Hatchers Pass and Mommy's Checkup

We completely missed out on the daylight savings fun and missed church, so we decided to head out to Hatchers Pass for some snowshoeing. We really should have gone in bathing suits! It was so sunny and beautiful and we had to shed layers not too far into our hike. It was busy with other snowshoers and cross country skiier, a lot of snowmachines and a handfull of snowboarders and telemarkers. One little area was commandeered by families with sleds which looked like loads of fun. It turned out that Mia's little friend was on one of the sleds and it sounds like we just missed each other. We hiked up to the old Independence Mine. It was wild because the snow had us looking over the roofs which would otherwise be several feet over our heads. It was certainly a neat perspective.

Today I went back to the doctor for my checkup. Luckily he said that my pancreas and gall bladder felt normal and the tender area was actually over the stomach and is likely an ulcer or just reflux. Both can be taken care of with a Rx for Nexium so I'm pretty excited that my pancreas isn't going to explode. Unfortunately my rheumatoid factor (whatever it is in the blood they measure for RA) is very high so I have to see a rheumatologist. The one office in Anchorage won't take Tricare (can you blame them?) so I'll have to fly to Washington. That is still a ways off because the referral won't be finished for at least four weeks, and only after it is "done" can I make an appointment.

We are also in the process of getting Mia's referral for the eosinophilic program in Denver. Denver Children's is like the Cincinatti of the West and I have heard nothing but praise for their doctors. They don't just do a little one hour visit and send you back, more like DAYS and weeks. One family I'm in touch with said their last visit was three weeks long and worth every minute. I'm very anxious to see the difference in pathology reports since they eat, sleep and breath eosinophils. Their criteria for a biopsy is very strict and more uniform than what is usually required for an "average" hospital. The hospital here is ready for us to PCS to a place that has more options for Mia, and Denver is at the top of the list because of their Eos program and the fact that National Jewish is literally down the road (they are top notch in asthma and allergy, and the gold standard for severe eczema).