(First, sorry this has taken so long to post! We have been without internet in our house and have been super busy outside of that so forgive me if things are a bit out of context but hopefully it will make some sense :) Also, I will post about Solomon Wickey soon too. It's just been so hectic lately I haven't had the time!!)
We have been in Florida since last Monday evening and have been to the doctor every day starting with Tuesday :) Its been early days and late nights every day but God has certainly been showing us His favor!
The blessings began even before the first doctor visit and haven’t stopped since. We are staying in the guest house of some new friends but as soon as we met they instantly felt like old friends. Don’t you love it when God places those people in your life?! Just knowing we have our own place to stay and friends to come home to each day has taken so much stress away and almost makes it feel like a vacation for a few hours each day. On top of that, Jacksonville is such a beautiful city! The weather has been high 70s and low 80s and absolutely ideal. In fact, I’m here writing while sitting on a large wooden swing hung from a gigantic old live oak that’s cloaked with Spanish moss. It’s mid morning and the suns rays are streaming through the branches in that magical way that makes you wonder why you ever stay inside. It’s a little piece of heaven and I’m soaking in every minute! Cloudless skies, sand, and Spanish moss…life is good! Ha.
So we arrived Monday evening and were beyond exhausted from the travel. It was so nice to curl up in a bed under warm blankets until I realized that I was only going to be enjoying this for about 4 hours… none the less, exhaustion soon took over and we all slept like a rock until the alarm went off. Seeing as the devil uses the same ol tricks to attack when you’re in God’s will, it was no surprise that he started by trying to make the morning as miserable as possible. I woke up with a fever, an incredibly achey body, and a stomach that was ready to heave at any moment. I got ready as quickly as I could but I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it or not. I felt terrible but after praying and asking God to remove this attack I started to feel better and better until all that remained was exhaustion. I could deal with that so off we went!
Since we had to be at the clinic so early we couldn’t really see what the campus looked like but after seeing the lit up fountain close to our building I guessed the whole place was going to be even prettier than the virtual tour! Ha. We pulled up to valet parking and then took our first steps into the Mayo Clinic. The facility looked just as we expected and there were few people there so early in the morning but when mom and I looked at one man we saw something we did not expect. This man looked so familiar, in fact we knew him…he used to go to our church!! It was the oddest feeling because here we are in Florida at a huge clinic and the first person we see is someone we know! Ha. We never actually got to speak to him but it was just a little more confirmation that we are in the right place.
Once we registered and confirmed my appointments we went up to the waiting room to see the gastro doctor first. Once we had checked in and sat down I started to realize that everything about this place was more like an airport than a hospital! The waiting rooms were huge, the check in looked like we should be checking baggage, there were ushers in uniform, and we had a ‘flight schedule’ printed out for my appointments. Only difference was everything was being followed exactly according to plan with no delays! We waited for just a few short minutes and then went back to have the first consultation of our Mayo experience.
Dr. Picco was the first doctor I saw because Ulcerative Colitis is the root reason for me being here. Most of what we talked about was my medical history so he could get to know my story and the whole consultation lasted over an hour! Ha, but it was wonderful. No rush, it was thorough in talking through everything, learning about possible new options as far as medicine…it was phenomenal! Dr. Picco is all business and he certainly knows what he’s talking about and is passionate about covering every aspect of the patient he is working with. I feel very comfortable and thankful to have him as my lead doctor.
With the way Mayo works you usually see more than one type of doctor. In my case I am primarily here to see a gastroenterologist but because of other health issues that are involved I am also now going to see a pulmonologist, hematologist, infectious disease doctor, and cardiovascular doctor. Piccco’s plan for me is to gather all the information about my health situation from the other doctors so that he can form a plan that won’t overlook any potential complications. Dr. Picco is considered to be the ‘quarterback’ of my team of doctors and we have come to see that he is greatly respected by everyone.
