Here We Go Again…Maybe: Update January 20th ish-30 ish

Remember, its in the depths of your self that God waits to meet you with transforming love.

~David G Benner "The Gift of Being Yourself"

WOW, I feel like I could start all the updates with WOW! Yet each week, God keeps meeting me where I am. It’s a pretty wild rough ride, but I am amazed at my Father in heaven.

As I mentioned in the last update, I have been dealing with Covid. It was pretty bad and didn’t feel like a bad cold, it felt like death. One time I went to the hospital, they put me

in this room and turned on this large and loud machine. Then they left me for a long time, what felt like forever. I was coughing so badly sometimes I couldn't catch my breath. Saying this in a very vulnerable way, I thought about my aunt and how this must have been so scary for her, it was scary for me. It made me sad to think about it, BUT I thought about how God says He is with me, and He goes before me. He meets us no matter our situation, whether it be in a hospital or in our own room. It still hurts to think of so many lost and how scary that must have been, BUT I have to believe, He has met all my loved ones in there time of need, in their time of scariness even unto death. What a beautiful and comforting thing to know that about God's presence of those who have gone on before me.

Back to stupid Covid. I was extremely sick for almost three and a half (plus) weeks. I had a low-grade fever most of that time, sometimes I felt so hot I laid down on the kitchen floor to try to cool down. I coughed all the time, so much so I would get dizzy and feel as though I was going to pass out. My O2 hit 70 and the 80’s, but 83 was the average O2 numbers for a while. I did haven O2 that would get up to 93-94 though. Again, in all the times I went to the hospital, it was never even mentioned that I use an O2 tank or anything else. There was so much more that I won’t go into with Covid.

Finally, we went to a hospital in Elkin to see if they would give me the antibodies.

They said they were in such short supply that they had already given out their allotment for the week. That’s insane that they are so regulated with lifesaving possibilities. Anyway, while there they did a chest X-ray, a lot of bloodwork, and hung a few antibiotic bags and fluids. They found a spot on my left lung landing me with Covid pneumonia. (Which makes sense with how sick I was with no improvements.) The ER doctor prescribed a certain medication he called “The Covid Meds, that will stop Covid in its tracks.”

The next morning Mom called several places, but once again all the pharmacies and

such were out because they were only allotted a small supply each week. The pharmacy mentioned another med similar to the prescribed Covid medication. So, my Mom called the

hospital to get a new script. She then had to call several pharmacies to try to find this similar medication. She finally found the medication out of town. Unfortunately, though the snow

had iced over some of the roads, but my Mom and Dad made their way to that pharmacy and back safely, praise God.

Last Thursday, January 27, I followed up with my local doctor.

He said that he could hear a crackle in my left lung but that according to the report from the hospital the week before, the pneumonia was getting better! He told me, though it doesn’t feel good, the coughing is going to be good to keep breaking it up. And coughing I keep doing for sure, but not as bad.

The doctor also told me I was not contagious from having Covid nor pneumonia. He said it would take a while, a process, to get “well” from the pneumonia, but he didn’t feel I needed a new X-ray, blood work, nor retest. I was surprised, but anything to keep me out of the ER, right? He told me all the things to look out for if anything were to change, I was to go straight to the ER and demand an X-ray. (Crazy to think a person with pneumonia would have to demand an X-ray, but that’s the world we live in.) Any who, he also told me I have been way way to sick to have had a bad case of Omicron, that I had the Delta variant and I should probably have been in the hospital on several different occasions.

He explained what was happening with a situation that honestly has been the most pain I have ever experienced, and I have been in pain before for sure... But I am talking this pain involved, rolling in the floor crying, yelling, shouting for Mom to come quick kind of situation. This extreme pain has happened three and a half times. I was grateful for his explanation of these occurrences and honesty the entire appointment.

He was pleased to see how I was improving with the pneumonia, that I had beat Delta, and how the “Covid medication” had helped tremendously. Although, the medicine did help extensively, I still have many residual effects, including fighting pneumonia, laryngitis, coughing, and insane fatigue still. (And I have pneumonia fatigue on top of Lyme fatigue.) But I think I am on the up and up. Thank you again for all who prayed for me!!!!

I had sudden onset the last couple of days of pain in my eyes, blurred vision with some mornings not being able to see things fully at all. I am hoping it’s not the inflammation with the Chronic Uveitis that I went through last year, though we know my body is very inflamed. In the early morning, I am going to try to get an appointment for the day to get everything checked out.

Furthermore, I am also supposed to decide tomorrow, Monday, whether I should start treatment. I will call my Specialist either way, start or don’t start. I just don’t want to wait any longer. The longer and longer I wait, the more difficult it is to start again and to keep on going. This has been a long journey and there’s quite a way to go. (Again, from the beginning the Specialist told me I was in a very advanced stage of Lyme, and it would be a long process to get well. Man, was he right.) I am not sure what I will do, start, or don’t start; it may depend on what we find out about my eyes. As well as, the thoughts and suggestions from my Specialist. Honestly, like I said, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to get started and then have to stop because my body can’t handle it, but I also don't want to keep waiting. We will see. Either way please be praying for wisdom to know what I need to do either way.

I sort of wish we could have canceled January this year. I have been in the hospital/ER seven times since December 1. It’s been a long and trying month(s). I am still hopeful for healing and a future. I have just got to be patient in trusting God and keeping pushing through it all.

Please be praying for:

-An appointment to open up tomorrow for my eyes

-Improvement with my eyes and if there is an issue, for it to be obvious, so we can work on fixing it

-Wisdom on whether I should or should not start treatment on Monday

-For continued improvement with the Covid pneumonia

-Energy and stamina to make it through each day

-The ability to rest even more than I normally should

-If I do begin treatment Monday, that I can handle the meds and the transition back to treating will go smoothly

-For the ability to get some successful fundraisers started (keep an eye out for those and pray about helping me with them.)

Again and again, thank you for your prayers and love!