Results

The colonoscopy is over, and I don't remember a bit of it. Casey has informed me that they said my colon looks "perfect." Great, right? I'm definitely glad they didn't find anything weird or scary in there, but it also doesn't really give an answer for the problems I've been having. They gave Casey a couple of prescriptions (I'm not even sure what they are yet) for me to try over the next 2 weeks. If I'm still having problems after that, then I'm supposed to go back to the doctor. Until then, I think they're sticking with the IBS-C diagnosis. We'll see how the next couple of weeks go... stay tuned. :)

I don't have a good picture to prove it yet, but Abby is getting her first tooth! It's been a long, drooly time coming, but there is finally one coming up through her bottom gums. I reached in to get who-knows-what out of her mouth tonight (she's really good at finding everything she shouldn't stick in her mouth and then eating it), and she bit me--ouch! There's definitely something sharp coming in there! As soon as we can get her to sit still long enough and smile, I'll post a picture here. In the mean time, you'll just have to settle for this:

If it's not one thing...

Abby just went down for her morning nap, so I think I have a moment to update. We will begin with a cute picture, and end with a cute picture. It's just the right thing to do.

Don't you just want to kiss all over that face?! Ok, moving on.

We don't know what in the world to do with Casey right now. The neurologist has offered to refer us to the seizure specialist at UAMS, and we're considering taking him up on that. Casey definitely does NOT want to go through more testing, but we haven't really gotten any answers that are making a difference or helping him in any way. No decision has been made yet, but we're considering it.

Do you ever get tired of reading about all of the Cochran family health issues when you come to this blog? If so, please stop reading now. There's more.

I am scheduled to have a colonoscopy this Thursday morning, and I cannot WAIT! Ok, that's a lie. I'm totally nervous--about the test itself and about what they might find. I've been having a lot of pain and other unpleasant issues which I will not disgust you with by describing on here, and the doctors think I might have some form of colitis or Crohn's disease or something. It could just be severe IBS, but they think there might be more to it. It's always the same dilemma with these things: I'd like a solution to fix the problems I'm having, but I'm scared of what they might find.

Do you ever feel like Job from the Bible?? I do. Ever want to slap yourself in the face and say, "Quit feeling sorry for yourself! Everybody has to deal with stuff!"?? Yeah, me too. I'm ready to be done with this now. How do I keep going? Here it is:

I dare you not to smile when you look at that picture. You might have even giggled a little. :) She was completely unplanned, but God knows. Totally amazing.

Casey Cochran: SIU - Part II

This was October of 2007:
And this was last week:
Oh, we just love visiting our friends at Baptist Hospital in the Seizure Investigation Unit. Apparently, they like seeing us, too. We had the same nurse to put in Casey's IV again, and several of the techs were there from last time, too. One of my favorites, Adam, even hunted down a cot for me to sleep on when no one else would look for one. What a guy. :) We were only there for 24-hour monitoring this time, so it was a quick trip. Casey was sleep deprived and didn't take any of his normal medication, so it was a rough 24 hours for him. I actually slept pretty well (thanks to Mom who kept Abby for us!), but I felt really guilty about it when I woke up and saw Casey. Sorry, honey!

We went back to the neurologist this afternoon to hear the very frustrating results. The brain activity looks exactly the same as it did before, but the physical activity is notably different. The neurologist still thinks this is stress related, but he was also very concerned that our pharmacy had switched Casey to the generic form of his primary seizure medication. Apparently, they've had a lot of issues with that in other patients. He wrote a new prescription for Casey saying that it was medically necessary for him to take the brand name pill, and we are very hopeful that this will make a difference. Only time will tell, I guess. In the mean time, we are really hoping he can get back to work soon and life can get back to normal... whatever that means. :)

As a happy side note, my baby will be 7 months old tomorrow, and she is getting into everything! She can now crawl all over the house, and she pulls up on anything that is in reach. At every meal, she eats like she has never been fed before--you'd think we were starving the girl! She loves to feed herself those Gerber Puffs, and she is now a pro with the sippy cup. If you have a cup of water, be prepared to share--she thinks she's big stuff now! Here's the latest picture of my (not-so-little) baby girl:

Yes, she did get there all by herself. Those little arms can reach a lot farther than you'd think!