There is a very common yet rarely diagnosed genetic condition called Hemochromatosis. It can be serious yet it is very treatable. Here is what you need to know:

(Disclaimer: I am no doctor, only sharing my experience. I hope this helps to save a life!)

I always thought my healthy habits would protect me from any crazy diagnosis. I thought growing my own food, ordering fancy vitamins, and drinking lots of water meant I was bullet proof. I guess I also thought I was in control.

Hemochromatosis, it’s a genetic blood disorder where your blood holds onto more iron than it should. And I have it. There is nothing you can do to prevent it and nothing you can do to cause it. It is inherited.

Suspecting I had a food allergy, my doctor decided to do some blood work. Thankfully he also did a complete iron panel (not regularly checked). My iron levels came back WAY above the normal range. There are very few reasons anyone’s iron would be elevated, and the most common is hemochromatosis.

When my doctor asked me if I had ever been tested for it, I just said, “Hemo chroma wha????”

He ordered another blood test where we discovered I do indeed cary one gene copy of this genetic condition.

I (naturally) read EVERYTHING i could possibly find online, bought a book about it, and annoyed my doctor until I finally got some answers.

I figured having too much iron was a good thing. But I was wrong. When it comes to iron it is all about balance. When there is not enough you become anemic and your blood doesn’t have enough iron to perform properly. When you have too much your vital organs (mainly your liver and heart) are essentially poisoned and it can eventually be fatal.

The good news is it is super treatable! Just by donating blood!

But for me it wasn’t that easy. My Ferritin (bound iron) was on the low side of normal and my iron saturation was high. So giving blood would just aggravate the issue. The good news is my fasting blood work was MUCH better than my non fasting which is a clearer picture of my levels. I also only have one gene copy making the possibility of me getting “iron overload” less likely. For now the doctor just wants to monitor my diet and have regular lab work to watch my iron levels. Typically this condition is not discovered until patients are much older, if at all. I am fortunate to be aware of this in my young 30’s so we can be proactive.

How does this apply to you?

The main thing I have found is how common this is yet how RARELY it is diagnosed. In fact 1 in 4 people of Caucasian decent has at least one gene copy. Yet it is often labeled heart problems, arthritis, depression even diabetes.

The symptoms are very vague (another reason it is so commonly misdiagnosed) but include: feeling tired, achy joints, constipation, bronzing or “melasma” of the skin, and feeling depressed. Lots more info here.

Unless you are anemic be cautious of taking any multi-vitamins with iron. Women’s multi vitamins, especially pre-natal are LOADED with iron. Most women do need more iron than men but eating a healthy diet is typically an adequate supply.

Next time you have a check up ask for a COMPLETE iron panel. Not just your hemoglobin but your iron saturation, total iron count, ferritin etc.

Statistics show that people who donate blood on a regular basis (men in particular because they don’t have a monthly cycle) are 25% less likely to die of a heart attack. I am willing to bet this is the reason why!!

If you do not discover you have hemochromatosis and it goes untreated there is a high risk of liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, and others.

If you find out you have it early enough and it is properly treated, those who have hemochromatosis will live a long and healthy life.

Despite my original FREAK over the situation it is really a very good outlook.

My goal in this post is to educate as many people as I can so they can help prevent serious results from such a treatable condition! Tell your friends and get your iron checked, it could save your life!

Hereditary Hemochromatosis, what you need to know

I don’t think I ever knew how much my mom loved me until I had kids of my own.

My mom is pretty amazing. She won’t let me spend money on her for mother’s day but I can at least tell her how much I appreciate her!

She drops everything and drives 3 hours to help if I need her.

She has an amazing ability to rid stains from our kids clothes.

She has TONS of energy. I thought I was an energizer bunny but I think she has me beat.

She never pays full price for anything.

She LOVES to watch our kids (both of them) for a week at a time…AND take them to theme parks…both of them…Yea it’s pretty awesome.

Our girls think she is the coolest

And I have to agree

Happy Mother’s day mom!