So, today’s orders were Dr. Picco, consultation, blood work, and chest x-ray, but now day one is finished and it’s back to the house to SLEEP!! Finally :)
We have been in Florida since last Monday evening and have been to the doctor every day starting with Tuesday :) Its been early days and late nights every day but God has certainly been showing us His favor!
The blessings began even before the first doctor visit and haven’t stopped since. We are staying in the guest house of some new friends but as soon as we met they instantly felt like old friends. Don’t you love it when God places those people in your life?! Just knowing we have our own place to stay and friends to come home to each day has taken so much stress away and almost makes it feel like a vacation for a few hours each day. On top of that, Jacksonville is such a beautiful city! The weather has been high 70s and low 80s and absolutely ideal. In fact, I’m here writing while sitting on a large wooden swing hung from a gigantic old live oak that’s cloaked with Spanish moss. It’s mid morning and the suns rays are streaming through the branches in that magical way that makes you wonder why you ever stay inside. It’s a little piece of heaven and I’m soaking in every minute! Cloudless skies, sand, and Spanish moss…life is good! Ha.
So we arrived Monday evening and were beyond exhausted from the travel. It was so nice to curl up in a bed under warm blankets until I realized that I was only going to be enjoying this for about 4 hours… none the less, exhaustion soon took over and we all slept like a rock until the alarm went off. Seeing as the devil uses the same ol tricks to attack when you’re in God’s will, it was no surprise that he started by trying to make the morning as miserable as possible. I woke up with a fever, an incredibly achey body, and a stomach that was ready to heave at any moment. I got ready as quickly as I could but I honestly didn’t know if I was going to be able to make it or not. I felt terrible but after praying and asking God to remove this attack I started to feel better and better until all that remained was exhaustion. I could deal with that so off we went!
Since we had to be at the clinic so early we couldn’t really see what the campus looked like but after seeing the lit up fountain close to our building I guessed the whole place was going to be even prettier than the virtual tour! Ha. We pulled up to valet parking and then took our first steps into the Mayo Clinic. The facility looked just as we expected and there were few people there so early in the morning but when mom and I looked at one man we saw something we did not expect. This man looked so familiar, in fact we knew him…he used to go to our church!! It was the oddest feeling because here we are in Florida at a huge clinic and the first person we see is someone we know! Ha. We never actually got to speak to him but it was just a little more confirmation that we are in the right place.
Once we registered and confirmed my appointments we went up to the waiting room to see the gastro doctor first. Once we had checked in and sat down I started to realize that everything about this place was more like an airport than a hospital! The waiting rooms were huge, the check in looked like we should be checking baggage, there were ushers in uniform, and we had a ‘flight schedule’ printed out for my appointments. Only difference was everything was being followed exactly according to plan with no delays! We waited for just a few short minutes and then went back to have the first consultation of our Mayo experience.
Dr. Picco was the first doctor I saw because Ulcerative Colitis is the root reason for me being here. Most of what we talked about was my medical history so he could get to know my story and the whole consultation lasted over an hour! Ha, but it was wonderful. No rush, it was thorough in talking through everything, learning about possible new options as far as medicine…it was phenomenal! Dr. Picco is all business and he certainly knows what he’s talking about and is passionate about covering every aspect of the patient he is working with. I feel very comfortable and thankful to have him as my lead doctor.
With the way Mayo works you usually see more than one type of doctor. In my case I am primarily here to see a gastroenterologist but because of other health issues that are involved I am also now going to see a pulmonologist, hematologist, infectious disease doctor, and cardiovascular doctor. Piccco’s plan for me is to gather all the information about my health situation from the other doctors so that he can form a plan that won’t overlook any potential complications. Dr. Picco is considered to be the ‘quarterback’ of my team of doctors and we have come to see that he is greatly respected by everyone.
So, today’s orders were Dr. Picco, consultation, blood work, and chest x-ray, but now day one is finished and it’s back to the house to SLEEP!! Finally :)
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