Elliette & Uncle Dustin
Let's just begin with how cute this picture is! Two peas in a pod aren't they? We had a great holiday weekend with family and truly enjoyed time off together. Jon and Harper stuffed their faces and Elliette and I were happy to see everyone.
We even had time to put up some Christmas decorations around the Binkley household
This week started with a trip to St. Louis to my doctor to determine the next course of action in my never ending saga of medical phenomenon . This trip provided us with new insight and a new direction for, well... life! My doctor feels that I have a combination of visceral hypersensitivity and sphincter of oddi dysfunction. Yep, try saying that three times fast! I will (in my non medical degree terms) try to break it down for you. My GI system is super sensitive to fat along with the sphincter that drains bile into the intestines not functioning properly. There are variations of the visceral hypersensitivity, mine (they feel) has to do with some of the abdominal pain I feel. The outcome? Well this part can get complicated. First, we are trying a new medication to hopefully calm the nerve endings in my GI system so they won't be so painful (allowing me to function like a normal human being, ha!). If this doesn't work, an ERCP (the procedure in which they stint the sphincter of oddi to clear it) will probably be done. The second part to this "diagnosis" is the simple fact my GI system can't handle large amounts of fat (medicated or not).
This was the hard one for me to swallow. The doctor informed me that the 30g of fat per day "diet" really isn't a diet at all, it's a lifestyle change. I was pretty upset and sort of absorbed in this news, as the days have passed it doesn't sting quite as much. I will view this as a blessing in disguise, I will keep a positive attitude, I will not become a burden to others or to myself and most importantly I will get healthy once again. For now, here is my new favorite verse to cling to daily. Until the next time...
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) says:Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me
