It's Been a Tough Season...Part 1

Nope, not the summer. The summer has actually been a wonderful, mild summer than past drought-filled summers. I'm more talking about this season of life.

What do I have to complain about? I've asked myself this many times. I have a husband that adores me and has actually never (against the warnings of many) followed the adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." He's been very moldable these past 5 years and serves the socks off of me! I have an adorable 2 1/2 year old daughter who is easy; sleeping through the night before she was supposed to and was potty trained without any blood, sweat or tears. I have a beautiful home that my adoring husband built for us with his blood, sweat and tears. I have a job and ministry that I am continually humbled to have and wander how in the world God was able to orchestrate my every step to be in the right place at the right time. One mis-step and who knows where I would be. Both of my parents are healthy, I have a loving family and faithful and loyal friends. I have more than enough food on the table each and every night.

I'm not complaining about my life. I am so thankful for all the blessings God has given me. But it's been a tough, emotional season of life.

Tough Season Part 1 could officially be stated as beginning in December 2007. Being a multi-tasking mother, I was heading to the Plan B babysitter, running late to work (I'm sure), feeding Claire breakfast in the car and driving. I took my eyes off the road for one milli-second to look in the rearview mirror at her and my front right tire of our new Tahoe decided to leave the road. The road we were on didn't have those annoying "grates" that warn you to pull it back to the left. It didn't have a guardrail. It didn't even have much of a shoulder. Instead, it had a steep enbankment leading down to a field. In a flash, Claire and I in the Tahoe were bouncing across that field and several run-off ditches. The Tahoe came to a sudden stop after we crossed a deep run-off gully. To make a long story shorter, the ambulance ushered me and Claire to Vandy ER. Claire was totally unharmed. Mommy was diagnosed with a fracture to the T12 (a broken back).

While still reeling from a diagnosis of a broken back, a sweet nurse with poor bedside manners came in to release me from the ER. "Oh, by the way, the doctor said you need to see your PCP immediately. Your CAT scan shows signs of probably Crohn's Disease."

...Oh, by the way. "What" I screamed in my head. At that point, the fracture was a minor inconvenience. She just leisurely diagnosed me with a chronic disease. A disease that has always had a negative, hopeless connotation in my head.

Just lately, a doctor described me as stoic. And as I think back about that day in the ER, yes, I can agree that I am often stoic. Bill stood there waiting for my reaction, but no reaction came. We drove to Panera Bread to grab a bite to eat after an all-day adventure in the ER. Only after Bill went inside to get me a sandwich and my boss, Paige, showed up to hand off my work computer to me and I repeated the story of the Crohn's Disease to her did I cry.

Ironically, I was no longer exhibiting symptoms of the Crohn's (I had had some severe stomach cramping a couple of weeks earlier but never had it checked out). So when I went to visit the gastrointerologist after Vandy's recommendation, and after a lower GI and colonoscopy showed a non-specific injury to my small intestine, we decided to play the "wait and see" game.

Fast forward to this March after 14 months pain-free (now I know that it is considered "remission" from Crohn's). In March, the severe stomach cramping returned with no relief and that is when this current season really began.