Two Weeks of CRAZY

The last two weeks have really been....something. 

It started with an intense dull pain in my husband's side, which unfortunately turned out to be a kidney stone. I have a friend who has three kids and has also had a kidney stone - and she said the stone hurt worse than childbirth. I don't personally have any experience with labor or childbirth, as both my kiddos were born via planned c-section (I've got two kids but have never even had a single contraction!) But judging from my husband's face when I showed up at urgent care last week it seems like she is probably right. APL's agony lasted almost an entire week before the stone passed - which left me caring for my husband and two small children. Thank goodness my mom was here to help!!

Then there was my tooth saga (because when it rains, it pours!) More than a month ago, I had a small cavity filled. I had already been back to the dentist once because the tooth was hurting, and he had given me some medication. Then APL got the kidney stone and I basically didn't have ten seconds to pay attention to myself for a week. So, having pain medication on hand, I took some and moved on. But as soon as my husband's stone passed and that anxiety wore off, I realized my tooth hurt so much I wanted to cry.

I went back to the dentist on Monday morning, and he confirmed that the tooth had died. He started to do a root canal, but unfortunately determined that my roots were too curved and that I would need to see a specialist. So on Wednesday I drove to Denver and saw the specialist. I had my root canal finished. Then, just this morning, I had my crown put on. Hopefully that is the end of my tooth saga!! And, once again, thank goodness my mom was here to help!! We seriously would not have survived the last two weeks without her!

When the dentist mentioned that my tooth might be infected, I was really concerned that it would mean delaying my Rituxan infusion. I had "Round 1" of Ritixan six months ago, and while it seems like the medication is working for me, I did start to feel like the effects have been wearing off this past month. So I really didn't want to delay my infusion! Luckily my tooth was not badly infected, so I was able to get my scheduled infusion on Tuesday. So here's to hoping this medication continues to work well for me! I've got a second dose of "Round 2" scheduled in two more weeks.

After all the medical drama we have experienced over the past two weeks (I have spent at least 2+ hours at the doctor or dentist every day this week!) I was proud that I was able to pull it together this evening to be part of the Joint Decisions live web chat. I think I looked pretty good for someone who just had a root canal yesterday and a crown this morning! And it turns out that speaking in front of 100 people is not that hard when you do it alone in a room! (Haha!) If you missed the chat, keep an eye on the Joint Decisions website, where they will share more info from today's chat soon. (And mark your calendars for October 20th at 6PM ET, when I'll be helping to host a live Twitter chat!)

While it may seem like things couldn't possibly get any crazier for our family right now, tomorrow morning we fly to San Francisco with both our kids in tow to take part in the Arthritis Foundation's California Coast Classic. This will be my husband's third time riding - and my second time volunteering along the ride. And while it seems like we couldn't possibly have any energy left after two weeks of crazy, we are actually super excited to start the ride and spent time with our CCC family! I'll be sharing lots of pictures and stories from the ride here on the blog - and be sure to check out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more! 

Time to get my kids to bed and finish packing!