Hola everyone,
Hope everyone is having a relaxing sunday. We are trying to "live" it up on the couch, watching tv and just hanging out on my last day before surgery. Paul is making me dumplings for dinner for my last 'real' meal for a few days...yum!
Surgery is a scary notion but it's what MUST be done! I've been in so much pain the last few days and popping pain pills every 12 hours or so to be in a tolerable mood for Paulie.
It's a relatively simple surgery, as surgeries go, so I'll be in and out tomorrow morning.The surgery will be done laparoscopically (try to say that one 5 times fast) so they'll only have to make a few small incisions to cut that stinkin' gallbladder out. Recovery time is quick, about 2 days, and then (according to the doc) I'll be ready for anything a few weeks after that. Thank goodness because we are going to Costa Rica with or without that gallbladder. Lol. It seems that I'll have to change my diet up for a few weeks (possibly months) in order to let my body adjust to not having an additional 'filter' for my food. It seems I'll have the most trouble with digesting fatty foods, high sugar content items & alcohol. Shouldn't be too hard of a change. Just looking forward to no more pain!
We'll be up and at the hospital at 5AM...yippee! So needless to say it'll be a long day for us here at the St. Pierre household so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.
Paul will let everyone know how I'm doing...it's a husband's job, right? ;)
Love Kali
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
FINALLY have an answer - PAIN???
While the last several months are supposed to be like heaven, right? Just got married and finally done with the stress of the wedding. Wrong!!! I've been so emotionally upset by my health issues and not quite sure where to turn at times other than my adoring husband, family & friends. At certain moments in our lives we all have to place trust in other people. Shouldn't be too hard when one of those people has gone to school to become a specialist in a certain field, right! Again...wrong! *at least not for me right now*
I don't know how many doctors appt's I've been to over the last 5 months, seen everyone from a GP, OB/GYN & 2 gastroenterologists all with the same EXACT frustrating freaking answer. 'Nothing is wrong with you,' while I mutter in the back of my head that 'believe me...something IS wrong with me.' You don't go from being an active, healthy individual who can eat, exercise, etc. with no issues to cringing in pain and waking up to spasms which feel like a metal rod going through your body for no reason. 5 months later...it all comes down to the same thing I've thought for months. Now while I have finally uncovered the source of my pain I realize how entirely frustration my situation has been. It's a bitter sweet moment as the end is near but the journey seems too long and frustrating to forget so quickly.
Frankly I would like to punch the 1st gastroenterologist in the head right about now. After ordering an ultrasound to check for gallstones he wanted me to have a CT & endoscopy before ever talking to me about the results of any of them. Although the ultrasound came back negative I was so sure it was my gallbladder that I requested to have the doctor order another test (if such existed) to check my gallbladder functions. After a few phones calls and explanation of the amount of pain I was in the test was ordered. I had such a sense of surity that I would find out the results of such test and would be able to put the 2+ months of being unsure what was wrong with me behind me finally.
After calling and calling and leaving voice messages trying to find out the results of said test for a week I finally demanded that I speak with the doctor after getting the receptionist on the phone who told me that my test results were normal. Seriously the receptionist now has license to read medical reports? I had enough with this doctor's office and wanted to express my distention with their office protocol. The doctor gets on the phone, is short and rude to me cutting me off mid-sentence about 7 times, telling me that I should have done the tests in the order that he ordered them, I'm not the one with a medical background but he just ordered the test I requested. I finally asked him "do you care what I have to say?" The conversation on the phone was a dissemination of my frustration with not only him but the other GP & GYN doctors I had seen who dismissed my problem as 'unsolvable' because the one test they ran didn't come back with anything obvious. Ugg! So I told the gastroentrologist what I thought of him: he was rude, that I don't think the receptionist should be giving me my medical records result, that I didn't appreciate his office staff never returning the dozens of calls (through voicemail) and actual conversations, that he shouldn't treat me like my problems don't matter and that I would be going to a different doctor and would be requesting my test results from him. I was over the BS! (this all through tears in the parking lot of my office...fun day at work right???)
