Oh happy day!

The bad news: I got struck with a major migraine today at work. Luckily, my amazing friend, Andrea, got me set up in the guest bedroom in the hall where I was able to lay down in a dark and quiet place. It helped tremendously but I did end up missing a couple of hours of work...

The good news: I made it through one whole day without any major leg pain. I am hoping that this is a sign of the future and not just a short reprieve from the pain.

The weekend was good but, like always, never quite long enough. Friday we caught up with friends for dinner and some Rock Band. On Satuday I got up and went tailgating at CMU and was able to see my friend Natalie and her family. Wow - Elliott has grown up so quickly! We spent Sunday at home relaxing all day. It was so nice to have a day when we could hang out at home in our pajamas. I LOVE those days.

We are beginning to plan for our vacation to Florida in February. I have a conference in Orlando and then Dave is going to join me afterwards for several days and we are going to Disney. Those who know me best know that I am a huge Mickey fan and I loved Disney when Dave and I went the year before we were married. It's not quite the sandy beaches of Cancun but it will do. ;)

...but unfortunately not close enough

Can I just start by saying that I am SO glad that this week is almost over?! It has been once heck of a week.

Monday I had an appointment with my doctor to get the blood test results for lupus and the results of my thyroid ultrasound. The great news is that the blood tests all came back negative for lupus, which is a huge relief. The ultrasound did show a slightely swollen thyroid and my doctor said that you often have to repeat bloodwork for thyroid disease before finally getting results to show that it is not functioning as it should. At this point, she has decided to refer me to a rheumatologist. She is still concerned about my high ANA test (anit-nuclear anitbodies which usually indicates connective-tissue disease) and feels that this is too specialized for her to deal with directly. I don't have the appointment scheduled yet but anticipate hearing from my doctor with the details soon.

Wednesday was the EGD scope with the gastroenterologist to look for Celiac. Dr. Vedula said that if there was Celiac and it was severe that she would likely be able to tell during the scope. She didn't see anything during the procedure but opted to take several tissue to biopsy. She did tell me that she sees signs of acid reflux and has asked me to continue taking the Aciphex that she prescribed. I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Vedula to get the results of the biopsy on November 3rd. If they have the results sooner and they have a cancellation, they will get me in earlier.

In the midst of all of this, I have been experiencing (at times, excrutiating) leg pains for about a week. I have no idea what started it and no idea how to make it go away. The best way that I can describe it is to say that it feels like the pain you would experience if every muscle in your leg was contracted all of the time. They ache almost constantly and long periods of walking/standing make it worse. I have gotten some pain medication from my doctor and strict orders of no exersice until we have this figured out. I am thankful that the pain is much less now than it was at the beginning of the week but I am anxious for it to go away and a bit scared about what is causing it.

Dave has been pretty amazing throughout all of this. With my sleepless nights of crying and whining about the pain, I am surprised he hasn't left me yet. I'm kidding, of course, he would never do that. I am so eternally grateful that I met the most amazing man and that he loves me as much as I love him.

We spent last weekend in Traverse City with other members of the Bussear family. The weather was perfect and the colors were unlike anything that I had ever seen. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures and will share some below. It was nice to get away and have something to take my mind off things.

Tomorrow I am planning to head to Mt. Pleasant and tailgate for the Central/Western game. I don't drink (especially that early in the morning) but it will be so fun to hang out with my former co-workers and their families. I like my new job but I do miss my friends from the charter schools office.

Thanks for all of the emails, thoughts and prayers. If you are reading this, please drop me a note to let me know. It helps motivate me to keep updating.

Love and hugs,
Melissa

Molly and "Bumpa"

Tonia and Molly feet

A beautiful red leaf.

Dave and I at Chateau Grand Traverse.

Getting close(r)...

It is looking like we might finally have some answers soon. I had my thyroid ultrasound on Tuesday evening and I am meeting with my general physician on Monday morning to get the results from the ultrasound and the additional bloodwork for the Lupus indicators. I had my appointment with the gastroenterologist this morning and she feels that Celiac seems likely but also acid reflux. I don't have "normal" symptoms for acid reflux but she said it could explain the sinus headaches, migraines, ear aches, and sore throat - who knew? The surgery to do the biopsy for Celiac is scheduled for Wednesday, October 15th at 10:30am. She said the results from the biopsy take 7-10 days but if the Celiac is extreme she can generally tell during the surgery.

On a different note, we are excited to spend the weekend in Traverse City with the Bussear clan. We are leaving on Friday night to go to a campground and stay with my in-laws as well as Dave's aunt and uncle, his sister and her family. The weather is expected to be sunny and near 70...basically perfect. The colors should be beautiful in TC and we are excited to stock up on our favorite wines.

Thanks for the notes and prayers. I will keep you updated.

Love and hugs,
Melissa

Hola!

With many of you out-of-state (or just far away) I thought that this would be a great way to keep everyone apprised of what is happening in the Bussear house. I am stealing the idea from my friend, Natalie, who has a blog for happenings with her adorable son.

Life has been busy for us. In the past month, we have traveled to Traverse City for the weekend and to Chicago for a Saturday for my work. Both of the events were free to us, other than food and we had a great time. We did some wine tasting in Traverse City while I was in town to attend the Lilly Conference and this past Saturday we were in Chicago to see Wicked. I chaperoned a group of 40 students and it was a LONG day but we had a great time.

Dave is still working with CMS after considering an offer from another business. In the end, staying with CMS is turning out to be a great decision. He got a nice raise and really likes what he does.

I am at CMU and still liking my job. This fall has been very busy at work and things are finally starting to slow down which I appreciate. I am now working from home on Fridays which has been a blessing with gas prices as high as they are. I thank my boss for being considerate and offering the work-from-home day.

In other news, I am asking for your thoughts and prayers as I continue to go through medical testing. I have not been feeling well for months (extreme exhaustion, sore/aching muscles, sore throat, etc.) and finally made a trip to the doctor about a month ago. My doctor initially felt that I may have thyroid problems or something called Celiac Disease. Celiac is the body's inability to process Gluten which is found in all wheat products as well as many other things. The first round of testing came back negative on both fronts but because the tests aren't 100% accurate, my doctor has ordered an ultrasound for my thyroid and a referral to a gastroenterologist for a biopsy of my intestines to test again for Celiac. Additionally, the second round of blood tests had high indicators for an auto-immune disease, likely Lupus. More blood work has been done and I will be meeting with my doctor soon to get all of the results. The ultrasound for my thyroid is scheduled for this evening and the appointment with the gastroenterologist is Thursday morning. It is all overwhelming but I am optimistic that once I am finally diagnosed that we can move forward with treatment and I can begin to feel better. I promise to keep everyone updated as I continue to get news myself and I thank you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.

Hugs,
Melissa