Kyo*Green

Today I began taking Greens.
Powdered drink mix is the best combination of nutrients from the land and sea, immune supporting barley and wheat grasses grown in the pristine highlands of Japan are blended with protein-rich, readily-absorbable, Chlorella and Kelp to support cardiovascular health. (Barley & wheat grass, FOS, brown rice, chlorella and kelp.

My general Manager keeps telling me that this is one of the best ways to re-build my immune system and kick these auto-immune diseases. So, finally, I got myself to Vitamin World and purchased them.
The manager on duty was extremely knowledgeable and helped pick out the right products.

 I also began taking Colostrum and Tumeric. We'll see what happens :)

Btw, I spilled the greens and Chloe' LOVED them!!!!

"Facetime" with Paeton!!!

I was out running errands today and guess who Facetimed me?  BABYGIRL!!!  When I answered her call, her smile was like that of Christmas day.  It melted my heart.  I am so sick but when I hear from her or see her, the weight of these auto-immune diseases just disappear.

When I count my blessings, this child is the 1st on my list.  A true little angel :)

I miss this child more than anything in this world.  Although I don't get the opportunity to be in her life on a daily basis any longer, I still get to talk to her.  I am so lucky to have been able to meet her, love her as my own and spend a year of my life helping her grow :)

Its hard to hang up with her....  I don't get to come home to her any more or wake up to her.  I don't get to deal with temper tantrums or homework...  I miss all of it.

Love you babygirl!

Abdominal Ultrasound 9/25/2013

Today was my abdominal ultrasound.

The tech took pictures of my spleen, kidneys, liver, pancreas and aorta.

This test was ordered b/c my lipase levels are @ 182.

They should only be between 20-42.

This was only discovered bc I have been so pro-active in my approach to get well.

Prior to meeting Dr. Kirsten, I went to the ER for the severe abdominal pains.  They did blood work and an ultrasound of my ovaries and said it was just a tumor and sent me on my way.

About a month later, I went to the hospital for a copy of my records.  When I looked, I saw that my "lipase" level was at 125 and the normal range was listed as 20-42.   I immediately asked Dr. Kirsten what that meant and she was puzzled herself to see that result.  She re-ordered this blood test and sure enough, it came back much higher.

The ultrasound results should be done Friday or Monday.  I'm sure nothing is wrong but it's better to be safe than sorry.

ER this morning

Pleurisy

For the past week, I have had the worst pain on mt heart area, the left side of my chest.

Every breath I took just killed me.  Felt like someone was squeezing my heart.  Like as though my heart had no where to go, or expand.  Laughing, coughing, sneezing, inhale, exhale  all felt like my heart was being squeezed. Laying down made it 100x's worse!!!! I started to become questionable as to what this truly was tonight when it started to radiate into my arm and wrap around to my back, accompanied by a head ache.

I didn't want to come off as a baby or complainer so I DID go to work.  I said I'd go to ER after work if this continued and sure enough, it did.  It just got worse.  So, I stopped and got myself a mocha with an add shot & drove to the ER.  Saint Rose is such an incredible facility.  The staff is so incredible and so helpful.  I've been to practically every ER in the Las Vegas/Henderson area and St. Rose always tops the charts.  They did an EKG, blood work and x-rays.  Emergency room doc said it was a clear case of  "Pleurisy"  which is totally caused by Lupus and other auto-immune diseases.

He explained that it last about a good 2 weeks.  Definitely can feel as though you are having a blood clot blockage/stroke/heart attack and to be prepared to have these flare ups for the rest of my life b/c of the Lupus.

It's all a learning experience and I feel incredibly blessed with the staff that has taken on helping me.  I've been sick for years and I FINALLY have answers.

Thank  you Dr. Kirsten Rojas, your a remarkable woman and I will forever be grateful for you and your incredible staff.

Razorblades

This shot business is not getting any easier...AT ALL! When I am at work, I have to run off the floor to the bathroom and quickly give myself this darn shot.

Tonight, as I sat there in a rush, worrying about my tables, injecting this into my abdomen, I realized how to answer the question "What does it feel like?"

IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE INJECTING A STREAM OF RAZOR BLADES INTO YOUR STOMACH.

