Last you heard we were stuck in the hospital another night. I could barely contain my joy at another night sleeping upright eating glue-like grits and dry toast. Well, not two hours later another doctor came in to check on me. This doctor also had not looked at my chart and knew nothing of what was going on (I'm beginning to see a trend here. . .) and said I should be able to go that afternoon. Huh? Let's recap: morning doctor said I was stuck until Sunday, afternoon doctor said we would be free that afternoon. As you can imagine, David and I were a bit confused by this and requested they actually communicate with each other (the horrors!) and figure this mess out.
A few more hours of waiting, and a pretty ingenious set-up of computers for football viewing, we were FREE! After a very painful discharge and trip home (who knew I-85 had so many bumps and construction??) we were home! My sweet husband pulled out the sofa bed and I settled in for an evening of complete stillness thanks to the very sore spot on my back.
That night I slept for 13 hours (I told y'all that hospital bed was uncomfortable) and woke up ready to settle in for a day of football and rest. The Momma joined us half-way through the day and was kind enough to not only make us a low-sodium supper (doctor's orders-bleck), but to also tidy up our increasingly messy house! I really am so blessed by these people!
That evening I went to bed early (as if I had a choice, my body is very adamant against me staying awake for extended periods of time these days) with hopes of going to school the next day. Monday morning rolled around and the minute my alarm went off I knew I was in for a rough day. The pounding headache that has come to characterize much of my time (thanks to water pressure build-up) was there to greet me. The next depressing turn? nothing fit. Normally this is a cause for joy because it means shopping-yay! Not so much. None of my clothes fit thanks to the ridiculous amount of water weight I have put on, and seem to continue putting on. I managed to find a summer dress that used to be too big, and threw it on. Off to school I went!
The first sign I should not have gone anywhere should have been when it hurt to take the dip in our driveway, but noooooooooo my stubborn self just kept on truckin'. I ended up making it to school, very slowly I might add, and shuffled down the hall to my classroom. About that time another teacher I work with saw me and sent me into my room saying she would be by in a minute to help me make sub plans. As she was helping me, a few of my teammates and our principal all came by to check on me with the same orders-to go home. Thank God for them! If I hadn't listened and tried to stay I would have probably passed out from exhaustion before the first class ended.
I ended up passing out for another three hours as soon as I got home. Such an exciting life I lead, right? A few hours of alternating school work and naps took me into the afternoon. By this point I was feeling especially puny, and kept texting the Momma to see if she had heard anything back about the biopsy. Around 3:30 I finally heard back from the nephrologist with a diagnosis! Apparently I have something called minimal change disease. She said this is the best diagnosis we could have hoped for, all things considered. She mentioned that roughly 60% of her patients respond well to steroids (bring on the bacon and acne cream!) and water pills. She then proceeded to call in about every pill known to man (at least it seemed like it) to get the ball rolling.
That brings us to this morning. I took everything I was supposed to and am waiting for it all to kick in. Realistically, I know it's going to take some time (she said anywhere between 3-4 weeks for the swelling to go down), but I'm still holding out hope that it magically happens in a day. David and I are so fortunate for everyone who has stepped up to help us in this time! From our co-workers who are picking up our slack (thank you, we owe y'all one or a million!) to our family and friends who keep reaching out to help. We cannot thank y'all enough for everything. More updates to come as we get them!
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
-Jeremiah 29:11
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