Just an update...

This is me at the Med Wives Girls Night Out.  

We ate at Racanelli's New York Pizza and 

Silly Jilly made me a lady bug balloon 

to cheer me up.  

9/24/2008

Things around here have been pretty crazy this past week.  I had several exams and was constantly studying while trying to keep up with housework.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  David has also been studying pretty hard core for the neurology exams that he'll take this Thursday and Friday.

I recently found a new family doctor out here in St. Louis.  She is amazing and is genuinely concerned about her patients.  My last couple of lab results didn't turn out how I would have liked them to.  So, I've been sorta down in the dumps this past week.  It's really not that big of a deal, but I've been avoiding something for the past 5 years and I might not be able to avoid it any longer.  

Here's the scoop....... Right before David and I were married, I was in and out of the doctor.  My calcium and PTH levels were higher than normal.  I went to an endocrinologist and they were ready to schedule a surgery.  I felt I needed a second opinion and I really didn't want to walk down the aisle with a scar or pile of bandages on my neck.  So, I just put everything on hold.

I've had more testing done recently and my levels are even higher than before.  I'm really not looking forward to dealing with this and am actually hoping it will all just go away.  I have another doctor appointment coming up and she'll refer me to an endocrinologist.  We'll go from there.  

At least I may have a real medical excuse and can justify some of my problems.  = )

Here are some of the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism:

	Loss of energy. Don't feel like doing much. Tired all the time.
	Just don't feel well; don't quite feel normal. Hard to explain but just feel kind of bad.
	Feel old. Don't have the interest in things that you used to.
	Can't concentrate, or can't keep your concentration like in the past.
	Depression.
	Osteoporosis and Osteopenia.
	Bones hurt; typically it's bones in the legs and arms but can be most bones.
	Don't sleep like you used to. Wake up in middle of night. Trouble getting to sleep.
	Tired during the day and frequently feel like you want a nap.
	Spouse claims you are more irritable and harder to get along with (cranky, bitchy).
	Forget simple things that you used to remember very easily.
	Gastric acid reflux; heartburn; GERD.
	Decrease in sex drive.
	Thinning hair (predominately in older females).
	Kidney Stones.
	High Blood Pressure (sometimes mild, sometimes quite severe; up and down a lot).
	Recurrent Headaches (usually patients under the age of 40).
	Heart Palpitations (arrhythmias). Typically atrial arrhythmias.

Most people with hyperparathyroidism will have 4 - 6 of these symptoms. Some will have lots of them. A few people will say they don't have any... but after an operation they will often say otherwise. 95% of people with hyperparathyroidism will have 3 or more of these symptoms. In general, the longer you have hyperparathyroidism, the more symptoms you will develop.

Ethan with his bulls eye beef round that Grandma and Grandpa mailed him.  He was in Heaven!

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What a Cutie!

This pic was taken the night my parents 

brought their new puppy home (9/19/2008).  

The miniature green ball was actually Ethan's.  

We accidently left it there the last time we were in town.  

I guess it was meant to be.  = )

This little guy LOVES it!

New Family Member!

I am happy to announce that we have a new family member.  

My mom finally got a puppy!!!

It's a male maltese.  

He doesn't have a name yet, 

but he's the cutest little white fluff-ball you've ever seen. 

My parents thought I was crazy when I told them I wanted a puppy a couple of years ago.  I researched and looked at them almost every day for 9 months.  I finally adopted my little Ethan on February 4, 2007.  My parents met Ethan soon after I brought him home and instantly fell in love.  They think he's the greatest!  They enjoy spoiling him just like they would a real grandchild. My parents actually refer to Ethan as their grandpuppy.  Ethan loves them to pieces and his ears perk up any time I say grandma or grandpa.  It's absolutely priceless!

Now that we live in St. Louis, they miss Ethan like crazy.  They wanted their own little "Ethan" running around the house.  I know that my mom has been looking at puppy's for over a year. I'm glad she finally found just the right little fellow.  

I can hardly wait to take Ethan back to OKC so he can meet him and have a playmate.

  Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007

  This is Ethan the night that I adopted him.

He was only 7 weeks old and was no bigger than a coffee mug.

SCHOOL DAYS......

I have been studying so much lately that I haven't even had time to blog.

Here's a breakdown of my crazy week that started today:

9/17:  Biology Exam

9/20:  Algebra Exam

9/22:  Sociology Exam

9/25:  Ethics Exam

B I O L O G Y  is the most challenging subject for me at this point.  We're learning all sorts of stuff at a pretty fast rate, but I am enjoying it so far.  

