Infection

Sorry for the silence, but I am just getting over a bout of mastitis. OH MY GOD, I had no idea how horrible a breast infection could be. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Last Sunday started out like any other day, but by noon my right boob was very tender to the touch. It didn't hurt to latch the baby on, but let-down was soooo painful. There is really no way to describe this pain. It was just awful. Being the naive girl that I am, I thought I merely had a clogged duct (even though I couldn't feel any lumps). I put the baby down for a nap around noon, and decided to pump. When I got done, I felt like I was about to pass out. I laid down on the couch and covered up with a quilt, because my hands and feet felt really cold (even though it was 75 in our house). John took Porgie and Izzy to the park. While he was gone things got worse. I was so cold my teeth were chattering, and my head felt like it was about to explode. Also, my breast was so painful that it hurt to even move my right arm. I literally laid on the couch and cried because I felt so miserable. After about an hour of this agony, I took my temperature. It was 103. Ugh.

I never go to/call the doctor unless I am fairly convinced that I am going to die. That afternoon, I called my OB. Through chattering teeth, I described my symptoms. The doctor diagnosed me with Mastitis and called in a prescription for an antibiotic. When John got home, I immediately sent him back out to pick up my prescription. I read in my breastfeeding book that after antibiotics are started, symptoms improve in 24 hours. I was really counting on this.

That night was awful. I would alternate between chills and sweating profusely. I also had the world's worst headache. It was so bad that I was taking the prescription strength Motrin they had given me after my c-section. The headache still wouldn't go away. My boob also took a turn for the worse. The side turned bright red, and it was visibly swollen. It was very tender and painful. Needless to say, it was a long night, but the next morning I felt a little better. And then I felt worse. Although the morning seemed promising, Monday was basically a repeat of Sunday. Monday night my temperature actually reached 105 degrees. My body felt like it was on fire.

On Tuesday I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but my fever and chills finally subsided. Wednesday and Thursday were much of the same. Friday is when I finally felt like myself again. I still have some slight pain in my right breast, but the redness has disappeared.

The moral of this story is that Mastitis is awful. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Because I don't have enough shit to stress about

I am having a toenail crisis. I know that sounds trivial, but it is consuming my life! I probably have some weird toe fungus or something, which is just disgusting and embarrassing. Ugh. Since I am 9 months pregnant, I have decided to wait until I have this baby before I go to the doctor. But I'll tell you the story, just in case someone out there has some helpful advice.

Right after I found out I was pregnant, the nail on my right big toe developed a red crescent shape at the bottom. It looked like blood had pooled under the nail. I wasn't sure if I should make a big deal out of it, so I showed it to my OB and asked for her opinion. She assured me that I had just caused trauma to the nail and that the bloody part would eventually grow out. Even though I didn't remember hurting my toe, I decided to let it go. It was just a red spot on my nail. And besides, it was winter and my feet were always covered with socks and shoes anyways.

But then the weather got warm, and I started wearing flip flops everyday. The red part was no longer on the bottom of my nail. Now it was about mid-way up the nail and stretched across the entire surface. It was ugly, but I don't think anyone really noticed. Then a few weeks ago the nail REALLY started to hurt. It would just throb for no reason whatsoever. I thought maybe I was getting an ingrown toenail (I've never had an ingrown toenail before, so I am kind of clueless about these things). In an effort to stop the throbbing pain, I decided to clip the nail as short as I could. Except, I am insanely big and pregnant and clipping toenails is really hard. I ended up butchering one side of the nail on accident. I cut that side entirely way too short (like it hurts because I cut it so damn short on that side). Now my nail is super duper funky looking and painful. The nail is all lopsided and discolored and just gross looking. WHAT DID I DO?!?

I literally cannot stop looking at my funky toenail. And I worry excessively about what other people will think of my nasty feet. So even though I hate nail polish, I thought I would feel better about my gross toenail if I used a little paint. Since I don't own nail polish, I had to go to the store and waste money on the stupid crap. First, I tried a plum color. It looked AWFUL. Then I went with a shimmery white. STUPIDEST NAIL POLISH COLOR EVER. I guess I am going to head back to Rite Aid and try pink? Ugh. I don't like nail polish. I hate wasting money on this crap, but I also hate looking at my nasty toenail. John thinks I am just drawing more attention to my funky misshapen toenail, but I think the polish will help my funky toenail blend in with the rest of my normal toenails. Obviously I am clueless. HELP ME!

Update on the family

So I thought I would update you on the family. My mother seems to be back to her old self again, which is great. However, she wouldn't tell me if she was on death's door. My grandmother was released from the hospital last week. She is currently staying with my cousin. I've only talked to her once, but from what I can gather, she hates the physical therapist who has been visiting her at home. So, things are headed in the right direction.

