{Appointment update}

Had my appointment to follow up with what they found...or didn't find at the ER.  My doc is on leave, so I saw his partner.  Weird guy, but he ended up being pretty insightful.  He said he agrees that its my gallbladder and he's sending me for a HIDA scan.  He seems to think that there's something going on with the valve in there.  Part of me wants to see an issue on the scan because then I'll have a tangible reason for feeling the pain I feel.  And I won't be able to let myself wander into "what else could it be" land.  Its a scary place, been there a few times.

He understood my anxiety, but basically was blunt, which is what I needed.  He said 29 year olds just don't get scary diseases on the regular.  Sure, it happens, but its not the norm.  He said there are zebra's among the horses, but they're very rare and nothing in my workup suggested that I was joining the zebra camp.  Got that?  I'm telling ya, he was strange. 

He said my bloodwork was "beautiful" and so was all my other testing.  He then took his fist and jammed it up under my ribcage...and hit the pain dead on.  Ow.  He thinks the HIDA scan will "get it" <his words, but if not he said we'll keep watching it.  He also mentioned that having your gallbladder removed might not be the greatest option.  Especially in someone that has the troubles I have.

So, I'll have the scan done and we'll see where we go from there.  

Now lets talk bugs.  We've got traps set out (as I've mentioned) and they seem to be working, but we were hoping to find a prettier solution to pest control.  Those black traps laying all over the garage and front porch aren't great looking.  Plus, we need a red ant solution.  Those traps just aren't cutting it there.

In scouring the internet I found this:  Diatomaceous Earth.  Its a SAFE alternative to chemical pesticides.  Have you read up on what's in that stuff?  Scary.  Causes cancers, infertility, learning disabilities, etc and I read recently that many cockroach varieties have developed an immunity to many of the chemicals used in pesticides.  This is how it works (from the site)-Diatomaceous Earth is the fossilized remains of microscopic shells created by one celled plants called diatoms. PureEarthD's food grade diatomaceous earth comes from the finest fresh water deposits, to offer you the best quality diatomaceous earth. Fresh water deposits are the key to having quality diatomaceous earth compared to competitor products as the shape of the diatom is consistent and they maintain their tubular shape. The shape and strength of the shell is very important to the effectiveness of the diatom.

Basically the ground up diatoms are like microscopic razors that attach to the exoskeleton of creepy crawlers.  Once the exoskeleton is sliced, the bug dries out and dies.  Its so safe, they put it in livestock food to keep the bugs away.  Hence the "food grade".  We plan on using it only outside around the crawlspace and foundation.  

In baby news, they're huge.  Coach weighs 25.5lbs and Fancy weighs 23.5lbs.  Coach has gained 20 lbs in 15 months and Fancy's not far behind.  We were looking at pictures from January and they just look like totally different kids.  They are saying "shoe" "belly button" and "diaper" in addition to all the other words already in their bag o' tricks.  Coach has 13 teeth and Fancy has 8.  They're in the phase where they must walk wherever we are (no carts or strollers for them) and refuse to hold our hands.  Its fun going out in public with them :)  In Lowes the other day they were running up and down the aisles, pulling stuff off the shelves as the daddy and I chased them, cleaning up in their wake.  Once we caught them, they screamed.  I was embarrassed, but I was too exhausted to worry about that.  

Hope your Monday was a good one!