- Lily, our little over-groomer, has been med-free for going on three months now, with only one minor flare-up in all that time! I credit our latest food change, a grain-free rabbit formula. (This one.)
("Oh, did you need this hand?")
- You Facebook peeps may remember my sharing a post John wrote a few months back about his hearing. If you missed it, here 'tis:
John's appointment was pushed back nearly a month, but he finally got to see the specialist about his CT results, and... [drumroll, please]... his ear is fixable! He goes in for surgery mid-January! And it might just restore his hearing to 100%!
- And finally, I'm continuing to make progress in pushing back my agoraphobia, though it's not without its horrible yucky days. Last week John & I went back to Universal for another visit to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and I rode the Hogwarts Express. It was amazing. And I didn't panic!
Just a day or two later, though, I had a couple of bad days, with lots of free-floating, out-of-the-blue panic while just working at home. It's a little easier when you're going into a situation expecting the panic, but when it invades your "safe" places, like at home, or when you wake up in the middle of the night having an attack? Gah. SUUUUCKS.
Even half asleep and half out of my mind with panic, though, I remembered my lessons and started my SRB exercises. (That's "Stop, Refocus, Breathe.") I was convinced they weren't helping, but I kept it up anyway, and I know that's key. Looking back, I'm sure it probably helped me hang on through the worst of it.
Fortunately that out-of-the-blue kind of panic responds really well to chiropractic treatments for me, so after a visit to my doctor I felt back on track: less fragile, ready to jump back in the fight.
Oh! And I got something really encouraging in the mail, from reader Marie C.:
A Baymax Kokeshi doll!
And last of all, I got my mountain of test results back. The doc says I have "shockingly" low vitamin D levels (John & I burst out laughing at that part. I really AM turning into a vampire...) and something called Hashimoto's disease, which is just a fancy name for a sluggish thyroid*. All good news, since both are easily treatable, neither seem directly tied to my anxiety anyway, and all the other tests came back clean.
[*Correction: it's actually an autoimmune disease, and you guys are teaching me a LOT in the comments. Guess I have a lot to learn!]
Our family cruise is in one week, which is still a little scary, but I'm feeling more confident. The thought of stepping onboard doesn't fill me with dread anymore, and while I can't say I'm raring to go, I know I'll find enough good to focus on with my family to carry me through.
But first, I have more Christmas posts to write!
Happy weekend, guys!