David has been such a big help.  I can go to him whenever I have questions and he explains it so it makes sense to me.  I'm super thankful for him and his expertise.  

Here's a very small taste of some things I have been learning in biology:

atoms-molecules-cells-tissue-organ-organ system-organism-population-community-ecosystem

Domain-kingdom-phylum-class-order-family-genus-species

LIVING THINGS.....

are organized

reproduce

are homeostatic

grow and develop

adapt

acquire energy and materials

respond to stimuli

Yeah, this may not seem that bad, but MUSIC was SO much easier for me!  = )

I keep trying to remind myself that I'm basically experiencing what David would experience if he were to go back to school and major in   M U S I C .  He'd have to start at the very beginning and learn about the staff, clefs, time signature, and notes.  That would be so fun......well, at least it would be for me.  = )

Here's a cute pic I took of Ethan today.  

I caught him relaxing in the SUN!  

All about CRAZY!

I'm sad to say that I missed class last night, but I did have a good reason. One of our neighbors had an unexpected emergency and I watched their little boy.  It was fun hanging out with a two year old.  He is a great kid! I'm just happy I could help them out in a time of need.

Ethan and I chose to vacate our apartment today.  The maintenance people finally came to work on our super noisy bedroom floor.  They showed up at 9am ready to work.  I quickly threw a bunch of our daily necessities in a bag and we headed to the car.  I called a friend, but she didn't answer.  I decided that we should go to McDonald's for breakfast.  I went through the drive-thru and purchased a chicken biscuit for us to share.  We ended up having breakfast in the car in a grocery store parking lot.  Fun!  

It's kind of messy to pick out the chicken from the middle of the patty. Have you ever tried it? Yes, I know, I know.... my dog is spoiled.  The poor guy was hungry and I was trying to keep him busy.  

I couldn't remember when Petsmart opened, but that was next on my list. When we got there we rested in the car for about 30 minutes.  I really think I only had about 3 hours of sleep the night before, so I was pretty tired.  We eventually went into Petsmart.  Ethan has some serious ADD problems in that place.  I ended up buying him another harness and some treats.  He always loves going there.  

After Petsmart I went to my friends house.  She just got back from picking up her oldest from pre-school.  Ethan has met the kids before, but that doesn't change the fact that he still freaks out around kids.  It's just how Yorkies are.  

We played outside almost the entire time.  They have an amazing backyard that's fenced. I'm so thankful they let us come over to play.  The kids ran and Ethan ran with them.  It was just about the cutest thing ever. They played so hard and Ethan was just exhausted.  He actually slept in the back seat the entire way home.  It was awesome!

It was an action packed day for me and Ethan.  We were gone for over 5 hours.  But even after all the fun we had, it was still nice to come home and take a nap together.  

Here are some pics of Ethan and the kids.  Aren't they all the cutest?! 

ETHAN TAKING A REST

F R I E N D S !

H O T   D O G !!!

Me and David 6 years ago at the State Fair of Oklahoma.

This was pretty much our "first date" and the 

first time I gave him a gift (DVD-The Rookie).

**********************

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - WE REMEMBER

Tuesday Fun!

Here's what I did today.......

1.  Went to Walgreens to pick up prescriptions.

2.  Went to Penzeys and bought a few new spices for my collection.  I LOVE that shop!  

3.  Went to grocery store to pick up a few items.  Found a great deal on soda, so I stocked         up.

4.  Made turkey chili.

5.  Ate chili with David.  It was pretty good, but his chili is still better.

6.  Baked pumpkin bread.  

7.  Ate pumpkin while watching The Office.  Absolutely Scrumptious!

8.  Next on the list ---->  STUDY!

MOIST PUMPKIN BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree

 1 cup packed brown sugar

 1/2 cup buttermilk

 1 egg

 2 tablespoons butter, softened

DIRECTIONS:

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
	Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and smooth the top.
	Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Weekend craziness!

This weekend has been a whirlwind.  David had the first half of his neurology exam on Friday afternoon.  I drove him to and from school that day because he pulled an all-nighter and we felt it would be better if I took him.  After getting home he went straight to bed for a few hours before studying again.  This was my first husband-less Friday night of the year.  I don't enjoy sharing him with the books on Friday nights, but I don't really have a choice.  We do what we have to do.

