But life is good despite stress and busyness and doctor visits. I wanted to write a post to fill in my last several months and kick off a renewed determination to write more regularly. Time to dust off the Bright Side blog and get back in touch with readers. Emails I receive that thank me for my positive take on life with IBD, remind me that people struggle to find an encouraging and optimistic voice when dealing with this disease. So, what’s new!?
Well, my two boys are turning 1 and 3 in a few weeks. We’re having a joint birthday party for them next weekend. That should be fun. The 3 year old (OS) is just starting to be at an age where he understands the concept of presents and parties, which is making holiday events even more fun. My youngest (YS) is, shockingly, a red-head and we have no idea where that came from, but he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! He’s been pulling himself up to standing position on the furniture and reaching his big brother’s toys. So, yeah, there’s a lot of yelling and pushing going on. Lots of time-outs. I think I need a time-out. *laughs*
For myself I’ve been busy working on a new programming project. The most fun I’ve ever had in my professional life, combining two of my hobbies: development and games! I’ve launched a free sci-fi browser game called Roboid. It’s completely mobile-friendly and growing quickly. We have over 200 registered players so far! So if you like casual games you can play on your phone or browser… or if you like robots and a good story, come check it out! http://roboid.com/.
Other than Roboid, I’ve been dusting off some of the blogs, updating things and trying to consolidate my growing collection of web sites and projects. Also keeping busy with the occasional client work.
On the medical side, things are flaring up again. Oh of course. Ug. As often happens, the hormone flip-flops of pregnancy and delivery caused me to have symptoms return after each of my babies were born. My doctor recently sent me for a colonoscopy and I’ll be getting an MRI soon, then in to Dr GI for the results. My doctor is big on drugs and has been pushing the major ones like Remicade and Humira on me. But I’m not keen on this route. My husband (DH) and I are considering rushing on our next and probably final baby (fingers crossed for a girl!) to hopefully squash my symptoms and/or to get through the baby making phase of my life before I consider major drug options. So, Crohn’s is still knocking on my door. Boo.
To add insult to injury I had an episode of Atrial Fibrillation in December. This is where your heart goes into irregular rhythm. I had to go to the hospital and be shocked back into a normal heart rate! Shocked! Crazy. I’m not surprised or worried much though because my dad has had this for 30 years and I’ve had rare episodes most of my life that only last a minute or two. So I kind of saw this coming. As I write this I’m wearing a monitor which is recording my heart for two weeks so the cardiologist can take a look. I think there’s not much to worry about though.
I’ve had just about the most stressful year anyone can have. Which is why I’m not surprised about the heart episode. On top of having a baby, I also lost one of my brothers in an unusual and horrible way. I’m mostly zen about it now, but this past year has been, well, emotional. I don’t want to dwell though, so I’m focusing on my many, many blessings!
Getting back into the swing of writing, I hope to have more info and posts for you! Share your stories or ask questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to reply. In the sidebar you can also subscribe to the blog to get notified of updates.
Hope everyone is well! Nice to be ‘back’!
