I know that I said this in my last cruising post but honestly it is so hard to believe that I am coming to the end of the posts about the trip. It's hard to explain how much this trip truly impacted my life and how the Lord used it to really encourage my heart during these difficult days.
But today I wanted to show you the second half of the Key West pictures that I took. Honestly for both Michelle and I we found this day of our cruise to be incredibly relaxing. I had the best time spending the whole day with one of my best and dearest friends and it was such a precious time! After we had seen some of Key West and walked around we decided to walk back to the boat (since we were told that it wasn't that far). As we were walking we saw the boat and decided to "detour" a little bit from the directions that we were given and we were SO happy that we did! Because we detoured we were able to see some beautiful views, catch up with some people that we had met on the boat, sit and relax, and spend a little more time "stretching" the time out.
These seagulls reminded me of camp!
This pelican made me smile.
One of the neat parts of the cruise was getting to know so many different people! This amazing lady (AMAZING voice y'all!!) has her own band and I can't wait to see where the Lord leads them! Vicki was so sweet to pose for a picture with Michelle and I!!
As we slowly walked back to the boat Michelle and I ran into a couple that we had met on the first day of the cruise. It was so fun to hear how their week had been and they sweetly snapped a picture of Michelle and I in front of the ship!
As we got in line to go through security "check in" for the last time I was overcome with tears at how good the Lord had been. It had been a wonderful wonderful week FULL of incredible blessings, sweet new friendships, and AMAZING laughter and fun. I had been so so worried about this trip with my health and the Lord blessed and answered hundreds of y'alls prayers in amazing ways beyond anything I could have thought or imagine. As we stood in line Psalm 136 kept running through my mind...
"His love endures forever...."
What a blessing this amazing friend is to my life!! She has spent hours and hours and hours on her knees for me, has financially & emotionally supported me during these difficult days, and continues to encourage me each and everyday! SUCH a blessing!
As we walked to the water we had a beautiful view of our ship!
The water here in Key West was so beautiful! I was struck again by the colors of the water since we were still close to the Caribbean!
"His love endures forever...."
Thank you so much for joyfully walking these cruising posts with me! I have received so many sweet emails of encouragement, joy, and support and your love and sweet rejoicing with me that this trip was a blessing has touched my little heart. Thank you for being so patient as I am working to return so many sweet emails and facebook messages. Time has been incredibly busy between the cruise, traveling to California, doctors appointments, treatment, days spent sick in bed, and traveling up to New York for this past week and preparing to head home to the south tomorrow. I promise that I am working to return all of these messages and appreciate your patience! I am so thankful for y'all and I hope that y'all have a wonderful wonderful Friday and weekend.
{Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.}
Happy first day of Spring y'all! Last year y'all might remember that I wrote a Smitten Post on SmartWater because I drink SO much water. Somehow though I have never done a "Benefits of Drinking Water" Thursday Health Thoughts so today I wanted to share with y'all ALL of the benefits of drinking water. Those of you that know me know that I only drink water with an occasional bit of juice (for taking certain medicines due to taste).
So why should you be drinking water? Read on to find out all of these amazing benefits!
1. Water helps the body function properly. Water helps the body carry nutrients to proper organs, helps with digestion, absorption of proper vitamins and minerals and also helps regulate body temperature!
2. Are you wanting to look younger naturally and have radiant skin? Water helps the skin stay fresh and helps moisturize it naturally without spending lots of money on expensive creams that may be filled with different toxins. In addition to this drinking water can also help heal dry skin, lessen the look of wrinkles, and help with a variety of skin disorders.
3. Drinking water helps you increase energy and fight fatigue. If you are not drinking the proper amount of water daily then your energy levels will drop because your muscles do not have the proper amount of liquids to help them function at their best!
4. Are you a student? Drinking water helps you think more clearly so drink lots of water the day before and the day of tests!
5. Are you looking to lose weight? Drinking water (zero calories!) helps you to "fill up". And guess what? MANY times that you feel hungry you might in fact only be thirsty so grab a glass of water before eating a bunch of junk food!
6. Drinking proper amounts of water might reduce your risk of having a heart attack! A study that was done at Loma Linda University (California) showed that those that drank proper amounts of water were less likely to have a heart attack than those that did not. WOW!
7. Y'all know that I am all about getting rid of toxins and guess what? Water is one of the best and easiest ways to get rid of those toxins!
8. (Along with number 3) Drinking water Helps your muscles function properly. If you exercise regularly make sure that you are getting enough fluids. The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines states that you should have approximately 17 ounces of fluids before and during physical activity.
9. Drinking water boosts your immune system.
10. Do you suffer from headaches? Drinking the proper amounts of water can help you prevent headaches. While it is true that there are a number of reasons that you may get headaches the NIH (National Institute of Health) states that dehydration is the number one reason.
