The Diagnosis

So, after all the tests, the official diagnosis is in and the diagnosis is that there is no diagnosis. My doctor is "stumped" (her words); she even asked the other doctors in her office if any of them had heard of a patient with my symptoms/test results and none of them had. So, loss of taste, SSB positive only bloodwork, and 1 out of 4 glands tested positive with enough lymphocytes (guess the other 3 didn't get the memo). All in all, a weird case. So, I am diagnosing myself as officially having HDM (Holly Danelle Medell - yes, my married name rhymes) Autoimmune Disorder. :oP

My doctor did prescribe me drugs, Paquenil, and said that I needed to get annual eye exams while using it. Apparently, in "rare" cases, vision loss can happen. She kept reiterating that it was a very rare side effect and I wanted to say, "Do you remember who you're talking to?"

In addition to the symptoms listed above, those suffering from HDM will have decreased patience (especially with children and bad drivers), an uncontrollable craving for ice cream and peanut butter M&Ms, hearing loss (though some call it ignoring annoying people), the ability to stump the medical community, and an over abundance of snarkiness. So until a cure can be found, take two Paquenil and invite Ben & Jerry over for lunch.

This 'n That

Alright, I admit it, I'm a bit of a reality tv whore, but I swear, I only watch the good ones! :oP Okay, good may be subjective, but sometimes bad is entertaining too. Lately, I've been tuning into Dancing With the Stars (a first for me), Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty. I'm honestly surprised by that last one too, but stay with me.

While I'm not a fan of Jessica Simpson, I don't have anything against her either. When I first heard about the show on VH1, I wasn't really interested, but then I thought, "Hey, let's see what defines beauty in Thailand," and you know what, it really was interesting. Jessica jet sets with her two BFFs, traveling around the world to find out each culture's definition of beauty and meeting people who may have taken it too far. We learn about the fashion, social stigmas, diets and spa treatments that are used by the locals and Jessica and her friends try them all out. Kind of a cool way to immerse yourself in culture while learning that what it all ultimately boils down to is inner beauty and self confidence. I swear, if you're not ready to don your bikini, rolls and all, by the end of the Rio episode, you need to keep playing it on repeat.
If you want to check it out, all of the episodes are on VH1. And yes, you will get some interesting commentary from Jessica, but hey, did you expect anything less? At least she didn't think Chicken of the Sea was canned mermaid.

I'm planning a whole other post on Jamie's show, so to touch briefly on Dancing With the Stars can I just say THANK GOD Jake and Kate are gone! Those two media whores make my skin crawl and I'm thrilled that I don't have to see Vienna cheering from the sidelines anymore. What is it with these reality tv stars that think they're such hot s&@! (Speidi anyone)? Seriously, what are you famous for, bad choices, bad parenting and acting like a dumbass? Congratulations. You should be proud. Now hurry and write a book before your 15 minutes are over. :oP

On to something fun, a giveaway and a Cookie Jar! I'm so excited because the Cookie Jar has gone non-profit and now the majority of proceeds are being donated to a charity of your choice. There was one Cookie Jar left from last month, so now is your chance to win those goodies, in case you missed it! To enter, visit The Mama Dramalogues post and leave a comment. So far there aren't many entries, so your chances of winning are pretty good! Also, be sure to check out this month's Cookie Jar; all kinds of new goodies.

Have a great day!