No, I've never had razor blades injecting into my stomach LOL, BUT I have accidentally been cut by one.

Memory problems at work

This flare up of this lupus & sjogren's syndrome is driving me insane.  My memory is completely shot and now it's affecting work.   Going to work is not about the money, it's truly about keeping my hours up for the health insurance because at this stage in prognoses, I desperately need my health insurance.  One prescription alone is $1123.00 per month!  

No only do I have an auto-immune disease causing "brain fog"    I HAVE TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I have to wonder if the fact that I have prior brain injuries, is that compounding this brain fog as well??

With that said, I see the oncologist on Monday.  I hope there is something that he can do ti help correct this and allow me to continue working. :(

What Is Lupus Fog?

Lupus fog is a general name for the cognitive impairments that often appear with lupus, including concentration and memory problems, confusion, and difficulty expressing yourself. These cognitive problems are often worse during flares.

The good news: Lupus fog doesn’t usually get progressively worse, like dementia or Alzheimer's disease, says Lisa Fitzgerald, MD, a rheumatologist at the Lupus Center of Excellence at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Instead, memory issues will probably wax and wane, just like other lupus symptoms.

The exact cause of lupus fog is hard to pin down, experts say. In some cases, lupus can damage cells in the brain, leading directly to cognitive problems. However, in most cases other factors play a role, including fatigue, stress, and depression. Lupus fog is sometimes worse in people who also have fibromyalgia. Although it's possible that side effects from drugs such as NSAIDs or steroids could worsen lupus fog, experts say that switching medicines rarely resolves the problem.

While researchers study possible causes of lupus fog, Orosz focuses on coping strategies that help people deal with it.

"When you're a person dealing with lupus fog, you don't worry that much about what's causing it," says Orosz. "What you care about is learning how to work around it."

In Sjögren’s syndrome the whole nervous system can be affected, but here we will focus primarily on the Central Nervous System (CNS), which consists of the brain and the spinal chord. There are many things that can happen in the CNS, causing such symptoms as motor or sensory hemiparesis (one-sided weakness or numbness usually occurring in the face, arm or leg), slurred or garbled speech, encephalopathy (non-specific brain illness), recurrent aseptic meningitis (inflammation of the meninges, the coating that covers the brain and spinal chord, without the presence of infection), seizures, psychological difficulties such as depression, anxiety or panic attacks, bladder dysfunctions, or extrapyramidal disorders affecting the muscle movements.

Another way the CNS can be affected is by brain fog. This is a condition that most people are familiar with, and yet there is no medical term for it and it cannot be researched by putting ‘brain fog’ into an Internet search engine. The closest term would be ‘mild cognitive dysfunction,’ but this encompasses a wide spectrum of often subtle changes.

Rosary Novena

Today I am feeling weak and that is when I call on the Lord.  Tonight began my rosary novena.  Whenever I reach this point, it's because God is in his process of a teaching me a lesson /  working HIS will and I respond with a novena and always, ALWAYS, I receive my answers.  God is good.

Give me the confidence to ask for what I think I need, the humility to wait for His Will, and the faith to accept a refusal. Let my suffering be Redemptive, let my will be one with God's and my life a sacrifice of love.

Help me, my Jesus, to carry my cross with joy, ever keeping my eyes on the Father's Will

Sharing my experiences

Tonight I was asked  and expected to answer someone who asked:                                           "Why are you posting pictures of giving yourself a shot?"      

 "Why are you doing that Jen?"

MY question is -

• Why do people get to post pictures of themselves in the delivery room giving birth.
• Why do people get to post pictures of themselves 1/2 naked out at a pool drinking alcohol
• Why do 16 year old girls get to post on facebook & instagram pictures of their sonograms and shout how excited they are at age 16 to be pregnant. WHAT, wrong impression being sent to other young kids in society!!!!
• Why do people get to post pictures of their gruesome car accidents.
• Why do teenagers get to go on spring break and post offensive photos
• When I check on my ex's little girls instagram I see teens that she follows, running a page dedicated to "depression" and teaching other kids how to "cut" themselves to feel better  

This list could seriously continue forever....... BUT you see, in today's society, that's all OK!

