Busy September!!!

What a busy month this has been! Between me and Jacob there have been 5 doctor appointments with 2 of those requiring anesthesia. I had a gastroscopy last week and Jacob had oral surgery to remove 3 teeth this week. Also, Emalee is being evaluated for a classroom setting that will give her therapy. We've had therapy or evaluations 9 times this month! It's been difficult to get anything else done around here. We are seeing a lot of progress with Emalee's speech in the past several weeks to that is a good thing. :)
This had definitely made me stop and be even more thankful that I'm a stay-at-home-mom because I honestly don't know how I would do all of this if I worked outside the home.
It looks like October willl slow down a little bit as far as appointments go so maybe I can get some things checked off of my 'to do' list next month. I'm looking forward to all of the things autumn brings....pumpkin pie, colorful leaves, crispness in the air, walks with my hubby in the evenings and the wonderful smell that comes with the change of seasons. Even when life seems hectic, it's oh so good if we just stop and enjoy it!

Hypereosinophilic Gastroenteritis

I don't believe that I've ever posted about the autoimmune disorder that I just so happen to have. It's called Hypereosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EGE). For those of you out there that have a curious nature there are a few sites that explain what this is, symptoms, etc. I'll post some of those sites at the bottom of this entry.
Anyway, this past Wednesday I went and had another Gastroscopy. It's been determined that I have another stomach ulcer. I've been having a lot of stomach pain and have lived with ulcers for so long now that I already knew that they would find one with the scope. The ulcer, along with some of my stomach tissue was biopsied and sent off to the lab. I'm still waiting for the lab readings.
The good thing that I really want to give a praise for is that for the first time since I've been seeing my Gastroenterologist I truly feel that he is listening to me and wants to help me. He's doing some research on my disorder which I hope helps him and my Hemotologist understand how to better treat my condition and symptoms. I've been specifically praying that my doctors would do more research on EGE and it looks like that prayer is being answered.
EGE is an extremely rare condition. From the research that I've done it seems that there are only 400-600 diagnosed cases WORLD WIDE!!! No wonder research is difficult to do, huh?!?! I suppose the Lord wanted me to be unique for some reason I don't quite understand yet, but if I happen to be the guinea pig that leads to helping others that have EGE feel better than so be it!

Here's some websites that have good info. on Hyereosinophilic disorders:
http://www.apfed.org/

http://www.med.ucla.edu/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=295

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophilic_gastroenteritis