I knew Friday night was going to be pretty lame.  I figured I'd just put on my sweats and watch some movies at home.  I checked with my friend, Natalie, and she was just as bored and lonesome.  We decided to get together for a pity party.  It was awesome!  We went to Pappy's for a BBQ dinner.  Both of us had their pulled pork sandwiches.  They're fantastic!  After dinner we dropped by another wife's house so we could keep her company for a bit.  It was so nice to be able to get together with both of these gals.  It's also nice to be able to have other women I can relate with.  All of our husbands were studying and we were just trying to make the best out of the situation.  

David had the second half of his neuro test on Saturday morning and I had my algebra class.  We were both exhausted afterwards and took a nap.  When we woke up we went to our neighbors 2nd birthday party.  It was fun to hang out with him and all of his family.  It's always cute to see a 2 year old open up presents too.  David went back to sleep after the birthday party while I ran some errands and cleaned house.

I had a bunch of friends over on Saturday night.  A lot of my friends here are David's classmates.  They have the same crazy schedule he does so I don't get to hang out with all of them very much.  I invited them all over for a Ladies Cocktail/Mocktail Night.  It was so great for all of us to be able to kick back, relax, and not have to worry about school stuff.  I made a couple of pizzas from scratch and had some other snack items.  Of course we also had a nice variety of liquor. We ended up having people over until 3am.  Oh yes!  It was amazingly fun!

I can't believe tomorrow is Monday.  The weekend went by way too fast!  

David has had more than his share of coffee and caffeine this week.

He actually suffered from a bad case of the caffeine jitters.

I caught David studying in his cave.

I must have said something funny.  He never smiles like this while he's studying.

Me and Natalie having the best pity party ever at Pappy's on Friday night.  

Can you tell she LOVED her pulled pork sandwich?

Me and some of my med school friends.  

They're so fun!

I love these girls!

What's Your Emergency?

I have had almost an entire week off from school because of the Holiday weekend.  It was a wonderful break and I really enjoyed my time off.  However, this made it very hard to find the motivation to go to class tonight.  

On my way to class I had to make an emergency call to 911.  As I was entering the ramp to merge onto the highway, I heard a loud BOOM!.  I looked and saw a cloud of smoke.  I'm pretty sure I was 1 second away from witnessing an accident with a semi-truck and at least one car.  I really couldn't make out the mess.  I didn't see it actually happen and there was no place that I felt safe to pull over.  I kept driving, but immediately dialed 911.  I think I was the first to report  because they didn't seem to know anything about it yet.   Luckily I knew enough information so they could get the emergency crew out right away.  

If I had been in the same situation one year ago I don't think I would have been able to make that call to 911 with the proper information needed.  Being new to the area and not knowing where anything is can really complicate things.  I sometimes forget how important it is that we pay attention to our surroundings.  Even if I don't know where I am on a highway, I should at least be able to spot and pay attention to the mile markers.  I think I learned a lesson tonight and now realize how important it is to be aware of my exact location at all times.

I hope and pray that all the people involved in this accident were not injured and are safe at home with their families tonight.  

Labor Day

Today was pretty action packed compared to the past couple of days.  I met two of the other Med Wives and their kids at the Kirkwood Park this morning.  Ethan came along with me to get in on the social action.  He did pretty good for being around so many children.  Ethan was so tuckered out afterwards that he jumped in the backseat of the car as soon as I opened the door.  He sat back there quietly the entire way home.  For those of you who don't know, he always insists that his mommy hold him.

After the park I went back to my nice cool home.  I sat on the sofa and David went to his cave to study.  Within minutes, David comes out to the living room and tells me that he just can't do it today.  He couldn't study another 5 minutes.  So, he went to West County Mall with me.  He hates going to the mall so you can only imagine how bad he really didn't want to study.  I just wanted to price some nice padfolios since I'm back in school.  I just might have found something to put on my Christmas wish list.  

David and I went to a Married Meds Labor Day BBQ tonight.  It was awesome!  Our friends, Scott and Natalie, are such wonderful hosts.  There was a great turn out and so much food!  I always love catching up with everyone and hugging on their children.  They're all so amazing!

Here's the recipe for the banana bread that I made the other day:

MOIST BANANA BREAD

3/4 c. butter

3 c. sugar

3 eggs

7 ripe bananas

3 t. salt

4 1/2 c. flour

3 t. soda

1  12 oz. carton of sour cream

2 t. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar

Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix well

Add salt, soda, and flour; mix well

Pour into greased loaf pans (2 or 3 half full)

Bake 300 degrees for 1 hour