth grade a lot of people seemed to have broken bones and I was jealous and thought it seemed cool and interesting. I’m here to tell you that it is not. On a more serious note, I am thankful for family and friends who have stepped in and helped so much. I also had to be okay with just making sure the basics were done: food and laundry. Other things had to slide and we survived. Here’s hoping 2021 is NOT the year of the wrist!

Sarah's Surgery

We're four days post-op, and Sarah is doing well!  I wanted to take some time to decompress from the last few days and to write down all that's happened so I can remember it.  I wrote about Sarah's surgery a few weeks ago, so you can learn more there as well.

Back in December we saw an ENT in Springfield for Sarah's recurring ear infections, and he suggested that Sarah get ear tubes and an adenoidectomy.  We thought that Sarah's anti-reflux surgery could be a good time to do these other two procedures, so on Thursday, January 18 we went to an ENT in St. Louis.  Initially we were disappointed that we drove all the way there because immediately he said his threshold for doing this surgery is six ear infections in a year, and Sarah only had four.  We thought we'd totally wasted our day, but while we were there I decided to ask him about Sarah's "leaky" eyes.  He said that's an ophthalmology issue, and he suggested that we go down one floor straight to the eye center and request an appointment.  The scheduler was able to get us an appointment for the next Wednesday, one day before Sarah's surgery, with the promise that if Sarah needed something done that they could do it the next day.

Robert's dad, Ray, came up to visit us on Monday and stayed with us until it was time to go to St. Louis.  We all road together, and it was so nice to have an extra adult in the car with Sarah.  The drive went well, and we only had to stop twice.  We ate lunch at Imo's Pizza, and then he dropped us off at the hospital.  While at lunch I got a call from Haven House saying that Robert, Sarah, and I could stay the night with them for free!  I had applied with Ronald McDonald house a week before and hadn't heard anything, so this was definitely last minute and totally a huge blessing!

At 2:00pm on Wednesday we met with an optometrist named Dr. Timmerman.  She was so incredibly sweet and awesome with Sarah.  She seemed like she was about my age or maybe just a bit older.  She listened to me tell her about how Sarah's eyes had been tearing and dripping since she was two weeks old.  She did a full eye exam and dialated her eyes.  Once she did the dialation eye drops we got to go to a play room for half an hour.  It was great!  Two story slide, tons of toys, and Sarah got to pick out a sucker.  We went back to Dr. Timmerman.  She said Sarah is far-sighted but that she compensates well and could grow out of it during her early elementary years.  She diagnosed Sarah with nasolacrimal duct obstruction.  Basically, hear tear duct was clogged and too narrow so tears couldn't properly drain.  This effects 5% of infants, but it spontaneously clears up in 90% of those children during the first year of life, so I guess mathematically that would mean that only 0.045% of children still have obstructed ducts after one year of life like Sarah, so I guess you could say it's fairly rare.  Since Dr. Timmerman is an optometrist she couldn't do the surgery.  She said Dr. Leuder the ophthamalagist would need to do it.  He was scheduled to be doing clinicals with his students at Washington University in St. Louis on Thursday.  His scheduler, Rhonda, pulled some major strings, and Dr. Leuder had compassion for us and totally rearranged his schedule so he could do the probing in conjunction with Sarah's bilateral ureteral reimplantation.  Praise God!!!  For the surgery, Dr. Leuder would take a probe down Sarah's inner eye tear duct and clear out the duct with pressure and grinding around the probe.

Dialated eyes

We loved all the cats in the hospital

After our appointment we walked to a park nearby, and Sarah actually fell asleep on the walk.  We just sat down on a park bench, and Sarah napped for half an hour.  Then we met up with Robert's mom, and she took us to Haven House.  This place was such a blessing!  We got to stay there for free and have dinner and breakfast the next day.  Serina ate dinner with us there, and then we went to the play room and craft room.  Serina and I went and got ice cream for us all, and we enjoyed it in our room.  Serina gave Sarah a bath because she was supposed to get all cleaned up in preparation for her surgery.  Serina headed back to her hotel that was attached to the hospital, and Robert, Sarah, and I settled in for a terrible night of sleep.  We had a queen bed and two twin beds.  We never share a room with Sarah, so we expected a bad night of sleep.  While trying to fall asleep Sarah asked, "Umm...I was just wondering, when are we going to the beach to get seashells?"  I think she thought we were on vacation.  Another time she came over to me and said, "Daddy isn't talking to me.  Can you open his eyes?"  She eventually fell asleep in bed with me from 10:00-2:00, but we were all awake after that.  I got to take a nap for an hour, and Robert and Sarah napped for 30 minutes, but other than that we were up for the day.  Sarah couldn't eat anything, so at 7:00 we gave her apple juice, and after that she didn't get anything to eat or drink until after surgery.  Robert and I took turns going to breakfast so she wouldn't have to see us eat. 