Now, lets talk about me. I am not really sure what the deal is, but I have been getting some HORRIBLE stomach pains. It started last week after lunch. It was almost like a churning sensation, that went from my bellybutton to my ribcage. It was unbearable and agonizing. Last night I woke up at 2am, with that same horrible pain. The only thing that helped alleviate the pain was sitting upright. I googled my symptoms this morning and according the internet, I either have a stomach ulcer or acid reflux. I've had heartburn before, I was was quick to dismiss the acid reflux. However, I do find it strange that the pain went away when I sat upright in bed.

Anyways, I guess I need to make an appointment to see my doctor. Any guesses as to what you think it could be? And just so you know, I've already had my gallbladder removed, so I know that is not the problem.

2011 isn't panning out the way I had hoped

You are never going to believe this, but my mother was admitted to the hospital on Saturday. The same hospital where my grandmother is currently residing. What is up with my family?

Apparently my mother has been sick for the past week. On top of that, she kept having sharp pains in her left ribcage. When the pain became too much, she went to the ER. After an EKG and some blood work, she was admitted to the hospital. I called and talked to her, but it was hard to get any solid facts out of her. She keep downplaying the entire episode, acting like the doctors were crazy. I think she just didn't want me to worry. But, of course, I am worried. My mom has had a hard life. She has never taken care of herself, and it is definitely showing as she ages. The thing that worries me the most is that her father died at age 50 from a heart attack. When you point this out to her, my mother acts like you are being ridiculous. This fact terrifies me. I wish it had the same effect on my mother (because then maybe she would take better care of herself).

Now I am feeling doubly guilty about not being in Kentucky. But I can't go. I just can't. We have several doctor appointments coming up, I don't have the money to travel right now, and on top of that, I am fucking sick again. Can you believe that shit? I started feeling better on Friday. I felt pretty good on Saturday. Sunday morning I was back to my old self again. But by Sunday evening I was miserable. I currently have a nasty sore throat, and my head feels like it weighs about 400 pounds. I am so over winter.

So, I am worried about my mom, I am worried about my grandma, and I am tired of being sick.

Getting back to life

I have just suffered through one of the worst colds I have had in years. I felt like crap for days and days and days. I had a sore throat, a runny nose, the worst throbbing heachache, and the leakiest eyes EVER. My whole body hurt, and I was overwhelming tired during the majority of the day. This resulted in lots of "resting" on the couch, while my children tortured me. I wish I could have convinced Porgie and Izzy of how horrible I felt, because they had no sympathy for me. It was a rough couple of days. The good news is that I feel slightly better today.

I was a complete slacker this week. John had to do the laundry. I canceled EVERY SINGLE outing we had planned. I avoided the phone. I didn't clean the living room or play room. I am usually the type of person who will trudge forward, regardless of how shitty I feel. But this time, I took some much needed time off from my regular duties. It also helped that we had another HUGE snow storm (we got 14.9 inches on Wednesday night). It was the perfect excuse to stay at home in my jammies.

This weekend we have a birthday party to attend, I am buying a bread machine from a lady on Craig's list (get ready for lots of bread related blogging!), and I am going to clean my nasty house. And we now return to our regularly scheduled programs.

Double blah

My husband has been working insane hours lately. The kids have not seen him seen Sunday. It stinks. It especially stinks, because my kids are so darn sick. Izzy is really suffering with this cold. My baby boy coughs constantly, his fever keeps spiking, and he has no appetite. I hasn't eaten a full meal since last Friday. Usually 4 or 5 bites in, he starts complaining that his belly hurts. Then he goes into the living-room to lay on the couch. It is so sad to watch because Izzy LOVES food. My little guy is really REALLY sick.

We had lots of fun Halloween activities planned for this week that we won't be attending. I am kind of bummed. Additionally, the weather has been really warm lately, and we are stuck in the darn house moping and crying and wiping runny noses. Blah. Hopefully the kids will be feeling better by Sunday.

And so it starts

My children are sick. Porgie came down with the a cough and runny nose on Thursday afternoon. It appeared to be a relatively minor cold, nothing too dramatic. On Saturday morning, Izzy started looking a little green around the gills. He couldn't eat lunch, and he asked to take a nap. That is right, my 2 year old asked me to put him to bed!

Thirty minutes later Izzy was vomiting all over his bed. Thirty minutes after that, he was vomiting on his bed again. Thirty minutes later he was vomiting on my couch. Ugh. This went on all afternoon. My baby boy couldn't even hold down water. It was bad.

