How to Survive Gallbladder Attacks

Since dedicating myself to writing this blog with the intention of keeping my loved ones in Texas caught up on my life in St. Louis, I understood that I would need to write about the ups and the downs that we experience here.  As a general rule, I do not like to write about the "downs," simply because usually being negative does nothing but bring others around you down.  In this case, however, I aim to fulfill a better purpose: to inform.

On February 2, 2014, Peyton Manning's Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks and my gallbladder decided to attack me.  Yes, you read that correctly.  This has only happened to me once before when I was about 20 years old and on vacation in San Antonio with my family.  At around 10pm, I awoke to excruciating pain that nothing, and I mean nothing, could dampen. I tried Pepto Bismol, a hot bath, Advil, a back rub, etc to no avail.  This lasted on into the morning for a total of about 6.5 hours.  To describe the pain, the best version I've come up with is it felt like my stomach was literally on fire, burning from the inside out and radiating into my back.  I even called a 24 hour nurse hotline and she didn't have any advice.  The only reason I didn't go to the ER was the fact that it happened to me once before and only time took the pain away, and I am very frugal and didn't want to pay $100 for someone to tell me that time is all it would take.

After the initial attack, I convinced myself that I had a stomach ulcer. I put myself on the BRAT diet  and went to my primary care physician who recommended a gallbladder ultrasound and an appointment with a GI physician.  I ended up postponing the gallbladder ultrasound on the fact that I truly believed it was an ulcer.  When I went to the GI doc, he rescheduled my ultrasound and also scheduled me for an upper endoscopy.

Within a week of seeing the doctor, but prior to having any tests done, I had another attack.  After eating a peanut butter sandwich (only peanut butter on wheat toast), I threw everything up for 24 hours. The next day got even worse.  Every few minutes I would get a stabbing, sharp pain in the middle of my stomach (above my belly button but below my rib cage) that lasted around 15-20 seconds.  This happened all day, and it took everything in me to continue to maintain professionalism with patients and physicians at work.  I even had a friend run and get me water in the middle of an implant because I felt so lightheaded and about to faint. On top of the pain and nausea, I also ran a low grade fever for days.

I called my GI doc who encouraged me to get the tests done (scheduled for 2 days later) or go to the ER if I couldn't stand the pain... so I waited it out until I got to my ultrasound.  Within that appointment, I knew it was my gallbladder.  It was a shocking diagnosis to be honest.  I clearly did not expect it to be my gallbladder.

My GI doc called to confirm and told me that he felt I needed to have it removed as soon as possible.  So, I was referred to a fantastic surgeon who ended up taking out my gallbladder this past Monday evening.  I have four incisions, one at my bellybutton, two more toward the right of my bellybutton, and one in the center just under my ribcage.  They are healing well and basically just feel sore more than anything else. 

Me pre-surgery. That gown was made of paper and could blow air of any temp through it... it was pretty sweet, especially when I vaso-vagaled during my IV placement :/

A pic of me post-surgery that I don't really remember taking haha

Since then, my recovery has been a little rough.  Two days ago, I had a severe reaction to my nausea medicine: prochlorperazine.  Apparently this is a drug that is used less often for nausea due to its known (but not to me) side effect of dystonia.  For me, this meant I rolled my eyes to the back of my head and stretched my neck as far back as it could go.  I truly looked demon-possessed and scared the living daylights out of Darren, Carissa, and Brian who all went to the ER with me.  Fortunately, IV Benadryl fixed the issue... but I really wish someone had mentioned this crazy potential side effect to keep us from getting so scared.

Me in the ER ~1 am AFTER the IV Benadryl

Since then, things have been much better. I am blessed by the outpouring of love shown by my friends from church, friends and coworkers from work, and family members.  Hopefully this is all a solution to the problem and will be a thing of the past very soon.

So, I write to inform you.  Inform you of what to look for in gallbladder attacks, what to expect if you need to have yours out, and which medicine to avoid afterward!

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. I hope very soon that I can eat normally again!

Visiting the Capitol in the Capital

Darren and I have made it a goal to visit all 50 state capitals throughout our lifetime.  So far, I believe that we've only been to Austin, Oklahoma City, and Springfield (IL) together... so we have a long way to go. For Valentine's Day weekend, we felt like exploring something new.  What better than to take the short 2 hour drive over to Jefferson City, MO and cross another capital off our list?