Napping in the park

Playing at Haven House

Crafts at Haven House

Ice cream for her last food before surgery

Robert's dad had stayed the night with a friend, and he came to Haven House at 8:00 to pick us up to go to the hospital.  Sarah fell asleep on the way to the hospital and slept in the parking garage for 45 minutes which was nice.  We went into the hospital to meet Serina and checked in for pre-op at 9:45.  Robert, Sarah, and I went back with Nurse Luci, and she did things like take Sarah's height and weight, blood pressure, and temperature.  A variety of doctors and nurses came in and out.  I think we saw a doctor and nurse for ophthalmology, urology, and anesthesia.  Sarah got to play with a mask like the one they would use to put her to sleep.  It was strawberry scented which she liked.  She put on fish pajamas and socks.  We had some time to kill so we went to the play room in pre-op.  The hospital had play rooms everywhere you turned which was really nice.  While we were in the play room our good friend and worship minister Derick showed up.  What a cool surprise!  He and Robert got to talk while I met Dr. Coplen the urologist for the first time.  He was so kind.  I learned that Sarah's condition is even more rare than I had realized.  VUR effects about 10% of children, but that's for every grade of reflux, 1-5.  Most of those kids have a 1 or 2 and grow out of it.  I know that Dr. Coplen is only 1 of 150 people in the world with his certifications.  St. Louis Children's Hospital serves all of the midwest, and he's the only one who does this particular surgery in the area, and he said he only has to do this surgery ONE or TWO times a month!!!  I couldn't believe it.  It made me wonder if Sarah could be the first person ever needing bilateral ureteral reimplantation and nasolacrimal duct surgery at the same time.  Surely, right?  I asked Dr. Coplen, and he said if we have future biological children that he can pretty much guarantee that he or she would have some grade of VUR.  He said it's most common in people with blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.  It actually made me kind of surprised that I didn't suffer from it. 

We went back to the pre-op room with Dr. Coplen, and he went over Sarah's ultrasounds and x-rays again.  Sarah kept talking about poop with everyone she saw.  She told Dr. Coplen that she doesn't like bladders, and he said, "You're more of a poop girl, huh?"  My friend Jen's parents live in STL, and they came to visit us and brought a teddy bear and blanket.  Such a sweet surprise!  Derick and Jen's parents ended up staying through all of the surgery.  20 minutes before the surgery they gave Sarah some medicine to help her relax so she wouldn't be as nervous about going off to surgery.  It made her very loopy and relaxed.  She was entertained playing with Serina's arm and Robert's beard.  We carried Sarah to the final door and said goodbye.  Robert and I stayed in pre-op for half an hour, and then Dr. Leuder came out to tell us the surgery was successful.  He said Sarah's right duct was actually more clogged even though her left eye looked more teary which happens occasionally but is very uncommon.  His nurse gave us instructions for caring for Sarah.  We're doing a thick eye drop daily for a week, and we never did end up needing to use the nasal spray to prevent nose bleeds.  Her eyes look so clear now!

We went back to the waiting area to join up with the other five and all went down to lunch.  I didn't want to leave the area, but the front desk worker had my phone number if they needed anything.  Eating lunch and talking kept my mind off of things.  We went back up stairs and only had to wait maybe another hour.  Dr. Coplen came out and told us the surgery was successful with no complications.  Her vitals had stayed stable the whole time.  He closed the incision by stitching underneath the skin and putting dermabond on top.  It looks really good! 