But me, I have been sick of 8 years now.  8 years.  And this summer, I was left alone, bed ridden with NO help.  No family.  No significant other to hold me and tell me it will all be ok.  I just was left there to fend for myself ...  And as I laid there, I could literally feel my body attacking itself, ruining my kidneys, my pancreas, my liver.  I was alone, literally feeling myself wilt away..and after all the years of love and devotion I gave the men in my life, not one was here for me. Not one.

And guess what, this is happening to people all over the United States. So, no, I'm not having a pitty party and NO I am NOT a victim!  I am a VICTOR and this is another instance that the good lord is using me as a vessel to help someone else.  Even if I only save one other person from this pain I am enduring, its worth sharing all my horrible experiences that I fought and pushed to overcome.... all on my own!

SO, I finally get a gasp of life sent back to me when a door to Dr. Kirsten was opened.  I start posting my experiences, women are now actually messaging me asking WHAT is that?  What where your symptoms?  I too have been very very sick with no answers too Jen!  I too keep having miscarriages and my husband and I want babies so bad!  Can you help me??  Jen, can you share your experience with me so I can maybe feel better too???

And I get questioned for doing that???   I get condemned and judged for it??

Makes no sense.

You can never prepare yourself for the answers of a doctor

I was with my first husband for 10 years total.  From age 19-29 and I never once got pregnant.  I also never once used protection or birth control pills.

I was with my 2nd husband for a total of 2 years.  No protection or birth control with him either and no pregnancies.

Then I met Mike.  We got pregnant back in September 2012.  It ended up being ectopic.  2 more times following that we got pregnant.  All were miscarriages.

Anyone who knows me, knows that having a child is my greatest wish in the world. It's the last accomplishment I want to experience and a life long one it will be.

For the last 8 years, I've been having flare ups of the same symptoms, every summer. After 8 years and this past summer leaving me bed ridden, I finally have answers.

Answers I was not expecting.  Neither was my doctor.

During this past surgery, she found that my right Fallopian tube was damaged beyond repair.  This is the tube that the cyst grew to a grapefruit size when I was 19 years old.  The doctor back then said that my tube was black and blue from not receiving oxygen that entire time the huge cyst was growing & pulling on it.  He left the tube to see if it would indeed be ok. ( we clearly see it wasn't)

This is the same tube that Mike and I had the ectopic pregnancy in ( I was 32).  The doctor that did the surgery said that everything with the tube was fine and in no time I'd be pregnant again.  Well, she was right about being pregnant.  In fact it was 2 more times BUT I suffered miscarriages both times.

I have switched to a new and incredible doctor.  2 weeks ago she performed surgery and  I have found out out that the Left Fallopian tube is all I have left to try for a baby.  Unfortunately, I have a disease that is causing adhesion's to grow and multiply at a rapid rate in my last Fallopian tube..

Dr. Kirsten explained that I am extremely high risk for ectopic pregnancies to continue and if I make it past the Fallopian tube.  I am then at a high risk of miscarriage from the auto-immune diseases.   Basically, If I were to have a child, it literally will be a miracle.

It's going to be 6 weeks before I could even try to get pregnant, which leaves me at November 13th for my next fertile cycle.  Then, we wait it out, if it doesn't take, I try again December 11th - 15th and if that doesn't work, then I just keep trying.

Dr. Kirsten explained that My body has never produced enough of what it takes to have a healthy baby.  So she has pumped me full of meds that will give my body what a healthy baby requires.  She also explained that me getting pregnant is going to be a super close watch.  She is going to be doing hormones levels twice a week.  She is going to have to do ultrasounds twice a week.  Possibly put me on bed rest the 1st month and so on.

My road block........  Im alone.  I have no significant other.  I have no one that I am even slightly interested in that could imagine asking to be the other 1/2 of my childs DNA.   There is one man that I love and admire in many ways.  I had to ask b/c otherwise I am on to sperm donors or adoption because this last tube has to be removed anyhow.

