Hello Kitty

18 May 2012

3 Comments

I have the most adorable niece in the world. And I’m not biased. There is nothing that makes my spirit happier than spending time with Lana. This past weekend we went to the Minnesota Zoo.

Seriously, how cute are we together? (You’ll be seeing lots of hats, visors, and long sleeve shirts in the future since Lupus flares can be triggered by sunshine).  

Lana LOVES hello kitty. I actually think it’s a bit alarming how excited she gets, and also wished I got that excited over something so simple. I found some japanese hello kitty fabric last year and bought 2 yards with the intention of making her something.

Anyone with any good ideas or patterns? I think I would prefer to make a cute bag or pillow, probably not clothing.

-erica

Monkey Feet

15 May 2012

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These shoes may fit until the end of this week. I guess I’ll just have to make another pair. I think he liked them. I could tell by his giant smile.

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-erica

Baby Shoes

30 Apr 2012

5 Comments

I have been behind in sewing, and behind in blogging. This past month has been difficult for me since being diagnosed with lupus. I am adjusting to my new paradigm in life of living with a chronic disease. It’s definitely not something I expected, but I guess most people don’t expect to get sick. Time is one of the ultimate healers and I am trying to stay strong in knowing that as time passes I won’t be so scared. And I am truly thankful for AMAZING friends and family that have been spending extra time listening to me and offering encouragement and support. I am blessed.

But, on to a happier topic. Baby shoes!

My sister had her second baby a few months ago (OK, maybe more than a few months…. Elliot was born in September…), and I actually haven’t gotten him a baby gift yet. She assures me that he is little and won’t remember.

But look at these guys:

It will be totally worth the wait. I saw this Simplicity pattern (see below) at JoAnn Fabrics and I had to buy it. I immediately fell in love with the monkey shoes.

Their shoes were all brown, but I wanted to add in a little color, so I chose a blue polka dot print. I used a fusible web to fuse the wool felt to the fabric (um, WAY cool).

They have little velcro flaps to open.

Way cute, right? I hope his feet aren’t too big already.

-erica

 

 

“home” in New Orleans

21 Apr 2012

1 Comment

This weekend is exactly what I needed. I felt like I walked around with a smile from ear to ear for the past two days.

I am in New Orleans for the annual ACP Conference of Internal Medicine. I’m not sure how many physicians are here, but there are lots. During the day there are probably at least a hundred different lectures to choose from and in between lectures and in the evening there is time to spend relaxing with colleagues.

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There are a lot of people from MN here, mainly people I know from residency. After spending 3 years there, it feels like I am “home” this weekend.

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It is also navy week in New Orleans so over lunch on Thursday we toured the USS WASP. I got to hold a gun.

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Thursday night we went to Emeril’s (the famous chefs’ first restaurant). We had an amazing time- and they were able to make me a very tasty vegan meal (my dietary choices have provided my colleagues with a lot of material for teasing me).

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And speaking of dietary choices (vegan), I’ve been getting my share of red beans and rice.

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It’s been a great time, but also excited to see my husband tonight. Four nights away might be my max.
-erica

109

10 Apr 2012

1 Comment

It is normal to spill up to 150mg of protein per day in your urine. Mine came back at 109!!! So even though I am spilling protein at times, my total amount is normal.

Canceling the nephrology appointment on Friday, YAY! Will just continue to monitor my urine every 2 months and hope that my kidneys continue to stay strong.

THANKS EVERYONE for crossing your fingers and toes, it worked. :-)

-erica

Kidneys

8 Apr 2012

2 Comments

We have 2 kidneys, but only need one. Unfortunately some diseases attack both. Lupus is one of those. About 50% of people with lupus get inflammation of the kidneys. But it can range from mild to severe.  I guess I’m one of those. My most recent urine test showed I am spilling some protein into my urine so now I’m doing a 24 hour urine to see how much protein I am actually losing (any single urine test is only a spot in time so you need a longer collection to see what is really happening). Depending on the results, I may need a kidney biopsy. I do know that I have had protein in my urine occasionally over the last year (and I think I remember having some protein in my urine back in residency)- so I’m hoping that is good news- that my inflammation is mild, and hasn’t progressed too much over the past several years. Most serious kidney problems occur in the first 10 years of having lupus.

So keep your fingers crossed that my urine test comes back OK. I’m honestly a little afraid to cross my own.

-erica

Lupus

30 Mar 2012

6 Comments

Lupus. It’s that weird disease that feels impossible to diagnose. Managed by rheumatology which is the specialty that manages all those elusive diseases….

Of which, I now have. I have lupus.

The last several months have been an interesting journey. Life has been throwing me a lot of curve balls and it seems that each time that I felt like I had a handle on it, life would throw me another. In early October, right when we moved out here, we had our first miscarriage. Very early at about 6 1/2 weeks. Then we were lucky and got pregnant right away again. Yay! And saw a heartbeat, but then lost that baby around 9 weeks. So, this prompted a battery of tests with more and more abnormal results…. which finally lead up to the phone call I received yesterday: “You have lupus and you should start taking plaquenil today”.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in shock. I would see a patient, come back to my office and cry, then go out and see another patient. I’m sure I looked like a crazy doctor with bloodshot, puffy eyes.

Right now I feel overwhelmed, scared, and helpless. I mean, why lupus? Why an autoimmune disease? Why not something like high cholesterol where I can change my diet? And why a disease that can cause kidney failure? (Right now I can only seem to remember lupus patients on dialysis or with kidney transplants- not those that are functioning well).

I imagine I will have many more blog posts on this in the days/months to come as I wrap my head around what this means for me and my family (and hopeful future family).

-erica

Doggy Dreadlocks

24 Mar 2012

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Who doesn’t love doggy dreadlocks?

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-erica

Mal País

23 Mar 2012

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I can’t believe how hot it is here in Mal Pais. We are on the pacific coast at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula.

The mornings and evenings are bearable but mid day is intolerable. I understand why there are so many hammocks everywhere, it’s about all you can do.

I thought we might surf but the waves are so huge I’m afraid. We’ve been spending lots of time napping, reading, being very still.

It’s also amazing the amount of mind chatter I hear even when things are so calm. I wonder how long it would take for the mind chatter to go away.

Most of our pictures are in our big camera, but here are a few from my iPhone:

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Our replacement for Tabacón. Her name is gato. (I love the originality of her name).

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A very rocky beach.

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An iguana our porch, about 3 feet long.

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Yup, that’s my love.

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Hot beach. Maybe too hot.

Can’t wait to share pictures of us with my Costa Rica family, but I will have to wait to get them off our camera.

-erica

Volcan Arenal

21 Mar 2012

2 Comments

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We spent two nights relaxing at Tabacón Hot Springs (yes, this is where our kitty got our name). The hot springs were amazing- warmer than last year (maybe the volcano is about to erupt…). Now we are in a much more remote area, called Mal Pais- more pictures and stories to come.
-erica

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