Half an hour later we got to see Sarah in recovery.  She was still very asleep, more so than I had expected.  She cried out in pain a few times as she was waking up, so I just snuggled her.  Nurse Sarah took us upstairs to her room.  Because it's flu season, the hospital has been backed to capacity and Sarah had to get a roommate.  The roommate had already arrived and definitely got the bigger half of the room with a couch.  Our side was pretty microscopic.  The roommate was crying a lot at first as she had just had ear tubes, adenoids removed, eye surgery, and tonsils removed.  She calmed down some, and the family was nice.  As Sarah was starting to wake up I was telling her I love her, and her first words were, "I love you, too."  So precious!  Her voice was very scratchy from the breathing tube during surgery.  She also hated the IV and catheter and asked to take them out a lot.  They had trouble getting an IV in for surgery and had had to try three times.  She had dried blood in her hair from the surgery which was kind of pitiful.  The first evening was kind of a blur, but I know at one point Ray and Serina left to get us food, and I know that I spent some time watching Sesame Street with Sarah.  We got to meet Dr. Coplen's resident, Dr. Song, who had helped with the surgery.  He was incredibly nice.

Our tiny half of the room

On Wednesday Sarah had asked that her first meal be Cheerios, and that's what she got and enjoyed when she wanted to eat.  She was good at drinking water which made me happy.  Since we had a shared room the staff said only one parent could stay the night which was for the best because there really wasn't room for a second person.  We decided Robert would stay the night because he can sleep through bad conditions more easily.  I said good night around 8:30 and went back to the hotel with Serina.  Robert and Sarah had a good night, all things considered.  As good of a night as you can when you're being checked every two hours. 

Robert called at 5:30 on Friday morning saying that Sarah wanted me.  When I got there at 5:45 she had fallen back asleep and slept for two hours.  Serina and I went down to the cafeteria to get breakfast.  At 6:30 Dr. Song came by and took out her catheter.  Sarah was so glad!  She peed on the potty three times in the first hour.  It was painful for her because every time she needs to pee her bladder has a muscle spasm.  Her pee had blood in it and still does which is normal for the first week.  When Dr. Coplen came by at 8:00 to check on Sarah she had just peed on me so he said he'd come back at 12:00 to check on her.  We were really bummed because we wanted to leave and go home as soon as we could.  After he left we got Sarah a "ticket to ride" as they call it and pushed her around in a wagon and took her to the play room.  We got back to the room and Dr. Song came by again.  We told him we thought we were ready to go.  He said he'd call Dr. Coplen and ask if he could discharge her.  Just a bit later they both came by.  That really made me happy!  They discharged Sarah, and within half an hour they were taking out the IV.  Sarah got nervous last minute because the tape hurt when it was getting peeled off, but she was glad to have out the IV.

We wheeled Sarah out to the car in her wagon.  I picked up a muscle spasm medicine and a pain killer at the hospital pharmacy, but Sarah hasn't needed them.  So thankful!  Even since the first day Sarah has only needed Tylenol and Motrin to manage the pain.  Who else could have an abdominal incision and eye surgery and only need OTC pain relief?  Wow! 

Happy girl with her tots

I had been nervous about the drive home, thinking that the car seat would be uncomfortable, but it went really well!  She slept for an hour and a half, and then we stopped for lunch at Steak n Shake.  While we were there Sarah asked to walk around which was her first time to walk.  She enjoyed saying hi to other guests.  The last two hours of the drive home Sarah was awake and happy.  When we got home Ray headed out, and we had about an hour before my parents got to our house.  The three of us all took a nap together.  My parents got here, and the second she woke up she told her Grandpa, "I need my Andy's ice cream!"  He had promised it to her before surgery. :)  We ate dinner together and did lots of holding and snuggling the first evening.  My parents spent the night, and I'm so glad.  We tucked Sarah at 8:00.  She went to sleep well.  I had set my alarm for 1:15 to give her more medicine.  When I went in to wake her up she was burning up.  I took her temp in her armpit and it was 101.4 which is like 102.4 in your mouth.  I woke up everybody and was kind of freaking out.  I called the 24 hour urology nurse line, and two minutes later Dr. Song called me.  He said to let the Tylenol and Ibuprofen work for an hour and take her temp again.  Half an hour later she threw up all over Grandma, but 30 minutes after that her fever was almost gone.  Dr. Song called me back at 8:00am and asked how Sarah was doing.  She had taken a couple of little naps after throwing up but hadn't slept a lot, but I told him the fever was gone.  He said sometimes people get fevers after surgery, but that as along as it goes down it's okay.  He also said she probably threw up because she had Ibuprofen on an empty stomach.  There's still a chance of a UTI the next few weeks as her ureters heal, so that's why we really need to keep an eye on the fever to make sure it isn't indicating a UTI.