Its hard to imagine the following things.  And don't think I am being stuck up by saying this BUT how is it possible that a woman of my age, with my looks (which I swear have been nothing but a curse) and my accomplishments, how have I not found a man to love me and want to grow old with me...The way my mom found my dad.  The way my grandparents found each other.  The way all my aunts and uncles found each other. So many people who don't want babies have them.  Pretty much all of my friends are married.  Whats wrong with me?

Why do I have to be left so overwhelmed in love with someone.  Someone who laughed & joked with me, loved me, asked me to marry him, twice. Wanted to make a baby with me. Said he couldn't wait to have a baby with someone he loves the way he loved me.  And now, now, he can come here and kiss me like he loves me, take care of me, call me to check on me, text me seeing if I am ok.  Asking to take me to lunch BUT now tell me that he doesn't want kids anymore.  Still loves me and cares about me but cant be with me.  Makes no sense at all....

Chloe is super sick

My Chloe' bell is super sick. I adopted her 2 months after adopting Apollo. They are basically the same age (12).
 Back in May I lost Apollo to a very aggressive cancer.
About 2 days after my surgery, Chloe' started throwing up really bad. Then it turned into this wheezing. She'll be laying in bed with no exertion BUT she is in a heavy pant, she has a fever and she cant get comfortable. If she walks, she wheezes super bad and coughs until she chokes.
I took her to the vet yesterday. He said she still had a fever and we ran blood work. He also started her on a strong dose of antibiotics.
Its truly painful to watch your little furry children in pain and not be able to do anything to make them better. She wont stop throwing up. She isn't eating and she cant get enough water. I feel so bad and all I want to be able to do is make her comfortable. 12 years of my life has been spent with this little companion...... Vet said he'd call within 24 hours with results. That time period has passed and no call yet.... No we just sit and wait.
YAY!!!!!  Update - 8pm, Vet called.  We have a "sort of" answer.  Chloe has a high level systematic  infection.  Which indicates that there is an infection running through her blood.  At her age, we aren't too sure how she is going to respond to the meds and if she will pull through.  She is still wagging her tail though.
10 days we return and re-do the blood work.  See where we stand.

CHLOE' is trying to hide from the vet in the pics below :( poor baby!!!!!!!!!!

At age 34.. only one regret...losing little Miss Paeton..

Personally, I have zero regrets in my life.
I truly am grateful for all the bad and the good that the good lord has given me. The bad educated me & made me strong and the good reminded me of how beautiful life is and always reminded me to keep going.

 At age 34 I only have one regret. Losing Paeton Aleece.

 When I 1st met Mike I was very hesitant because he told me he had a child. I was dead set against dating someone with a child. But the more I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him and him having a child  started to not bother me any longer....

THEN I met Paeton. I'll never forget the 1st time I saw her. This child is so remarkable and so beautiful. I never believed that I could love someone else's child as if she were my own. I fell in love with her so quickly. I truly love her as if she were my own and not having her in my life anymore just crushes my spirit. She made me smile. She made me laugh. Was always teaching me new things. Always so sweet and giving. And the best part was hugging this kid. Her hugs were always filled with love.  And when daddy would reprimand her, I would be the one to go talk to her and try and hug her cute ass while she was hiding under her bed LOL  ..  Cant forget the times she'd fall asleep in bed in between mike and I.  So cute to wake up with her arm around me....

I could have a horrible day BUT then see her get off the bus with that smile and it would erase all my problems.

As for Mike.  Mike knew how to handle me, take care of me and spoil me.  Which of course I did the same in return for him.  We laughed, we joked, we cried, we got pregnant and excited, he asked me to marry him.

His friends called him "Head case."  LOL.  He was such a passionate person about things that he'd flip LOL.  I was the one to bring him down a few levels and calm his ass.  AND if I were the one stressed out, all I had to do was look at him and just the sight of him calmed ALL my worries.  We complemented each other pretty good.

Not a day goes by that I don't I miss Paeton.

9/14/79 - the day I was born

Today I turn 34.  

To begin, I have to say that today I truly am forever grateful to my mother for making the decision to not only give me life BUT to also keep me and raise me the way she did.   I realize that women have choices. Abortion, adoption and so on.   Not saying that my mother was thinking any other way but to keep me. BUT I am just incredibly grateful that she gave me life and that she gave me an outstanding childhood.  I also thank my father for sticking around and working his rear-end of to give me a wonderful life.  My parents were sprung into adults overnight and together, as a team,  they never looked back.  A very selfless move and I will always be grateful.  My parents are my world and my best friends.

