What a loooonnnng, strange trip it's been...........

It all started about 2 weeks ago...........

But first, let's backtrack for a moment, shall we? The day Mackenzie was born, I noticed she had this little pinhole right adjacent to her earlobe. When I pointed it out to her pediatrician, he referred us to an ENT who told us it was a Preauricular sinus. In most cases, people who have them, never have any symptoms/problems. The people who do have issues with them will most likely need surgery to remove them. Well, guess what? We made it almost 3 years without ever having an issue until I noticed that it was getting red the other day. Sure enough, it was infected, and now surgery for my baby is planned within the next 2 weeks. Same hospital as Mark's surgery and my Dad's ICU stay. Just what we need right about now.

Fast forward to last Weds/Thurs. I started having chest pains and numbness in my left arm. Yikes, what the hell? I go to the Dr. on Friday and he takes xrays, tells me I have a pinched nerve, and does an EKG because I am convinced I am having a heart attack. EKG is fine, but he orders blood work because I told him I was sure my cholesterol was thru the roof. He assures me, it was fine back in Oct of 2007, and when I tell him I didn't have blood drawn then, it's determined that someone else's bloodwork results are in MY folder. Yeah, THAT'S reasurring. Ugh.

Anyway, I go to have my bloodwork done, and it's determined that I am HIGHLY anemic. Like my hemoglobin is half what the normal range is. Great! No wonder I'm exhausted all the time! So that's another issue on top of my shoulder/neck pain. An MRI on Valentines day determines "There is diminished signal intensity of multiple intervertral discs, and mild disc desiccation with disc bulge at C5-6 and C6-7. Straightening of the cervical curvature is suggestive of muscle spasm". Ok, what does THAT mean? My doctor has referred me to a specialist so I can start PT. In the meantime, they still don't know what is causing the anemia, so I am going for a biopsy on Monday. Sounds like fun, huh?!

Meanwhile, last weekend, we go to my sister's for my nephews birthday. Ryan, of course, starts busting out his best modeling move then shows everyone his "Cub Scout Salute" (he just started about a month ago)

Anyway, we were all sitting around the dining room table, and were talking about my dad, and how much we missed him. We started filling in my sister's in-laws, on my Dad's last days, and how we all told him we loved him, and got to hold his hand, etc.......and all of a sudden, the lights started to flicker.......Not just once or twice, they flickered on and off like 3 times. It was the coolest thing! What an amazing feeling. We all KNEW he was there with us!

Meanwhile, my sister has been having a medical issue as well. She was actually having a CT scan as I was having my MRI. Thank goodness, her results were fine. Then yesterday, Ryan starts complaining about not feeling well, and just started looking really pale. A visit to the Doctor today confirmed that he has Strep Throat. Man, we need to catch a break! So please, keep us in your prayers, especially Miss Mackie who will be undergoing surgery in the next few weeks.

Here's a shot of the girls tonight after Kelsey passed out on the couch. Miss Mackie sure did make herself comfy, didn't she?!


I am SO ready for vacation! :) So tell me, what have YOU been up to?