11. Do you have kidney stones? Doctors are now saying that proper amounts of water (along with lemon) can help prevent kidney stones!
12. Y'all have heard me talk about keeping your PH levels balanced and drinking water is one of the easiest ways to do this!
13. Looking to save money? Drinking water is cheaper (and healthier) than purchasing other drinks. You can drink water for free or if you prefer you can buy bottled water (which can be purchased cheaply with just a little bit of research). p.s.- did you know that you can take bottled water into most theme parks now? When I was a chaperon for the senior trips to Disney World I would fill my huge purse with at least three or four bottles of water (see the picture below) and happily sip throughout the day instead of paying the $3 or $4 dollars for a small bottle. So definitely keep this in mind if you are traveling!
14. Drinking proper amounts of water will help your hair be shinier!
15. Drinking water helps your joints. There is research that is currently being conducted to suggest that drinking proper amounts of water will help prevent arthritis!
Don't love the taste of water only like I do? Try increasing the amount of water that you drink over time and making sure that you drink more water than another drink you love!
Are you interested in reading more "Thursday Health Thoughts: The Benefits of Posts"? Click HERE! Stay tuned next Thursday for more Thursday Health Thoughts!
Dear friends, I so appreciate y'alls patience and kindness as I have worked on getting an update together from my trip to California last week. I do not take it lightly that there are so many of you that have prayed numerous prayers, spent hours upon hours laboring on your knees for me, or that you daily are begging the Lord for complete healing. You are SUCH a blessing in this long journey. I appreciate more than words can express your kind patience as I worked through the doctors appointment and the plan for the next few months. Thank you for your gracious patience during this "processing time".
As I am sure that you can imagine (especially those of you that know me well) I was apprehensive about this trip solely because I wasn't sure what to expect. I was hoping and praying that this trip would provide some additional answers, tools for the future, and a plan and am SO thankful that the Lord answered this in full.
Over this journey there have been numerous doctors (too many to list here!) that have played a role in this healing journey and I am incredibly grateful to them and to the team of current doctors that I have. As I mentioned in my last "Notes from the Porch" update it had become necessary to find a new doctor due to the complexity of my case.
{Please forgive my camera phone pictures! They are definitely not the best at all!)
I arrived in San Francisco early Sunday afternoon (March 9th) and drove by Dr. Harris' office, Pacific Frontier Medical Group, just to get a "feel" of the place and to spend time prayer walking around it.
After I did this I went to check-in at the hotel, grab some food at Whole Foods, and drove around Redwood City and San Fran a little and then went back to the hotel for an early sleep. I was incredibly hopeful/anxious/nervous about the appointment on Monday morning and was happy that it started early in the morning.
Without going through all of the different things that we talked about, the hours spent at the office, and the blood work that was done I would just like to share a few things about what my current plan looks like. (For security and privacy reasons I know that y'all understand why I am not sharing specifics about different medications, etc.)
(one)- One of the first things that was decided was that I needed to be tested to see if I have methyl-tetrahydrofolate reductase (or the "MTHFR" gene). If this is the case, which my doctor is pretty convinced of - then this is affecting my ability to properly "release" toxins out of the body instead of just sending them back through my bloodstream. From what I am learning and have read, having the "MTHFR" gene mutation is very common with those that have Lyme or Cancer, and obviously I have both. This is very crucial as methylation is the core process that occurs within our cells to help the body make its necessary chemical conversions. If you have the "MTHFR" mutation then you have a harder time getting rid of all toxins and being able to fight serious illness as the methylation process helps the body detoxify, creative a healthy immune response, and help the cells repair. I should have these results back soon and I will proceed in one of two ways. If I do have "MTHFR" I will be going through a "methylation block break" in order to correct this patter in my body. If I don't have this then I will be proceeding with antibiotics sooner.
Some of you may be wondering why this was never tested before from previous doctors and believe me my family and I have similar questions. It is always frustrating on this journey to realize that you "should have been doing this" or you "should have gotten this test" or you "should have..." so on and so forth. One thing that I have constantly have to do is surrender this to the Lord. While I may view this as "days wasted or lost" on this journey none of this is a surprise to the Lord and what I may see as "lost days or time" He is using for His glory. I can either trust that the Lord was wrong and is in fact not God and not sovereign, or I can trust, like Joseph in the prison, Daniel in the Lions Den, Ruth in the desert following her mother-in-law, and Job in His shattered life that there is a purpose or I am choosing to state that God is in fact not sovereign and His ways are not perfect. I say to myself often when I feel discouraged with "lost days"... God is either Sovereign or He is not and I will never doubt that He is not Sovereign.
He is good dear friends.
All of the time... even when we are heartbroken and our dreams lay at His feet in threads.
Trust Him.
He is Sovereign.
