and even MORE of nothing

This will be brief.  I called in and received my lab results.  There were no positive results.  Everything tested "normal".  Whatever.  Clearly SOMETHING is wrong.  I'm not imagining it.  There is a major problem, and its disheartening and infuriating to keep running in circles and to have people not believe me.  Here's the thing.  I've decided that I don't care anymore... not that I don't care about what's wrong, clearly I do and I intend to get to the bottom of it no matter what.  I've decided that I don't care about how others view this any longer.  I read a blog called "Gluten Free Girl" and she could be me.  Our stories are eerily similar in many ways.  It took her EIGHT years to get a diagnosis and some help.  Apparently things like Celiac, non-celiac gluten intolerance, RA, lupus, etc etc etc are all impossible to diagnose and it takes YEARS.  I've also discovered that the D.O. my sister told me about has changed locations and is even further away now.  She's probably just under and hour away (roughly 30 miles for you country folk who get irritated with suburbanites or urbanites who speak in minutes rather than miles!).  I don't know what to do... What I know is that I'm exhausted and in pain and discouraged and at times feel quite desperate.  There you have it.

We will be moving Asher's surgical consult up.  We will be traveling much further away to do this... we will being seeing the same pediatric surgeon, but his primary office is out of Riley Children's Hospital in "the city" (I say that in the most sarcastic way possible, as to me, Chicago will be the only "city" I can ever refer to that way!).  The surgeon comes up to a satellite clinic at a fantastic affiliate hospital close to us, but his main office is out of the hospital in Indy.  It's about a 40 minute drive for us vs. a 10 minute drive (not sure on miles here, sorry).  I am purposely not going to share too many details just yet as to why we are moving his visit sooner, because I'm sure that you, like me, will be a bit terrified, freak out, look things up on the internet, get more freaked out, and then you'll contact me all upset and concerned... and right now (or any time, truly), that wouldn't be too helpful.  All I'll say is that we've noticed new "things" in regards to his gut and protrusions... things that lead me to believe either something else is going on, or it's progressing, so I don't want to wait until mid-late March for a consult.  Something is really not right within his little body, so I want to get it done ASAP.  Dr. O, his pediatrician, specifically said not to freak out or to rush into this consult, but that's based off of the mild symptoms she saw regarding it in the office.  There's more going on now, so I figure the sooner he has it evaluated the better.  I'll keep you all posted (if you care) as to when his new appointment is so you can pray for him... for it.  Please know that I would take him to the ER if his new symptoms warranted that.  I don't think they are close to that, so don't freak out, please!  He's playing happily and eating like a horse on most days, so he's feeling fine as far as I can tell.  Please just keep him and his little body in your prayers when you remember about it. 

p.s. I have an adorable video of Asher saying his ABCs, or "ABBs" as he calls them.  Apparently anything over a minute is too long for blogger.  Stupid blogger.