It's Been Awhile!

I cannot believe that I haven't posted here in almost a year... and I will make sure to update later about this past year and how it has been for my husband and I. One MAJOR change is that within a month after the last post I wrote, my husband found out from my pain dr. that he could have a procedure done (a Radiofrequency ablation) in his neck to help with his migraines. Well, he had it done in May 2012, and I am not kidding you, has only had one or two migraines since then. Praise God, what a MIRACLE this is!!! Not only did his migraines disappear, but he was let go from his very, very stressful job of working for my brother doing granite kitchens/bathrooms/you name it in houses, but after he was on unemployment and searching for a job, he got a NEW JOB that started right after Thanksgiving of last year! He now works nights at Safeway in the bakery department and truly enjoys it.

As for me, I'm pretty sure I had another shockwave treatment for a kidney stone right after that last blog and it went well. I am still battling all of the same issues, and unfortunately some new ones- I am now the one battling chronic migraines along with the crazy fatigue. I will be getting some tests done within the next couple weeks- MRI, x-rays, sleep study- and another back injection for my back problems. I am also trying to get off of the Prednisone STILL, am down to 2.5 mg's and trying to cut down, but it's very hard because my body is so sensitive that the Crohn's starts flaring right up even if I taper down really slowly. Luckily I have lost about 20 lbs. since last year and am continuing to lose weight just by eating less, since I can't exercise much with my severe fatigue. The fatigue makes me feel like I don't have a life.... but that's a whole other post. God is still good and I am thankful for the roof over our heads, my amazing, loving husband, my awesome, supportive family, and my friends who never stop praying for me.

I was going to fill out a survey but it is time for me to go to bed. I am a little better with my sleeping patterns than I was a year ago, but I still go to bed late, especially since I don't like to go to bed before Alex does (and since he works nights he usually comes home at around 3 a.m. and goes to bed at around 5 a.m.) but hey, it's nice that we are on the same schedule now!

I will write more later when I have some time and motivation. I hope to check in with some of my "blogger" friends too. For now, I'll leave you with a dorky picture of me and a bottle of Sparkling Cider on Christmas... gotta love it! ;-)

hiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee

Thought I'd say hi since I haven't really been in the blog world lately. I don't have a lot of energy at all, but God is good and I am so thankful to have my loving hubby and family, a roof over our heads, and all of our needs met daily! That being said, we would love any prayer we can get for my husband's chronic, almost daily migraines, and my issues with Crohn's (and all that goes with it), my back problems, and my sleeping/fatigue problems. We're having an especially difficult time finding and treating Alex's migraines. They seem to stem from his neck pains and he always gets them after sleeping, in the early morning. We've literally tried everything we know, but we know that God has all the answers and we're asking Him to give us wisdom and guidance in our health issues, and also in our finances. There is so much to write about, but so little motivation, lol.

On another note, if you haven't seen this already (which I'm sure most of you have), please watch this video. I care deeply about the people affected by this and pray that God's justice will be poured out!

http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Here's a small survey that looked like fun to fill out. I don't really keep in contact with blog friends anymore but I hope anyone who reads this will say hi; I would love to catch up with you and your blogs when I have some more energy!

1. If you could take your family and friends with you and move anywhere in the United States, where would you move?
I haven’t been many places, but I loved San Diego so much when we went for our honeymoon (over  5 years ago now!) I love the weather and the beach. So I’d have to choose San Diego or possibly somewhere in Oahu, Hawaii.

2. If you could have any talent, what would it be?
Hmmm… a talent that I don’t have that I want… I’d like to wake up and automatically be able to play whatever instrument I want! And play the piano better too!

3. What was your AIM screen name?
SpecialGirl101… hahaha... well, that was my longest-running one.  It was from my favorite song at the time, “Girl” by O-Town; my taste in music has definitely changed!

4. Other than your wedding or the birth of a child, what event in your life would you like to relive if you were given the chance?
That’s too easy, our honeymoon! It was just so much fun and we were healthy and happy and got to do so many awesome things and just be together! J

5. What has been the biggest surprise in your life? (This doesn't have to be deep. Just a fun surprise!)
What comes to mind is the fact that I met my husband in my hometown; I always thought I’d have to go away to college to find “the one”, especially since there are sure SLIM PICKINS where I live! Little did I know he was a friend of a friend and we had probably been in the same place at the same time at least once before we actually met…. Mysterious!

6. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
Well, “morning” for me is afternoon, because I have a bunch of fatigue/sleeping issues right now. When I do have energy to get ready, I have to go very slow because of no energy and it usually takes me around an hour-and-a-half.

7. What is the last book you read?
“A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty” by Joni Eareckson Tada

8. What is your favorite room in your house and why?
I would say our living room, because it has our comfy couches and our awesome flat-screen tv and my hubby and I like to watch our favorite tv shows together since we don’t have much energy most of the time.

9. If you could do it again, what is something you would change about your wedding?
Ummm I would’ve had our pastor at the time make our ceremony a little bit more personal like telling the story of how we met and our relationship, etc. and just  little things like making sure I got more pictures with my bridesmaids since a couple of them showed up with their dresses completely wrinkled and it was a disaster! Other than that it was the best day of my life and I wouldn’t change the way I felt on that day for anything in the world!

10. What is your favorite non-reality show?
Modern Family, Up All Night, White Collar, The Office, and Parks & Rec! They all tie! Oh, Grimm and Person of Interest too!

11. What is your favorite vacation spot (a place you've already been before) and why?
I love all of our family trips to Laguna Beach and SoCal at my grandparents’ house, but my favorite has to be our honeymoon in San Diego, I love that city! I also love our summer weekends at Lake Siskiyou, right at the base of Mt. Shasta, so beautiful and all of the camping fun but with a beautiful cabin to stay in at night! J

Happy Fall

Did you all have a good Halloween? Any good/funny stories to share? Alex and I carved pumpkins this year, and it was fun! His parents dropped off an orange and a white pumpkin with all of the carving tools & templates after we had been talking about possibly doing it this year, so we had no excuse, lol. My white pumpkin happened to be very round and hard to tape the pattern onto, and hard to photograph, and my hubby's turned out A-MAZING because he's such a perfectionist and definitely took his time on it! So mine looks like a child carved it. Oh well, it was still fun! Here are some pictures:

Taking all the gunk out... my wrist hurt after!

Hubby's kitty template

 

Poking the pattern into the pumpkin

 Carving my owl (I added the stars & moon myself :-)

 All finished and glowing!

My little owl

 I know, I know... hubster did an amazing job!

 Never carved a white pumpkin before!

 Meow.

One last picture of our carved pumpkins.

So, things have been going so-so with my and my hubby's health. My jaw pain ended up subsiding after a few days and I will be looking for an oral surgeon who would be able to take payment plans since we don't have oral surgeon coverage on our dental plan apparently. :-/. Other than that, our finances are just insane right now with Alex only being able to work a day or two a week, but God has been able to provide for us so far through our parents. We are hoping that Alex will get relief with our family friend who is a great massage therapist, and he will also be going to a greatly recommended chiropractor as soon as we find the funds for him. I would love to go too but we'll have to really pray about our finances! We have cut back on almost everything possible; We eat out pretty rarely, I make most meals at home, and if we do eat out, it is something that is just as cheap as eating at home, such as taco wagon burritos but taking them home and having our own drinks & chips with it, etc. I've been making some yummy meals that I've found online, and on Pinterest! (Add me on Pinterest if you haven't yet, I love it!)

Oh, today I finally got my spinal injections done again, and I'm hoping that it will bring lots of relief again so I can start exercising without severe pain! This horrible prednisone medication has given me INSANE stretch marks all over my body, and made me gain so much weight... I can't fit into 99% of my clothes. Part of what Prednisone does is make you store almost every calorie you eat, and it stores it mainly in your face and in your belly area. Some people also get what they call a "camel hump" which is fat stored on the back of the neck; luckily I haven't had that yet... knock on wood! I have never had a weight issue before so this is brand new to me, and I am having a hard time with it.  It's quite embarrassing when people who haven't seen me in a few months say "Wow, you look different!" (with an interesting look on their face) or "I almost didn't recognize you"... oh well, hopefully I can get further down on my prednisone dosage, although these last 5 mg's I'm on have been VERY tough; every time I go down by a little tiny splinter of the pill, I have major intestinal problems by nighttime.  And it huuuuurts. If you haven't heard of prednisone or are interested in what it does to the body, you should look it up on google! Prednisone helps a lot of people who have different inflammatory conditions like asthma, crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases, but the longer you're on it, the more bad, bad, bad side effects you get. So it's really a catch-22. Unfortunately all the other meds I'm on for crohn's disease aren't putting this active disease under control, and it's very frustrating. Please pray that I can get off of this stuff ASAP!