 Saturday we all hung around the house.  Sarah mostly wanted to be with Grandma, so Robert and Dad went grocery shopping, and I picked up and did laundry.  Saturday evening my dad went home so he could go to church on Sunday.  Saturday night was quite a bit better.  She woke up twice but didn't have a fever or sickness.

Quick ride up and down the street to get some fresh air

On Sunday we stayed home and watched church online.  My dad came back over after church, and then Robert went up to church in the afternoon for student activities.  Dad left after dinner, and Mom spent the night again.  Sunday night was really good.  Sarah slept from 8:00pm-8:00am with one wake-up from 10:00-11:00.

Robert went back to work today.  Sarah's appetite came back yesterday I'd say.  She's still wearing a diaper just because she's peeing so often as she heals, and she can't hold it well.  It seems to comfort her to know she won't be having an accident.  My dad came over after work today for a bit, and he and my mom just left.  I want my mommy! :)  Sarah really is doing well, but it's been so great to have them here.  We're supposed to stay in away from other people for the first week.  We don't want other children to accidentally injure Sarah. 

As far as recovery goes, bladder spasms should be done soon.  She should be feeling like herself in the next few days.  The stitches and glue are starting to dissolve and should be gone in the next week or so.  She has a renal ultrasound on February 16, and a post-op appointment with Dr. Coplen on February 19.  Both are in Springfield which is fantastic!  At the appointment we hope to get the all clear so we can stop giving Sarah her daily medicine.

Through this whole experience I have been so thankful for the support of our friends and family.  They have been so thoughtful through praying for us, bringing Sarah gifts, giving us food, and checking on us.  We're thankful that Sarah could have these two surgeries to get her healthy and improve her quality of life.  We're thankful that she made it through the surgery well.  We had such great medical care.  The doctors are excellent and kind.  Besides Sarah's health, I'm most thankful for the peace and calm that I felt during Sarah's surgery and hospital stay.  I had been concerned that I would be very anxious and a nervous wreck the whole time, and I know that the peace came from the Holy Spirit.

Thank you very much for your love and support!

Natural Headache Relief

I first recall getting headaches on a regular basis when I was in 8th grade.  I'd take Ibuprofen but didn't notice much improvement.  I struggled with them off and on in my teenage years, but then it really escalated shortly after we got married.  Every day I'd wake up with a dull ache in my head and a burning sensation.  I described it as feeling like I'd been hit on the head with a hammer and having fiery hot spiders crawling around my brain.  Obviously, I've never actually experienced those things, but that's how I imagine this felt.  So I went to neurologist.  He was very intelligent and a good communicator.  He enlightened me about the differences between headaches and migraines.  Migraines aren't just bad headaches.  They don't go away with OTC medications.  They run in families.  You have a slightly different structure to the base of your skull.  He said, "You have a migraine right now, don't you?"  I said yes.  He told me he could tell because one of my pupils was dilated.  So interesting!  But ever sing learning that I have noticed that to be true for me when I'm experiencing a migraine.  Anyway, he got me started on a daily medication that really helped a lot, but once I got pregnant with Sarah I needed to get off of it.  While I was pregnant I didn't have too many migraines, but when I did it really stunk because I could only take Tylenol.  I actually had one of the worst ones ever the day I found out I was pregnant.  After Sarah was born I had every intention to get back on the medicine, but the migraines just never got horrific like they had been.

Like I said, I've never been one to take Ibuprofen and feel better half an hour.  Robert is the total opposite and is a new person half an hour after taking Aleve, just like in the commercials!  Any time I would get a migraine I pretty much knew that I would feel like that all day, and then sleep it off through the night.  Of course, this doesn't work great when you have a life like all of you probably do.  It's hard to "push through" a migraine and take care of a two year old all day.  So I started trying to educate myself, and I've come up with an arsenal to combat migraines that is working really well for me.  I want to share my positive experiences and knowledge with you, dear reader, just in case you suffer from migraines and could benefit from what I've learned.