(two)- Due to the complexity mentioned above and my severe digestive issues my body is not ready to handle alot of antibiotics and the plan is to hopefully start IM (intramusculor shots) of an antibiotic for Lyme in approximately 4-6 weeks and to stay on that for a couple of months. After this the next step is to travel back out to California in early September to to have a PICC Line inserted and to begin IV antibiotics. Both of these decisions are based on the knowledge that my digestive system is completely shot and can not handle any type of oral antibiotics. The hope is that after a couple of months of IV antibiotics then I would be able to start oral antibiotics. (For this trip to get the PICC Line inserted my mom would be coming out with me to California and we would be staying a week so that I can "try" different IV antibiotics and be watched to make sure that I do not have a severe allergic reaction- as I do to most drugs.) And before I receive any emails let me just say what we are all thinking- no, this does not appeal to me at all.
(three)- The doctor was happy with all of the "little" things that I have been doing and I will be keeping up all of these things and adding in a couple of additional compounded medicines and supplements to hopefully help my gut heal as much as possible before we start any antibiotics. It is a really tough balance as we know that the Lyme is causing these issues yet it also prevents us from moving forward quickly as I would like!
(four)- In addition to the supplements and medicines I also will be adding in a couple of homeopathic items that will be helping to address my poor circulation and the adrenal failure (mentioned in Notes from the Porch {twelve}) that my body is experiencing. I started with one of them yesterday and thankfully there is no severe reaction.
(five)- Due to the fact that my body has become so severely sensitive to anything new my doctor has put me on a couple of medicines to try and not only heal the gut area but also "stabilize" the out of control reactions. (This is very common in Lyme Disease just so y'all are aware!)
(six)- Along with running blood work on Lyme Disease co-infections, my doctors are also running tests on finding out if I have any mold in my body, several virus', and a variety of other things. Hopefully these tests will give us as much knowledge as possible in how to proceed for right now and in the future. Depending on these tests results I might need to fly back out to California for a check up in about a month or two. At this point we are just trying to take this one day at a time!
(seven)- I am confident that my time at Whitaker Wellness Center last year saved my life. There is not a doubt in my mind, but at the same time as I have mentioned before it was time to get more aggressive and move forward with totally obliterating this awful disease. I am so grateful that the Lord led me to Dr. Harris and the people at Frontier Medical. It is a delight to work with a staff and a team that are experts on Lyme.
As we wait for additional answers from the blood work and move forward with the treatment plan laid out for this next month I am reminded once again how grateful I am for a God who never abandons us and who has EVERY single step in our lives planned out for His purpose. (Psalm 138:8) This journey that seems to be lasting so long in my mind is all apart of His plan. And I pray that everyday I learn how to be a "good soldier" for the Lord in this arena. The Lord has never failed us and the Lord will never forsake us. His mercies are new every morning and in new ways I see His grace and mercy in abundance.
An area that is very awkward for me to talk about on this blog (because I never thought I would be in this position) is on the issue of money. It has created a ton of stress for me and my family and we would beg you to continue to pray that the Lord would meet all of our needs and my medical bills and treatment costs and needs asap. I stepped out in faith for going to California and I know that this was the best decision for me health wise but because not all of the funds were there (I have only raised approximately 28% of what I needed for this trip) we are literally without any resources for the coming days. Would you please pray about this for us and pray that ALL of the financing for this past trip, current medical costs, current medical treatment, medical bills, and upcoming supplement costs and needs will be met in miraculous ways? Thank you so much. And to each of you that have given so generously and graciously throughout the last couple of years I can't express my gratitude enough to you. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. You have been an answer to prayer and a blessing to my family and to me.
I turn thirty-four tomorrow and I am excited! I truly believe that there are good things in store for thirty-four and that healing and many answers to prayers are on their way! I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for this coming year!
In my birthday post from last year I shared that while I know some people reflect on the past year during New Years I have always looked back on my "new years" in two different ways: (1) at the start of a new school year and (2) on my birthday. As I am about to turn thirty-four tomorrow I look back on thirty-three with so much thankfulness and gratitude from the past year. While I could list hundreds of blessings from this past year I wanted to share thirty-three moments of extreme gratitude that stand out to my heart from this past year (in no particular order).
one: the amazing generosity and kindness of so many people that have walked this journey with me and continue to stand by my side. Truly I am incredibly blessed.
two: the humbling and over-whelming financial support to make the trip to California (April -May 2013) and receive life-saving treatment at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. I tried to put into words how grateful and thankful that I was but words can't express the depth of my gratitude. I know that without treatment there I would have died. Thank you so much for your support to make that trip possible. I am forever grateful.
three: my absolutely amazing family who has walked some very dark nights and some very dark lows this past year and has continued to remain optimistic & encouraging.
four: a trip to Disneyland in the midst of treatment in California from a friend who was incredibly generous and thoughtful.
five: the opportunity to spend time with my best friend twice in one year! Once when she was so sweet to come out to California and then the Cruise!