Well, I wanted to fill out this "Autumn Survey" I saw on another blog since I kind of enjoy filling out surveys, but I'll post it in a separate entry. Hope all of you are having a good fall so far, and don't forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday! (I didn't even know it was this Sunday until I saw it online yesterday, lol :-)

Surgery today

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've written anything! My health has not been good. The prednisone gives me crazy insomnia (so you think I'd have time to post a blog, right?) but I get so tired from not being able to sleep that I get into this half-asleep sort of daze and can't get anything done. I've also gained too much weight from pregnancy-like cravings from the medicine, and my face has swollen slightly due to what they call "moon face" from the drug... it reaaaaally doesn't help the moodiness to look in the mirror and see myself overweight. I have been slim all of my life so I am not used to it, and I feel so unhealthy, but hopefully I will be off of the medicine in a month or two as I taper down, and I can start walking again and eat less.

Today at around 12 noon I will be arriving at the hospital to get my largest kidney stone busted up into tiny pieces so it will be easier to pass. The surgery is called Shockwave Lithotripsy. My dr. is NOT going to place a stent this time, and I am praying and trusting in God that I will not wake up in any kind of major pain that can't be controlled. If you read this, please pray that the procedure goes perfectly, that my pain is controlled, that all the dr.'s and nurses do their jobs correctly and compassionately, and that I can go home on the same day, as scheduled and not have to stay in the hospital due to any complications or pain issues! I am so thankful for everyone and anyone who can send up a prayer for me. Although this past month has been one of the hardest for my husband and I healthwise, financially, physically, and mentally, we trust that God will bring us out of these hardships and that he has "plans to prosper and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future" (scripture from Isaiah).

I hope to be visiting your blogs soon and saying hello as I have met some really neat people through here. I better get some sleep, as it is 3:30 a.m. and I need to wake up at 10 at the latest! Bye for now!

~Melissa

Blessings and botox

My hubby got Botox today...But not for the "usual" reasons! (Not that I'm against Botox for cosmetic reasons, but we are NOWHERE NEAR the age to be thinking about wrinkles and sagging, and would never be able to afford this treatment if it wasn't covered by our health insurance.) Botox is now used as a treatment for chronic, severe migraines. So, he got poked a good 20-30 times around the head, neck & shoulders, and we're praying that in the next couple weeks, his headaches will go down in severity and frequency.

Last night was reading around over here and one of the projects this blog is doing is earning money for disabled people in poor countries who cannot even afford a basic wheelchair. One lady wrote about how thankful she was for her disabled daughter to have all of the opportunities for care, therapy, and having any/all medical treatments available here in America. I started thinking how blessed I am, even with all of my and my husband's health challenges at such a young age, to have access to many medical treatments that so many others do not have. Sometimes it takes months, years, to find a treatment or a medicine that works without having too many negative side effects, but we are blessed to be able to try them! I cringe when I look at the possible side effects of certain medicines I'm on, but I also know that without them I would not be sitting here on my couch.

When I think about how there are so many disabled people who do not even have access to a simple wheelchair and end up begging on the streets for money and food, unable to go anywhere unless someone carries them, my heart aches. I am so blessed to live in America. I admit that when I think of living in the U.S. and healthcare, I do not usually come up with the word "blessed". But you know what? It's true! I am blessed to have the health care that I have, even if I regularly pull my hair out over the expenses of it and the way that the insurance companies operate. I am blessed that my health insurance covers thousands of dollars worth of medicine & treatments that weren't even around 10 years ago! It is just a crazy thought.

So, to wrap it up, these were just my random thoughts for today. If you would like to learn about the Free Wheelchair Mission, visit this link. The blog itself (Life Rearranged) was really encouraging to find, because it focuses on having a place where people can come and share their stories of caring for someone with, or having Special Needs. Although I don't really fit into this category, it was inspiring to read a lot of these women's stories about everything they've gone through and how they still have hope through the darkest times in their lives.

If any of you have chronic health conditions, or children with special needs, I really recommend this blog. I do believe that God is good and faithful even through the hardest times in our lives. I believe He hears our prayers and answers them with His perfect timing, and I believe that the hardest things we go through can be the times that we can grow the most in our faith, our hope, and our perseverance.

I do apologize if I was rambling on and on as I am really tired and need to go to bed! I realize this was a rather un-entertaining post, but sometimes I just need to write about what's going on in my mind. I will try to incorporate more pictures and interesting stuff next time I post! :-)

~Melissa

I Can Eat Again!