Then suddenly around 5pm, Izzy seemed to be in good spirits again. He ate part of a veggie burger and drank a cup of water. I expected the worst, but he kept everything down. He went for a walk around the block, played running games with Porgie, and spent over an hour playing with a flashlight (our electricity was out for two hours on Saturday evening).

On Sunday his nose ran like a faucet. He literally whined for me to wipe his nose from the moment he woke up to the moment he fell asleep. And then the vomiting started again. It wasn't true vomiting. It was just watery, filmy stuff, but Izzy was still miserable.

And now we are suffering from a horrible, nasty cough and the world's runniest nose. The moral of this story is that I am tired. And sick of cleaning up vomit. And sick of wiping noses. The end.

Acidophilus

I have suffered with tummy issues for years. I know this is too much information, but sometimes I go months with diarrhea. Basically whenever I eat food, I have to run to the bathroom. It got to the point where it was negatively affecting my life. I refused to eat unless I was home (or super close to home). If we were at the shore swimming or in Philadelphia for the day, I would just starve until we got home. Food = intense stomach cramps and diarrhea. And you already know the story with the yeast infections lately.

Anyways, I have been taking an acidophilus capsule with every meal for the last two weeks. Although I am kind of afraid to talk about it (for fear of jinxing myself), I have noticed a big improvement with my digestive tract. My stomach doesn't hurt every time I eat! And I don't have to run to the bathroom after every meal! Yay me! Don't get me wrong, acidophilus isn't a miracle. I have still had several diarrhea episodes in the past few weeks. But 2 episodes is much MUCH better than 14 episodes.

So all you ladies with tummy issues, I highly recommend buying some acidophilus.

I love telling the internet about my lady parts

Today I want to talk about my recurrent yeast infections. Ugh. I have been doing a little research, and of course I have diagnosed myself with a specific type of infection. I think I have been suffering from a systemic yeast infection. I think I have mentioned my sensitive stomach issues in the past. According to the internet, that is often a sign of systemic yeast infections.

The first time I got a yeast infection, it started with a burning sensation when I urinated. It was painful and alarming. As the days passed, the itching started. Then it seemed to stop. Then it started again with a vengeance. I was MISERABLE. I had no idea that my vagina could be so sore, so red, so itchy. I went to the doctor and was given Diflucan. I noticed that after taking the Diflucan my problems went away. In addition to that, my sensitive stomach issues seemed to go away too. Unfortunately, a few weeks later my tummy troubles returned.

The second time I got a yeast infection (a mere 5 months later), I went to bed feeling completely and totally normal. I woke up at 5am with an all too familiar itch. MOTHER FUCKER! I knew what it was right away. There was no question in my mind - I had another yeast infection. This time I never experienced the burning sensation, however I did feel a strange pulsing sensation for several days, which was really bizarre. I once again took Diflucan. Within days I noticed an improvement with my symptoms, and once again my sensitive stomach issues disappeared too.

Here we are two weeks since treatment, and my tummy issues seem to be returning. So, I have started taking acidophilus with every meal. I am also eating PLAIN yogurt (gag) with live cultures everyday. And finally, I have started taking a multivitamin. The yogurt and the acidophilus supposedly help fight candida. The multivitamin is just my attempt to make sure I am as healthy as possible.

I feel like I am doing everything possible to avoid getting another infection. If this doesn't work, I guess I'll be heading back to the doctor's office. Any advice, words of wisdom?

Shoot me now

I have another fucking yeast infection. I went my entire life without any yeast infections, yet in the past 5 months, I have had 2 of them. It doesn't make any sense. I have been eating yogurt almost everyday. I never wear damp clothing. I only wear cotton underwear. I don't wear tight fitting pants. Basically, I have been doing everything I can to avoid another fucking yeast infection. But despite my efforts, I am currently itchy and miserable. WHAT THE FUCK?

I am sharing too much information AGAIN

So peeps, I have some serious stomach issues. I have had these problems for years. Actually, most of these problems started when I was in college. I am not going to candy coat this for you - I am very prone to diarrhea and stomach cramps. And it is negatively affecting my life.

Back in the days of my youth, my stomach issues seemed to be triggered by stress. I distinctly remember being doubled over in pain during most of my final exams. I expected things to get better after college, but they never really did. Because I am not too bright, I thought that perhaps I was lactose intolerant. But after going vegan, I realized that I still had tummy trouble.

Then I got pregnant with Porgie and had the exact opposite problem. I was constipated for 9 months straight. After I had her, my diarrhea returned. Then I got pregnant with Izzy and once again constipation ruled my life. Shortly after I gave birth to Izzy, I had my gall bladder removed. I was really hopeful that this would solve all of my stomach issues. But sadly, it did not. In fact, it made things even worse.

