Thank you Jesus...

For my health! I was thinking today about how around a year ago, is when I had all of my stomach issues that I thought would never end. Thankfully, it did end, without any reason. I am not complaining that we never found out what was wrong, but it still kinda bugs me that I went through all that and I never found out what was wrong!!!

About a year ago, I started having really bad cramps at random times during the day. Not like girl issue cramps but like stomach cramps. Now, the stomach bug was going around my school - all the teachers had it, and all the students had it. But I wasn't throwing up, it was just really bad cramping. I remember laying on my classroom floor curled up in the fetal position while my kids were at P.E. many days. I remember popping in a movie at the end of the day because I couldn't even stand up to teach from the pain. I remember being so irritable with my kids because I was in so much pain. I remember telling them that "Ms. Alfano's tummy hurt really bad". The cramps went on for WEEKS. They were so random, I tried to cut things out of my diet that I thought were causing it...I tried OTC medicine, everything I could to try to make it go away without going to the doctor. I hate the doctor. I never really have gone to the doctor for much of anything. I remember I got really sick (with a bad cold) in high school and I went and they terrorized me to get a strep test only to find out it came back negative. After that incident, I never went back. Mom never really took us to the doctor when we were growing up. We usually just stuck it out unless it was really bad. Anyways, I guess that's where I get my not wanting to go to the doctor from. Well, in this case, the doctor was necessary. I felt like I was depriving my sweet 1st graders from learning because I was in so much pain. Not to mention, I was in so much pain. So, I finally went to an Emergi-care place here in Tuscaloosa one day after school. He couldn't really decide what it could be so he gave me some medicine to try. Well, a few days later, it went from bad to worse. I started dry heaving which turned into throwing up every day for 6 days straight. At first I thought it might be the stomach bug and all the cramping from the previous weeks was just leading up to it. But then it went on, and on, and on. Everytime I thought I was getting better, I would go downhill again. I missed school that Friday, then thought I was better on Saturday but couldn't even make it out to the tailgate. Ty and my mom were making me eat so I wouldn't get dehydrated but eating was the LAST thing I wanted to do. I would cry everytime they made me eat. And they were making me eat PLAIN rice, PLAIN toast, and PLAIN baked potatoes - disgusting. Sunday rolled around and it still wasn't better so I decided to stay home from school again on Monday. Again, Monday came and I thought I felt better....then my head ended up in the toilet again. I tried to go to school Tuesday and was MISERABLE. I remember I go back from lunch and felt myself getting sick again. I ran across the hall and asked the teacher to watch my kids and I went to the bathroom - My principal sent me home and told me not to come back on Wednesday...lol. I FINALLY made another doctor's appointment on Wednesday in Birmingham. The doctor sent me to the hospital to get a sonogram done because they thought it could be a cyst on my ovaries. The test came back negative so he set me up with a stomach doctor who ran some tests weeks later (again, at the hospital) to see if I had a stomach ulcer, which also came back negative. By Thursday, I finally returned to school, VERY VERY weak but my head was out of the toilet. :) It took me probably a week or 2 of eating plain stuff to get my stomach back into the swing of things. I lost alot of weight because I didn't really eat a meal for a week straight. It was BY FAR, one of the worst weeks of my life and we never figured out what was wrong with me. I remember crying and crying to my mom and wondering why God was putting me through all this pain. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't stand up and walk for more than 5 minutes because I had NO energy because I wasn't eating anything and what little WAS going down, was coming right back up. All I could do was lay there and cry. And yes, I did throw myself a pity party. And I think I well deserved it. Now, you might be wondering why I am writing about this, well, its to say...THANK YOU JESUS FOR MY HEALTH! I am so thankful that I have been healthy since then and nothing came from that spell of stomach issues. I am so thankful I have been healthy this school year (so far) and pray I continue to be! Thank you Jesus!!!

Oh and I have 2 SWEET stories about two of my kids after I finally came back to school. I had a parent conference the day I got back and the mom said that her little boy was in the car one day that week after school and he put his head down and closed his eyes. When his mom asked him what he was doing, he said "I'm praying for Ms. Alfano, she doesn't feel good." (that makes my heart melt)

The other story was with another one of my sweet little boys. He came home from school that week that I was out and asked his mom where I lived. She said she didn't know and asked why he was asking and he replied, "Ms. Alfano doesn't feel good, we need to go to her house and check on her." (again, melt my heart)

I just LOVE the innocence and sweetness of little kids.....

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These pictures have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with last year and my sickness....they are just some pictures from life recently!!! Enjoy...

my little sassy pants!

Ok, you know he looks like the Bear.....

My roommate, Brooke and I

My love!