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You may e-mail me at bluelightningjeep@earthlink.net and I will do my best to reply. My medical bills are expensive, so if you feel like you would like to help in other ways, please consider donating to my transplant fund. Any and all support, prayer, and care is appreciated! National Transplant Assistance Fund for Carissa Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008 I saw Dr. Kareem again on Monday. My incision is healing well now, and he removed the rest of my stitches finally! I told him I am having liver pain after I eat and sneeze, so he told me I am not allowed to sneeze...!!!??? I also told him I had an earache for a week because of a virus I got three weeks ago, so he told me to stay to see an ear specialist on Tuesday to make sure I didn't have an infection or anything else going on. He did not want me to go to just my regular PCP! Even though I didn't think there was a major problem, I did see the doctor and he just noted a red throat and said probably my sore throat was radiating up to my ear and causing the pain. Spunky was excited to see me, as always, when I got home. He gets really depressed when I am gone! He has been out of his igloo and hyper all day today because I haven't been around to play with him for a few days! He would have kept me up all night last night if I let him! Pray for me as I am struggling with sleep right now. I don't know why, but I am waking up very early in the morning for a few hours, then crash again later and I feel extra tired when my sleep pattern is like that. It may be due to the changes in my Cortef. He did not make any further adjustments this time. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008 I came across this picture the other day online. It was taken by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when my story was featured in March, 2005 and again in Dec. 2005...three months before my transplant in March 2006. The second picture is of me with my transplant friend and twin sister :o), Gretchen, in August 2006. What a difference 5 months can make!
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 Well, I finally made it out of the house today for the first time since I got home on Monday. I managed to get to church and work in KidMin this morning! It was nice to be able to get out for a while and do something a bit more normal. I'm still struggling with extreme fatigue due in part to my recovery, but also because of the decrease of Cortef. Even though Kareem takes me down very slowly because it has such an impact on me, I can still feel the effects of decreased energy. Hopefully, I will adjust to the lower dose soon and my natural energy will be restored. Of course, I'd like it if there was a little extra energy attached! My mind is active and full of energy and things I want to do, but my body and energy levels are really fighting against that and it's really frustrating. I'd like to have just one day where I get up, full of energy, and can go out in the Jeep with my friends for the day and not feel so tired...one day to laugh hysterically, joke around, pull pranks, talk incessantly and loudly, goof off in the mall, jump around, play basketball and baseball, dance, and rough and tumble with my nieces and nephews. Spring is coming and the weather change does help, and I should be adjusted to my meds by then and fully recovered from the surgery. I hope to spend more time outside this summer and be more active and get some exercise. My incision is still trying to heal. There is still a fairly large opening and some drainage in about a 2-3" area of my incision. I am supposed to go back to Pittsburgh on Sunday for clinic on Monday, and I don't know if Dr. Kareem will need to close that area again with stitches and staples, or if he expects it to close eventually on its own. At least it no longer looks infected. I am fighting a virus, and had thought it was getting better, but just today I have developed an earache and sinus pain so I am afraid I have an ear and sinus infection! I'm still taking the Mucinex Dr. Kareem prescribed, and will restart the Afrin in hopes of clearing things up without antibiotics. Dr. Kareem does not like for me to be on antibiotics since I am so susceptible to getting thrush. On a good note, my back pain has significantly improved since the surgery, as has my abdominal pain. I am finally able to eat like I was pre-surgery, although I have lost a significant amount of weight. I realize that it's only been 4 1/2 weeks since a major surgery, but my mom and I both feel like it has been SO much longer so it's easy to feel like I'm not making enough progress. Actually, I probably am on track with my recovery for the most part. On Tuesday, my weekly Bible study starts up again (we stopped for the holidays and the recoveries of me and another groupie), so I am looking forward to that. I'll also be joining a new Life Group from church on March 1st which I am really looking forward to. I will begin developing a new G-PACT website soon which will be very cool and interactive, with Flash animations, video's, and a whole new look. We're looking at sponsoring a booth at the Oley Foundation conference in San Diego in June to reach out to people with gastroparesis. Please pray for my continued recovery and adjustment to meds, particularly for the chronic fatigue. Also, pray for safety as we travel back and forth to Pittsburgh frequently, and that my incision will heal properly without need of further intervention. Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008 Last Monday, the 4th, I got out of the shower and noticed that my incision was red and draining fluid and puss. I called my transplant coordinator in Pittsburgh. Dr. Bond wanted me to return to Pittsburgh ASAP, but since my mom was out of the country and I had no good way to get there, she told me to go to my PCP at HMC and have her take a look. She advised me to have my PCP call Dr. Kareem's cell # ASAP. I snagged an appointment for late Tuesday afternoon. After looking at the incision and seeing the drainage, she called Dr. Kareem who told me to come to Pittsburgh immediately for clinic on Wednesday. Since I halfway suspected this would happen, I had already packed and found a driver just in case. We arrived at the Residence Inn at 1 AM Wednesday morning...NOT the latest we have arrived on an emergency trip! Dr. Kareem did cultures of the site and told me to wait around Pittsburgh for results. Although it grew a staph infection, it wasn't too severe. He decided not to treat me with antibiotics because I am so susceptible to getting thrush. He removed a few more stitches from the areas that are healed. On Thursday, I developed a nasty cough and was sent for a chest and sinus CT, and blood cultures on Saturday to look for aspiration pneumonia, something I am highly susceptible to getting because of my severe reflux. Fortunately, my lungs were clear. I probably caught the virus in clinic on Wednesday! There's something about Pittsburgh that makes transplant patients get sick. We're healthy when we go, and get sick while there! On Monday, Kareem looked at the incision and decided not to remove the remainder of my stitches at this time because it is still red and draining. He wants me to return in two weeks. I'll be glad when I can start going back monthly or less! He also decreased my Cortef (steroid) a bit more, and started me on Mucinex and Afrin for my cold. My mom drove up Monday morning, packed up my stuff at the Residence Inn, then dropped by clinic to drive me back home. It's been an exhausting journey for both of us over the past four weeks. Hopefully, we are through the worst of it. The recovery time has been longer than I anticipated, but then the surgery was more extensive than any of us expected by the time they got in there. Overall, I am doing well outside of these little setbacks. I have lost a good deal of weight through all this and am back in the double digits, but hopefully now that I am back home I can maintain a better diet and regain some of that, or at least stop losing. Now, with my muscles closed AND the weight loss, my clothes don't fit AGAIN. At least I keep all my various sizes so I do have something to wear at all phases! Please continue to pray for my recovery, my adjustment to medication changes, and strength for my mom and time for her to rest and recover as well. My transplant funds have been depleted as a result of being in Pittsburgh most of this year so far, so please pray for provision in that way as well. God has always provided in the past! I would like to get a part-time job to help out with expenses, but it is not possible at this time! Thank you for your care and support over the years. Sunday, Feb. 3, 2008 Happy Birthday to Celeste, my "baby" sister who just turned 27 today! On Wednesday, my mom drove me to Pittsburgh and my older sister, Faith, picked me up on Saturday. Dr. Kareem removed half my stitches, as planned, and decreased my Cortef (steroid) very slightly. He would like to get my dose much lower, or get me off of it completely, to spare my bones in the future. Unfortunately, every time he tries to decrease my dose, I crash for weeks as my body tries to make up for that loss of energy. This decrease was so small that it is not having a huge effect on me yet, although I did sleep almost all day on Friday at the Residence Inn and have been a slug all weekend. Most of that may be do to the fact that I am still recovering, and the traveling back and forth. Plus, my blood count was low on Thursday so I received a shot of Aranesp to bring it up. Dr. Kareem says my incision is healing nicely. On a good note, I am finally almost pain free after eating for the first time in months! The past three days I have not had to take dilaudid for the severe pain attacks I was having. I am being fairly cautious about what I eat and am only eating a little bit at a time because I am still struggling with nausea, and to prevent the pain while I heal. I did eat a few onion rings on Saturday though...FINALLY...I couldn't pass them up. I'm supposed to return to Pittsburgh On Thursday, Feb. 14 to hopefully have the rest of my stitches removed. Whether or not I have a biopsy at that time is up to me and depends on whether I am having any rejection or thrush symptoms or not. I'm very bored, but still not up for much. I may try to tackle my Gamecube tonight for a while and see if I can wake up a bit! Congrats Giants! Way to go Eli! I love it when the underdog pulls it off! Even though I don't really care about football usually, I was glued to this game! Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008 My mom is leaving for Bogota, Colombia on Thursday. Since I need to go to Pittsburgh for clinic on Thursday, she is driving me up on Wednesday and my brother-in-law, Ben, will pick me up on Saturday to bring me home. Pray for my mom who is exhausted and will have to drive at least 8 hours round trip Wednesday to drop me off, then to Baltimore (BWI) on Thursday to leave for Colombia. She'll be meeting my dad in Miami who is flying in from Brazil where he has been for a week. Also, pray for me as I get around alone in Pittsburgh for a few days so quickly after my surgery. I lived there months by myself last spring and have no concerns about that at all. My only concern is getting around alone so soon after a major surgery because I need additional help with things right now. Fortunately, since I will be at "Hotel Transplant" (aka Residence Inn) there is shuttle service to and from the hospital, local stores, etc. I have friends in the area who can help if needed, and the "Hotel Transplant" staff is always very helpful too. I have been extra nauseous and having a lot of pain after eating, but it has been better the past couple of days. Pray that it will continue to improve. I do have some fluid buildup in my pelvis as a result of having the JP drains removed (this was expected) so that will probably have to be drained while I am in Pittsburgh. Dr. Kareem plans to remove half of my stitches and staples this week. I'm also still really wiped out from recovering and meds. Otherwise, things are moving along fairly well. I'm just anxious to recover, get back to my norm, and find out how much less pain I will have since the hernias have been repaired, adhesions cleared, and muscles closed. Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008 My mom and I arrived home around midnight on Thursday. After having taking dilaudid for pain at 10 PM, and the long day of traveling and clinic, I immediately went to my downstairs apartment and went to bed without unpacking anything except my meds for the next day! I figured my teeth wouldn't rot in just one night! It was nice to be back in my own bed and see Spunky. I did stay awake long enough to play with him for a while. I am doing fairly well. I am still having a lot of pain after I eat in my stomach and left side/back area because that is where they had to do the most repair work, and a little around my liver. Fortunately, occasional doses of dilaudid are helpful. My organs are still trying to wake up after the surgery, so I do have some nausea and vomiting, but it's manageable. Mostly I am really wiped out and weak from the whole recovery process and the meds. Overall, I'm doing well and trying to eat as well as I can because my potassium was low on Thursday and I've lost some weight, even before the surgery because of the hernia pain. I don't think that steak I want, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fried onion rings are in the picture yet for a little while though! :o( I have a good 15" or so vertical incision from my pelvis to breastbone with probably 30-40 stitches and staples. The incision is as long or longer than my transplant incision, except I do not have a horizontal incision this time too. It is clean and without leaks or redness. I have minimal incisional pain. Dr. Kareem plans to remove half the stitches on Thursday or next Monday, and the other half two weeks or so after that. I have to wear an abdominal binder for a while to hold everything in place. Hopefully, in 4-6 weeks the stitches and staples will be gone and everything healed well enough that I can stop wearing the binder too. Experience tells me that the incision will take several months to possibly a year to completely heal, but so far looks good. I'm not doing a whole lot right now but sleeping and watching TV, so I'm pretty bored, but don't feel like doing too much else. I am starting to mess around online some here and there, and hoping to start back into some of my other hobbies gradually as my strength improves, body heals, and I can take less dilaudid for pain. Thank you for your continued prayers, and pray that everything will work out well this week when I return to Pittsburgh.
Thursday, January 23, 2008
(Wayne here) It's about 9:00 p.m. and Sharon and Carissa are on the way home to Harrisburg! Carissa has to go back next Thursday (January 30) to have her stitches removed. Monday, January 21, 2008
Dr. Kareem meant what he said yesterday. Carissa was released from
the hospital this afternoon. He plans to remove half of her
stitches in clinic on Thursday. He said there is a possibility that
she will have a little fluid buildup in her lower abdomen that will
need to be drained, as well (JP drains were removed last night).
Blood work will be important as she transitions from IV minerals to
oral doses.
Dr. Kareem had told us before surgery that recovery would take a
week. We understood that to mean one week in the hospital, which it
was, but normally procedures in the transplant world take twice as
long as estimated. We are so blessed!
Sunday, January 20, 2008 When Dr. Kareem heard that Carissa was doing well
today, he said, “Let’s get her out of here before we make her sick.” But
then he promptly noticed that she hadn’t been given a unit of blood, so
an order was placed. Judging by his comments and orders, it will
probably be Wednesday before he really lets her leave the hospital. We
are thrilled with that possibility. Thursday, January 17, 2008
Carissa walked halfway down the hall today. Mom and a nurse were
available for support, but she was pretty stable. She also walked
to the bathroom and we're happy to say that her organs are working.