To my mom on mother’s Day

There is this really annoying yet oh so true verse in James that reads, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” James 2:1

I recently had a first hand experience as an amazing 4 year old girl helped me to find joy in the trails.  

It started as a fun evening dip in the kiddy pool.  The girls best friends and next door neighbors had come to join us.

Then we headed to the back porch for popsicles.  Hannah and her best friend Amy were sharing a chair.  I was right there beside them.  I must have been watching the younger two when all of a sudden I hear a SMACK on the concrete slab.  Hannah had for some reason stood up in the chair to reach for something, lost her balance and fell on her head.

We immediately called the after hours nurse.  While I was on the phone with the nurse hannah started getting very sleepy, then she vomited.  The nurse said she would have the doctor call me.  A few minutes later the doctor called and told us to let her sleep, if she vomited several hours after the event it was probably something more serious and she needed to go to the ER.

Two hours later (9pm) I woke her up, she answered all our questions, seemed fine and went back to bed.  At 11 pm, she got sick again.  We called the nurse back and she said we should go to the ER.

Bryan insisted I stay and get some rest and he would take her.  I was nervous but I knew he would take good care of her.  At 1 am he called me to let me know some very scary news.  Hannah had a skull fracture and her brain was bleeding.  They wanted to transfer her to a more capable hospital an hour away.

I think I went into shock.  I only had that experience once before when I was in a car wreck in college.  I started FREEZING and shivering like crazy.  I packed my bags, woke up Ava, and got to the hospital all in about 10 minutes.

Bryan took Ava back home and I got in the back of an ambulance beside our baby girl to travel to the hospital.  This was my sweet but scary view:

I know this picture looks scary but she was not unconscious.  She was just trying to sleep it was around 1 am after all.

My emotions were going crazy, I was on adrenaline overload, I wanted to cry and throw up but I know I had to be there for her.  In this time, when I needed it most, Hannah taught me something precious.

I leaned over and asked, “What do you think about all this Hannah?”

“This is cool!!” she responded.  My nerves were immediately calmed.

When we arrived at the hospital the doctors were talking back and forth about fractures and bleeding and all this scary stuff.  All I could do was watch.   Hannah sweetly and calmly answered all of the nurses questions.  She obediently lifted her arms, moved her legs and did everything they asked her to do.  She had the staff fall in love with her.  Nurses were bringing stickers and any type of goody they could find.

After a few hours of test, poking, and prodding it was silent in our little section of the ER.  And Hannah was finally able to get some much needed sleep.

At about 6am we finally got a room.  She was first admitted to ICU

But she was doing so great we got a regular room that same day.

The doctor said her injuries would not require surgery and she would be totally fine!!!

We had to stay in the hospital a total of two night but our amazing little trooper is now home.  Besides getting sleepy early she is acting totally normal.  Our only problem now is trying to convince her to take it easy!!

It was quite a journey.  Today you never would have guessed our little trooper was in the hospital just a few days ago.

So what has the scary experience taught me?

1) I have a whole new respect for parents of children with major illness.  We saw so many children facing much larger giants than a skull fracture.  I passed by this mom wearing a shirt that said, “My son is my hero”  When your watch your baby go through such things…I get it now.

2) We have AMAZING friends.  We had so many people reach out to us during this scary time.  I now know how important it is and will make sure I am more intentional about checking up on people in the hospital.

3)  The little things matter:  Child life specialist, a job I hardly knew existed are some of the most amazing people on the planet.  Their job is to help kids feel more comfortable in the hospital.  They answer children’s questions about being in the hospital, then ask her about her favorite toys.  A few moments later they come back with toys!!!  They are priceless!  This made Hannah, and mama, grin from ear to ear.  I could go on and on about what a wonderful impact they made while we were there.

On a side note there were also two retired men who came around every friday doing magic tricks for the kids.  They humbly said they do this because they can only play golf so much…but they make more of an impact than they know.  I am telling everyone who will listen about how happy these two groups made us feel.

