Goodbye IVs

I had my last IV saline infusion this week.  I have been weaning off of them for the past 4 weeks.  I don't know how long my body will be able to hold out without doing IV fluids 3 times a week, but I'm going to push it for as long as I can.

A few months ago I started a dairy free diet (no milk, milk products, or milk proteins).  It hasn't helped my energy level at all, but it has seemed to help my gastroparesis.  My stomach is partially paralyzed, and the milk proteins are hard for me to digest.  Now that I no longer consume any form of dairy I have found that I am able to drink more fluids and stay better hydrated with oral intake.

The saline infusions do still help a little bit, but at this point I don't want to continue to stress my veins if I don't absolutely have to do so.  The veins in my hands are starting to give out, and it isn't likely that I would be able to continue peripheral IVs for much longer.  If I continue with IV saline treatment on a tri-weekly basis it will only be a matter of time before my veins give out and I need a permanent line (a picc line or a port).  It is likely that the day will come when I can no longer go without a permanent line, but I want to delay that as much as possible.  There are risks that come with permanent lines that I just don't want to take yet, so I am opting out of regular IV fluids at this time.  I don't know how long I will last without them.  Maybe 3 years, or maybe just a few months.  Whatever it is, I'll take it.

This is a picture of Adelaide and me right before we moved away from Kentucky.  Adelaide called my IV an "I."  She liked my IV and would often ask for one of her own. so I would tape some gauze on her hand.  She was excited to have an IV just like Mommy. 

Adelaide and Me with Our IVs

We are going to be moving into our apartment in Atlanta this weekend.  I won't be blogging for at least a week as we get settled in, but I'll be back as soon as we have internet again and my energy allows.

Goodbye Summer Garden

I didn't get very many pictures of our garden before we moved, but I did get a few pictures a couple of weeks before we gave all of our plants away to neighbors. Here is the last glimpse of our summer garden.

Zinnia

The okra plants were always my favorite, and I planted 5 of them this year.  Not very many people love okra as much as I do, and we had a hard time finding people who wanted the okra plants when we left!

We didn't have a hard time at all finding neighbors who wanted tomato plants.

I planted petunias and zinnias in the dirt in front of our windows.  My neighbor said that she would water them for us after we moved so that they would still be pretty for whoever moves into our old apartment.

Adelaide loved to go outside, wander around the plants, and stop to smell the flowers.

Goodbye Louisville, Hello Atlanta

My poor blog has been neglected lately because we have been in the process of moving.  These past 6 weeks have been busy with packing, moving, recovering from moving, and decision making.  We have been staying at my parents home while looking for an apartment of our own.  Our belongings have been in storage, and this coming weekend we will be moving into our new apartment!

Will recently wrote a post on his blog about our move and why we decided to move to the Atlanta area.  You can read it here:  Decisions, Decisions....Part 1.  We don't know how long we will be here, but we are excited about the opportunities God has for us here and possibilities for future ministry.

Will is going to be finishing his last two classes with Southern Seminary online this fall, and he will graduate in December!