Not good...

After I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I went into a period of mourning. I know that sounds bizarre to some of you. However, I knew intimately what that diagnosis would mean for me immediately because my mother also has Celiac Disease. I watched her for years not be able to eat like everyone else. She rarely, rarely complained about her limited diet. I always felt extremely sorry for her and still do! I would feel bad and then grab a bite of chicken fettuccini and move on thankful I did not have celiac. Ha!

When you are diagnosed with Celiac Disease you are suddenly thrust into a world where eating "on the fly" and convenience is thrown out the window. Celiacs simply can't order 'take out' like everyone else. Pizza? Seriously?? Chinese Food? No, not really because traditional soy sauce has wheat. Sonic? No burgers, hot dogs, onion rings etc. They are loaded with gluten. Birthday cakes? Oatmeal Cookies? No way! Breakfast? Pancakes? Waffles? NOT a good way to start the day if you are a celiac. Chips?? Doritos? Nope, they have gluten. Vitamins? Believe it or not, they often have gluten. The list can go on and on...

Gluten hates me and it tries to kill me. Truly. It is not an exaggeration. When I was diagnosed a couple of years ago I was ANGRY. So very angry. I felt betrayed by my own body. I had always been so proud of my Irish and Scottish ancestry. Now, it was because of my intense line of Irish and Scottish blood that I was now sick. Don't worry, I no longer blame William Wallace or Rob Roy for my disease! ;- )

All the above was written because I think my Celiac Disease is attacking my body. I don't know for sure but I do know that I am more susceptible to many illnesses because of my disease.

I have not been feeling well at all this past year. Not at all. NO ONE knew the extent. Not my husband, family or close friends. I just kept charging on through my daily routine and would often end my evenings crying in the shower when I knew no one could hear or see me. Finally, after a rash of several people suddenly becoming ill at church and then proceeding to die rather quickly with cancer etc., I made the decision to see my doctor. What do you say to your doctor when you don't feel well and don't know what to pin point to help the doctor?

I simply said, "Something is not right. I can't tell you exactly what is going on but I don't feel good." Thankfully, I have an AMAZING doctor. Her name is Leah Patton and she works with the Nashville Medical Group at Baptist Hospital. She immediately sent me down for tests and we have been in constant communication since that day three weeks ago. We actually email. Can you believe it? My doctor gave me her email address and we communicate several times a week! It's like she actually cares! And I think she does...

I don't know what all is happening with my body. We have ongoing tests and I am scheduled to see a specialist in about a week. I don't want to share every detail but I will share with everyone that I have very low iron. Extremely low. Scary low. The lowest, absolute lowest iron level a woman should have is 12 and the average is 60-175. My iron level is at a 4. Dr. Patton said that was the lowest level she had ever seen in her practice. She said it was lower than cancer patients etc. In her "to the point" manner she said, "How are you getting out of bed every morning? You should not be able to walk let alone go to work and take care of your children." I just stared at her. I wanted to cry. I was getting some answers; my fatigue was not in my head. An iron level of 4, according to my research is life threatening and critical. Nice.

I am on a regimen to build up my iron. I go back March 31 and if my iron is not up, I will have to have IV Iron treatments. This will occur once a week (several hours at a time) for several weeks. I hope I don't have to go through that process because it is not pleasant but if I have to, I will.

I am not sharing any of this for sympathy. Those of you who know me well know that I am very private. I am sharing this personal information because I need your prayers. I need for my iron to come back up and I need to feel better. I do have other tests to be run in my very near future and those will hopefully yield results and then positive outcomes.

I do covet your prayers and I also know the Lord is in control. Thanks!