For the past year, my diarrhea has been out of control. Within minutes of eating a meal, I am rushing to the bathroom. If I can't get to the toilet right away, the stomach cramps are overwhelmingly painful. And often times, 1 trip to the bathroom doesn't cut it. I end up running back to the bathroom 2 or 3 times over the course of the next hour. It is really starting to negatively affect my life. I refuse to eat out in public anymore. I avoid snacking between meals. And I dread dinner time (my symptoms are worse at night).

I know I need to go to the doctor, but I don't want to. It is an embarrassing subject (yet I am sharing my tummy troubles with the entire internet??). Any advice?

As you know, my husband and I often butt heads over the whole vaccine issue. Although I am pro-vaccine, I do expect our pediatrician to respect any decisions we make regarding vaccines (regardless of his opinion). At Porgie's last visit, the doctor seemed very agitated with my request for a titer test. I was kind of irritated at his nasty attitude, and I commented to a friend about his unprofessional response. She wasn't surprised, because she claimed that doctors make decent money from the vaccine industry. I largely dismissed her claim, and just assumed that the doctor was irritated because I broke from the status quo.

Last week I received a statement from my insurance company for Porgie's 4 year check-up. On the statement I noticed that I was charged for two office visits. The first one was for a preventative exam ($190) and the second one was for a sick visit ($140). What? This didn't make any sense. She wasn't sick. So even though my insurance company paid the entire claim, I called the pediatrician's office to find out what this second charge was for.

You will not believe this, but the doctor charged me $140 extra because I asked him for advice regarding Porgie's constipation. WHAT THE FUCK? Apparently I am not allowed to ask questions or seek advice during a well check-up. I told that woman I spoke to that this was insurance fraud, and that I intended to report it to my insurance company. She told me she would talk to the doctor and call me back.

I am honestly heart broken over this whole incident. I feel like maybe my friend was right. The doctor isn't concerned about the health and well-being of my child. He is only concerned about money. Since I refused the vaccines, he just charged me for an extra office visit to make up the difference. Why else would he charge me a total of $330 for a 10 minute office visit? Maybe I am reading too much into this. Perhaps he just charged me the extra $140 out of spite.

So now, after fighting with my insurance company for 5 month (FIVE MONTHS!) to have my current pediatrician covered, I am in the process of trying to find a new doctor. I am disappointed and sad.

Danger everywhere

Did you hear about the report from the President's Caner Panel? Holy crap. Apparently, everything in our environment is killing us. EVERYTHING. The list of dangers included (but is not limited to) plastics with BPA, pesticides, exhaust from traffic, pharmaceuticals in the water supply, cell phones and the sun. I think most Americans have a false sense of security regarding the safety of many of the products we use. For example, I never would have thought that toys would be made with lead based painted, but it happens all the time. I never would have thought the storing your food in plastics containers would be unhealthy, but all of the BPA research has scared me away from plastic storage containers entirely. I guess what I am trying to say is that you shouldn't assume that we live in a safe world. Environmental carcinogens are everywhere. Be informed and keep your family safe!

If you would like to read more about the report, this is a good article.

Still sick

My children gave me their awful, horrible, no good, very bad cold. My eyes are watery, my nose drips continuously, and I have a nasty cough. Also, my head feels like it weighs 200 pounds. Gah. As you might have guessed, we sat around the house doing NOTHING all weekend long. My kids were bouncing off the walls, but I was too sick to care.

Porgie's cold caused her to cough so violently, that she ended up breaking blood vessels on the surface of her skin. I noticed that Porgie had what appeared to be "freckles" under her eyes. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they were tiny red dots. They were under both eyes and across her eyelids. I frantically called the doctor, certain that my child had the bubonic plague. It turns out that broken blood vessels from violent coughing/vomiting is fairly common. It cleared up in about 2 days.

Although Porgie is feeling much better, poor little Izzy still has a pretty bad cough and a runny nose. I have to go into his room to comfort him two or three times per night. I think all of this sleep deprivation is starting to have a negative effect on my little guy. Out of nowhere, Izzy fell and bashed his head into a door frame last night...I am looking forward to getting out of house and breathing fresh air again. I have my fingers crossed that this week will bring healing and happy times.

Sick of being sick

My children are sick. REALLY REALLY sick. When I put Izzy to bed tonight, he had a high fever and was extremely lethargic. When I put Porgie to bed, she started coughing, which eventually turned into gagging, which ultimately resulted in vomit. Over the weekend I thought we were experiencing a stomach bug that would run its course in one or two days. But obviously I was wrong. This is a nasty, horrible, long-lasting virus. Blah.