4) God made our bodies as incredible machines:  Hannah had a skull fracture with internal bleeding.  It sounds very scary, yet outside of some pain and anti-nausea meds there is not much doctors can do.  Her precious little head will heal on it’s own, good as new.  I’m impressed God.

5) Hospital food isn’t so bad

6) Family members freak out when you call at 6am

7) It takes a while for your body to “de-stress”  I have been doing lots of deep breathing the past few days.

I am not in control.  While part of me wants to construct a giant hamster wheel for her to live in protected from everything around her.  I know that is not feasible.  She is God’s daughter before she was mine.

This is something I never would have wanted, and never want again, but God always uses these situations.  I have learned a lot.  And this little girl…is my hero:

What our 4 yr old taught me about the scary stuff

I have the wonderful opportunity to guest post over at Life Lived fully today.  

Lindsay, the heartbeat behind the blog, has quickly become a dear friend.  She is beautiful, hilarious and is all about keeping it REAL (which I love).

Some come check out her blog and read “Cheating when it matters most” 

And as a little order of business…CONGRATS to Tina who won the Spirit Led parenting book!

Cheating when it matters most

I wish someone had told me…

If only I had known….

How many times have I said that as a parent?  I read the manuals and got as much advice as I could but this parenting thing is different for everyone.  Every child is different. Is there grace as we try so hard to be the best parents we can be for our children???

There is, and now there is Spirt led parenting.

Megan from Sorta Crunchy and Laura from in the Backyard have teamed up to write a book that I am totally in love with.  The title is spirit led parenting and it is just that.

There are so many rules from so many “experts” in the field of parenting.  From baby schedules and temper tantrums to sleep rituals and discipline there are million opinions on the “right way.”  But the truth of the matter your right way may look totally different than someone else…yet they are both right.

Who has all the answers for YOUR situation?  Your creator.

God created us, and our children.  Our relationship was no accident.

My favorite part about this book is the incredible FREEDOM it allows for you to be YOU and to be the parent that GOD DESIGNED.  No more mom guilt!

The authors share right from their own personal stories and struggles.  It is like having coffee with girlfriends and getting some of the best parenting advice you have ever had!  This will be a new favorite gift to expecting parents!

And one lucky reader gets to win one today!!!

Leave a comment about why you would like this book.

For extra entries, share this on your Facebook or twitter and leave a message or tag me @imperfectpple to let me know you have entered.

Winner will be announced Sunday April 29th

Best of luck!

Delighted to be part of the Spirit led Parenting  blog tour:

• 4/10 Gypsy Mama, Mama Monk, Little Hearts Books
• 4/11 Sarah Bessey
• 4/12 I Take Joy
• 4/13 Love Well
• 4/14 Joy in this Journey
• 4/15 The Stanley Clan
• 4/16 Simple Mom, Life Your Way
• 4/17 Lifenut
• 4/18 Fried Okra
• 4/19 The Pilot’s Wife
• 4/20 Nish Happens
• 4/21 To Think is To Create
• 4/22 It’s Almost Naptime
• 4/23 Keeper of the Home
• 4/26 Imperfect People
• 4/27 Simple Organized Living

Spirit Led Parenting book review

If someone had to describe the way I treat my family and friends what would they say?  I want to live intentionally making every moment of this life count.  But it is certainly easy to get caught up in day to day and not make time to live intentionally.  

I want to be an encouragement to those around me, especially my family.  But where to start?

If you are like me, a little help is always nice.

Passionate Homemaking posted these 7 amazing links with enough ideas and encouragement to last years!

Ideas for your family, small group, kids, etc.

15 Little Ways to Bless Your Husband
12  Ways to Love Your Husband Without Saying A Word
Take the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge
Reaching Out to the World from Your Doorstep
100 Ways to be Kind to Your Child
100 Ways to Have Fun with Your Kids
100 Ways for Your Family to Make a Difference

I “pinned” these for future reference.  Have fun living intentionally and being a blessing!  