To be completely honest, when I answered the usual "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" question asked by my coworkers with "Exploring Jefferson City," I was met with some interesting looks.  Apparently, nobody goes there unless they have to.  But, if you know Darren and me, you know that we can take any small town and turn it into an adventure to remember.

So, Saturday morning we set out for mid-Missouri's forgotten city.  We have a few road trip traditions, including purchasing scratch off lottery tickets (our overall winnings are about even with the cost of the tickets, so it's just a fun game to play on our rare road trips).  We've also made a habit of listening to NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me along some portion of the drive (I love the Limerick game!). It was nice to leave the city behind, just to take a step away from our usual sights and go somewhere new.

Upon entering Jeff City, we were immediately greeted with a view of the Capitol building, which lives up to your usual expectations of ornate architecture with a domed roof.

Prior to exploring the building, we decided to get brunch at the Downtown Diner.  The food was cheap but delicious, and we explored a few of the little shops along the main street downtown. They even gave us free chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate Valentine's Day!

After that, it was time for the main attraction: the Capitol!  Inside it's as beautiful as you would imagine.  Intricate details on the ceilings, ornate light fixtures, echo-y hallways... there were a few museums of Missouri state history and Missouri's involvement in the Civil War.  Both of those were really fun to explore, especially since Darren and I grew up learning Texas history.  It wasn't all new to us, but learning about the different cultures that occupied Missouri over the course of history was neat.

Walking up to the building

Inside the dome

The MO state seal

One of the museums

Another view of the dome

One of the many skylights

Darren and Jefferson

Darren's favorite portion was an area put together by World War Veterans from Missouri that included this replica of the USS Missouri.

Up on the higher floors, we snuck peaks inside the rooms where the Senate and Legislature meet.

Another cool spot was the Hall of Busts, which housed busts of famous people either from Missouri or who became famous in Missouri.  We had fun posing with the busts and learning about people who we didn't realize had ties to MO!

Some of the many famous people from MO

Lewis and Clark

As always, we found a couple of cannons to pose with, and were tempted to buy these "Cannon Crew" t-shirts for future use... maybe we will still make our own.

Cannon #1

Cannon #2

The awesome T-shirt

After exploring the Capitol for about 3 hours (now that's what I call free entertainment!), we decided to check into our hotel across town.  To be honest, there wasn't much to the rest of the city (your usual chain restaurants and shopping spots).  Fortunately, we had planned to just relax and didn't need any more attractions.

We selected a local Italian restaurant, Domenico's, for dinner that evening.  It had the quaint atmosphere of a family business and delicious toasted ravioli (we had to!).  We split a yummy grilled chicken dish with sides of pasta and salad.  It was just enough food to be full, and we were pleased with our experience.

Can you spot our after dinner mints in our cheeks?

Sunday morning we made one stop at the infamous Ozarkland after having seen signs for it over the past few years.  It is a novelty store with aisles upon aisles of interesting treasures.  We didn't buy anything or even sample the fudge, but could see how it would be fun to stop there with a bus group.

As a whole, we enjoyed our mini getaway to the MO state capital and are glad to have one more down, 47 to go!

How to Change Your Name on Your Passport

For a long time I've toyed with the idea of creating a blog focused on how to...well, be an adult.  Sounds kinda silly, but I've realized that most "adult" things (like paying taxes and officially changing your last name on legal documents) are not exactly straightforward/intuitive and require quite a bit of research to figure out just how to get it done.  If I were to start this "How to be an adult" blog, I would regularly tackle such painful processes and organize them in a way that would prove useful to anyone else who needs to learn how to get things done.  However, my time is currently being used up on learning how to effectively clean the litter box, organize my office, plan our weekly meals, and be a good wife.  The idea is still there, though...

For today, I figured I'd give it a go.  So, how does one change her last name on her passport?

First, if you received your passport within one calendar year, congratulations! You get to skip the fee and go straight to filling out DS-5504 found here.

If it has been over a year but you were at least 16 when you got your first passport (but not over 15 years ago), you get to fill out DS-82 (also found here) and submit it along with a new picture (that meets requirements), your current passport, a certified copy of your marriage license, and $110 check made out to the Department of State.  You will then mail this to the National Passport Processing Center at PO Box 90155 Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.