1. Intervene as soon as possible - At this point in my life, I've learned that my migraines don't just go away.  They're only going to get worse throughout the day, so if at all possible I need to intervene as soon as I started to feeling one coming on.
2. Have a cup of coffee every morning - Various OTC medicines like Excedrin have caffeine in them, and for me I've noticed that if I have one cup of coffee right away when I wake up it really helps me prevent migraines for the day.  I don't drink more than that because I don't want to be jittery, and I try not to drink it any later in the day except for on special occasions so it doesn't interfere with my night time sleep.
3. Peppermint oil on trigger point - I totally wasn't an oils person, but since having Sarah I care more about what comes into our house, and I don't like the idea of having lots of chemicals around that could be deadly if ingested.  So anyway, I've gotten a bit into oils, but I'm not expert.  However, I can speak the praises of peppermint oil!  Seriously.  I rub this into the base of my head, my temples, or my forehead, and it starts providing relief almost instantly.  I love it!
4. Diffusing peppermint oil or lavender oil - Robert got me a diffuser for Christmas, and I've been enjoying it.  I've always like lavender for its scent and relaxation, but I've also started enjoying peppermint for the nausea associated with migraines.
5. Rice sock or cool eye mask - It changes, but every time I have a migraine I can easily tell if a hot rice sock or a cool eye mask is going to feel better.  My rice sock is not fancy.  It's literally a long tube sock with dry white rice in it, and I heat it up in the microwave for two minutes.  My cool eye mask stays in my refrigerator so it's ready whenever I need it.  Both feel good over my forehead/eye area or on the base of my skull.
6. Himalayan salt massage rocks - I mentioned in a previous post, that I'm not about to get into whether or not Himalayan salt ionizes the air or if that's even necessary, but massage rocks are awesome when you go to the spa, and these are just as great to have at home!  I like heating them up and rubbing them on my jaw, temples, head, and neck to provide some heat and pressure.
7. Magnesium oil - In 2017 I read a book called Sleep Smarter and was introduced to the benefits of magnesium oil.  Probably about five years ago I had learned about magnesium's ability to prevent headaches and calm anxiety, but when I took the supplements they made me really nauseous and were tough on my system, so when I learned about magnesium oil I was intrigued.  The author, Shawn Stevenson, presents scientific evidence that magnesium is best absorbed topically, so through something like an oil or a lotion.  I was able to buy magnesium oil from a local health food store, but I'm sure you could get it on Amazon easily as well.  I spray it on the bottom of my feet every night.  Since it does make them a bit oily it's nice to do it at night since I'm not trying to walk anywhere, but you could also just put on socks after putting it on.  Stevenson also recommends putting it on your chest, but I noticed that the oil was leaving grease stains on my clothes, so you've been forewarned.
8. Mouth guard - Previously, I told you that I've been diagnosed with TMJ and clenching my jaw in my sleep.  I got a custom-fit mouth guard and was really hoping that it would work since it was fairly pricey.  Within two days I was sold!  It's been a month now, and I have absolutely no dental pain, and I have to also imagine that clenching my jaw all night was not helping anything in the migraine department.  Often, when you grind your teeth your spouse notices and says something because it's a very annoying sound, but clenching your teeth/jaw is silent, so your spouse doesn't know that it's happening in the night.  My dentist could tell by the signs of wear on my teeth that I'm a clencher, so the next time you're at your dentist ask him if he can see signs of clenching or grinding.  Honestly, the mouth guard doesn't bother me at all when I sleep.  It has yet to fall out while I've been sleeping.  I was used to it after maybe five days.

I hope you notice some relief by implementing these tips!

Sarah lately

Sarah is at such a fun age!  We definitely have our share of "terrible two" moments, but mostly I think she's just discovering the boundaries and figure out how the world works.  I just wanted to give a random update on her life.

She has developed a huge sweet tooth, and her absolute favorite is ice cream.  She's really enjoying oranges and grapes for fruit.  She likes crackers, dipping her food into sauces, soup, and string cheese.  She really loves helping in the kitchen which is a lot of fun.  She specializes in dumping in ingredients, stirring, shaking spices, and taste testing.

