Weekly Catch-Up

Hello, Hello Friends!! How are you?? How have you been?? How was your week?? I'm so glad you've been able to join me for a quick chat this week!

Do you have your coffee ready?? Or whatever your drink of choice is?? I do!! I didn't get the chance this week to really sit down and create our usual Weekly Wrap-Up post, so I thought we could just sit together so I could babble about something that has been weighing on me this past week. A coffee talk...of sorts?? On Wednesday, I was anxious for a doctor's appointment I had to set up. I've been dealing with this very annoying & very frustrating rash that circled my left eye. It's been itchy, dry & burning for about a month now! So I had to bite the bullet, and set up an appointment for myself. This was my Instagram from Wednesday BEFORE my appointment...

Looking for the love today!

Have myself a doctor appointment later today. Feeling pretty anxious about it, for unrealized reasons. I absolutely adore my doctor... We have "visits" more than appointments... I catch him up on what the kids are doing, he tells me stories of things he's been up to. It's nice. I definitely appreciate him & all the knowledge he gives us to try and keep us all healthy these past 20-something years... Even though some of us take longer to listen to advice than others!!

Today's visit will consist of talking about parts of my medical history. Mostly the what seemed to be random rashes & joint pain that has come & gone a few different times now...maybe none of them were quite as random as they seemed. All of them different in the way they presented themselves on my body, but I believe they are all from the same thing. I will also be speaking my thoughts on if some of my other ailments are in some way connected as well.

I'm nervous & anxious to talk about these things. Diagnosis is a strange thing... Sometimes it comes easy, you take a test & BAM you have "this". Sometimes you have to commit yourself to the long haul to receive your answers. Sometimes they bring on fear, others it is relief. Sometimes just providing a direction for you to go after spinning in circles & having no idea where you even are.

It is the unknown that brings on the feelings of uncertainty... Which can be scary. Especially those of us who tries our best to keep up that appearance of being in control of our chaotic lives... even if only to fool ourselves.

I sat with my Dr for about 45 mins! I believe there was at least 1 more patient waiting for their appointment after me, and I wanted to apologize for my appointment taking so long. They are supposed to only last 15 mins! HOPEFULLY, that patient, and any others, are like me and realize that it is what it is when you see our Dr....you wait, because he is taking his time with all of his patients just like he does with you. Hence, my 45 mins with him! My anxiety showed up in my BP numbers.... 160/100!! Wow!! I do have that "white coat syndrome" where my blood pressure is ALWAYS high when I am at the Dr's office, why, I'm not sure, but we recognize & accept it! But TODAY, it was THAT coupled with just my anxiety running on rockets!!

For my eye, {which of course was looking much better at the appointment, of course}...he feels that it is an allergic reaction to the yeast on my body...apparently everyone has yeast that is all over their bodies, who knew?? BUT, as he was explaining it, it USUALLY shows up on the sides of your nose & behind your ears, which I didn't really have that. And, it doesn't NORMALLY just effect one eye, but with me, it is. Which made me wonder why he thought it was that type of reaction at all!! lol He prescribed me a cream that seems to be clearing up what is left of the rash...now to just keep my fingers crossed that it STAYS GONE!! I've been having this annoying dry cough that's been going on for about 1 1/2 years!! I can feel a bit of a rattle in my chest which will "catch my breath", if that makes sense, then makes me cough. Back in December of 2019, our family had a horrendous germ make it's way thru our house! The coughing was intense!! When I would go into a coughing fit I was sure I would break a rib! It. Was. Bad. My Dr. thinks it could have possibly been Whopping Cough! Mine never totally went away...just kept lingering. He's thinking it could be 1 of 4 different things, and prescribed me an inhaler to see if it takes care of the cough or not to help him determine which it is. It can take up to a week to see any results, so I'll have to get back to you on how it's going!

To give you just a bit of my history, quite a few years back, I developed a rash {on my forehead & collarbone/chest} & pretty bad joint pain. When trying to figure out what it was, I was tested & the results were positive for strep throat, even though I showed NO symptoms of it. A few years later, I had a rash again {this time on my arms/wrists & chest}, and joint pain that was so bad it hurt to exist. In January 2020, right after our bout with that crazy cough stuff, I developed another rash {itchy, blistery on my legs/arms} which went on for the most of that year.

This is why, when I developed this rash on my eye, I just assumed it had something to do with all of that which has happened to me before...which, I still almost think it could very well be, in some way. THIS, is why I wanted to talk to the Dr about autoimmune disease. I've brought it up to him before, in 2020 while we were trying to figure THAT rash out, and he said it could very well be autoimmune. When we discussed it, he said it is VERY hard to find out if a person is dealing with autoimmune disease. There is not really a test that shows for sure if you have it or not. Everyone who does have it shows symptoms in different ways. Basically, the conversation left me "wanting"...there wasn't really any "closure" to it....no "direction"...just a "yeah, it could be, or it could not be", and that was about it. I was a bit disappointed.

Deep sigh.

I feel like there is SOMETHING going on with me. If it lies dormant for a time, then flares it's ugly head...it IS there. When those flares come, they can be painful, ugly, and intense. I just want to find out WHAT it is....IF there is ANY way to help avoid the flares....ways to get thru the flares faster & without as much uncomfortability.... ease my worries about the "what ifs" when it comes to other things that need to be watched out for because of "THIS THAT IS HAPPENING TO ME"...whatever it is. So, until that time comes, and I have the "official" name of my ailment {or ailments}, I will be calling it.... "Auto-Jenn Dis-Order" Auto for the automatic way my body does NOT play by any rules or any lists of symptoms like "it should". Jenn, because of obvious reasons. Dis-Order...because nothing that happens to me has ANY "order" to it!! lolol My Dr once told me, "there is "normal", "abnormal", and "Jenn". Deep sigh. The symptom list for Auto-Jenn Dis-Order grows & changes year by year. Remedies to help with these symptoms, and to hopefully one day correct & reverse some symptoms are "in the works", and will remain forever changing. I think I need to sit and think up a "Wellness Plan" for Auto-Jenn Dis-Order. I will keep you all updated on what all makes it on the list!! Thank YOU again for hanging out & for listening!! It is VERY much appreciated!! Sending Love & Light to YOU!!