Tucked in!

This last week, I've had what's called pouch-i-tis. If you've heard of Crohn's diseases, pouch-i-tis is basically a flare up in the lower half of the belly, and when not treated with proper foods or medication, the patient can be in serious pain. The first signs of experiencing pouch-i-tis, (at least for me) would be nausea, and going to the bathroom more frequently, and low grade fevers. I normally don't begin to feel pain until about a day into the cause, so it's not so bad, but sometimes I wish I felt it sooner, so I can treat it quicker.

How do we treat pouch-i-tis? Well, we use a very organized system.

If you have a corn bag, warm it up and place it on the pained area. It will hopefully decrease the flare up. Plus, if you're cold, it's an added bonus. Unfortunately, this time I had another side effect, known as blurry eye vision. It wasn't a migraine, but it was close to one. I couldn't see well in the light, and I always had to be in the dark, and before I took my naps, we put eye drops in to see if that will help. It did. So if you're having eye issues, try using simple eye drops.

One day, when I was in bed, my parents told me that 2 of my best friends had come by with a treat. I texted them the next day telling them how much I appreciated their thoughtful gift! It truly did make my day. As simple as Chocolate and Balloons go, anything can make a persons day a bit brighter, you never know until you do the service. Thank you girls! Don't worry, we'll get together someday soon and do something fun!

Oh, and I was supposed to volunteer at the Temple last Saturday night, but I'm glad I didn't, because later on I ended up throwing up a sauce I had at Arby's that day, (Arby's Sauce). That's another issue patience seem to struggle with while having Crohn's. You never know what foods your body will reject at a certain time of your life. It's mainly trial and error. For example: I haven't had broccoli for awhile, because last time it made me really sick. It's hard sometimes because I really love these foods, but I can only have them in moderation, or not at all. Fruits and Veggies need to be consumed in moderation, cooked veggies are easier to digest, too much fiber is bad for our bowels (weird word to mention on a blog, I know), but what can we do? I guess in the future, if I use a word that's awkward like - bowels - I'll change it to something fun like; bubbles. Haha. Okay? Okay. Now that we got that out of the way.

Another remedy that helps pouch-i-tis, is baths. A nice warm bath will help soothe your belly in more ways than one, (as it relaxes your entire body). I was lucky to take 2 baths this last week, and I use this special oil to make my skin extra soft. I suffer from eczema in the Winter. I enjoy watching movies on my iPad, and one movie I watched was Tarzan:

Today has been an interesting day, as I was supposed to volunteer at the Temple tonight as well. I chose to call in sick because I still kind of am. Have you ever heard of the term, irritated bowel syndrome? Well, I have that. and it's not fun at all. Whenever I get nervous, I feel like I need a toilet to sit on to calm my nerves, otherwise I'd go in my pants. That wouldn't be fun, or clean. So, that's one reason why I called in sick. Another reason, is that I had a hard time sleeping last night. My right ear kept making a light sprinkler sound that wouldn't turn off! I think I'm at the end of my medication too, so my IBS is in for it big time. I just need to learn to meditate and calm my nerves down whenever I'm sick, because being sick is normal. Meaning, I'm not the only person whose ever been sick. I'm so thankful for my Psychologist, because he's helped me a lot in the past, and continues to help me today, but more on him another time.

For those of you who don't know this, I have 2 parakeets, Phoebe and Kirby. They always make me happy when I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I'm so blessed to have a support system who takes care of me at home too!

Brain Power

Our life is like rollercoaster. We have school, work, household chores, church (for those who have a religion), hobbies, and lots, lots more. Not only that, but scientific research shows, that we only use one tenth of our brain capacity, and personally, I've always wondered what would happen to one human being (or even all of us), if we used more than one tenth of our brain's full potential. I mean think about it, if we used all our brain cells, could we be able to:

• Levitate objects?
• Skim a long book, and still remember each detail?
• Control the weather?
• Teleport to places?
• Live a longer life?
• Take advanced College courses and pass without taking a single note? On top of scoring high numbers on our homework assignments, quizzes, tests, etc.?
• Seeing where things are moving with our eyes closed?

What do YOU think humans would be able to accomplish if we had more brain power? Think about it, and as you continue reading on, feel free to write a comment in the comments section. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this subject.

For those of you who may not know me, I'm very aware of my bodily symptoms. If something goes wrong, I want to find out what the issue is, and get it fixed instantly so nothing gets too serious. However, it can be dangerous to overthink the situation, because our minds are so powerful, that often enough, whatever is wrong with our body can get worse! For example: small waves of nausea keep bubbling up within side of me, and when my mind lures towards the symptom, I might actually rush to the toilet throw up.

