What a difference a week makes

Last week, things were falling apart. It was one obstacle after another: food poisoning, a frozen fridge, sewage backup in my bathroom and a broken down car. I was praying nothing else would happen, but of course, more things came up.

I had a medical appointment, and the doctor wanted to schedule a procedure. (I was not excited about that.) Then, I almost forgot to have my monthly labs drawn for IV nutrition, but praise be to God, I was reminded before driving 45 minutes home. However, the lab orders were partially rejected by my insurance company. I only was able to get some of the blood work drawn.

Next, my doctor messed up my prescriptions. One drug’s dosage was only one tenth of the amount I take. Another drug I was only given two tablets a day instead of three.
 

Then, I spent the week calling another doctor’s office asking for a prescription. After talking to the office seven times, finally at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, the prescription was processed at the pharmacy. And that was the turning point in my life.

Suddenly, things became better. This week, the procedure my doctor wanted me to have is on hold. I also found out the medical provider who is to do the minor surgery is one of my favorite people. He is highly skilled at his job. Also, a massive YouTube video ended up not being that much work. It came together much faster (and easier) than I anticipated. Additionally, I received a lot of very kind YouTube comments, which always make me smile.

It is hard to believe the difference between last week to this week. I hope this week I can get some rest.

I am praying not else happens…

The last few days have been chaotic. First, the refrigerator decided to freeze up. Everything had to be taken out of the refrigerator and placed in coolers. After the fridge thawed, the machine did not want to run properly. After a few restarts, the device finally started cooling off and has continued to run smoothly. Everything was returned back to the fridge.

Next, sewage backed up into my shower and overflowed my toilet. The smell was awful! Raw sewage was all over the floor and shower! I was dreading having to call a plumber and paying a lot of money to clear the line. But praise be to God, the blockage cleared when I tried to remove the cover over the shower drain. Then, there was an extensive clean-up. Everything seems to be working again.

Last night, my parents were using the car. When they wanted to return home, the car would not start. My dad tried using a car charger, but the car would not start. A tow truck was summed. After waiting 4 hours, the tow truck never came; the car was abandoned. After seeing my parents returned home safely, I went to bed and fell asleep around 2 a.m.

This morning, the tow truck was summoned again. Thankfully, this time it was there in less than 20 minutes. The car’s starter is not working. It had to be towed to the service station. The repair shop is really backed up with cars needing service. When we will get the car back is not known.

I am so exhausted. I am praying nothing else happens.

Weeping and Begging God. Then a MIRACLE!

Sometime in the last five years, I began following a young woman’s medical journey on Facebook. She is brave, but life has dealt her a less than ideal hand as far as her health is concerned. When an obstacle comes, she bravely puts on a stoic face and perseveres. She is such an inspiration.

Recently, an infection hit her body hard. It invaded her jaw, brain, hip, leg, etc. Her body was ravaged. The hospital where she was at was trying to help, but it was evident this young woman’s medical needs were far beyond what the hospital could offer. A request was made for her to go to one of the elite medical centers in the USA. A bed never became available.

Last week, the hospital gave up on my friend. They sent hospice in and said they were going to send her home. (She was being sent home to die.) I am not sure why, but I flew off into a hot rage! How dare this hospital treat this woman so poorly! They have dragged their feet over and over again, and the infection is spreading. Yes, it could end her life, but let’s see what the experts say at a world-renowned medical center.

I wept and sobbed. I cried out to God, “This is so not fair! Why is my friend stuck at that hospital? Why can’t she get better care?” I prayed and poured out my heart to God.

A few days later, I read an update. A miracle occurred. Her medical team decided she could continue to fight and should be transferred to the large hospital. My friend had been transferred and was seeing a plethora of specialists.

My sweet friend is by no means out of the woods. She had a VERY extensive surgery to get rid of the infection in her leg. She will have to have part of her jaw removed, have her jaw wired shut and wait for the infection to clear before going back in and fixing her jaw. She has a very long road to recovery…but there is a plan!

I have been praying for my friend day and night. I sincerely hope she is soon on the path to better health and this medical ordeal will quickly be nothing more than a distant memory.

A Forced Break to Deal with Unexpected Obstacles

For the last few months, I have been running on fumes. Every week, I plead with myself to get through another seven days. I beg for rest, but it never comes.

