my health.

We’ve been home six weeks today, and I know many of you are wondering what the status is on my health.  I’ve been wanting to write about it, I really have, but it’s just hard.  I apologize in advance if this post ends up being long and super boring.

First the good news: I am feeling great!  I am now eight weeks sinus-infection-free, and that is a truly wonderful feeling.

The harder news is what that possibly means for our South Asia life.

My general practitioner here built on the CT scan and blood test results from my specialists in South Asia, and did a few more blood tests–and ruled out Celiac’s, by the way–then passed me on to an allergist/internist in Columbia, Dr. Lisa Hutto.  I have now seen her twice and she, along with her entire office staff, is amazing.  I feel like she is a gift from God to me, an answer to long-prayed prayers.

Before she could even do the allergy skin testing, I had extensive health history questioning and had to get a lung test and chest x-ray.  Dr Hutto’s immediate concern was that there was lasting damage from all my sinus infections, bronchitis, and cycles of antibiotics, in the form of asthma or lung damage.  Thankfully, all my tests came back clear.

This Monday, I went back for my five+ hours of skin testing, which I documented for you:

This is what both my fore-arms and upper arm looked like: 73 needle pricks in all.  Not awful, but definitely not fun.

Here I am surveying the damage.

I did get a lunch break, and treated myself to lunch at The Gourmet Shop.

The allergy testing revealed, surprisingly, that my only current allergies are to dust and cockroaches (pretty gross, huh? those two go together because cockroach bits are apparently part of what dust is comprised of).  I knew I hated cockroaches for a reason.

Ten years ago I tested positive for dust, mold, dogs and cats.  So, that is more good news!

But, these results, by eliminating 71 other allergens (including grasses and trees), points to Dr. Hutto’s suspicions that the culprit in South Asia is the pollution and burning trash.  Her office sees patients living overseas and has found this occurring more and more in people already susceptible to allergies.  Her firm opinion is that I cannot live in South Asia or any country with high pollution.  She’s concerned that if I return to that environment, my upper-respiratory problems will quickly become more serious and more permanent.

We are still reeling from these words.  No final decision has been made yet, but in our hearts, we suspect what this means for our future.

In the meantime, we press on with health visits . . . a volley of more doctor’s appointments than I’ve ever had.  I met with a holistic nutritionist, another woman whom I instantly loved.  Her goal is to work on rebuilding my immune system from all the antibiotics I’ve taken, and this will include working with my diet and vitamin supplements, as well as a natural parasite cleanse.

If you’re wondering what came of my short-lived gluten-free diet, I do still feel like I have a gluten and dairy sensitivity.  My nutritionist wants my permanent diet to be as gluten, dairy, and sugar free as possible, as all these things wear down a compromised immune system.  I can’t tell you that I’ve actually started this diet yet, but I will soon, I promise (so don’t judge the above croissant-and-pasta photo.  It was delicious, by the way).

The final big doctor’s visit was to see a counselor, and that has proved to be a step in the direction of healing already.  My counselor feels like so many factors have contributed to my present emotional struggles, and has high hopes that with rest, medication, and better physical health, I will feel improvement over the next months.

For now I have to say, this is a really, really hard season for us.  There have been many dark moments in the last six weeks.  And God is very strong.

I am unspeakably grateful for your prayers, and grateful that I have a couple of friends here who have experienced the things I am now experiencing.  I truly believe their willingness to open up about their experiences, painful as that may be, have made all the difference in my life.  It’s the difference between total despair and a sliver of hope in the darkness.

So.  That’s me.  Raw and exposed.  I know I should write about how David and I feel about all of this news, but that’s hard to even describe.  Relief.  Sadness.  Confusion.  Heart-break.  Gratitude.  Sometimes all of these emotions in the space of a heart beat.

Thanks for caring for us, from near and from afar.  I am grateful for you, dear blog readers.

And, I part with some good news:

This little diva has potty-trained herself in the last several days.  Thanks, Ams!