*One smart tip: stay ahead of any pain you may be experiencing, by taking medicine to reduce your struggle(s). I took the initiative, and swallowed a pill to help the nausea go away. Don't worry about me.* 

This is why I'm starting this blog. To help those of you understand your body more, and to hopefully put a smile on your face, to find ways to make your life as happy and optimistic as mine is, no matter how impossible life may be sometimes.*

Progress

It's nearly been 8 weeks, and when I arrived at Physical Therapy last week, I asked if I can start learning how to walk up and down the stairs again. They said, "yes." Now, the first time I did it, Jared had me use the half sized step, and a leash to hold me in case if I fell. This time, as you can see, I used more of a full-sized step, and no one stood by me, knowing I had full control over my quad.

I only did one step 'up-and-down' in this video, but overall I did about 10+. I felt much improved. When I'm home, I try to remind myself that I can easily walk up the stairs while using my bad knee. In fact, my bad knee isn't all bad anymore! I think my right quad is truly stronger than my left.

Recovery - Knee Surgery - 2017

 I counted up to 19 Steri-Strips on my leg alone. I still have 2 of them on today. Believe me, the scars look much better with them off, just like the Physical Therapists had mentioned.

These Crutches became my best friend(s) for about 3 weeks. I've always wanted to know what it would be like to walk with crutches, and it was fun for awhile, but when it was time to get rid of them, I was more than willing to throw them aside. Turns out that crutches really do make your underarms sore.Trust me, crutches may look and even be fun for quite sometime, but in the end, it's great to say, "Goodbye Crutches!"

During the day, I slept and rested in my parents king-sized bed. I love this part of recovery, because you don't have to get up, or do much of anything for 2 weeks. The only downside of all this, is that

Knee Operation, November 15th, 2017

I had knee surgery on November 15th of 2017. At the beginning, I wasn't sure if having this procedure would help. You see, my right knee has given out so many times in my life, that I've hurt myself during some of those falls. The most recent fall, I weakened my left wrist, and I had to wear a brace for a month, in order for the bone to strengthen again. Don't worry, it healed. My knee, stayed swollen, and I remembered that when I had fallen, the bone didn't click back into place. My mind began to worry, as my parents and I were keeping an eye on it.

We got an MRI done, and received clear photos of the injured areas. My doctor transferred us to a surgeon who would look at it a bit further, to see if I really needed to have an operation. A few weeks later, we met up with him, and he treated me as if I were his own daughter. He explained to us that this procedure would be a great help for me, and that he would never cut someone up just to do it as if it were an experiment. I trusted him, and so did my parents.

2 days before the operation, we met up with the Anesnteiologist's assistant, to make sure that my medical history was all lined up, and ready to go. Even though the appointment was an hour long, we were just glad that all of my information was put into the computer correctly. I've had a lot of operations in the 26 years that I've been alive, and it's always hard for me to accept the fact that life won't always be easy, and that I'll never know if this will be my last surgery. Hopefully it is.

Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 had finally arrived. I was more than ready to get my knee fixed! Before each operation, the nurses need a urine sample to make sure (females usually) you're not pregnant. I'm not, so I don't have to expand on that note. Then, I was escorted into a small, and dainty like room, with one window for us to enjoy the view of Salt Lake City. It was slightly raining outside, but I barely had time to look out the window, because my vitals were being taken, and the nurse was checking things on the computer and asking me questions like, "What is being done today?" or "How are you feeling?" We discussed how I often have low oxygen after surgeries, and to be sure to keep the oxygen tube on me. My blood pressure is always on the lower end too, and mom and I think it's probably genetic, other than that, we have no idea why it's so low most of the time.

We were then visited by 2 of the doctors that would be working with me in the surgical room. We got our questioned answered about the procedure, and Doctor Burkes finally appeared. Knowing my mom had been here a year ago for my sisters (completely different) knee surgery, she asked Doctor Burkes if he had a certain pen with him. Pausing in mid-sentence, he pulled the pen out of one of his pockets, he waved it in front of his face, as if he would never, ever forget his special marking pen. He wrote a big YES to indicate the proper knee he was going to operate on.

