We have a date!

So......we have a date!  Wow, that even sounds crazy to me when I say it.  On August 26th, I will be getting a PORT catheter inserted into the wall of my chest with a IV line going directly into my heart.  Sounds pleasant doesn't it?  I try to not to think about the details as it makes me want to turn tail and run. :)  However, this is my journey to wellness, and I won't give up until "healthy" becomes my reality.  I will update you about our phone appointment, but we have had some answered prayers, and I want to make sure I tell you those first.

First, on my last blog post, I had written about needing a car.  Well, God worked a miracle and found us a great car with some assistance.  It will be perfect for my health and we are getting it on Wednesday.  Now, the poor car will have to go through some detoxing as it will have to be cleaned extremely well and "de-scented" (that's probably not a word, but it's one we use quite often in our house), so that I can drive in it.  So, unfortunately, I won't be able to use it for awhile, but we are so thankful for God answering that need.  It will be such a relief to have something that is safe and reliable to transport me to and from my appointments in Phoenix.

Second, after getting the medical quote from my Lyme doctor's office, I wrote an e-mail to the office manager about how 1) we couldn't even attempt to afford that expensive of a treatment and 2) part of the treatment protocol was something Brian and I had decided we did not want to do.  Well, I received an e-mail back saying we should schedule a phone appointment with the doctor the following week to discuss everything.  That appointment was yesterday and it went VERY well.  However, our answered prayer came in the form an of a wonderful e-mail that we received right before our phone appointment.  It contained a different treatment plan/cost that was more what we wanted to do and also more affordable. 

Now, when I write "affordable", I have to laugh because it's still a whole ton of money and we are still short.  However, the gap closed a little and instead of being short $25,000, we are only short approximately $10,000.  That is SOOOO much better.  Now, some of you may be reading this and wondering why I am so positive when we are short that much.  Well, it has been our experience that God always provides in some way shape or form.  So, we are just trusting that God will close the gap and provide for our needs like He always has.  It is still kind of a scary number when you look at it; however, we serve a God who can work miracles, and we are just trusting and walking in faith knowing that God has guided us and directed us this far and He will continue to do so every step of the way.  One thing we have learned over the years is to believe God for big things! He is the ruler over the universe and no circumstance is out of His control.  So, although this will stretch our faith big time (well, this whole journey has stretched our faith "BIG TIME"), we are ready and willing to take this leap as we know God will be there to catch us on the other side.

Now to my phone appointment and some details about the upcoming months.  It was a blessing to have Brian conferenced in on the call.  We are so grateful for his work and the flexibility they have given to him to be able to do things like this.  The appointment started off talking about the e-mail we received and the costs of my upcoming treatment.  She was very understanding of our situation as I am sure she has to go through this with every patient.  Almost all Lyme patients have spent thousands in medical costs before receiving a diagnosis.  So, by the time we reach the appropriate physician, our reserves are pretty much gone.  Some take out loans, some get donations and some scrape together what is leftover from each paycheck.  However, the "how" does not matter to all of us at this point.  Our goal is to find a physician who can help us get healthy.  Brian and I are confident that we have found a brilliant and perfect physician.  Her knowledge about both of my conditions is incredible and every time we talk to her, we are in awe of her compassion and determination to see my reach a state of wellness.

The plan that is set for right now is for me to have my PORT inserted on August 26th.  I will be having this done at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona.  My doctor has worked with this hospital quite often and although they are not an expert in multiple chemical sensitivities (which can make any surgical procedure quite the challenge), they are at least are familiar with it.  That is a huge blessing! I will be bringing my own bedding and surgical gown from my doctor's office so that we can keep me reaction free for as long as possible.  After the PORT procedure is done, we will go to her office to have my first infusion and to receive a lot of care instructions.  From there, I will be doing about 3 weeks of supportive/detoxification IVs to prepare my body for the antibiotics that we will start on week 4.  We are looking at having to do IV treatment anywhere from 5 to 7 months.  Brian and I are praying and hoping for the number 5; however, the goal is to get me well, and we don't want to stop to early if my body is not ready.  My doctor will know when the time comes to make that decision.

Another thing we talked to the doctor about was my part-time job that starts at two in the afternoon Sunday-Thursday.  While I am on IV therapy, I will need to see her once a week to pick-up my IV supplies and to do some treatments in her office on Mondays.  However, we were concerned because my job requires me not to miss a lot of work. I tutor students in English and they expect me to be there and to not have to have a substitute.  As I mentioned in my last post, I have to work and go to graduate school for us to be able to attempt to afford a large portion of the treatment.  For me, graduate school is not luxury, but something I have to do (if you want to know why, please send me a personal message and I would be happy to explain).  I have no idea how I will keep up this schedule while going through treatment because I will be SOOOOO sick.  However, through God, all things are possible. He knows what I must do, and I am confident that His strength will help me succeed.  I would temporarily stop both school and work if I could; however, it's not an option, so I will press on.  We did talk to my doctor about my work schedule and she said that we could do most of the IVs at home except for the first time we infuse a new drug.  We will be taking everything very slow as we have learned that my body does not like to be rushed. So, she said that my baby doses of meds will have us out of the office in time for me to get back home to work my shift. So, I am probably going to feel like junk, but I will be there and that is what is important.

Now onto the part that I wrote about in my last blog post, but I know that I wasn't super clear about the details.  This treatment is going to make me very ill as the bacteria is being fought in both my brain and body.  My friends have experienced extreme fatigue (the kind where lifting your head wipes you out), seizures, brain fog (things just don't make sense and you can't understand what people are saying to you), allergic reactions (pretty common for patients like myself), trouble communicating, walking and the list just goes on and on.  We are praying with all of our hearts that none of the above happens because of my work and school schedule, but we have to prepare for the worst.

When Brian and I moved to Arizona, I was already sick and had to be kept pretty isolated so my condition would remain stable.  Brian was working two jobs to help make ends meet and going back to school.  So, even though we would have loved to attend church, I could not because of health reasons and Brian usually had to stay home to take care of me.  We have missed christian fellowship so much.  We do listen to sermons via podcasts, but it's just not the same as being able to attend somewhere.

So, I can honestly say that the only people we know down here are the people that Brian has worked with.  Brian has started attending a church in the last six months, but has not been able to go often, so relationships there have not been established yet.  This is where we come to the most difficult part.  You thought it would be the finances right?  Nope, I think it will be this dilemma.  I will be too ill to drive myself up to Phoenix for weekly for appointments and Brian can't take off work.  Praise the Lord, through relatives and a friend, we have the first 7 weeks covered which will take us up to the second week in October.   Holidays are also covered (Thanksgiving and from Christmas to New Years).  However, Brian and I are pretty confident that I won't be able to be well enough to drive myself to my appointments until January.  So, if you could please be praying that we would have enough help getting me to my appointments in Phoenix each week, we would really appreciate it.  At this point, we are not sure how this is all going to work out, but know that we serve a big God and He can make it happen. :)

Well, that is our update!  Obviously, the last topic and our financial need are our two big prayer requests. We are confident that God will meet our needs, and we are going to surrender it to Him and watch Him work.  The last thing we would ask for you to pray about is for me to stay reaction free and that my system would remain stable.  I am going to be trying a number of supplements in the next couple of weeks leading up to my procedure.  That is never an easy task because I am allergic to the world, lol. So, we would appreciate your prayers that things would go smoothly and that no major reactions would take place. 

Sorry this is so long! I will update soon!  Please know that all of you are in our prayers.  Blessings to all of you!