As for me today, well this is a very hard day.  I'm single and no children.  I have been blessed to have accomplished so much in my life.  I have been blessed to have repeatedly knocked down hurdles and become a victor rather than a victim numerous times.  And for this, I thank God.

But my birthday is a time of reflection and I am left wondering "why" what seems to be the simplest goal is the most arduous of all.  I want a child and a significant other to grow old with.  Why is that proving to be completely impossible?

Trust me, being single the past 7 months has been truly a remarkable experience.  I've learned and blossomed so much.

In a recent experience with a guy who reached out to me, asking to date me, I stood my ground and saved myself from complete bullshit ALL because of what God taught me through my tumultuous marriage to Rick.

SO, trust me, I have learned my lessons and stood my ground.
So, when is it "my time?"  If I was 20 something, I wouldn't be asking BUT I'm 34.  I'm not a young vibrant 20 something any longer.  I'm a 34 year old grown & experienced woman who feels the ticking of the clock.

On a lighter note, I want to say thank you to my most incredible roommate for being here and in my life.  Jeremy has been a complete blessing.  When I got home from work last night, I had a card, roses, candles and my fav. candy.  LOL...    For the 1st time I was feeling alone and defeated but he reminded me to just take it easy.

Love coming home to my babies!

Looks JUST like our Veda!!!!!!!!

Just gave myself yet another shot

The reality of what has occurred sets in every night that I have to give myself a shot.  I've learned to ice the area 1st in an attempt to numb the skin but it doesn't help with the stinging of the medication.   The stinging lasts about 10 minutes after injection.  Since its all so new to me, I sit here and ask, "Why?"

And if this is the way it has to be, why cant I be lucky enough to finally have a significant other to hold my hand and walk with me through this.  This is uncharted territory that keeps uncovering new and difficult diagnoses. I have no family here.  I have no boyfriend / husband to lean on.  It's just me and honestly, its the most lonely feeling in the world. It overwhelms me with a feeling of helplessness and isolation.  There are days I just lay in bed completely unable to move.  Not even 11 steps to reach my bathroom sink and brush my teeth.  It'd be incredible to be able to shower!!!

My birthday is in one day.  All I truly wish for on my 34th birthday, is a gentleman to come into my life.  A true gentleman.  Someone to walk side by side with......  Someone to hold my hand through all this...  A man to hold me and tell me it will all be ok.

3 auto-immune diseases, a blood clotting disorder (thrombophillias) Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Endometriosis

Recently, I have been diagnosed with 3 auto-immune diseases, a blood clotting disorder (thrombophillias), Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Endometriosis.  All of which are NOT curable.  Most autoimmune diseases are chronic, but many can be controlled with treatment.  Symptoms of autoimmune disorders can come and go. When symptoms get worse, it is called a "flare-up."  Basically, my body has been in an aggressive overdrive attacking itself and killing my healthy body tissues.  I am living in constant, UNBEARABLE pain.

An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders. 

Normally the immune system's white blood cells help protect the body from harmful substances, called antigens. Examples of antigens include bacteria, viruses, toxins, cancer cells, and blood or tissues from another person or species. The immune system produces antibodies that destroy these harmful substances.

In patients with an autoimmune disorder, the immune system can't tell the difference between healthy body tissue and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues. 

Since 2008, I would have bouts of illness that left me practically bed ridden.  It started in the summer of 2008 and by winter it would be gone.  Then summer rolled around again and I was practically bed ridden. The doctors could not find anything wrong with me that would be causing these extreme symptoms and they kept blowing it off as 'anxiety.'

Well, summer of 2013 hit and I was down.  It was the worst year yet and it left me literally bed ridden.  Sick to the point of not being able to get out of bed.  I pressed all doctors for answers and I was getting no where.  

There are plenty of days that I lay in my bed staring at my bathroom sink, wishing I could make it the 11 feet to the sink and brush my teeth.  

