Testing Testing 1, 2, Pee

I recently had two very interesting medical tests done. Both very fascinating and enlightening. I tend to geek out over medical stuff and enjoy it probably more than I should. Jeremy said I should go to nursing school.

The first was a bladder test. In the interest of modesty and discretion, I won't explain some of the gory details here. If you want to know though, I am totally open to talking about it privately. Let's just say I pee my pants sometimes, and the bladder test was one of the stranger things I've ever done. 

I do have some permanent damage 'down there' but thankfully nothing major. It was that 10lb baby I had with no drugs. That crazy baby, screwing me up forever. Should I ever choose to, I am a candidate for an implantation that will help me but I'll leave those gory details out as well. Use your imagination...or don't, actually.

Yesterday I had an allergy test. I've had sinus issues for years, and had two surgeries in 1998 to fix some structural problems. Even so I still get sick with sinus infections VERY easily. As in, I mow the grass one day and the next day I have a sinus infection.

The test was amazing. I'm still in shock as I think about it, and then realize how long I've lived with these issues. Basically I am allergic to every single allergen they applied on my arm, in varying degrees. Some of them such as ragweed and dust mites caused a huge reaction, and measured to the maximum hive size almost instantaneously.

I was blessed to have a really great lady working on me, who is actually the head of the allergy department for all seven offices of Indy Otolaryngology. She doesn't normally work out of that office, but she had been called in because of a staff illness, which was much to my good fortune.

The test took about 3 hours and we talked the whole time. I learned SO much from her about how allergies work and how they can affect your whole life...your sleep, mental stability, digestion, energy level. How certain foods can make allergies worst. How if someone with a ragweed allergy as severe as mine ate watermelon at a Labor Day picnic, I could go into anaphylactic shock. She helped me to connect some links with my general health that she believes are directly related to allergies.

And I had no idea. I am stunned.

I feel like I just learned something amazing, like the secret of life.

When I was telling Mom and Dad about it, they could see connections to my childhood and the reasons I went for sinus surgery in the first place. Dad said he has always thought I was 'somewhat sickly' in general. I don't take that as an insult because he's right. I asked Jeremy if he thought the same thing and he said that he's always known me to get tired easily, even back in our early 20's.

The most amazing thing of all is that I left the office with a script for an Epi pen. When I've gone for years never knowing that I needed one.

So in two weeks I will start weekly allergy injections for a year. Then after a year I will do 2 years of 'maintenance injections'. And I am SOOOO excited to start this. I would start today if I could. I'd take 5 shots a week if I had to.

I'm so happy I could cry.

Or laugh hysterically.

But I won't for fear of peeing my pants.