Another fine day...

...spent in the hospital.  At last, we have a semi-solid diagnosis--Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  I say "semi-solid" because there's a hell of a lot that medical science still doesn't know about this deal, hence its on-going designation as a "syndrome," which is doctor speak for "We know it exists, but we don't really know what the hell it is."  We now enter the lengthy process of figuring out which foods or food combinations trigger my flare-ups, so we can very decidedly NOT DO THAT EVER AGAIN!  The front runner seems to be garlic right now; don't ask me how this works, but every time I've ended up in the hospital recently, I've eaten something containing copious amounts of garlic some 6-12 hours before.  Coincidence?  Who knows; we continue experimenting to find out the best ways for me to live each day ER-free.

Check out the Spoon Theory at But You Don't Look Sick!

Meanwhile, it has been pointed out to me by some cyberfriends of mine that I am no longer just a Spoonie in solidarity with my late mother and all others affected by lupus, but am now a Spoonie in my own right.  A rather dubious honor, but I'm very glad there's a community out there that I can count on in such times.  For those of you who are not familiar with "The Spoon Theory," I suggest you click on the link above and found out all about it.  I also recommend all those who are on Twitter to take the little birdie's advice and follow @bydls (which stands for "But You Don't Look Sick!").  Even if you don't have lupus, fibromyalgia, Crohn's, IBS, or one of the other mystery syndromes that torment so many people and continue to baffle medicine, odds are pretty good you know and love someone who does.  We can use all the support we can get.