Getting results the old-blogging way!

Wow! What a difference a week makes!

Last week, I blogged about two frustrations I had - 1) the few odds and ends that I wasn't able to tackle around the house due to the fact that I'm still on "toolbox hiatus", and 2) the fact that my mom wasn't taking very good care of herself. I'm happy to announce that in both cases, my frustrations have been eliminated. My blogs have been heard. My family has responded. The Godfather has made her mark.

First - on the baby preparations front - my husband and brother-in-law came through, big time. Johnny cracked open a fresh can of paint and started painting the two remaining items in Deirdre's big girl room. They've been prepped and primed - and the ball is officially rolling. I can't thank him enough for making that happen. (And I PROMISE I wasn't nagging him...he just up and did it. Talk about a doer!)

And then, if that wasn't enough excitement for this nesting, 31-week pregnant lady, my brother-in-law sends me an email last week that says, "I've been reading your blog. I want to help. Book me for some toolbox time", or something to that effect. He insisted on coming by one evening last week to help with knobs, mirrors, switch plates, hangings, etc - all the stuff that I've been dying to do myself. The room looks fabulous...and is nearly there now. How nice of my bro-in-law to extend the offer, huh? Plus, the night he came over, my sister and her kids came along, and she made dinner for the whole crew. (Johnny was out of town at a family fuction - representing the Gormans as only he could. Too bad he had to miss out!) Dinner was fabulous - she just swooped in, brought a picnic basket of ingredients, put the whole thing together, and left the kitchen spotless. What a baby-on-the-way gift! It was the greatest!

Secondly, and most importantly, since last week, my mom has made major strides in regard to her health predicament. I'm so proud of her. I suppose she got wind of the fact (from a little bird named my Dad) that I was less than pleased with her situation, so she took it upon herself to make things happen, Despite Lupus style!

Not only did she make a follow-up call to the doctor last week, she made a follow-up appointment, and boy, did she get results. She, of course, had to do some fancy footwork to a) get the appointment, b) work with the receptionist in order to get the right kind of appointment, and c) to convince her that no, just talking over the test results over the phone wasn't sufficient. She needed to be seen, and she needed to be seen pronto. Go, Mom!!!!

And was her appointment ever necessary! Turns out the first doctor in her primary care office who had given her the original diagnosis of "could be pancreas, liver, or stomach" was a little off. Looking at the results of the tests with her regular doctor (with whom she made this follow up appointment), it came to light that something entirely different was going on. Right then and there, her doctor made a definitive diagnosis, put her back on a medication the other doctor had taken her off of, scheduled her with another GI specialist for an appointment within the week, and set her up for a consultation for additional GI tests that very same week. Talk about results!!!! I'm so happy she took it upon herself to get exactly what she deserved - treatment, attention, and most importantly, answers.

So where do I get the inspiration, motivation and encouragement to keep living well, despite lupus? From the people mentioned above. Simple as that!