We Didn't Fall....(just toured the edge extensively)

We have not fallen off the face of the planet....we have just been touring really close to the edge over the past few months and internet access/availability is minimal over here.

Seriously though, things have been pretty rough here in the Frye house for the past several months. So much so, the blog has been neglected.

Lack of time and wondering where to start is the biggest reason.

Hundreds of photos are on the camera and have not been uploaded since the summer. I think the first day of school is still on there.

Life has been chaotic, to say the least....but I wanted to fill you all in.

A few posts ago, I mentioned me being in the hospital. My optic nerve was swollen at the beginning of September which resulted in a hospital admission as well a lot of tests.... A LOT (CT scans, dye tests, extensive blood work, and even a spinal tap)!!!! When you combine the optic neuritis with my chronic uveitis, and an additional autoimmune disease (psoriasis) along with me being a female and in my early 30s, the doctors start worrying about scary things-like Multiple Sclerosis.

I was in Washington D.C. this week meeting with a team of doctors at the National Institute of Health (NIH) to see if they could shed any light on my situation. I was called "intriguing". I don't think it is a good sign to be called "intriguing" by the top researchers in the country. I still have no answers besides I have uveitis and psoriasis. The swelling in my optic nerve has diminished, but MS is still a possibility as well as other autoimmune related syndromes.

This is where the tour of the edge of the planet began.

Shortly after that, school started for the kids-All three! Broderick started 3rd grade, Camden 1st, and Adalynn is in preschool. They are loving it. The boys were also busy with football (pictures of them are on the last post) and Adalynn is in dance! SOOO CUTE!

Dance was on Monday. Football was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  And the boys are both in Cub Scouts and yes, you guessed it....Friday night! CRAZY BUSY! Combine that with doctors visits and tests, trips to Philadelphia to Will's Eye Hospital, John's class schedule, and me finishing my Master's and we knew our tour of the edge was being extended.

And then, my grandpa died. He was not even 70. The summer had been rough on him, and we were kind of expecting it, but it was still very sad. A very quick trip to Indiana for the funeral just added to the emotional mess we were all already in.

Shortly after returning to Pennsylvania, John's parents came to visit us. During their visit, our entire (finished) basement flooded. We had an extensive amount of rain during a very short time period and our basement filled with several inches of water. It is and has been a mess. We lost a good amount of toys, some electronics, and lots and lots of stuffed animals. The stuffed animals were the hardest to throw away (imagine that....the item that drives me nuts was the hardest to part with. Seemed they all had some sort of memory attached to them). Add another trip to Philadelphia, some more eye testing, and now cleaning up the basement and you can begin to understand why we have been on "vacation".

But that is only the tip of the iceberg. John, Broderick, and I all had birthdays during October. We decided to have Broderick's party at a hotel in a suite with a group of 10 boys and had a blast (the pictures are still on the camera). We continued with dance, football, and scouts as well as school work for everyone and were busy all of the time. And then the bottom fell out at the end of October and we knew we were not coming back anytime soon.

Broderick got sick. I mean vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, lethargy....literally, got sick. Over and over.
Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again! Eleven times over the course of the past few months. As I write this he is at the hospital getting sick again. No known reason....already had a lot of tests and many more scheduled. We have taken him back and forth to the doctor, to the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP), he even had an upper GI, and right now they are doing an ultrasound and a CT to see if they can figure out why he continues to vomit as well as more bloodwork and IVs. He is miserable to say the least and devastated. Today's vomiting episode came after having a 3 week break in episodes (the longest so far-thought it might be over) but also came on the day we were supposed to be in New York City as a special Christmas trip.

I would much rather be in New York City....

This place we are in now is NO FUN!!! I am physcially, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. There have been a few positives and I am trying REALLY hard to look at our blessings, but as you can imagine, we are struggling right now.

Oh, and we can't leave out the dentist visits. Adalynn is getting a tooth smack dab in the middle of her palate and my wisdom teeth have really been bothering me and will be removed in March. It looks like we will continue our stay in this awful place for a few more months at least. We are waiting and looking for a break.....hoping it will come!

We have not fallen off the face of the planet. We have just had an extended stay, really close to the edge. We are trying to get out of here....but every time we move forward, something sets us back and we are right where we started. Prayers during this time would be appreciated....patience as I get back into blogging as well. I REALLY hope to get pictured put on here sometime over Christmas break (which is BARELY a week for the kids this year).

So much to do.....so little time!

Praying and looking at blessings is our only answer. First blessing on the list....completion of coursework for my Masters!