Late last week, I received a large packet in the mail. I have to re-certify my eligibility to receive my insurance. The process is long and tedious. It takes hours and HOURS to fill out the paperwork.

One part requires me to record my medical history for the last 12 months. I have little recollection of what happened yesterday, much less remembering all my medical appointments, tests, procedures, etc. for the past year. As I was scrolling through my hospital online chart, I paused to reflect back on my emergency department visits. I saw it has been a year since I was last plagued with severe blood clots. I did have some minor blood clots in June, but it was nothing which caused too much trouble.

That morning, when I woke up, I noticed my arm with my IV line (PICC line) was hurting. I shrugged it off. My arm hurts from time to time. I may have slept on my arm wrong. The following day, the pain was worse. On the third day, the pain in my arm radiated to my armpit and down to my wrist. I knew what this was—a large blood clot or multiple blood clots. I had to chuckle. Of course my blood clots are back at the exact time I am trying to get medical paperwork submitted and when I am reminded of all my previous year’s medical challenges.

I am trying to get my information submitted. I am also thinking about what I should do regarding the blood clot(s) in my PICC line arm. If I go in, they will most likely remove my line. If I do nothing, it will be a few weeks of pain, and I might be forced to go in to have the line removed anyway.

In the meantime, I have chosen to take a week off from my usual life. I need a break, but I also need the energy to sort out these unexpected obstacles.

Happy (Belated) 6th Anniversary!

As I look at the calendar, I realize the sixth anniversary for this blog has come and gone. Usually, it is a big celebration for me, but of late, I have been extremely busy. I hardly notice the date as the days pass by.

Six years ago, I wanted to chart my life's journey. My dear friend passed away. I wanted to do something which would honor her memory and also give me an avenue to express myself. I contemplated starting a YouTube channel, but who was I to make videos. I decided to begin writing a blog.

Now, six years later, I chuckle to myself that I ended creating a YouTube channel and filming videos anyway. I partially regret not having started my YouTube channels sooner, but it is also a blessing. I worked very hard on many of my blog posts. As I search for material for my YouTube channels, I often find myself reading my old blog posts. I am astonished how good my writing is. Some of my posts have become YouTube videos. It is a blessing to have so much content already finished. I just have to film and edit the video.

As I think back over the last six years, I could never have imagined what my life would be like today. A ventilator, tracheostomy tube, IV nutrition and an IV line keep me alive. Six years ago I said I never wanted to be attached to a machine, and yet, now I am attached to several machines all the time. Although my life has dramatically changed, I hope my love and devotion to God never fails.

A Long Hard Week

Last week was a week in which everything seemed to spire out of control. It was not anything one BIG thing, but several things. I had issues with my infusion company, my TPN was sent out late, I am supposed to get blood work done, but I do not have paperwork with the correct diagnosis code, I received a HUGE medical bill in the mail, etc.

I try to remain optimistic and hopeful, but the stress of everything wore me out. My body tolerates stress poorly, and now after having surgery on my pelvis, my lady parts scream out in pain when my body becomes tired.

I tried to go on a mini-vacation, but that too failed. I traveled to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy. There is a beach nearby. I thought I would get my medicine and swing over to the beach. I could look at the water and enjoy a few minutes of solitude. But, that did not happen. The pharmacy did not have my prescription filled. I spent 40 minutes waiting for it. By the time I exited the drug store, I was completely exhausted. My trip to the beach was aborted. I went home and spent the day in bed.

I am hoping this next week is a better week.

Arterial Blood Line. Let's never do one of those again!

Recently, I had surgery. Before my procedure, the anesthesiologist said she was going to place an arterial blood line into my wrist. The doctor promised to insert the line while I was asleep during the surgery.

If you do not know what an arterial blood line is, this is a needle which is placed into an artery. A line runs out of the artery and is connected to a machine. The machine monitors blood pressure. Arterial blood can be collected to monitor the levels of carbon dioxide, oxygen and electrolytes.

I have had a similar procedure done before in which a needle was used to collect arterial blood. It is one of the MOST PAINFUL procedures I have ever endured. I absolutely REFUSE to have my arteries accessed. I would have refused to have this arterial blood line placed; however, the anesthesiologist insisted upon it and promised to place it while I was unconscious.

The line was placed. I was glad I was not awake for it. Whoever inserted the needle missed on the first attempt. A second try was needed. The line was very painful. I pray I will never need one ever again.