I'm sorry it took me so long to post an update! I literally went straight from getting tests done at the clinic to being back at school... and it was crazy! I had an appointment with Infectious Diseases on Tuesday morning, and the doctor ordered some more blood tests that I hadn't had done yet (I'm always shocked when I realize that there's something else I haven't been tested for yet!). Unfortunately, I haven't gotten any results back yet, so we're still waiting to hear on the biopsies and the blood tests. I also got a pneumococcal vaccine so that I can have a blood test in a couple of months to see if my body produces the right antibodies, and I have to have a breath test to check for a bacterial overgrowth in my intestines in a few weeks (I have to wait 4 weeks after a colonoscopy prep, which is why it hasn't happened yet). So, there are still a whole bunch of tests going on.
One of my favorite things about being back at the clinic was that I recognized some of the people from the first time I was there. The guy who drew my blood was the same guy as last time... he's now taken 42 vials from me... we're keeping track! I also love the people in the red coats. They're always there to help you if you're lost... or if you have any questions, even if it's my dad asking for a sound track of the relaxing music that is played throughout the entire clinic (which, by the way, they don't sell).
Of course, it was also absolutely exhausting. I had a wheel chair on Monday after my colonoscopy, so I was wheeled every where I went which helped, but I was still exhausted by the time I left. It's also really hard mentally, because I just want to know what's going on. Every negative test result makes me think that I'm doing the wrong thing, and then I get all discouraged and upset. Every time I see a new doctor that I have to explain everything too I pretty much have a mental breakdown by the time I leave because I realize that what I say and how I say it affects what they think is going on. I'm really good at blaming myself for everything, and I still have to constantly remind myself that God is bigger than this and He's in control. Sometimes it gets very overwhelming, but...
... if I've learned one thing from this... well, actually I've learned a lot... but one of the many things I've learned is how important it is to be able to be content with what God is doing for you at each moment. Yeah, there's a lot of yucky stuff going on in my life right now... but at this moment, I'm sitting here in my nice toasty, dry room on a rainy night, I just ate some really yummy soy/dairy free cookies, and I just came from a team dinner at my friend's house... where we ate homemade food, laughed a lot, and did devotions. Yes, I was tired, and yes, every now and then I was drenched in sweat from that pesky little fever, but I can't let myself get so caught up in what's bad that I forget the good things... because there sure are a lot of good things, and "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (James 1:17).
Anyways, here are some pictures of this week's visit at the clinic!
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| This is the view from our room! We were able to stay at the clinic this time, which made life so much easier. |
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| This is a statue of a person... made of letters? |
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| Basically the main lobby of the clinic... if you go down the hallway straight ahead, there's a Starbucks on your right. Seriously. |
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| I thought it was funny... |
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| My parents thought it was funny how big I made the wheel chair look. |
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| Finally eating the sweet potato I had been craving since I started my liquid diet 2 days earlier.... |
Good night!
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