She was told prior to surgery that she would have to have a bm
before she would be allowed to eat. She's struggling with nausea
right now and isn't anxious to eat, but it is good to know that the
milestone has been reached.
We were still waiting to see Dr. Kareem when I left the hospital at
8 p.m. Carissa is hoping he will remove the NG tube (drains stomach
through her nose) and the catheter, and discontinue the heart
monitor. Making it possible for her to sit up or walk is a major
undertaking with all of the attached tubes. She also has two JP
drains, but those are probably not ready to come out yet.
Carissa needs sleep right now. She was moved to 12 South yesterday
which means she has a roommate, and the flow of nurses and aids day
and night doubled. Pray that she'll sleep in spite of the noise and
traffic.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 11 p.m. Dr. Costa met with Wayne (dad) and Sharon (mom) about 1:30 Tuesday afternoon to let us know that Carissa's surgery had gone well. They were able to repair the two hernias, remove scar tissue from her last j-tube site, and close three-fourths of the muscles in her abdomen. The surgery was performed with great care in order to avoid disturbing Carissa's beautiful and healthy looking transplanted organs. Carissa finally arrived in her room on 12 North about 4:30 p.m. It was great to see her smiling and responding to medical personnel. Naturally she was in pain, but was given a pump for Dilaudid which kept the pain under control. She's so thankful for it! Dr. Kareem checked on Carissa this evening and was pleased with her progress. Her incision looks great and there's no evidence that she ever had a hernia. They weren't able to close her muscles around her liver (just under her ribs) because the organs she received in her transplant were a little too large for her, so the muscles wouldn't reach. But now that her muscles do a much better job of holding her organs in place, Carissa shouldn't have the back pain that has plagued her. Carissa sat up in a chair twice today and she is able to move herself around to get more comfortable when in bed. It was wonderful to hear her tell Dr. Kareem that the pain wasn't as bad as after transplant. For some patients the pain is worse. Nausea is the greatest discomfort Carissa is dealing with now. She has an NJ tube to drain fluid buildup from her stomach which helps. Unfortunately, Zofran doesn't help much and the one drug that is helpful, Phenergan, is being removed from the hospital because of its side effects. Dr. Kareem encouraged her to tough it out. Jan.14, 2007 The testing today showed that I am thrush free, and the biopsy appeared to be normal. The week of IV antibiotics worked, and my bloodwork came back pretty good. Kareem decided to do the hernia repairs and muscle closure surgery tomorrow (Tuesday, the 15th) instead of Wednesday...(this was after I had eaten a big sandwich and Frito's when I was supposed to be on clear liquids the whole day before the surgery...I was glad I got that food in before I saw him since I wasn't allowed to eat yesterday either!). He said that repairing the hernia in my stomach is top priority, and he will go from there. I am supposed to be at the hospital by 5:30 AM (grumbling...). Dr. Kareem and Dr. Costa will both be doing the operation. Kareem had some other doctors with him in clinic today, and he was telling them about my life before the transplant, how I looked like an "Egyptian mummy" at 62 lbs, how he had to remove all my diseased small bowel before the transplant, then how I almost died from sepsis in the TICU before my transplant. He then commented on the pictures of me pre-transplant in the two articles in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2005, how I was a "picture/story of the year," and what a difference it is now. He always tells people to look at the pics in the newspaper archives to compare. He certainly has a lot to be proud of for what he has done for me. As I was in 7W on Sunday for my last dose of Abelcet, I was chatting with other Kareem patients, one of whom started coming to Pittsburgh two months after I did. She was commenting how she didn't recognize me until my mom walked in, and only then did she know that it WAS me. She hadn't seen me since the transplant. I told her that I hear that all the time. Dr. Costa was in the room at the time and just beaming throughout the conversation. I can't imagine what it is like for those doctors to see such dramatic results...bringing someone from the brink of death to a, not at all perfect, but much more functional and productive life. Please pray that the surgery will go well, that Kareem will be able to accomplish everything necessary (he said there is no guarantee), and that I will recover rapidly. I'm a lot more impatient with medical procedures than I used to be! My mom will update my site until I am able to get back on my laptop. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! Jan. 8, 2008 The surgery to close my abdominal muscles has been postponed. On Monday, when I went for biopsy, they found out I have thrush once again. I will be on IV antibiotics through Sunday, and Monday they will do another biopsy to see if it has cleared up. If it has, they will do the surgery on Wed. the 16th. Dr. Kareem noted another hernia in my stomach which accounts for the distention and pain I have in that area after eating. He said he will try to repair that too. The thrush and surgery postponement is is a letdown to say the least, but hopefully everything will go forward as planned next week. Please keep us in your prayers as we stay in Pittsburgh an additional week, and that the antibiotics will be effective the first time around. Monday was a long, but enjoyable day because many of the "oldies" from my transplant group were in clinic that day. It was a day of photo taking and catching up. It was exciting to see so many doing so well right now. We got to see Gary, Karen and Michael, Lester, Donna, Jessica, Angela, Greg, and others. Jonathan finally got his kidney transplant, so we are hopeful that after two years in the hospital and two multivisceral transplants, that he will be able to return to California in a few weeks. He is about 27, with two small boys. His wife and kids lived next to us at the Residence Inn for a few months last spring. It's encouraging that they are planning towards his eventual release. Please keep the family of my strongest prayer warrior in your prayers as well. We received a call early Sunday morning that Dr. Wendell Kempton, President Emeritus of ABWE, passed away as a result of melanoma. He has been one of my strongest supporters over the years, and will be sorely missed. The memorial service will be held in Lancaster on Friday and broadcast via web. They expect thousands of people to attend. He impacted the lives of so many people. Jan. 3, 2008 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My New Year's Resolution? I'm NOT making one! Why resolve perfection? ;) No seriously, I have a lot of GOALS for this year though. Some of them I wrote about in my Dec. 10 update. Most of my goals involve G-PACT. I made a long list and sent it out to the volunteers. The past few months have been incredible with G-PACT, and I see 2008 only getting even better. We are reaching out to so many people and I am so glad to be working on it once again. If you haven't been to our site recently, be sure to check out what we are doing and the many ways you can help! I received a call from a Medtronic rep before Christmas. Medtronic is the company that produces the gastric stimulator. We have worked closely with them in the past. I had planned to re-establish this contact, so I was thrilled that they contacted me once again! I guess one of my biggest goals for G-PACT is to receive another large grant from them. We are in the process of applying. I'd also like to see G-PACT appear on at least one major national network to help increase awareness of GP. I plan to start working towards establishing a G-PACT sponsored conference dedicated to GP in 2009. I am hoping to get speakers for the Oley conference in June. It would be nice to raise at least $50,000 towards our awareness campaign. In addition, I am working on redesigning the entire website. This will be a long process, but my new ideas are coming together and the new site will be even more interactive and include many more features! On Monday, I am scheduled for biopsy at 6:30 AM, then clinic, then my yearly DEXA (bone density scan) in the afternoon. I'm glad that Tuesday will be free because I will be tired! I am praying that the biopsy is clear, labs look good, and nothing shows up that would delay the surgery or make us stay in Pittsburgh any longer than we have to! No offense to Pittsburgh, I just like being home and will miss Spunky...:o( This is the last time I will update my site until I recover from my surgery, but my mom will post updates so you can follow my progress. December 28, 2007 Still hanging in there. I can't figure my gut out though...some days I dump, and other days I am all backed up. It's nuts! I don't have much more to say...status quo maintained. My biggest battle is fatigue and body pains. I hate winter! I had a good Christmas with my family...best one in several years. It was great to be with the kids and be able to actually play with them this year. I enjoy getting to know them better and how they always want to play Webkinz with me (except when I just want to take a nap!!). I got a nice back massage chair....SWEET, another Webkinz pet, new digital camera, beige cargo's, and a couple of Gamecube games! I'm entertained for a while. I made the unfortunate mistake of buying my dad the "Rocky Top" CD...I got a call from them when they were in Knoxville on the way to visit my TN family, and he had Rocky Top blaring on the speakers, and apparently my mom got to listen to the whole CD over and over the rest of the trip...my hope is that it'll be out of his system by the time he gets home, but, OH do I dread Football season!
