GI Katherine

I've been having many GI issues lately where I will suddenly get a hot flash following by 1-2 hours of vomiting and diahrrea. It can happen anytime, anywhere, with or without food. It's been going on for about a year now but has become much more frequent (6x in the past 3 months). I live my life in fear of where I'm going to get sick and it keeps me from doing things. After being in and out of my family doctor's office and being treated for things like anxiety, I went to a GI specialist last week.

The GI specialist doesn't think it is IBS as IBS generally hangs around for a longer time and is generally associated with food. He doesn't think it is stress/anxiety nor horomonal. He ruled out some things that would be more cyclical in nature as mine is very sporadic.
He said that my case "intrigues" him, especially the flushing (i.e. hot flash) that I have at the start of an attack. He has ordered an endoscopy and colonoscopy to take a look - he listed many possibilities that can be ruled out with the scopes. I have scheduled that for July 9. He will be able to tell me some things that day, but also will send off many biopsies to rule out other things. It will take 7-10 days for the results to come back. He's going to do some additional blood tests as well.
A few possibilities that he mentioned that can be ruled out/confirmed via scopes:

• Gluten-sensitivity: this presents itself in many ways from symptoms all of the time to none at all
• Chron's Disease: many cases are diagnosed 1-2 years after symptoms begin as they tend to start off every now and then, and progressively get worse
• And many other possibilities that I can't remember

After ruling out all the basic things, he would look more into the "weird/odd" things like porferia and others. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.
He gave me a "GI cocktail" that I can keep with me at all times. It is an anti-spasmatic that should help with an episode.
Now we wait until July 9...

Future Heartbreaker

I've Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates

Clark's 6th birthday party was at the local roller skating rink.  This is first time that the boys have been roller skating.  Carter loved it and didn't want anyone to hold his hand.  Mr. Independent skated all over the rink with excellent balance.  Landon, on the other hand, didn't want to let go.  He never quite found his "sea legs" but had fun, nonetheless!

This was definitely a great memory!

And don't worry...Mom was skating too!  And taking pictures at the same time.  Now THAT is talent!

Rain Dance

Landon, Carter, and Olive had an awesome time dancing in the rain!  The grown-ups sat in the garage and watched them explore puddles and get soaked.  They experimented with no cover, buckets, and "boo-bellas" (as Carter calls them).

They had a blast!

One Pooped Dad

My Ninja

Landon has found his niche...ninjitsu.  He is training to be a ninja and is very good and focused.  His sensai comments all of the time how impressed he is with Landon at his age and is excited about his potential.  I am one proud momma!

More Cheese Puffs, Mommy!

Landon's 6th Birthday

My baby turned SIX on Memorial Day!

Landon L.O.V.E.S. Legos so we had a Lego-themed party at our church indoor playground.

My very talented and wonderful sister-in-law, Beth, made the Lego cake (one sheet cake cut into 3 pieces and "cupcake butts" on top).  We made mini cupcakes to go along with the cake (not pictured here because we left them at home and had to run back to the house to get them!).

I have many, many Legos around the house that made for perfect decorations.  The table centerpieces, that doubled as balloon weights, were mason jars filled with Legos.  I sat a few Lego City sets around and made a spoon holder out of Lego Duplos.

Landon was surrounded by many family members and friends.  It was such a special day!

Bed Sharing

The boys share a bunk at home and talk to each other before falling asleep.  It is quite amazing to hear some of their conversations, including talks about their day, upcoming events, and God.

We stayed with my parents recently where the boys shared a bed.  This is how I found them when I went to check on them and steal kisses before I went to bed.

Sure Shot

Recently, Christopher introduced Landon to a BB gun.  After running through the safety, Landon tried out his newly-acquired shooting skills, which were quite good!

Check out the target (the cup) in the second picture!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday and I plan to laugh like a kid in a Cozy Coupe!

You Know What I Heard?

The Bagley Circus is back!  Oh yeah!