I can eat some normal food now, thanks to God, everyone's prayers, and a little evil drug called Prednisone! Woo hoo! So glad for this after 7 days of mostly liquids-only. It gets soooo monotonous.  Yay for Costco rotisserie chicken and white rice for dinner! I'm hoping to continue on the path to getting over this flare-up and being able to eat more foods again, although I am still pretty limited in the foods I can eat even when I'm not flaring. Now, if this stupid new kidney stone will pass so I can get on with my life....

I saw this little survey on this blog, and it looked like fun so now I'm going to fill it out too!

 

 Survey Says.............

 

 

 1. What time did you get up this morning? 
Well this is embarrassing... but I've been having sleeping issues... I got up at 1:24 p.m. Yes. But I couldn't go to sleep until around 7 a.m, so I'm still really tired.


2. How do you like your steak? 
I don't eat steak. In fact, I've never even had a bite of steak. Not joking! I was raised eating vegetarian and certain meats just don't appeal to me, probably since I wasn't raised with them. My closest thing to steak would be eating an In 'N Out Burger, which I had for the first time a few years ago!



3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema: 

Ummm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.(My hubs
reminded me just now, lol)


4. What is your favourite TV show? 

It seems like all my favorites are either on break or have been cancelled, or the main actor has left (Steve Carell, nooooo!) but it was The Office, 24, The Middle, Modern Family, and White Collar for now. I can't pick just one! 


5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? 
Probably here, because I wouldn't want to be away from my family & friends. But, if we all moved to San Diego or Hawaii, I don't think I'd be upset! :-)

6. What did you have for breakfast?

Cream of Wheat. First solid(ish) breakfast in 7 days! No more Ensure for me!


7. What is your favorite food?
I love most italian stuff like eggplant parmesan, fettuccini alfredo, pizza, and peach cobbler a la mode, and so many things... I can't choose one. This seems to be a recurring theme in my survey. I can't ever choose just one thing!

8. Foods you dislike?
Raw onions, bell peppers, all seafood

9. Favorite place to eat?
Broadway Heights, Old Spaghetti Factory, Olive Garden, P.F. Chang's, Crush

10. Favorite dressing?

Well, since I can't eat salad anymore, it doesn't really matter... but I used to LOVE the italian dressing from Olive Garden! 


11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
'02 Toyota Camry. So smooth & comfy to ride in (usually my hubby drives when we go somewhere, I don't get out as often with my health these days)

12. What are your favorite clothes?

Honestly, my sweat pants and a tank top. If I am at home, you won't see me in anything else! I hafta be comfortable.


13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
An amazing tropical island like St. Thomas, also Hawaii, and Italy

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I think it's funny when people say "overflowing!!!" so I'll say, "overflowing!!!"

15. Where would you want to retire?
Wherever my family & friends are, but I wouldn't mind having some amazing scenery around too!

16. Favorite time of day?
Anytime besides waking up in the morning. ;-)

17. Where were you born?
Angwin, CA (Napa Valley area)

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
None! Well, only the superbowl because I try to find out about the players and that makes it more interesting. Oh, and maybe some gymnastics once in awhile.

19. What is your favorite fragrance?
It's kinda weird, but I love the smell of the plasticy blow-up rafts and toys in the summer, and the smell of my cats, and freshly washed sheets! lol

20. What is your favorite face cream?
I just realized that I answered this earlier as my favorite "ice cream" and then question #35 was that, so I went back here and had to change it! haha, I just use Cetaphil face wash and face lotion, works for me.

21. Favorite baby/kids products?
Don't know, I don't have kids yet.

22. People watcher?
Yep!

23. Are you a morning or night person?
Afternoon & Night.

24. Do you have any pets?
Yep, my two kids (kitties) Leila and Louie.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I'm able to eat a lot more regular foods now, after 7 days of  mostly liquids!

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
An astronaut, piano player, or a nurse.

27. What is your favorite memory?
Our wedding day and honeymoon week. best.time.ever!

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Both. But cats are easier and dogs need daily walks and a yard, so we only have cats right now.

29. Are you married?
Yes!

30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes.

31. Been in a car accident?
Ugh I don't like to talk about that kinda stuff... I feel like I'll jinx myself or something... but I just trust in God to keep us safe every day and keep crazy distracted people off the roads!

32. Any pet peeves?
When people chew REALLY loud at the movie theater (or anywhere really...), drivers who cut you off just to get one car ahead

33. Favorite pizza toppings?
Cheese.

34. Favorite flower?
They're all so pretty, and the good smelling ones are the best. Roses and star lillies come to mind right now.