She absolutely adores Mittens.  It's pretty cute, and Mittens puts up with it well.  Sarah will come home and declare, "I missed you baby Mittens!  I love you!"  Sarah made her a picture the other day and said, "I made this for you, Coco.  Do you like it?"  She enjoys brushing Mittens and giving her treats every day.  She gets sad that Mittens doesn't always want to participate in her ideas like taking a bath with her. haha!

Sarah has always enjoyed listening to books, but her interested has really increased lately.  She enjoys filling up her basket and checking out books at the library.  She enjoys curling up in someone's lap and reading a good book.  She's also started "reading" books by looking at the pictures and telling stories.

She enjoys art: coloring, painting, Play-Doh, , singing, playing her guitar and the piano.  She usually has a song to sing even if it's just, "I'm looking for my shoes.  Where are my shoes?"

She frequently comes up to us to say she loves us and that she wants to give us a hug or a kiss.  It's the absolute best!

She absolutely loves bath time and could stay in there for hours if I would let her.  She likes her foam letters, cups, bath Crayons, and bath baby so much.  She likes to go "swimming" in there, too.

She enjoys playing with Barbie's which must be hereditary because my mom and I both loved Barbie's.  They really hold her attention, and it's fun to see her imagination really soar.

Sarah is an extrovert and gets energized at play dates, playing with family members, and play with her friends (students at church).  She lights up with a group of friends and gets so silly.

She stays dry at nap time about 90% of the time, and we've started letting her wear underwear then.  Just have the night time diaper left! 

She went to the allergist recently.  In summary she's allergic to the whole world other than cats. ;)  Seriously though, she was allergic to everything except for three things: the two types of trees that we have and the one type of pet that we have.  Kinda cool, huh?  The doctor was great with Sarah, and we have a treatment plan to try to give her some relief.  She was very brave and a trooper!

Whole30

Robert and I did our first Whole30 in December.  It went well!  We weren't perfect at it - we had to eat "normal" food a few times at Christmas parties - but I think we were really successful overall.  I think I read all of Melissa Hartwig's books in advance which really helped educate me and get me on board.  Obviously, we won't implement all of her suggestions all of the time, but it's been a really good time to evaluate our eating habits.  If you are unfamiliar with Whole30, the very very very basic synopsis is eat an animal protein, vegetable, and healthy fat for three meals a day, and eat fruit at two of those meals.  Don't consume dairy, grains, or legumes.  Those aren't all the guidelines, but they're they highlights.  Here are some of our favorite recipes that we made over the month:

Dump Ranch

Lettuce Wraps

Shepherd's Pie

Breakfast Casserole

Indian Curry Chicken

Salmon and Veggies - We didn't use the sauce recipe.  We used some oil, vinegar, and coconut aminos instead.

Tomato Basil Turkey Meatloaf

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

Green Chile Chicken

Breakfast was the hardest for me.  I like protein with my breakfast, but I really like having carbs with it as well - waffles, pancakes, bagels, etc.  I got pretty tired of eggs.  Also, basically all bacon has sugar added to it which is a bummer.  Leftovers for lunch was key.  A big dinner that filled us up so we didn't need to snack was important too.  We were surprised that we weren't overly hungry, but we were eating nourishing, filling meals.

Weight loss: Robert lost 15 pounds, and I lost 18 pounds!

Non-scale victories: Robert noticed that his acid reflux was much much better.  We both slept better.  I felt less anxious.  I fit into a pair of jeans that hadn't fit in a season. Robert brought on his belt buckle one notch. It definitely flattened my stomach more and helped with the mom pooch. I had two 24 hour stomach bugs during this month (‘‘tis the season), and I got headaches during those days, but other than that I only had one headache this month which is really good for me, and it went away within an hour of treating it which is very unusual for me. Robert’s wedding ring got quite a bit loser.

Going forward, we want to limit snacking and nighttime eating, eat less carbs and dairy, and make a conscious effort to select food that fuels our bodies.  We also want to make intentional decisions about treating ourselves instead of just eating junk food out of boredom.

Have you ever tried a Whole30?  What did you think?