The worst part of having sick children, is that you are forced to sit home with them ALL DAY LONG. The past three days have been the longest three days of my life. And the whining! Shoot me now. I can't take anymore whining.

So I have nothing to contribute to the blogging community, unless you are interested in vomit and excessive coughing.

They called me Worry Wart

Because I don't have enough crap to stress over, I have recently developed a few disturbing new problems. Although I haven't nursed my son for over 6 months, I suddenly keep having the sensation of let down. Every hour or two during the day, I get that burning, tingly sensation, like I am about to leak milk. Except I don't actually leak milk. However I did try expressing a little milk during one of these episode, and I am definitely still lactating.

In addition to having the sensation of let-down, my periods have also been all screwy lately. For the past year, I have had a fairly regular cycle (about 30 days long). Near the end of 2009, things started to change. From November to December my cycle was 34 days long. From December to January my cycle was 37 days long. From January to February my cycle was 29 days long. I completely skipped the month of March and started April with the end of a 38 day cycle. What is with these wacky numbers? Not to mention that horrible yeast infection I had last month. My reproductive system has gone haywire.

Upon googling my symptoms, it appears that I may be producing too much prolactin. This can be caused by a tumor in your pituitary gland. Of course, I have convinced myself that this is my problem. I am now doomed to a life of tumors, infertility, and excessive milk production.

Okay, that is enough worrying for today. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Update on Friday's Post

Regarding the gloomy weather: It rained all weekend. We also had lots of strong winds, which resulted in a cable outage. If this just involved our television, it wouldn't have been a big deal. However, we also get our internet and phone through cable. We were completely cut off from the outside world. It kind of sucked.

Regarding the yeast infection: What a difference two days can make! I feel sooooooo much better. Helpful hint - if you are taking antibiotics, it would be wise to invest in some probiotics. Another helpful hint - do not use scented flushable wipes (what the hell was I thinking?). It seems that the yeast infection from hell has finally abated. And holy shit, I am going to take every measure to make sure it never happens again. This was my first yeast infection, and hopefully my last. Truly, it was hell on earth.

Regarding dentists: I made an appointment with my new orthodontist. They couldn't get me in until Mid-April. I am frustrated by how long this entire process is taking. I decided I wanted to fix my teeth last October. Six months have passed, and I have made very little progress toward that goal. If I am not in braces by summer, I am going to flip the fuck out. Why is this so hard? Also, my insurance company refuses to give payment on my oral surgery bill from January. First they needed more information from the doctor. Now they are consulting with another dentist about the work that was performed. I know what they are doing. They are trying to find a way to deny the claim. And it really pisses me off. Once again, I am left wondering why we shell out money for useless insurance.

Feeling sad, disappointed, upset, and itchy

This has been the looooongest freaking week of my life.

Dental issues are stressing me out again. After being at my dentist's office for 5 months, he recently admitted that my case is too complex for him. He has referred me to another dentist. I have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I appreciate that he is admitting his limitations, but I am annoyed that he didn't admit this from the beginning. I have wasted lots of money on his "consultations." Jerk.

My UTI turned out to be a yeast infection. I guess. I was prescribed Diflucan, which I promptly took. However, three days later I am still having symptoms.

The weather has gone from sunny and lovely, to rainy and melancholy. I think I'll end on that note.

Too much information

I am a relatively healthy person. I don't get sick very often. I rarely ever experience heartburn or constipation. I have no allergies, seasonal or otherwise. In general, I am very healthy. So I was completely flabbergasted today when it hurt to pee. I mean IT REALLY HURTS. It is a strange sensation. When I sit down to pee it doesn't hurt or burn, but when my bladder completely empties I feel a sharp shooting pain. Ouch! Oh, and I feel the urge to pee every 30 minutes. Fuckity, fuck, fuck!

After much googling, I have diagnosed myself with a urinary tract infection. I guess there is nothing I can do about it this weekend, but I will be making an appointment to see my doctor on Monday. I guess I'm going to get some use out of my health insurance after all.

My crappy life

We are sick. My babies have the runniest noses you have ever seen. Snot drips like water from Izzy's nostrils. It is both incredibly disgusting and incredibly sad to witness. And the real kicker is that I am starting to feel crummy too. No one ever gives mommy a day off to rest and recuperate. Also, I have a weird rash on my hands. What the hell is that all about?Don't you feel sorry for me? Well you should, because thanks to our crappy immune systems, we are missing the opportunity to meet up with REAL LIVE blog buddies. So today, I am going to pout and cry about how horrible my life is.