Within the one week that it was going to take to be seen by a family doctor who my husband and mother-in-law trust and loved I got to the point where going to the ER seemed like the only option I had. I couldn't take the pain anymore. The ER doc kicked me out of the ER telling me that they couldn't do anything for me there and referred me to a new gastro doctor (who saw me the same day...10 minutes before 5PM). Whoa! After 15 minutes of telling her my problem and expressing to her that YES! my pain is a constant 7 to 8 and has been she scheduled me for an endoscopy the next morning.
Now I have gastritis, can't eat or drink the things that I love and the pain still won't go away! Great!
...but on top of that she informed me that the rude gastro doctor did not order the correct type of test to test my gallbladder and therefore could not determine if that was the cause or not. Seriously!?! *hence me wanting to punch him in the face right now...as the realization that I would have to retake a $4300 test which may or may not be covered by insurance set upon me* I had no idea that while he was supposed to order me a test to test the functionality of my gallbladder, he did not in fact order the proper test to determine this. So the test results he gave me were 'correct' I guess although it did NOT test what it was supposed to on me. How am I NOT supposed to be upset???
After going back to my new wonderful doc who had all of my test results she let me know that everything came back negative...go figure right? Still in pain doc, I expressed!
... So a second HIDA scan (testing the gallbladder) later and 6 excrutiatingly long days of waiting for the reuslts I finally have the results back that my gallbladder is indeed bad and needs to come out! AHHHHH! This is what I've been saying for months! It's functioning at less than 1/3 of normal...no wonder it hurts!
I'm so frustrated, overwhelmed and angry that because of the lack of 'caring' or in my words 'professionalism', 'diligence', 'due process', etc. I wouldn't have had to go through all of this and this issue could be behind me months ago. I don't know whether to let it go or scream "Don't go to these doctors...they're quacks" as loud as I can from a rooftop???
...Surgery to be scheduled. Thank god this nightmare is almost over...
I don't know how many doctors appt's I've been to over the last 5 months, seen everyone from a GP, OB/GYN & 2 gastroenterologists all with the same EXACT frustrating freaking answer. 'Nothing is wrong with you,' while I mutter in the back of my head that 'believe me...something IS wrong with me.' You don't go from being an active, healthy individual who can eat, exercise, etc. with no issues to cringing in pain and waking up to spasms which feel like a metal rod going through your body for no reason. 5 months later...it all comes down to the same thing I've thought for months. Now while I have finally uncovered the source of my pain I realize how entirely frustration my situation has been. It's a bitter sweet moment as the end is near but the journey seems too long and frustrating to forget so quickly.
Frankly I would like to punch the 1st gastroenterologist in the head right about now. After ordering an ultrasound to check for gallstones he wanted me to have a CT & endoscopy before ever talking to me about the results of any of them. Although the ultrasound came back negative I was so sure it was my gallbladder that I requested to have the doctor order another test (if such existed) to check my gallbladder functions. After a few phones calls and explanation of the amount of pain I was in the test was ordered. I had such a sense of surity that I would find out the results of such test and would be able to put the 2+ months of being unsure what was wrong with me behind me finally.
After calling and calling and leaving voice messages trying to find out the results of said test for a week I finally demanded that I speak with the doctor after getting the receptionist on the phone who told me that my test results were normal. Seriously the receptionist now has license to read medical reports? I had enough with this doctor's office and wanted to express my distention with their office protocol. The doctor gets on the phone, is short and rude to me cutting me off mid-sentence about 7 times, telling me that I should have done the tests in the order that he ordered them, I'm not the one with a medical background but he just ordered the test I requested. I finally asked him "do you care what I have to say?" The conversation on the phone was a dissemination of my frustration with not only him but the other GP & GYN doctors I had seen who dismissed my problem as 'unsolvable' because the one test they ran didn't come back with anything obvious. Ugg! So I told the gastroentrologist what I thought of him: he was rude, that I don't think the receptionist should be giving me my medical records result, that I didn't appreciate his office staff never returning the dozens of calls (through voicemail) and actual conversations, that he shouldn't treat me like my problems don't matter and that I would be going to a different doctor and would be requesting my test results from him. I was over the BS! (this all through tears in the parking lot of my office...fun day at work right???)