300+ ways to be a blessing to others

With spring cleaning in the air it is a good time to thinking about Christmas???

Well not exactly.

Here’s the thing:  In our country we have a LOT of stuff.  Stuff we take for granted.  Stuff that, to us, is just…well… stuff.  Yet it could be used to make a difference to someone half a world away.

Starting in Januaury of this year I started a little, experiment if you will.  It seems we have a lot of brand new stuff coming into our home that we do not neccisarily need.  I’m talking about birthday party favors, duplicate gifts, and gifts in excess from grandma.  I started a pile in my closet (on the top shelf) of “shoebox” items:

Operations Christmas child is a project from Samaritans purse that collects shoe boxes filled with Christmas goodies for children in 3rd world countries.

Children like these who dig through the landfill located right beside their village.  This sweet boy digs through the trash to find something to sell or even to help build their home.  But when you are surround by poverty, there is not much of value thrown away.

For some reason I am living in a 1st world country with an over abundance of stuff and this boy is digging through the trash.  I have so much stuff that I often throw away that would be a joy to someone else.  What is wrong with this picture?

I am trying to re examine my “trash” to see if it could be used to bless someone else.  So far I have collected several toy balls, pens, pencils, flip flops, some costume jewelry, a recorder, a kaleidoscope, playing cards and a few brand new shirts (not pictured).

I hope to have several boxes by Christmas time and divide toys, clothes, and school supplies evenly.  The picture is not what I will send but just to show the collection so far.   I am pretty excited about all of the stuff that we no longer need that can help make a child smile!!  For all the legalist, don’t worry i will still buy several things to make sure every box is even and more than anything stuff the children need.  But in the mean time can I get a woot woot for less waste, and more giving!!!

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Giving more and spending less

Did you know the National Gardening Association estimates an average gardening household experiences a 750% average return on their investment!

That means if you spend $50 getting your garden ready this year you could harvest $375 worth of fresh produce!!

So many people want to have a garden but they don’t know where to start.

I have the super exciting opportunity to guest blog at Sorta Crunchy today where I list several frugal and EASY ways to help ANYONE have a garden.

Come on over to learn some easy and frugal tips to help you have your ideal garden this year!!

Click here!

So ya wanna have a garden…

There is this song by Kutless that has been on “repeat” in my head the past few days.
The part that gets me the most are these words:

“If only my one heart
Was all you’d gain from all it cost
Well I know you would have still been a man
With a reason
To willingly offer your life”

Every word I try to type I delete because it doesn’t seem significant enough. But here is my best shot:

All the sin of all the world placed on a perfect sinless sacrifice. A blameless and perfect man who loved us so much he said, “no don’t punish them, punish me instead.”

I am in awe.

He went to the cross…WILLINGLY…even for me, even for you.

Even for when we are “too busy” to sit at His feet.
Even for us when we feel like God is a million miles away.
Even for when we think we are not good enough.

If your one heart was all He gained from all it cost He would STILL willingly offer his life.

He said the same thing in Matthew 18 when he mentions leaving 99 sheep just to find the one that had wandered off.

2000 years ago the God of the universe yelled with all his might that YOU ARE WORTH IT!! I am so in love with you, you matter so much! Even before the world knew you, I knew you, and I love you!! You are perfect to me!!

We couldn’t pay the high price of sin even if we tried so he came down and defined love right then and there.

I am in awe

“Your body’s the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine”

If only for one

We were stuck at home all day on a rainy Saturday.  No real plans, just a family day at home.

Running through my mind were all those blogs that talk about their blissfully perfect family time where they all laugh in joyous harmony together as they play games and make cookies.

As soon as my feet hit the floor that morning I was excited about a “perfect” family day together.

Our day started with a few errands, only to realize my car had a flat tire.  My husband was stuck having to fix that while the kids and I took his car on our errands.

Then the rain started.

I UBBER excited about the opportunity to guest post today at Sisters in bloom. 

Please follow me over there for the rest of the story. 

A glimpse into my “perfect” day