Finally Some Good News

As mentioned in previous posts, I've been battling some health issues recently.  I haven't written out the full details on this blog, because I didn't want everyone worrying about me.  We weren't sure what was going on, so I figured I would wait until we had more information before I shared the full situation with the world.  First things first, I'm finally done with my weekly blood draws!  It took FIVE weeks, but my hcg went down to zero.  What a relief. 

Now, on to another issue I've been dealing with.  I've said a little about the cyst that was found under my right kidney during the MRI for my back.  The doctor wasn't too worried, thinking it was either filled with protein or blood, but protocol dictated that we investigate it further.  I went in for an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago.  The results from that weren't great.  The ultrasound told them that it wasn't a cyst, but instead a mass.  "Mass" is a nicer way to say tumor.  That's not what I wanted to hear.  Doing a biopsy would be invasive, because of its location, so my doctor ordered a CT scan first.  While I waited for my appointment for the scan, my mind wandered to a lot of different places.  Most of the time I told myself it was nothing, and I had nothing to worry about.  But, of course, there were those fleeting moments where I thought about it being something more, something cancerous.  You want to stay positive, but you also can't live in a utopia where bad stuff only happens to other people.  All I could do was wait.

I had the CT scan last Friday.  It was "with contrast," which means I had to get the contrast fluid administered through an IV.  I did some research on what contrast is, and what its potential side effects are, and I started to get nervous.  It took three tries before they were able to get the IV set up correctly.  Not a good start!  Luckily the scans took less than 30 minutes and before long, I was on my way home.  I didn't have a reaction to the contrast, so that was a blessing.  Just more waiting until I got the results.

Last night, I got an email from my doctor with the findings.  The CT showed that the kidney mass was just a benign, fatty tumor.  Benign is a glorious word to see!  Feel free to tease me about having a "fatty" tumor, though.  Lol.  I don't care!            

Sleepy Time

Dutch is pretty predictable when it comes to his sleeping position.  99% of the time, his preferred position is on his stomach, arms tucked underneath him, legs crossed behind him, butt up in the air.  It's friggin' adorable and looks like this:

sorry for the poor quality; it's a picture of a picture

For a couple nights recently, he didn't sleep well.  He woke up multiple times and had trouble going back to sleep.  Of course it was rough on us, but apparently it was rough on him the next day too!  For his naps the two days after the two bad nights, these were his positions:

Poor guy was apparently so exhausted, he couldn't even get himself into his normal position!  Lol.  Still adorable.

Guest Bathroom Remodel

I haven't been a fan of one of our guest bathrooms since we moved into our house over 4 years ago.  But, since it doesn't get much use, I have ignored it.  A few months ago, I noticed the wallpaper coming off in one area, so I took that as my cue to make a big change!  I made a plan to remove the wallpaper, paint the walls, remove the linoleum, install tile, and replace the light, faucet, toilet paper holder and towel holder.  Here are the before pictures:

 Look at that snazzy linoleum!

Brown, spotted wallpaper with a border of books (yeah, really)

Builder's special $5 light fixture

Wallpaper removal in progress

Taking down the wallpaper was a very frustrating process!  In some places, part of the sheetrock came off, so the wall was left uneven.  It took so many nights to get it all done.  By that time, I was SO over the remodel.  Since that part had already sucked up so much of my time, and it's not easy getting any work done with a baby, we decided to just hire someone to do most of the rest of the work.  We installed the faucet, towel rod, toilet paper holder, and new light, but that was it!  Here's the finished product:

Beautiful 16 x 16 travertine tile

New light fixture, textured wall, paint, faucet, toilet roll holder

New light fixture close up

No wallpaper!  No books around the border!

Health Updates

I feel like my body is just a walking disaster. I know a lot of people have health issues when they get older, but seriously, I'm not even 30 yet! After my surgery last month to remove the ectopic pregnancy, I've had to go back for weekly blood tests to make sure the hcg level returns to zero. I was hoping last week's blood draw would be the last, but of course that's not my luck.

1/11 - 4946 (right before the surgery)
1/18 - 474
1/25 - 73
1/31 - 34

So close to zero! I have to do another one this week and it would be awesome if there weren't any more after that.

As far as my sciatica, I got the results of my MRI and the scans showed a bulging disk. The L4 has a "tiny disc extrusion with minimal inferior extension resulting in right subarticular recess stenosis and encroachment of the descending L5 nerve root." That's a lot of medical mumbo jumbo, but it translates to being in pain hours out of each day, and not being able to stand or walk for very long. I'm seeing a back specialist today and we'll hopefully start a treatment plan.

During my MRI, they also uncovered a "hyperintense cystic lesion" under my right kidney, which may mean a blood or protein cyst. What the heck? Can I just deal with one thing at a time, please? Now I have to schedule an ultrasound to get that looked into to see if it's an area of concern.

Sigh.

Thank goodness for good insurance.