Here's the latest picture of my best bud, Spunky. He is so cute, and
brings me so much laughter!! Please continue to pray for my surgery on Jan. 9. I'm really not looking forward to it at all, but I am hoping it will help me in a number of other ways. The thing is, now that I spend less time in medical facilities, it's SO much harder to go through any procedures or have any complications. Now I feel like it's a disruption of my life rather than just my life. That's a good thing though, and I hope it continues to be that way! Also, we still need some funds to help out with the expense of staying there and some of my medical expenses, so please pray for that to come in as well. December 10, 2007 Sorry it's been so long since I updated! A lot has happened, so this will be a long update. The day after the last update (June), I went in for a routine biopsy and it was discovered that I had severe thrush. So, we were not able to go home as planned! I began treatment for that, and three days later I went into rejection. I was admitted to the hospital and treated for that and fortunately I fully recovered! I was able to return home the following week, but was only allowed to stay home for two weeks. The three month plan was out the window unfortunately! In July I began having major problems with sweating, fatigue after eating, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and a feeling as if I had run a marathon after my meals. After testing for hypo and hyperglycemia, eventually in October it was determined that I have dumping syndrome. This condition often appears in post-abdominal transplant patients. As a result, I had to make some diet changes which include small, frequent meals, no sugar, no liquids with my meals, and some other things. I have had to learn how to modify my meals to cut out sugar, and force myself to only eat small portions in one sitting. The latter I am used to as a result of years of GP of course! I've been a grazer since 1994! Currently, I am doing pretty well. I am VERY happy that I no longer have my ostomy and can go out in public for the first time in years without bags, feeding tubes, IV lines, or being tied down to any medical equipment or having to drag around medical supplies! I still struggle with a lot of pain related to osteoporosis and probable fibromyalgia, and am very tired a lot, but I fighting through it. My biggest ongoing problems include SIBO (small bowel intestinal overgrowth) so I am on treatment for that on a regular basis. I'm still on 21 different meds 5x/day, but seem to be tolerating them well. My steroids have finally been decreased to a level where I am comfortable. Although I still experience shakiness, jitteriness, and confusion at times, it is fairly infrequent and improving. Since July, I have begun to get involved in various activities again and starting to rebuild my life. I jumped back into G-PACT as president/webmaster and the growth has been incredible. We have a number of new volunteers, FR programs, PR events, and incredible ideas and increase of awareness. The word is really getting out there, and G-PACT continues to be the leading non-profit battling on behalf of patients with gastroparesis. Check out our new activities at www.g-pact.org. In addition, I have become involved in a weekly Bible study with some friends, and joined the KidMin team at my new church plant in Harrisburg. I am a greeter...and other things! I work wherever I am needed right now, and I LOVE being able to interact with kids again. I hope that I will eventually become well enough to pursue my degree in Art Therapy so I can work with kids on a special level on a full-time basis. I also hope to begin working on illustrating some children's books again in the future, but currently my energy/healthy time is eaten up by G-PACT...my other passion and one which has more immediate needs! Recently, I've spent most of my "free" time playing Webkinz! Call it an addiction....!!! My other recent hobbies have included reading the "Left Behind" series, Gamecube (of course!), hanging out with Spunky (guinea pig), redecorating my bedroom (lime green paint!) and re-arranging it, cooking, and chillin' with my online friends. I had a good Thanksgiving and enjoyed spending time with my nieces and nephews. Starting in September, my doctors allowed me to go home for four weeks at a time. In November, I was told to go home until after the New Year! This is the longest I have been allowed to stay away from Pittsburgh since Dec. 2004! It's nice to not have to go so frequently and I feel like I can finally settle down and move on with my life. On Jan. 9th, I will be having surgery to have my abdominal muscles closed. Because they were not able to close them during the transplant, I have developed a hernia, I look pregnant, and it causes me a lot of back pain. Although the surgery is a difficult one, I am looking forward to completing the final surgery in the transplant process and hoping to receive some relief from my back pain as a result. We will be staying in Pittsburgh for 2-3 weeks for this operation. Please pray that it goes well and that God provides us with the money we need to stay, strength for my mom as my caregiver during this time, and that the surgery will be productive and not create new problems. My biggest fear is how badly I react to medication, so please pray that I will do well and will not need to take the medication that causes me so many nasty side effects. Thank you for your continued support and concern for my health. This year my biggest "thanks" on Thanksgiving was that I am grateful to be a year further than I was a year ago. It's always encouraging when I am able to start doing something I haven't been able to for years, or see any change towards improvement in my health. I am grateful to be alive and look back two years and realize what an amazing miracle God has performed in my life, and how far He has brought me since then.
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Life on a Feeding Tube |
