Now that the holidays are over, I am ready to talk about the holidays.

The week before Christmas was my fourth checkup with my doctor and it happened to be a pretty good visit. I got oats added back into my diet! Everything else was looking good, except for my immune system, which was still weak. That was fully confirmed when I developed a 103 fever two weeks after my visit and was on bed rest for the remainder of 2016.

Yet, getting sick was not the most difficult thing I went through in December. In fact, "the most wonderful time of the year' was a dreadful and emotional time for me. If there is one thing this Intestinal Candidiasis has taught me, it is that I have always revolved celebration around food. Now being completely restricted from a lot of edible items and having a difficult time finding alternatives for them makes me realize how much I cherish what I am missing out on. I get that it is only food, but it is heartbreaking to miss out on those beloved holiday traditional dishes.

Despite missing food, my body also took no break during the holidays. I spent most of Christmas in my room crying and itching, then sick shortly after. I did not enter the New Year healthy but I did enter knowing I am fighting hard!

The fifth checkup did not bring me any more great news or any advancements on my timeline. No new food as added back to my diet and I am up to taking three different pills after each meal: a vitamin, a hypoallergenic, and an immune booster pill.

We shall see what the sixth appointment has in store for me. Until then.