Happy 250th Birthday, America!

For the 4th of July this year, we did a few fun things to celebrate America's 250th birthday. I made the kids some red/white/blue popsicles {not pictured}, and we also celebrated with a fun red/white/blue drink! I mixed cranberry juice, Sprite, and blue Gatorade, and the kids thought it was the most fun thing haha. 

We got to celebrate with our neighbors in our annual cul-de-sac gathering. It was super hot, so instead of meeting outside in our driveways, one of our sweet neighbors opened their home for us. It was a fun time to gather with neighbors, with lots of yummy food and good company. We had plans to do fireworks, but it started raining right as we were about to start. We tried again on Sunday, but again, it started pouring down rain right as we were about to start. But third time is a charm! We tried on Monday, and we were finally able to enjoy some fireworks!

Happy Birthday, America!

New GI Doctor + Another Round of Tests

I mentioned back in December that my GI doctor was leaving the practice, and that I would need to find a new one. I was able to ask around for some recommendations and ended up with one who happened to be in the same practice as my old doctor. While I would have preferred to find a new office, I decided to give her a try, as I knew the transition would be easier, and I could always look elsewhere later, if needed.

I am so glad that I did! I really like the new GI. She spent a lot of time with me, was thorough, listened to all of my concerns, and truly wanted to get at the heart of my issues. As I shared about all of the side effects that I have experienced while on Stelara, she immediately wanted me off the medication. In her mind, there is no reason for me to have felt so bad for so long, remission or not. In addition, she was not convinced that all of what I have been experiencing are actually side effects. Given my symptoms, my intermittent flares, and the inflammation they found on my MR Enterography last year, she is wondering if perhaps the Stelara is not working as well as we think, and that my symptoms are actually my Crohn's manifesting itself. 

We did have the conversation about insurance*, and how I don't like to jump from medication to medication too quickly, given the fact that there is no guarantee any given one will work, and that there aren't an endless number on the market. And I am so grateful that she listened, and we could have a productive and respectful conversation about all of it. I absolutely hate being on Stelara. But I hate active Crohn's more. 

*Back in April, I found out {completely by accident, not because the insurance actually informed me} that, staring in May, they were going to stop covering my medication. As in, it was not going to show up on the covered list of medications on our insurance plan anymore. Which, let's be honest, they haven't been paying for my medication since January, when I signed up for the Johnson & Johnson financial assistance program. But now, there is no insurance backing, and the drug company fully pays for it. For now.

So our plan of action was to run some tests and see if we could gather some more information and get a better picture of what was actually happening before making any decisions. Fair enough. 

Bloodwork

First up, she ran some routine and extra bloodwork. My inflammation markers are normal {again}, but she said that doesn't always give us the full picture, and that I shouldn't always rely on that alone. I can also, thankfully, say that I do not have Lupus.

But again, my chloride levels were high, and my carbon dioxide was low. This has happened repeatedly on bloodwork, and I have had a couple of doctors dismiss it. She didn't mention it, so I do want to follow up on it.

DEXA Bone Density Scan

I can now add to my list of "old lady" tests a bone density scan haha. The test itself was super simple: I just had to lie on my back and wait for the machine to take a picture, and then I was done. Thankfully, the results came back normal. Which is a huge relief, considering my age.

MR Enterography

She also had me repeat an MR Enterography. After my experience last year, I was a lot more prepared for this one. The experience was very similar, and my body reacted the same way to the Breeza. But since I knew it was coming, I was able to keep myself calm and not panic before the scan haha. And thankfully, I made it through this scan without any issues.

Thankfully, everything came back clear. There was no inflammation on the results, no indication of Crohn's Disease. Which is fantastic news! 

-------

So it seems like my symptoms are the side effects of Stelara. The migraines, the muscle and joint pain, the fatigue...all side effects. The intermittent flares could still be Crohn's-related, but Stelara keeps them controlled. And for now, by God's grace, Stelara is keeping me in remission. 

{iPhone Rewind} :: June

I love this end-of-school-year tradition to pick strawberries at Wegmeyer Farms :)

Our deer friends are back, and they're scoping out our hostas! 

We wrapped up another great season with these soccer stars!

Aiden had a great trip to the dentist!

We started a summer watercolor class, and the kids are loving trying out some new art skills :)

And our little Chippy is back! The kids love seeing our little friend every morning :)

Our sweet girl had a couple of teeth extracted, and she did great! She was still a little loopy on the nitrous oxide and when we got to the car, she looked at herself in the car window and said, "I feel so funny, but I look so normal!" Sweet girl. 

We loved celebrating Mike for Father's Day with gifts, cards, and an ice cream taste test. We love our favorite guy!

The styrofoam ban in Virginia makes Sonic drinks so, so sad...

She's back! And she found the hostas in our backyard haha

Just playing a little "Alamo," rewriting a little bit of history...

A Week in the Shenandoah Valley

Last week we got to spend some time with family. Grandma and Papa, Aunt Vi, Airalyn, and Addison came into town, and we headed out for a week in the Shenandoah Valley. They also brought Sophie and Bella, and Maddie was basically on cloud-nine all week :)

One of our activities for the week was zip-lining and a ropes course! We were able to do that at Bear Mountain Ziplines, and it was a great day for it. You had to be a certain weight for the Mama Bear Zipline, so the kids were able to do the Baby Bar High Ropes Course. 

All ready for the zipline!

Ready for the ropes course!

I was so proud of all three of them for braving the course and conquering their fears! Eli was initially unsure if he even wanted to do the course, but in the end, he jumped right in and had no problem completing the course. Maddie was eager to try and on her first round felt a little uneasy. But she kept at it, and was excited to go again, zipping through like a pro! Aiden was also eager to try, but needed some coaching along the way. But each part that he completed, he grew more confident, and he ended up having "the best day ever!"

We got to see Papa on his final zipline!

The house we were staying at had a pool, and the kids definitely LOVED that. We had a little bit of rain during the week, but there was still plenty of sun to enjoy the pool.

We also made a trip to Luray Caverns. Mike and I had toured them on an anniversary trip a few years ago, but it was fun to take the kids and the rest of the family. It was a lot less crowded this time around! We also walked through the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, which was fun to see the different cars through time.

We took advantage of the fire pit and had a s'mores night! We had beautiful weather, the view was amazing, and the s'mores were delicious :)

A trip to the Shenandoah Valley is incomplete without a trip to the National Park. We hiked the Little Stony Man trail, and even though it was warm, most of the trail was under trees, and the wind at our peak provided the perfect cool down. It was a great morning hike with Grandma and Papa!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Chop House Bistro in downtown Luray and got to watch a big thunderstorm roll in. It cleared up enough for us to walk down the street for some ice cream and to snap a family photo. 

The rest of our time, we got to play a lot of games {both board/card games, ping pong, and the arcade games in the basement of the house we rented}, watch the NBA Finals {which made Grandma so very sad...}, and just enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Shenandoah Valley. 

It was a great week, and based on the checklist I found in Aiden's things, I think we accomplished all that we needed to :)