The Dennis Family: July 2015

It's crazy to think that a year ago I found out I had mono. I never would have imagined that a year later I would still be having health struggles. It has definitely been a trying year! The doctor visit in late May/early June yielded some interesting results. My vitamin D is normal again, so I'm grateful that was an easy fix! One of my tonsils is normal, and the other was only slightly swollen. More progress! My available iron shot up, but my iron stores went down. Only by 1 point, but it doesn't make sense when I have been on iron supplements. The doctor admitted that is a little paradoxical, but she said blood tests aren't always black and white. So, there isn't much to do but keep taking iron, and retest in a few months. The iron had caused a lot of stomach and colon issues, so I basically had to do a colon cleanse. It was quite painful and made for a rough week, but I'm grateful school was out by that point so at least I could be at home :) Mono can cause a lot of digestive problems, so we are onto trying elimination diets to see if that helps. The first adventure is going gluten free. It has been two weeks, and I think it might actually be helping. Which could really be an answer to prayers, but it also makes me sad. Mostly because I love goldfish crackers. ha. I think the real test will be when I start to add gluten back in my diet though. So, we shall see! If you have any favorite gluten free tips or recipes or ideas, send 'em my way! In other news, my brother Jared and his wife Whitney came to visit, and she took some fabulous pictures of Braden and I. Whitney Owen Photography is the best :)