Slice of Life # 43~ Illness

I can say that illnesses have been in my life a few times.

When I was 4 I tested positive for TB, but never really had all the symptoms of it.  I did spend some time in the hospital just to make sure.  I remember receiving a pretty pink doll to keep me company.  I then had to take medicine for 6 months when I went to go on my mission, just to make sure.

When I was 12 I missed two weeks of school because I had a bad case of bronchitics.  I remember my dad taking me to the doctor and they couldn't get a blood pressure reading.

When I was 14 I started getting really sick and tired all the time.  I would sleep all day be up for two hours and then sleep all night.  We found out that I had mono, and no I didn't get it from kissing a boy.  They told us  I could of picked it up from a drinking fountain at school.  It got so bad that by Oct, I was pulled out of school and did home school until we went back to school from Christmas break.  I remember my doctor at the time wanted to give me shots to help my energy.  I had to have a really big needle in my bottom every two weeks.  It seemed to help.  I was told I will always have mono, just it may not be active.  As a result most of my sisters also ended up with mono, just not as bad.

There have been more, but I think the one I will remember the most was 5 years ago.  In March 2006 we found out we were pregnant with baby #2.  Dillon was just 4 months old.  I went to Spokane, WA in April 2006 to spend two weeks with my in-laws, and then go to Utah and spend two weeks with my parents and attend my baby sister's wedding in the Salt Lake City Temple.  While I was in Spokane, I stared cramping and bleeding.  I went into the ER and they said I was miscarrying, but couldn't find the baby during the ultrasound.  After a day the bleeding stopped and everything seemed fine until one week later, I had gone onto Utah and the day before my sister's wedding I started to hurt and have a bad case of diarrhea, I thought I had eaten some bad Chinese food when we had gone out to dinner.  During the night, I was staying with my friend Jamie, and I was cramping so bad, I got up to go talk to Jamie and I passed out onto the floor.  Dillon was sleeping on some blankets made into a bed on the floor, I am lucky I didn't pass out and fall on top of him.  When I came too I went into Jamie's room and had her call my dad.  Dad and Grandpa Alcorn came and gave me a blessing.  I then was able to sleep, but by morning I was in so much pain.  My dad came back and took me to urgent care.  They took my blood work and said my white blood cell count was sky rocket, I had internal bleeding, which is why I had passed out.  They sent me straight to the hosptial.  I was told I had a ruptured tubal pregnancy.  I had lost one of my tubes.  We called Dan, but he was in New York working, and it took us a while to get a hold of him.  By the time it was done there was nothing he could do, so he stayed and continued to work, so we didn't miss out on the income he was providing.  My dad stayed with me until he had to go to the wedding, and then came back until he was needed at the wedding reception.  They moved me to surgery just after my dad left.  Jamie stayed with me and some family friends had Dillon with them.  As they moved me to the operating table I passed out from the pain again.  When I came too after the surgery, I looked at the clock, and told Jamie, well we missed the wedding.  I ended up staying with my parents for two extra weeks before I went home as the doctor wouldn't clear me for travel until then.  I made it back home to Dan after having been gone for 6 weeks just a couple days after my birthday.  We have gone on to have 2 more pregnancies since this happened.  We now have Dillon, Jennilyn, and the twins Ruth and Irene.  It is a miracle that I had twins since I only have one tube, but I am grateful for them.  When I recently had a miscarriage a month ago, my new doctor was being very cautious because he didn't want me to have to go through this ordeal again.  I am glad I found someone I could trust and who is looking out for me.

Well this is one long post for Slice of Life, but I am glad that I have recorded it, and if I have have my post printed into a book, at least it is recorded for my children to know about my life.