The Good and the Bad

It has been quite the year for me health wise.  I have had more challenges and flukes than ever before.  Despite everything that's happened it's been amazing to see the tender mercies that have helped lessen my suffering.  At the beginning of the summer I went in for a lasik exam. Everything was going well until they looked at my nerves behind my eyes.  The doctor then asked me if I get many head aches.  He then asked the nurse to get another doctor.  The other doctor examined my nerves and they concluded that they were inflamed.  It wouldn't effect whether or not I could have lasik but it could mean there was a tumor behind my eye.  They sent me to a specialist.  In the meantime while waiting for my appointment with the specialist I began to have terrible head aches and mouth pain.  It felt like a sinus infection.  I had been having them on and off again for the past 10 years.  They had recently gotten more frequent and typically I couldn't get a cold without getting an infection.  Thus, I'd been on and off of anti biotics a lot.  My pain was getting really bad and happened every day.  I went to the ENT and got put on a new anti biotic.  It wasn't helping.  I then got into the eye doctor speialist to have an ultrasound of my eye.  I was very nervous but felt like it was going to be ok.  Luckily I didn't have cancer.  My nerves were just inflamed.  I went to the dentist to make sure I didn't have any teeth problems.  He assured me there weren't and could even see the infection in my sinuses on his x-ray.  He looked at older ones and they were infected too.  I then knew I wasn't making up the chronic infections.  I'd had them for years.  After that I called my ENT because my symptoms weren't getting any better and they scheduled a catscan.  I waited and waited for the scan and results but they weren't happening.  Then I broke out in hives.  Everyday I was dealing with headaches, mouth pain, and now hives.  He put me on a steroid and read my catscan results.  I had a cyst in my sinuses.  The steroid he put me on took away my headaches, hives, and mouth pain.  It was such a blessing because Carter was having his tonsils out and I needed to feel well enough to take care of him.  We were also blessed because Trevor got sick while Carter was recovering and Carter didn't get it.  Once my surgery happened the recovery was harder than I had anticipated.  Cole was able to help me for a few days but the day he went back to work was so hard.  Luckily it got better after that.  I was also blessed because Trevor was sick during this time and I didn't get it.  At my one week follow up appointment I almost passed out.  Then right before my three week appointment I got a bad cold. and a weird mark on my forehead that hurt.  It got worse and looked swollen.  When I went in for my follow up they looked at it and told me I had shingles.  I just wanted to laugh. When I texted Cole to tell him he never responded and then when he came home he didn't mention it.  I asked him if he got my text and he looked confused and then said he thought I was kidding when I said I had shingles.  Even my shingles have had mixed blessings.  They happened on my forehead which is one of the more comfortable places to get them.  I was already going in to the doctor anyway so I didn't have to make a special visit to find out what was going on and pay more money.  It was general conference when they were happening so I didn't have to go be seen at church with them.  All in all it has been one thing after another but truly we have been blessed and I'm grateful for my Father in Heavens watchcare over me and my family.