Now, where does one get a certified copy of your marriage license?  Great question! You need to return to the county that issued your marriage license, and request a certified copy from them.  For us, we got ours from Dallas County. If that's the case for you, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.  You can download the form and fill it out, then print it before mailing it along with a $10 Money Order made out to the Dallas County Clerk. Send it off to Dallas County Clerk's Office ATTN: Marriage License 509 Main St Suite #200 Dallas, TX 75202.

If, like me, you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards membership, they also require a written letter with proof of your name change (a copy of your marriage certificate) mailed to them at PO Box 36657 Dallas, TX 75235.

Why am I just now making all of these changes after having been married almost two years?  Well, that brings me to the real point of this blog post.  Darren and I are excited to announce that we plan to travel to GERMANY this year (along with Darren's brother, Chris, and his lovely wife Krista) to visit some of Darren's side of the family.  EEEK! We are just so excited about this!!!!

The Polar Vortex

Well, Darren and I survived our first "polar vortex!"  If you haven't heard that term, it's what they called the storm of sub-zero temperatures and almost foot of snow that was dumped on us a couple of weekends ago.  Fortunately, the snow came over the weekend (when I was not on call and Darren was not at work), so we were able to snuggle up inside playing Ticket to Ride and watching Redbox movies.

The wind helped push the snow up against the back door

This is what we had to dig my car out of

We took this picture a couple of hours before the snow finally stopped

Darren's car and our bushes (close to the window)

I bought these snow boots during my first winter here and HIGHLY recommend them (they are Keens and they ROCK)

When we finally did step outside, we spent about an hour digging my car out from the snow so I could drive to work on Monday, but other than that couldn't really play in the snow because it was just too cold... You only have to warn me once that -30 degree windchills can cause frostbite in 10 minutes!

As a whole, Missouri is better prepared for winter than Texas... which makes sense.  When the threat of snow/ice comes (and it comes frequently), there is an army of salt trucks that prepares the roads and another army of snow plows that follow the fluffy white stuff around, clearing necessary paths.  Unfortunately, the chemistry of the salt mix has no effect on ice/snow below 0 degrees & the amount of plowing that needed to be done following Sunday's snow fall was overwhelming for the city.  Plenty of neighborhoods were left unplowed and people were stuck at home.  I knew I didn't have a choice and would have to find some way to get to work, so I am very grateful that our streets were plowed.

Usually it's not that cold here.  We hover in the 20's on average, with overnight lows dipping into single digits and daily highs sometimes coming up to 40's or even 50's (on a good day).  That's probably why bald eagles come here to winter, which is pretty cool.  If you take the scenic drive north to Alton, IL (about 30 minutes away) and drive along the well-known Great River Road, you can spot the bald eagles resting on the ice that is the Mississippi River.  Last weekend we went with some friends up to Pere Marquette State Park, which is known for its beautiful views, to attempt to see some of these eagles. While we were up there, we also made an unplanned stop at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam and explored the museum there (you know we're suckers for small museums of any kind).

A view of the lock

The barge

Charity with a long-nosed Gar in the museum

Following all of this wintery fun, we ate at Fast Eddie's.  This place has a huge reputation for cheap, greasy food and a one-of-a-kind experience.  I would say they nailed it right on the head.  First of all, you have to be 21 to go to the restaurant... which seems odd at first but once you get inside you realize, it's like one big bar.  Each customer is required to make at least one drink purchase (it can be soda), probably to offset the extremely cheap prices on their food (1/2 pound hamburgers for 99 cents, etc).  The pavilion has a live band performing (when we went they played Zach Brown Band covers!) and the chairs and tables are what you'd expect at a cheap bar.  There are slot machines and free popcorn all over the place.  Darren and I  got burgers while also sampling the Elwood on a Stick and bratwurst (the menu has literally like 6 things on it). It was great fun to finally eat at a place we'd always heard about but never been to!

Photo credit: Charity Queen

Holidays in Review

What's not to love about the magical month and a half between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day?  Everybody you meet seems to be excited about something- whether a child anticipating a visit from Santa, young parents ready to show off their baby to extended family, or grandparents excited at the thought of their offspring gathering together to visit them... The whole world is seen through holly lenses with tinkling jingle bell background sounds, even down to the commercials on TV.

I enjoy this time of year immensely, especially since Darren and I are figuring out our own traditions. Since attending Texas A&M, we haven't made it a ritual to go home for Thanksgiving only because we often spent the Friday after screaming our hearts out and freezing our fingers off at the A&M-tu rivalry game.  When we moved up to STL, the cost of the plane ticket solidified the fact that we would be spending Christmas' stepchild of a holiday in Missouri.  Fortunately, we have been lucky enough to either have friends come visit (last Thanksgiving), or another family to join (this Thanksgiving).  There was enough turkey, football, and dominoes to go around...twice!

