House of Howard; End of Year Update

 It has been a mild fall this year.  We had a brief skiff of snow here a couple of weeks ago, maybe an inch.  It didn't stick around long.  It fell on a Monday afternoon.  Ellen went to college, then stayed overnight with a couple of friends out there.  

Ellen: 

This past year has been a big one for Ellen. She graduated from high school and started college.  She is majoring in psychology with the end goal of high school counselor. 

 She is doing well in college.  I think she has realized that indeed she did NOT in fact "peak" in high school.  She is having fun in her UAC group, University Activities Committee.  They have planned a couple of Bingo nights.  There was the Grocery Bingo night; in which a couple/three of the members, Ellen was one, went grocery shopping at Walmart and bought over $500 worth of groceries; both food and cleaning products.  Then that evening they played Bingo and if they won they got to go up and pick out their prize.  

Last week, the first week of December, they had Christmas Bingo night.  A few of them went and bought random Christmas gifts.  Then they brought them back to the college and wrapped them.  Ellen wrapped a set of 16 National Parks jigsaw puzzles.  She noted the paper she used and said if she bingoed she was going to pick out that box.  Sure enough, with the Howard luck, or blessing as it were, she managed to get it.  Each puzzle is 100 pieces.  She was happy with that.  All of these gifts/prizes are funded by the college itself.

 This past weekend they had their Christmas Gala dance there at the college.  Ellen said it was pretty lame because it was not well attended.  But I guess there was a track meet that weekend, so many of the students were out of town.  That is too bad.  Next time they plan a dance maybe they need to coordinate with the sports teams. 

I am thankful that her best friend is also there in college. She is 2 years ahead of her, but they met at the local church here back when they were in grade school.  Daveigh was homeschooled, and is going to the college there and majoring in graphic design. The girls have carpooled back and forth, stayed overnight together with other friends there at the college, and have gone to events together.  They have their separate interests there, which is good.  They have laughed together and grouched at each other and in general have been the best of friends.  I am so thankful for Daveigh.  They are both going together to the newest Sunday School class at the church, led by Caleb and Hannah; a young couple in their 20s who are expecting their first baby in a week or two.  

 Gary

 It has been an interesting year for Gary.  He has kept super busy doing all of his Gary things; fixing water wells, hauling gravel, helping his sister Gail, helping his Aunt Kathy, and working around the place here with everything that he can. 

Last month he spent I don't know how many hours renovating the house across the road so that it was fit for renters. I have written about it a couple of blog posts ago.  Suffice it to say here, the house pretty much had to be gutted due to the fact that the previous owner had done no work at all on it, and had literally crapped all over the floors.  The kitchen hadn't been cleaned in a decade at least and every appliance except the dishwasher, had to be replaced. He cut and laid all of the linoleum as well.

Also this year Gary learned, the hard way of course, that he has diverticulitis.  He'd have severe stomach cramps after eating beans or ice cream. Eventually he had a very excruciating episode and had a CT scan.  So now he is careful with his diet and is feeling much better.  

 Rebecca

The first half of the year I did quite a bit of substitute teaching.  I enjoyed it so much. Then, as I have also chronicled here, I was diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome. This has been life-altering. I have joined a few different Facebook AGS groups and am constantly astounded by the amount of people who either do not know what a mammal actually is, or who have family that could care less how their own behavior will affect their loved ones with this horrible syndrome.  There is such a thing as being fume reactive to cooking mammal; different people react differently. Some people get hives, have itching, their blood pressure will drop, they might pass out, they might even go into anaphylaxis when they get a deep whiff of cooking mammal. I get heart symptoms; palpitations and rapid pulse. 

Since I wasn't getting any help from my regular NP, nor any sort of help at all from the allergist, I went to a holistic nurse practitioner at 417 Integrative Health Care in Springfield. The NP there was very receptive to me and my story.  They see many, many AGS patients on the regular.  She told me that indeed the AGS has triggered my immune system into overreacting.  She put me on a medication that, at full dosage, is used for addicts; Naltrexone.  The normal dosage for addicts is about 50 mg per day.  At the moment I am on 1 mg per day, and will titer up to 2 mg.  So it is called LDN, low dose naltrexone.  She says that taking it for AGS is an off-label use that has been very successful for her patients at curbing the immune system from overproducing histamines; helping with fume reactions and reactions to normal foods.  So far I am at day 6 of taking this.  I am still reacting to normal food that should be safe for AGS; like wheat, rice, oatmeal, fruits and vegetables.  Frankly I don't care if I ever eat mammal again, I just would like to be able to go to restaurants and church functions where it is being served and not have to worry about passing out or having heart reactions.

In that vein I have also visited a cardiologist, who said my cholesterol levels are really good, and everything else checks out for me to have a healthy heart.  I have an appointment next month for a scan on my heart to check if there is calcification going on in my veins/arteries.  I expect that will be expensive, but it will be good to know for sure.

 I have not been doing much substitute teaching this year, due to not feeling the greatest with this AGS and potential mast cell activation syndrome-which is the over histamine issue going on, caused by AGS.  I am hoping to do more next semester.  

In November I did a couple of craft shows; one at the Lion's Club and another in Fair Play.  The second one was much more successful for me.  I enjoyed it.  I am focusing more on smaller paper crafts.  My biggest seller in Fair Play were the little sticky note folders.  I have not done any loom knitting in about a year.  With the diagnosis for some reason the urge to knit just evaporated. I think I will pick it up again and make more little dollies to donate to the Operation Christmas Child shoe box ministry. 

One great thing about this year and this freaking diagnosis is that I have lost weight.  Over the summer I lost about 20 pounds.  I would really like to be able to lose more, and unless this LDN med kicks in soon, I probably will continue to lose.  I am now down to eating poultry, eggs, fish and potatoes.  I added in some chicken livers just last week.  I need to get some iron and other nutrients into me.  The only other thing I eat is plain potato chips and diet sodas.  It is getting rather dull.  I want to add back in the oatmeal at least, but I am too nervous to push it yet.  

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That is it for now.  

Hope you are all doing well.