Poor Health

I haven't known what to blog about for the last two months or so because, honestly, I've felt very "in the middle" of some tough times, and I'd been waiting to write until things were better, but it's just time to decompress a bit.  Everybody just can't wait to hear about our hard times, right?  The very short version is that in the span of 48 hours Sarah broke her toe; Robert got diagnosed with herniated discs, bulging discs, phase II disc degeneration, arthritis, and spinal stenosis; and I started having mouth and stomach pain that eventually got diagnosed as TMJ, SI joint dysfunction, and a uterine fibroid.

It's kind of a blur at this point, but in mid-October I went to urgent care with terrible stomach pain.  I was just given an antibiotic and sent on my way which was frustrating.  I ended up seeing a new OBGYN at my normal clinic because my previous doctor is in the process of retiring.  I got an ultrasound, and there was a uterine fibroid found, but this doctor diagnosed me as having an overactive bladder, and that that was what was giving me pain.  What on earth?  It just didn't make sense.  I didn't have any symptoms of an overactive bladder.  So I went to my old OBGYN that I had seen in high school and college.  She believes that the fibroid is small enough that it shouldn't be causing this much pain.  After running every test imaginable she thinks that the belt of pain that I'm experiencing in my low back, pelvic bone, and low abdomen is caused by sacroiliac joint dysfunction.  Her suggestion was to avoid picking up Sarah for two weeks which is easier said than done considering that Robert is also under doctor's orders to not pick up Sarah.  We'll see if I start feeling better soon.  But anyway, the day after I went to urgent care I had an appointment set up with my dentist because I'd been in pain ever since he gave me a filling a month before.  He said everything was totally fine and suggested getting an over the counter night guard.  I tried that for two weeks and didn't notice any improvement.  He suggested a root canal.  It just seemed extreme and too coincidental that this all happened after I got the filling.  So again, I got a second opinion from my dad's dentist.  He found excess cement on my gum line from the filling and scraped it off and gave me a deep cleaning.  I was frustrated that the original dentist wasn't willing to admit his mistake.  Unfortunately, I still didn't feel better, so this dentist suggested I see an endodontist.  I went in today and got examined and tested, and the good news is that I don't need a root canal.  The bad news is that I have TMJ which has been really magnified after having my jaw open wide for all of this dental work.  He also saw signs of abnormal wear caused by grinding my teeth and clenching my teeth while I sleep, so I'm going to be doing some exercises and massage and also getting a custom-fit night guard.  I'm really hoping for some relief.  I've been in pain from this since mid-September.

So then there's Sarah.  The day after Robert's big back episode she picked up a 10 pound dumbbell and dropped it on her left big toe.  The toenail cracked and bled a lot.  It had been over a month, and she started talking about it hurting again, so I took her to the doctor last week, and found out that she had broken it.  I was so sad, but reassured that there really isn't anything that you can do for a broken toe.  She's walking just fine.  Her toenail is also in the process of falling off.  Once it totally falls off it'll take about six months to grow back which is sad to me.  I've never lost a nail.  She's a trooper.  But while we were at the doctor for her toe I mentioned that Sarah had been coughing for a few weeks.  Turns out she had an ear infection.  She's had four ear infections in the last year, so she's going to see an ENT.  She's also never seemed to be fully healed from her clogged tear duct, so the ENT should be able to check out that too.  And she seems to get lots of lingering colds, so we're going to have him do an allergy test and assess for asthma.  I'm hoping and praying for some answers and a positive experience when we get to see the ENT.  Seeing your child hurting is just terrible.  Also, could you all be praying for Sarah's upcoming urology tests and appointment?  On December 15 she will have a renal ultrasound and voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG).  She had both of these tests a year and a half ago to officially diagnose her with vesicoureteral reflux.  The renal ultrasound isn't bad, but for the VCUG they have to insert a catheter and fill her bladder with contrast dye and watch her bladder fill and empty on an x-ray screen to test the strength and formation of the ureters.  The last time she had it done she wasn't even one yet, and she did a good job.  I just don't want her to be in pain or scared.  Then on the 18th we'll see the urologist to get her updated diagnosis.  I'll be honest and say that for the last year and a half I've been praying for a miracle.  With all of my heart I want to go in on December 18 and hear that Sarah is fully healed.  It will take a miracle.  Most kids with grade IV reflux don't grow out of it.  It just gets better enough to need a laparoscopic surgery instead of an open anti-reflux surgery.  I hate having to give her a daily prophylactic antibiotic in order to prevent UTI's.  I also hate the way I feel when people hate on antibiotics and parents who "let" their kids take antibiotics.  I want to yell at them and say, "This is the only way I was able to avoid having my seven month old daughter have open surgery and stay at a children's hospital for days!!!"  When people make sweeping generalizations about how antibiotics are overused it hurts my feelings.  I understand building up a child's immune system, but not everyone takes antibiotics just so they don't have to be in pain from an ear infection.  For some people like Sarah it is literally preventing her from needing a kidney transplant one day.  Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox.  I will just end by saying that I am thankful for this medicine that has enabled Sarah to be UTI free since the summer of 2016 after she had two that spring.