I was on call for Christmas this year, which opened my eyes to a whole other dimension of the holiday.  Suddenly I found myself being thankful to every person who has ever had to spend Christmas morning apart from his or her own family in order to service someone else.  That could be your friendly Starbucks barista, Walmart cashier, local policeman, news anchor, soldier abroad, or medical personnel.  There are thousands of people every year who wake up and go to work on Christmas, just like every other ordinary day.  I didn't realize it until it was me, which just speaks to how self-centered my world can be sometimes.  To each and every person who has ever worked on Christmas, no matter the job and no matter the circumstance, thank you!!!

My call wasn't terrible, but I did have to go in.  I decided to be as joyful as possible to every nurse I spoke with, patient I saw, and person I encountered.  It made the experience a pleasant one, and I hope to approach every call weekend during this upcoming year with the same attitude.

Our sweet family and friends FaceTime'd us in to help us celebrate the holiday even while we were away from them.  The Cannons have a tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, one page per person, before opening one gift each on Christmas Eve.  Since they had given us our own copy of the book last year, we were able to participate! My family opened one gift each on Christmas day, saving the "Christmas experience" until the 26th (when we would arrive by plane).  What a kind and selfless act for each of them to do, to sit on Christmas day and stare at the unopened gifts and wait patiently for a grown married couple to come home.

We spent our four days in Texas with so much joy and love that I almost felt as if I was in a dream.  We had the pleasure of seeing my grandmother and cousins, Darren's aunt and cousins, our friends from college, and my best friend from my childhood. We ate Springcreek BBQ, Bluebell ice cream, and mom's homemade chicken spaghetti.  We played a fierce number of board games, including multiple rounds of the Guess Who game I had put together for the Cannons.  We went to a shooting range and tried out several guns and even made it a competition. We watched home videos of our first Christmases and snuggled up together outside a new fire pit.

Basically, we had a fantastic time.  Living far away from home seems to have brought one huge blessing: when we do go home, it is such a cherished time that all of the small things that would usually cause us to quarrel or make someone upset just disappear.  What we are left with is a condensed weekend of quality time making wonderful happy memories.  

Cannon Fall Fun

Well, I have some catching up to do on here!

With the help of my mom, I got to go home for a three day weekend last month.  I flew in Thursday night and spent Friday shopping and talking and just catching up with her.  Then, once Aubree got out from school, we hit the road (with AUBREE driving) to get to the farm.

Nervous about letting my 16 year old sister drive me...

As many of you know, the farm is a very special place for me.  My grandparents on my mom's side live out in East Texas, in a house tucked away behind a curtain of pine trees and surrounded by the prettiest countryside I've ever seen.  Darren and I had the pleasure of getting married out there, so some of you who visited know what I mean when I say the air is fresh and the views are magnificent.  I visited there often as a child, and the place became a home away from home.  More than that, it became a place to clear my head, somewhere I could escape the busyness or troubles of my life in Dallas and just be me out in the quiet.  I had not been back to visit since my wedding, and was long overdue for a weekend with my grandparents at the farm.

Mom Mom prepared an early Thanksgiving feast for us

Just a few of the usual sights at the farm

Momma and me :)

Love my Mom Mom!

While I was at home, I received the wonderful news that I had passed my certification test.  This is the test that I was so worried about as I took 3 solid months to prepare for it.  Officially, I took the Allied Health Professional Cardiac Device Therapy exam through the International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners, and as a result of passing I am a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist (see my name on the list of those who passed here).  I appreciate all of the support and encouragement I received as I nervously prepared for that huge test! I have to do it again for Cardiac Electrophysiology next year.

I did it!

The following weekend, Carissa joined Darren and me for a day at the Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival.  Some of you may remember my post earlier this year about the Kimmswick Strawberry Festival.  To be completely honest, that was child's play compared to the Apple Butter Festival.  A craft fair to end all craft fairs, this little tiny town hosted 600+ booths and 100,000+ guests during the yearly festival.  We enjoyed milling around, sampling the different foods and gathering ideas for future crafts.  In order to fully experience the atmosphere, we decided to get a caramel apple to munch on and it was delicious!

