what a week...!

before i dump a bunch of photos onto the internet, i should update you all on the health situations.

it's been quite a week. no bon bons and ellen over here this year. oh, no. it's been back to back appointments, tests, appointments, visitors, costumes, and more appointments.

the rheumatoid specialist diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and put me on a bunch of meds to hopefully regulate my pain. he was a very wonderful doctor and i liked him alot. he validated, listened, explained and made a plan. can't all doctors just follow suit??!

that was friday.
friday afternoon, 4 of chad's friends from california came to town and the chaos began! it was truly a joy to see them and we had back to back festivities lined up, including capitol tours, city bus tours, dinners out...the works! quite a nice diversion, honestly.















did i mention HALLOWEEN??? :)
the guests enjoyed a fun night out on king street while we took isaac to our old neighborhood on the Hill for some fun. he was none too interested in the people (actually a bit scared), though he thoroughly enjoyed running up and down the sidewalks...alls well that ends well. i never want to see a dorothy OR scarecrow costume again for as long as i live! :)
















they left on monday afternoon, and i packed my bags for my prescribed sleep study overnight at a sleep clinic.
needless to say, i failed.
the rheumatoid specialist said sleep is a huge issue with people with fibromyalgia (FM), so he wanted to confirm it. i had no idea but apparently there are 4 levels of sleep...4 being the deepest, most restorative sleep. i never made it out of level 2 the entire night. who knew.

then again, can you imagine sleeping with all these cords? and this wasn't even HALF of them!



i was sent home packin' at 5am. i wouldn't recommend the experience to anybody. avoid it if at all possible! :)

and tuesday did not let up.
i had a full cervical and lumbar MRI at the hospital that morning, at which point, i promptly fell asleep during the procedure, despite the hard cold plastic i was laying on, and the headgear you have to wear to block out the loud sounds. go figure!

(did i mention chad left town for three days on tuesday? let's just call it The Perfect Storm.)

highlight of the day? VOTING! the polls seemed quite deserted when i went to cast my vote, so it was quick and painless -- and the results were exciting and fulfilling. two thumbs up for Virginia!!! GO MCDONNELL!!!!

we continued the chaos on wednesday with a chevy chase appointment for an EMG. people. words cannot describe the torture that 2 hour rollercoaster was. the first hour involved electrical volts being directed at every nerve from the neck down. the second hour involved needles being shoved into major muscle groups, like...oh...calf, thigh, forearm...and then places that seem impossible, like the top of your foot, your ankle, and fingers. i'm not being dramatic when i asked him if i could leave early. i half sat up on the table and declared the test DONE. sadly, i lost...and succumbed to the full hour of chinese torture.

and that brings us to today! we had a fun morning at isaac's coop playschool, but too bad he's got a pedi appt at 3pm given he was up all night crying for some unknown reason. i mean, really.

daaaadddddyyyy, please come home STAT!!!!

and then tomorrow, we conclude this oh so glorious week with oral surgery (extractions, bone grafts, etc) at 230pm.
but not before i have a photoshoot in the morning, while isaac tags along with chad at 7am for a doctors appt since CHAD is sick as well. when both parents are down for the count -- WHO TAKES CARE OF US??? :)

i anticipate a less than awesome weekend, for sure.
but such is life right now and somehow we've crawled through it and can only pray next week will be a bit more smooth and seamless.

oh, and in case you're wondering -- no results are in from any of the mentioned tests. i will receive the full reports next week. which is fine. one thing at a time...

if you're getting the impression that i'm exhausted, you are correct.

so that essentially brings you up to speed on our previous 6 days. or was it 6 years...? truly the longest week of my life. how grateful i am for everybody who's stepped up to help out and take isaac off my hands during these most vulnerable and helpless moments. despite it all, i am blessed...

the.
end.