Within the one week that it was going to take to be seen by a family doctor who my husband and mother-in-law trust and loved I got to the point where going to the ER seemed like the only option I had. I couldn't take the pain anymore. The ER doc kicked me out of the ER telling me that they couldn't do anything for me there and referred me to a new gastro doctor (who saw me the same day...10 minutes before 5PM). Whoa! After 15 minutes of telling her my problem and expressing to her that YES! my pain is a constant 7 to 8 and has been she scheduled me for an endoscopy the next morning.
Now I have gastritis, can't eat or drink the things that I love and the pain still won't go away! Great!
...but on top of that she informed me that the rude gastro doctor did not order the correct type of test to test my gallbladder and therefore could not determine if that was the cause or not. Seriously!?! *hence me wanting to punch him in the face right now...as the realization that I would have to retake a $4300 test which may or may not be covered by insurance set upon me* I had no idea that while he was supposed to order me a test to test the functionality of my gallbladder, he did not in fact order the proper test to determine this. So the test results he gave me were 'correct' I guess although it did NOT test what it was supposed to on me. How am I NOT supposed to be upset???
After going back to my new wonderful doc who had all of my test results she let me know that everything came back negative...go figure right? Still in pain doc, I expressed!
... So a second HIDA scan (testing the gallbladder) later and 6 excrutiatingly long days of waiting for the reuslts I finally have the results back that my gallbladder is indeed bad and needs to come out! AHHHHH! This is what I've been saying for months! It's functioning at less than 1/3 of normal...no wonder it hurts!
I'm so frustrated, overwhelmed and angry that because of the lack of 'caring' or in my words 'professionalism', 'diligence', 'due process', etc. I wouldn't have had to go through all of this and this issue could be behind me months ago. I don't know whether to let it go or scream "Don't go to these doctors...they're quacks" as loud as I can from a rooftop???
...Surgery to be scheduled. Thank god this nightmare is almost over...
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The wedding has come & gone...but that special MOMENT remains!
How bittersweet that our wedding has now passed! It was amazing, wonderful, fantastic and truly magical!
I think the most talked about event occurrence was Paul's expression as I walked down the aisle. It was quite an ordeal to keep him from seeing my dress or me in it for the last year so when it was FINALLY time to walk down the aisle to make him my husband I was excited about him seeing me.
The whole day of the wedding all I wanted was to hurry up and get into my dress. It's what I had waited for and dreamed of since the day I fell in love with Paul. He had become my EVERYTHING in life and I wanted to show him what that truly meant to me.
Our photographer was amazingly helpful and I was surrounded by some of the most amazing women in my life: my sweet momma and momma-to-be, my best friend from birth, my best friend from college and my two wonderful sisters. Each one sharing in a sweet, memorable moment in the bridal sweet waiting for all of the final touches to be done to the venue. I had mistakenly counted on being able to help in those last few hours as all of the little details were being done...Oops! Can't let anyone see me in my dress. 
So I sat back, drank a glass of champagne (ok 2 or 3 ;) ) and waited...and waited!
The moment was finally here...the girls lined up outside of the bridal sweet and I was left alone battling my thoughts! OMG, it's here! OMG, it's here! Paul is out there! We're about to get married. The word excitement doesn't begin to describe...
In those last few moments I thought about how our photographer had tried to convince us to do a first glance! Which clueless to me before the wedding really just means that you have an opportunity with your hunny before the big moment to see each other, calm down and take a few pictures. While I understood it would be the best idea when trying to get as many pics as possible of us in good light, something that we'd have forever to remember, but I fought the temptation because I wanted right before I walked down the aisle to be 'the' moment he first saw his bride! A moment in time that seemed like a lifetime in the making. Also, the reason that I fought to have 'god blessed the broken road' as our first dance song. Because God truly did bless the broken road that led me straight to Paul. No one's life is without hardship, sacrifice or a few tears but when it all lead me to this moment. With the man of my dreams waiting for me...I was there!
