Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying

Last night was rough. Was swollen when I went to bed and slept terribly. The heartburn was back and I was pretty miserable. Had a ton on my mind and so much to write about, but I'm glad I waited until tonight to write. The song "Wishing and Hoping" summed up my thoughts last night. I was wishing the Unicorns would go away, hoping for some sort of relief soon, thinking about the past year, and praying for answers. 

I was super swollen this morning. When my usual elastic pants are an inch or so shorter than normal, then I know I'm having a bad abdominal swell. It's never good for the self esteem to start the day off like that. I knew I was babysitting all day and hoped I would begin to feel better. My mom knew it was bad when she saw me this morning and when I walked out of the house with my full cup of coffee still on the Keurig. 

I decided to go gluten-free for two weeks. I'm not thinking that it will make a difference, but I'm willing to try. I did a low-histamine diet for ten days a few months ago and saw no change in my symptoms so I gave up on that. We will see how the gluten-free one goes. 

I had a good time babysitting today. Lots of dress up (who else remembers squeezing their feet into those plastic high heels?!), some Wii sports, and a wedding for Barbie and Hans. It was my job to get the wedding guests ready to watch. Here they are waiting for the ceremony! ;)

I'm almost a week past my second Xolair injection. I am not seeing the miraculous results that other people with my condition have seen. It saddens me to read about their success with the immediate reduction in their hives and swelling on our FB group pages. I'm also happy for the people who get relief, but wonder why it can't be me!! 

In about three weeks, I will go to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to have one of their physician/professors evaluate my case. Maybe they will have a different treatment suggestion or maybe they won't have any more answers. 

But as I get closer to the year mark, I'm getting pretty desperate for some relief. Not only physically but emotionally as well. This has taken a huge toll on my life and the lives of the people closest to me. I apologize to my family and friends that I haven't been at my best. I know you get tired of hearing about my symptoms and what is wrong with me now. I've never had anyone close to me deal with a chronic illness so I have no idea what it's like to be my friend. I can imagine that it isn't the easiest thing to do. I am thankful for the people in my life and definitely would not have made it through the past 11 months without your love and support!