Carissa also took some fun fall pictures of Darren and me at Laumeier Sculpture Park (another place I highly recommend if you come visit St. Louis).  Here are a few of the cute pictures she took:

Ok this one Darren took of Carissa and me

Love the leaf idea

For Halloween, we joined some of my favorite people at the annual Halloween party that seems to always be the highlight of October.  Darren and I decided to go as the "Where?" couple this year, he was Where's Waldo? and I was Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? :)

A few weekends later, we had the pleasure of hosting Darren's older brother, Chris, and his lovely wife, Krista.  We were all friends back at home, and for the past couple of years Chris & Krista have been missionaries in Germany.  When they returned to the states, they decided to take a road trip to visit some friends and family that they hadn't seen in too long.  We were honored to be a stop along the way, and really enjoyed sharing our life in St. Louis with them.  Krista also took some amazing pictures, including this one of us playing in the leaves.  She is starting up her own photography business and if you're looking for someone to take your pictures for any event/season/purpose, I highly recommend her!

Now, my focus is on preparing for the holidays.  As my obsession with Pinterest and Etsy grows, I have challenged myself to create gifts for my family and friends that are unique, homemade, and specific to each of their personalities.  This is taking a vast majority of my free time and is extremely therapeutic.  After Christmas, I will have to share all of my creations with you (and maybe even how I made them!).

I hope you all travel safe this week for Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday with your loved ones.

It's Postseason, Y'all!

Well, I've fallen a little behind on my blog updates, but only because life has been quite busy for us recently! Before I dive in, I just have to say LET'S GO CARDINALS!

We enjoyed our fabulous fall vacation and took a 3 day weekend to visit our friends Dawn & Andrew in Madison, WI.  They were sure to give us the full Wisconsin experience, from squeaky cheese curds to the downtown farmer's market to the world's biggest french toast.  We were so thankful for their kind hospitality and willingness to share their life with us!

Some of the colorful and interesting sights at the farmer's market

We enjoyed the fair-like atmosphere around the capitol

Dawn & Andrew took us to this ADORABLE restaurant for brunch

We took a Cannon picture with the cannon on Wisconsin's campus

During the following weekend I found myself at a work conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I had to work most of the day Saturday, but a coworker and I rented a car and gave ourselves a little tour of the city.  We drove up into the mountains for dinner on Saturday night (there was even snow on the ground!) and then had brunch downtown near the temple on Sunday morning.  The mountains were gorgeous, the people were super friendly, and the food was delicious...but I have to say that the Great Salt Lake itself was... less than impressive.  For those of you who haven't seen it before, I'll let you experience it for yourself.

Part of the scenic view up the mountain on our drive to dinner

Enjoying some post-dinner face time with the fireplace

View from the top of one of the mountains

We gave ourselves a tour of the campus around the temple downtown

This weekend had a few fun events for us here in town.  We spent Friday night seeing THE LUMINEERS in concert!!! I have been a fan since I heard "Ho Hey" on the radio the first time, and immediately bought their album.  It's one of my favorite go-to albums for my long drives with work or whenever I need to mellow out after a stressful day.  I highly recommend listening to their lesser-known songs and seeing them in concert if you ever get the chance!  

Our group ready to see The Lumineers

So close!

Their stage setup was very cool

Today, Darren and I joined our friends Carissa and Brian to see our very first NFL game at the Edward Jones Dome!  We were Sam Bradford fans before we moved to St. Louis, so getting to see him play live was very exciting.  The Rams were playing the Jaguars, so Luke Joeckel from A&M was also playing (on the opposing team) and it was exciting to root him on as well.  Unfortunately, he got injured pretty early in the game and couldn't finish playing, but we still got to see him.  In the end, the Rams pulled out a victory and we decided that we must be good luck!

Enjoying our first NFL game!

Carissa and Brian hosted us for brunch before the game

We won! We must be good luck!

I feel I must also tell those of you who actually read this that I sprained my ankle a couple weeks ago playing volleyball.  I went to the ER to rule out a fracture, but had to stay home from work and then use crutches for a while.  I'm not exactly sure the extent of the soft tissue damage that I have, but I've had to take things slower at work and stay off my feet when possible for about 2 weeks now.  I'm praying for a quick recovery, but I'm not exactly giving it time to heal.  I'm sure in time it will be fine, but it has been a bit of a set back being physically limited with my job.  On the bright side, I've been crafting and trying out new recipes recently so look for posts on those soon!