P.S. ~ PURPLE is one of my favorite colors. ~

I was kind of worried about having to get my knee cut open by this point, so I kept looking at it, wishing that I could have a magic wand to make it all better. Time slowly ticked by until someone had finally come in, to wheel me away into the freezing OR (operation room) section of the Hospital Wing. Without wearing my glasses, peoples faces blurred by me, and unwanted beeping sounds slipped passed. When my bed went through a big elevator, the person pushing me mentioned that my bed had an issue with the front left wheel, making it hard to move the bed down each of the hallways. I wonder if they switched me to a different bed during, or after the procedure.

My favorite part of surgeries, is when the anesthesia goes into my system and lulls me to sleep. Sometimes the process happens so quickly, that I can't remember the room at all, or anything that happened in that room when I wake up in the recovery room. All I know, is that is exactly how the anesthesia is supposed to work. Forget what happened before, during or right after surgery, so that you don't feel the pain right away. Trust me, it works wonders!

When patients wake up in the recovery room, nurses check on them by doing their vital signs, and asking them questions about how they are feeling. I remember that as soon as I began opening my eyes, a nurse was on the lefthand side of me, probably scanning information into the computer system, and taking notes on how I was doing. Then, 2 doctors had come in to give me 'The Block' to prevent me from feeling anymore pain from the surgery. Basically it's just a medical shot. It felt like they had pressed something hard (like a block) against my thigh, and the shot gave me a huge bruise that lasted for a long time!

I usually have low oxygen levels after surgery, so they place the oxygen tube through my nostrils to help me breathe more easily. Popsicles are a great way to get your energy up after a procedure, as well as Sprite, or any type of drink you might be in the mood for, to get your sugar levels up. Most patients need to fast after midnight, so that they don't get nauseated after the anesthesia is in your body. I don't even want to know what would happen if someone had a big meal before a surgery. I bet you the consequences would be most dire!

Doctor Burkes wanted me to stay at the Hospital overnight, to be sure everything was going to be okay. Mom told me that the nurses told her I said something coming right out of surgery, something like, "I think I'm used to the anesthesia, since I'm already starting to wake up." I rolled my eyes and smiled, knowing that what I said was probably true, since the recovery team noted that I didn't have any problems while waking up.

After I had breakfast the next day, they had me order lunch and dinner, since it's hard to tell when a patient is ready to be released from their stay. Mom arrived around 8:30 in the morning, and around 9 or 10, a pair of Physical Therapists, showed me how to get around with my new friends, (the leg brace and crutches). The night before, since I didn't know how to get out of bed properly to walk to the bathroom or anything, the night nurses gave me a bed pan to go pee in. It wasn't the most relaxing way to go potty, but hey, anything is better than nothing right? So basically, I was more than happy to work with the Physical Therapist team.

Since I had 6 velcro tighteners on my brace, I held onto one near my ankle, and pulled up with my right hand, letting my body shift over to the side of the bed. My leg was as straight as can be, and it was fun to bounce it up and down a bit, knowing that the brace prevented my knee from bending. The hospital handed me a spare walker to use for learning how to move myself around. The trick is to lower the handles first, so that the walker is just right for the patient, and then you slide the walker forward inch by inch, letting your feet move forward, knowing that they're supported by the metal miracle in front of them. Before long, I was in the hallway, and a small wooden staircase of about 4 steps, was placed not too far away from my assigned room.

In no time, we had 2 ways of helpful chants for me to use while going up, or down, the stairs:

• To go UP the stairs, I'd hold one crutch under my right arm, and say: "Crutch, good foot, bad foot. Crutch, good foot, bad foot." So on, and so forth until I reached my way to the top. Saying it out loud helped me to move at a slower pace, and focus on the way I was walking.

• To go DOWN the stairs, I'd hold one crutch under my left arm, and say: "Crutch, bad foot, good foot. Crutch, bad foot, good foot." It's basically the opposite as it is going upstairs. 

When it was time to go, I was wheeled out to the car, and mom had a hard time putting me up into the seat. I tried stepping on the stool that she had brought with her, but she ended up picking me up around the waste, allowing me to jump up and over the seat. I scooted towards the other end of the car, and at the time I was wearing a pair of really short shorts, which made me feel uncomfortable out in public, and when I finally settled in near the opposite door I decided to prop my legs up on the seat, instead of sitting forward with the seatbelt on. I know it's dangerous, but how in the world was I supposed to get situated with my knee in a huge leg brace, making it nearly impossible for my leg to bend? Mom even had a pillow, and a soft blanket for me, which made it easier for me to relax for the 45 minute drive home. I just love my parents and all they do for my siblings and I.