So I was tucked behind the bridal suite door all alone for what seemed like an eternity. My sweet papa was waiting outside that door with his arm out and waiting. I love my dad so much and to have him tell me I looked beautiful right before he walked me down the aisle was so touching and will last a lifetime with me.
We began walking...
I walked straight to the fireplace and turned. I expected to see Paul's beautiful soft brown eyes opened wide as could be starring back at me as I rounded that corner. But he wasn't even looking at me. He had his head cocked back slightly and was looking into the sky.
Curious I thought but I continued to walk and as I reached the two wooden steps to begin the journey into marriage (and trying not to slip and bust it in my dress) I looked up to see Paul's eye FINALLY on me, his bride!
His eyes lit up like the fourth of July and the expression on his face is one that I will cherish for the rest of my life! It was like a child walking into the doors of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. He made me feel beautiful!
We had joked with each other for months about that moment and he always said that he would cry when he finally got to see me in my dress. But those words meant nothing in comparison with the actual tear that rolled down his face as soon as I got up to him. I knew that he adored me and wanted to make me his wife forever, even without him saying those words. Paul and I have had several of those...'get out of my head' moments where you know what each other is thinking and you know what they are about to say even before they can get the words out. Expressions mean everything between us. So in that moment, that's all I needed was that one single tear and that one expressive 'I love you to the ends of the earth & back' glance before we said 'I do' or in Paul's case screamed 'I DO!'!
I know I am a little biased but I thought that our ceremony & reception were perfect! The venue was beautiful, the weather a dream and all of our closest family and friends surrounding us with love and lifting our love and relationship up high! We tried to incorporate all of our family members into the ceremony & reception as much as we could. 
I thought it was a wonderful moment when both of our moms shared the moment in combining sand during the ceremony as a symbol of the unity and bond between the Fischer & St. Pierre family. It was so special and touching to both Paul and I. Although it was supposed to be spices instead of sand but I didn't think the wind blowing cayenne pepper in everyone's eyes was really the right way to make them cry. Our minister later told us that this moment along with our dad's reaching out and grabbing each other's hands from across the aisle was a touching moment for her and a first as well. We truly felt our families combining together and blessing our marriage!
We haven't even been able to see ALL of the pictures yet but we are waiting extremely impatiently! So excited to see them all! I KNOW we missed a ton of the little details that my mom worked so hard to create for us! At least we have these few for now =)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Dakota: seizure (#3) :(
Our sweet Dakota, our yellow lab, who's normally so full of energy and wants to play every second of the day started out our morning yesterday flopping around on the floor having a pretty intense seizure. It was devastating for Paul and I to watch our sweet puppy fighting against it for those long couple of minutes. While Dakota was fighting against the seizure, I was fighting back tears looking into my sweet puppies face trying to talk sweetly to him to help him pull out of it.
Although...we thought our sweet Kotaman's seizure was a one time only occurrence...here I am trying to do research to figure out why he may be experiencing these seizures again...with the 1st one on 10/26/2010, another one in between caused most likely by a thunderstorm and the last and worst one yesterday 02/12/2011. It may be diet, it may be genetic or it may be triggered by something environmental...basically no one has answers about why these are happening. Even the vet visit we took him to the last time he went through this seems to be no help in this situation, all blood work points to a very healthy pup. ***no help at all
They can give him anti-seizure medication if it gets progressively worse...a path we may be heading down unfortunately. Aside from that it seems we have very limited options except to be anxious and worried about Kotaman! We are probably going to buy some dinovite and/or Omega 3 fatty acid supplements to start with and hopefully with a little better diet we won't ever have to experience another one of these again.
Although...I guess this is the same story my scared parents got when they would rush either my sister, myself or both of us to the ER with Grand Mal seizures when we were babies...Seizures are no joke! I'm lucky enough to have only had a few in my life that were triggered by environmental factors with the last one when I was 6 mo. old. I'm hoping that Dakota's are in our past as well!