I went to the best endocrinologist in Nevada.  He ran a ton of blood work and then told me I had 'polycystic ovarian syndrome.' This diagnosis was based strictly off of the blood work results.  They placed me on 'Metformin' which is typically used for diabetes and within days my stomach started to feel better and the weight gain (12 pounds) was gone in under 2 weeks.

BUT, the other symptoms were all still there and getting aggressively worse.  I ended up finally getting into my General Managers gynecologist.   Every other gyno, including this one was a 6 week wait.  Thank you to Mariam (my GM) for calling and getting me in the very next day.

Dr. Kirsten Rojas listened to and believed every single word that came out of my mouth.  Every other doctor basically laughed in my face when hearing the list of symptoms I was living with.  She immediately ordered about 32 different blood tests, genetic testing & ultra sounds. 

Results came back which lead her to send me off to an oncologist and rheumatologist.  She also needed to perform surgery.

I saw the oncologist, Dr. Obara the next day and he was kind of blowing off my symptoms .....THEN he reviewed Dr. Kirstens blood work results and looked alarmed.  He immediately ordered 26 different blood tests, which were immediately drawn in his office.

He said the blood work revealed I have Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis & Sjogrens Syndrome as well as a blood clotting disorder called Thrombophillias.

He called Dr. Kirsten and told her I could not have surgery until more blood work was done.  We re-scheduled surgery and I began taking a new set of pills for my heart and blood. After a week of the pills, clearance for surgery was given.

Once the 4th set of blood work came back, the doctors were both prompted to order more.  Now we are waiting on the results of the last round of blood work.  

It truly amazes me that I have lived with these symptoms for 5 years and begged doctors for answers.  Everyone claimed it was 'anxiety' and gave me a script for valium or clonazapam.   Eventually I just laid here and felt my body crashing.  It was when I laid here feeling like death that a door was finally opened to Dr. Kirsten Rojas who saved my life.  NOW, we sit and wait for more answers...........................................

Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body).
Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu).

Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

• Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.
• Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above.
• Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is underactive; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.

Sjögren's Syndrome

Sjogrens Syndrome  (Show-grins)----------------

Sjögren's is a systemic disease, and its symptoms are felt throughout the entire body.

Sjögren’s is a chronic autoimmune disease in which people’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands. Today, as many as four million Americans are living with this disease.

Although the hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth, Sjögren’s may also cause dysfunction of other organs such as the kidneys, gastrointestinal system, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, and the central nervous system. Patients may also experience extreme fatigue and joint pain and have a higher risk of developing lymphoma.

With upwards of 4,000,000 Americans suffering from Sjögren’s, it is one of the most prevalent autoimmune disorders. Nine out of 10 patients are women.

About half of the time Sjögren’s occurs alone, and the other half it occurs in the presence of another autoimmune connective tissue disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or scleroderma. 
When Sjögren’s occurs alone, it is referred to as “Primary Sjögren’s.” When it occurs with another connective tissue disease, it is referred to as “Secondary Sjögren’s.” 

All instances of Sjögren’s are systemic, affecting the entire body. Symptoms may remain steady, worsen, or, uncommonly, go into remission. While some people experience mild discomfort, others suffer debilitating symptoms that greatly impair their functioning. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are important — they may prevent serious complications and greatly improve a patient’s quality of life.

Since symptoms of Sjögren’s mimic other conditions and diseases, Sjögren’s can often be overlooked or misdiagnosed. On average, it takes nearly 4.7 years to receive a diagnosis of Sjögren’s. Patients need to remember to be pro-active in talking with their physicians and dentists about their symptoms and potential treatment options.

Lovanox

After umpteen blood tests and a very serious surgery, I am now on a new routine, taking Lovanox for the rest of my life.

Wednesday, September 4th @ 7am was the surgery and the doctor administered my 1st dose of Lovanox via the IV.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and so on, I have been injecting myself and will now for the rest of my life.

My ex-husband used to give me B12 shots at home and it never once hurt.  These lovanox needles are actually larger and the lovanox stings like hell when going in and stings like hell for about 15 minutes afterwards.  Leaving me in tears and trying to control the pain it causes with my breathing.
It also leaves my belly covered in bruises and again, the pain, the pain is horrible.  :(