35. Favorite ice cream?
Right now, vanilla soft serve, and that last bite w/ the plain cone and the ice cream, SO GOOD!

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Ehhhh Subway I guess, or Chipotle... can't eat a lot of fast food stuff... grease hurts me, and I can't have lettuce, tomato, etc so I have to be creative.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
No times

38. From whom did you get your last email?
I actually just got a reply e-mail from a blog friend, Hannah, how nice!

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Geez I haven't been out enough lately... how about Target!

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Went outside and walked around for the first time in a week... it sucks to be sick!

41. Like your job?
Fighting this wretched disease is my job at this point. And I'm not very fond of it!

42. Broccoli?
Can't have it now. Sad. I used to looooooove steamed broccoli w/ mayonnaise... I know, sounds weird... but it's goooooood! I miss it! :-/

43. What was your favorite vacation?
Honeymoon in Santa Cruz & San Diego!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?

Wow, it's been a long time since I haven't been able to eat real food... ummm... my hubster!

45. What are you listening to right now?
My hubs just turned to this old BeeGee's concert on tv, reminds me of when Jimmy Fallen and Justin Timberlake do that funny skit, have you seen it?

46. What is your favorite color?
I love teal blue and deep purple right now.

47. How many tattoos do you have?
Zero.

48. Coffee drinker?

Only white mochas and/or caramel frappuccinos sometimes; stuff like that. Never black coffee.

Hope you all have a relaxing Sunday and a great week!

Prayer Needed

Hey everyone, I just wanted to ask if you could pray for my husband and me. Alex wasn't even able to work his two days this week because of migraines, and even when he didn't have a migraine, he would have a full day of nausea/vomiting. As for me, I am having a huge crohn's disease flare up, and I'm having too much pain and bleeding to be able to manage at home. So I'll most likely be going to the hospital today. Please pray for peace & comfort (I hate the hospital and get lots of anxiety there from past experiences) and pray that my dr.'s will have the right treatments and also have understanding of my unique array of health issues.

My pain has gone down a tiny bit but it usually waxes & wanes, and when it gets bad, it's the worst pain I've ever felt all over my intestines. Like burning fire. And none of my pain meds help. I'm trying to be hopeful and I do trust in God, but I need lots of prayer and support right now.


Thank you all!

~Melissa

P.S. - unfortunately the hospital that I'll most likely be going to does not have internet access available to the patients (sooooo lame) but hopefully I'll be back on here soon.

It's Thursday, and I'm Alive...

At least, I think I am. It's 5:38 a.m. and I already got ready for bed, got IN bed, tried to sleep, read the bible a little, prayed, and here I am wide awake. I had to take some more sleeping medicine so hopefully it'll help soon... please? I need to get to sleep earlier than this! It's really been frustrating lately. Oh, and the 2nd part of the Daycation? Haven't had time for that in between all of this can't-sleep-until-7am business, the hubby-and-I-have-a-million-Dr.'s appointments combined, and not to mention I'm having some rectal bleeding issues again. And If I just grossed you out there, hey, it's a part of my daily life right now and it's really not pleasant, but this is my blog and I'll share about my butt if I want to! :-P haha. Man, it hurts though. If any of you moms out there have had hemorrhoids after giving birth, or just anyone has had them before, put your hands in the air, and wave 'em like you just don't care! Better yet, get a sitz bath and soak those suckers. Cuz that might actually help. Anyway,  this is kinda like hemorrhoids but about 80 times worse at the moment.

(This is from one of the amazing stores we went into on our "Daycation" in Old Town Sacramento.)



 Enough about my bum. I refuse to give it anymore attention tonight. I just need prayer that I can sleep better, at better times, and have more energy. A LOT more energy. Cuz right now I have about a 0.5 on a scale of 1-10! And I need to at least get up and do my chores! I need to exercise to maintain/lose the weight I've gained from my medicines and the side effects from them. Side note-We have been going on beautiful walks around the bike path right by our house that follows the creek, so next time we walk, I will bring my camera and maybe post some pictures!

Prayer for my hubby would be great too. He'll be getting Botox (yes, Botox!) injections for his Migraines next week and we're praying that it will give him significant relief, as he is barely able to work even 2 days a week right now. He also has a lot of different tests (blood test, sleep test, MRI, etc.) coming up, so pray that those would all go well and give accurate results. It's tough around here, but God is with us, and we do have eachother, and the laughter we can still have together carries us through day by day (and, of course, our family and friends...and our kitties. :-)