What's Been Going on with me...

Well, to say the least, I have issues (I know this is going to spark a lot of comments from my family and I am just setting myself up, but here goes).

The issues I am referring to are health issues. I have been feeling terrible for quite some time now, and have had horrible pain on the right side of my pelvis and stomach. We have known that I have endometriosis, and I was able to deal with the pain for a while. But it got so bad that I couldn't walk sometimes and it would just hurt soooo much!

Many people don't really know what endometriosis is, so I thought I would share. Basically, the lining of the uterus is called "endometrium". Sometimes this lining tries to grow outside of the uterus on the ovaries, the outside of the uterus, or onto other body parts. When this occurs, it is the condition called endometreosis.

So last week I went in for surgery. I had my right ovary and tube removed and an appendectomy (my appendix removed). I stayed in the hospital for one night and have been home resting since then. I have three incisions- one on my belly button, one on the right side of my stomach and one down low on my pelvis.

Up until yesterday I was still feeling pretty horrible and having to take the narcotic drugs I had been prescribed. But, today I was able to take regular Ibuprofen and move around more. I go back to work on Monday and am hoping I can handle it. I don't know about sitting at a desk for 8 hours with my body tilted at a 90 degree angle. I do fine when I am laying down, so maybe I can set up a bed under my desk like George Costanza did and work from there...right?

All joking aside, I am very glad to be feeling better. The doctor is hoping, and so are Dusty and I, that this fixes my pain. There is always the possibility of the endometriosis transferring over to my left ovary, which would result in having it removed, which would lead to a hysterectomy. But if that happens then we will deal with it.

I think it is funny how things work out. We started out our married life backwards. We started having children very young. At that time we did not know that I would develop this and have these problems. So, I feel very blessed and lucky that we started our life together the way that we did. Though, it was hard being so young and having children, if we had waited we may have not been able to have any children. We have made it this far and have 3 beautiful children here on earth to cherish.

So on this Thanksgiving day on want to express my gratitude for my health. There must be good with bad, and I am grateful for being alive and well. I am also thankful for technology and the medical world and the advances they have made. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has put up with me whining and crying while in pain. I am ever so grateful for the people in our ward who have been so thoughtful and giving. Not only was I home recovering from surgery, but Dusty and all 3 kids came down with the stomach flu (talk about a fun week!). I just want to thank those who brought us meals, folded my laundry, took my kids after they were better, and those who went to the store for me. I am grateful for the gospel and for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for me. Lastly, I am grateful for our family. We have so many family spread throughout the U.S. (New York, Ohio, Nebraska and Utah) and I am grateful for every one of them. This list could go on forever, so I am going to end this before it gets too sappy.

Bye for now,

Happy Thanksgiving.