Finally, there's Robert.  Before I even met him he injured his back in high school but never took care of it.  After several years it was bad enough that, after no improvement from physical therapy and pain management, he had back surgery in September of 2012 for two herniated discs.  He had been at about 90% ever since then, but in October he picked up Sarah, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back (almost literally).  Robert was in extreme pain and went to the emergency room only to get some pain medicine.  Thankfully, I got him in with his primary care physician that same day, and he was able to get an X-Ray and an MRI to get diagnosed with herniated discs, bulging discs, disc degeneration, arthritis, and spinal stenosis.  I'll spare you the details, but basically the medical world moves way too slowly when you're in excruciating pain and can't walk or stand up straight.  For example, his original MRI was scheduled for six weeks from his doctor's appointment!  Thankfully I did lots of calling and got him in just two days later, but can you imagine waiting six weeks for an MRI so you can get a diagnosis and actually start a treatment plan?  That's nuts!  The silver lining is that our neighbor works at a physical therapy clinic owned by her father-in-law, and she got Robert in to see him quickly.  The PT has been an absolute godsend.  He has done things that other PT's have never done for Robert, and he has seen a ton of improvement.  He told Robert he thinks he can be healed without surgery.  Robert was also able to get an injection from at the spine institute, and has gotten a lot of pain relief from that.

I want to say thank you to our family, friends, and church members who have taken care of us during this time.  You lightened our load!

We obviously wouldn't have ever wanted to experience this.  It hasn't been fun to be in physical pain.  It isn't fun to get medical bills in the mail.  It isn't fun to spend hours in waiting rooms, but I'd like to leave you with an excerpt from a book a friend is letting me borrow.  It's called The Scars That Have Shaped Me by Vaneetha Rendall Risner.

Remembering Romans puts my life in perspective.  God is not surprised by disappointing news.  He knows it all beforehand and uses it to conform me into his image.  As I reflect on the situation and the character of God, my prayer changes.  I am able to say: "Though I don't understand this situation, Lord, you have brought it into my life.  Because of that, I know it is good.  And I know that you will use it - both for my good and for your glory.  I want to trust you.  Help me to do that."

Then, every time I think about the situation, I decide to seek God in it.  Rather than dwelling on the negative, I begin praying that God will use it - in my life, for others involved, to his glory.  This is not an easy prayer.  It is a deliberate choice to push worry, anger, and self-pity away.  But as I seek the Lord and keep talking to him, he enables me to take my thoughts captive.  Slowly, my sense of desperation dissipates.

Recognizing that God is going to use this trial makes me calmer.  So every time I think about the issue, rather than getting upset and anxious, I pray.  I ask God to work in the situation.  To redirect my emotions.  To help me trust him.  It's easy for me to jump to conclusions.  To think that a trying situation is going to lead to another and then another.  I often extrapolate present difficulties into the future - which is the crux of not trusting God.  Those difficulties may never present themselves, but even if they do, God's grace will be there to meet me.  Even if the worst happens, God will not fail me.

I wish I could remember these truths when problems first arise.  I needlessly worry when I could be trusting God.  I shouldn't be surprised when trials come.  The Bible says to expect them.  They train me and refine me.  They do deep work in my soul.  The reveal my character.

I do not know how this situation will end, but I do know that God brings beauty from ashes.  No matter what happens, I know he will use it for my good and his glory.  There cannot be a better ending than that;