Sincerely,
This scared but proud puppy parent
Although...we thought our sweet Kotaman's seizure was a one time only occurrence...here I am trying to do research to figure out why he may be experiencing these seizures again...with the 1st one on 10/26/2010, another one in between caused most likely by a thunderstorm and the last and worst one yesterday 02/12/2011. It may be diet, it may be genetic or it may be triggered by something environmental...basically no one has answers about why these are happening. Even the vet visit we took him to the last time he went through this seems to be no help in this situation, all blood work points to a very healthy pup. ***no help at all
They can give him anti-seizure medication if it gets progressively worse...a path we may be heading down unfortunately. Aside from that it seems we have very limited options except to be anxious and worried about Kotaman! We are probably going to buy some dinovite and/or Omega 3 fatty acid supplements to start with and hopefully with a little better diet we won't ever have to experience another one of these again.
Although...I guess this is the same story my scared parents got when they would rush either my sister, myself or both of us to the ER with Grand Mal seizures when we were babies...Seizures are no joke! I'm lucky enough to have only had a few in my life that were triggered by environmental factors with the last one when I was 6 mo. old. I'm hoping that Dakota's are in our past as well!
Sincerely,
This scared but proud puppy parent
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Wedding Planning...thus far
Well with our wedding less than 9 months away there is still a laundry list of to-do's! And while I loathe laundry I haven't pulled my hair out and have managed to enjoy most of the process thus far...
I never knew that it could be so labor-intensive and stressful to plan out your special day. To consider so many things...who to put on the guest list, colors, flower choices, when, how, where...so much planning! But for Paul and I this is a 'Celebration of our Love', cheesy or not ;), and we love that we get to share these moments with our family and close friends!
Scrambling my eggs currently:
I went to the Austin Bridal Extravaganza a few weekends ago. The whole experience was pretty intense...lots of vendors, lots of "we have the best deals" but overall it was great to share the experience with my mom, older sister and best friend thinking and talking about the BIG day! I did think it was hilarious to watch grown women screaming at the top of their lungs during the 'fashion show' like they were at a Ricky Martin concert though.
I guess that's what makes me the happiest about the whole experience is just that you get to involve so many different people in your life and share the experience with them! We all forget too soon in this crazy, hectic world we live in how valuable our relationships with others are sometimes. Planning has brought me close to so many people. Like our relationship in general I am grateful for the experience! & trying desperately not to turn into a BRIDEZILLA in the process! Uggg...I can't stand those women!
I'm sure this wedding planning will throw a lot more ups and downs at us...but we've got fly-swatters in hand and ready to attack! ;)
P.S. Any money saving tips...bring 'em! I'm all for more money in our pockets at the end of this for a honeymoon! Wahoo!
I never knew that it could be so labor-intensive and stressful to plan out your special day. To consider so many things...who to put on the guest list, colors, flower choices, when, how, where...so much planning! But for Paul and I this is a 'Celebration of our Love', cheesy or not ;), and we love that we get to share these moments with our family and close friends!
Scrambling my eggs currently:
- picking a caterer
- picking colors (although I think it's going to be purple..with a hint of red)
- taking engagement pictures (although we've finally scheduled a session for Mar 12th...yay)
- sharing in the adventure with those around us
- continuing to live your own life
- make sure you save money while still having fun
I went to the Austin Bridal Extravaganza a few weekends ago. The whole experience was pretty intense...lots of vendors, lots of "we have the best deals" but overall it was great to share the experience with my mom, older sister and best friend thinking and talking about the BIG day! I did think it was hilarious to watch grown women screaming at the top of their lungs during the 'fashion show' like they were at a Ricky Martin concert though.
I guess that's what makes me the happiest about the whole experience is just that you get to involve so many different people in your life and share the experience with them! We all forget too soon in this crazy, hectic world we live in how valuable our relationships with others are sometimes. Planning has brought me close to so many people. Like our relationship in general I am grateful for the experience! & trying desperately not to turn into a BRIDEZILLA in the process! Uggg...I can't stand those women!
I'm sure this wedding planning will throw a lot more ups and downs at us...but we've got fly-swatters in hand and ready to attack! ;)
P.S. Any money saving tips...bring 'em! I'm all for more money in our pockets at the end of this for a honeymoon! Wahoo!
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