six: the absolute blessing of the Lord's mercy and presence when when learning I had Cancer and being thousands and thousands of miles away from my family.
eight: having the opportunity to meet one of my heroes and a lady I am so blessed to call a friend! Officially meeting Jen (and her amazing husband Ryan!) after being internet friends for years was an incredible blessing!
nine: Gorgeous Sunsets that spoke to my little heart.
ten: a beautiful wedding that I had the honor to be apart of and a weekend with friends who are like family.
eleven: the precious realization that a season of new dreams was starting.
twelve: the beauty that comes with forgiveness and making peace with the fact that while some friendships change, shift, and end due to illness there are the friendships that grow so deep that you could never have imagined life without them.
thirteen: learning anew the truth that the Lord is everything and understanding at new levels the truth of this quote:
"I remember a summer in which I said: "It is the ocean that I need," and I went to the ocean; but it seemed to say, "It is not in me!" The ocean did not do for me what I thought it would. Then I said, "The Mountains will rest me," and I went to the mountains, and when I awoke in the morning there stood the grand mountain that I had wanted so much to see; but it said , "It is not in me!" It did not satisfy. Ah! I needed the oceans of HIS love, and the high mountains of HIS truth within. It was wisdom that the "depths" said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones. Christ is our wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be my by the revelation of His eternal friendship and love for us. Lord, THOU hast been our dwelling place in ALL generations."
one: the amazing generosity and kindness of so many people that have walked this journey with me and continue to stand by my side. Truly I am incredibly blessed.
two: the humbling and over-whelming financial support to make the trip to California (April -May 2013) and receive life-saving treatment at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. I tried to put into words how grateful and thankful that I was but words can't express the depth of my gratitude. I know that without treatment there I would have died. Thank you so much for your support to make that trip possible. I am forever grateful.
four: a trip to Disneyland in the midst of treatment in California from a friend who was incredibly generous and thoughtful.
six: the absolute blessing of the Lord's mercy and presence when when learning I had Cancer and being thousands and thousands of miles away from my family.
seven: Learning that against all human understanding the Cancer was not stage IV and throughout my entire body as was originally believed....and a doctor stating time and time again "I just don't understand... I just don't understand. Its a miracle." after surgery was completed.
twelve: the beauty that comes with forgiveness and making peace with the fact that while some friendships change, shift, and end due to illness there are the friendships that grow so deep that you could never have imagined life without them.
thirteen: learning anew the truth that the Lord is everything and understanding at new levels the truth of this quote:
"I remember a summer in which I said: "It is the ocean that I need," and I went to the ocean; but it seemed to say, "It is not in me!" The ocean did not do for me what I thought it would. Then I said, "The Mountains will rest me," and I went to the mountains, and when I awoke in the morning there stood the grand mountain that I had wanted so much to see; but it said , "It is not in me!" It did not satisfy. Ah! I needed the oceans of HIS love, and the high mountains of HIS truth within. It was wisdom that the "depths" said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones. Christ is our wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be my by the revelation of His eternal friendship and love for us. Lord, THOU hast been our dwelling place in ALL generations."
fourteen: for the beautiful answered prayer of friends who are like family, who give generously and beyond my wildest dreams, and for precious sunny days on the lake.
sixteen: the joy of celebrating the marriage of Brendan&Naoko and Rebecca & Ben.
seventeen: for scripture that only has grown more precious.
nineteen: for the opportunity to create &the dream of being an artist coming to fruition and becoming apart of the Twinery Design Team.
twenty: for the constant sacrifice that my parents have made to not only help me get better but for the ability to bring joy and laughter to each difficult day.
twenty-one: for a sister who loves me so much and runs half-marathons for me. (and who created Rebecca's Run for me!)
twenty-two: for the beautiful reminder of a miraculous healing from eight years ago that gives me such hope in this battle!
twenty-three: for precious letters that are now threadbare because I have read them so much. Thank you again sweet ladies!
twenty-four: beautiful new friends & the gift of the cruise
twenty-five: a grandmother who prays and prays and prays... and prays... and prays....
twenty-six: learning to see the beauty in EVERY year despite pain.
twenty-seven: for a family who is incredibly precious beyond words.
twenty-eight: Chalk and Pine
twenty-nine: stepping out... taking risks and learning to live fearlessly and with valor.
thirty: celebrating the joy of engagement and love with two of my dearest friends.
thirty-one: learning to be absolutely surrendered & dependent on others and then being able to walk again (with no wheelchair or help from any family member). *tears*
thirty-two: learning personally the truth of the Lord giving strength for each day...for every battle... and for this fight for my health.
thirty-three: learning that the Lord has a plan beyond my own little imagination.
Thank you so much to all of you who have made this past year such a blessing! I am so thankful for each of you in my life! Thank you again!
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