2011 arrives along with big changes!

Happy New Year! I know it has been a LONG time since I updated. Okay, it just feels like a LONG time to me because so much has happened and I haven't been able to share a lot with you until now. However, one chapter has come to a close and I feel like it's time I bring everyone up to speed. Before I do that, I wanted to make an announcement....

Awhile ago, I mentioned that I started making Lyme Disease Awareness beaded bracelets. Well, I finally have the website up and running and the bracelets are available for purchase. The business is called "Hope Creations" and 10% of all proceeds will go to "Turn the Corner Foundation" which is an organization that assists in training physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease and is also involved in medical research. It is my hope that these bracelets will help spread awareness about a devestating disease that impacts so many lives on so many levels. Please feel free to pass the word along! Here is the link: Hope Creations.

Okay, now onto our update. The thing we have been praying about, but haven't been able to share up until this point is that I am going to be changing doctors. We have spent a lot of time seeking the Lord's direction, and we feel like this is the right move. I am not going to share too much about why except for the fact that my case is extremely complicated with my inability to detox, my allergies to meds and supplements and finding the right combination to help kill the Lyme bacteria. The disease is complicated to treat in general, but you add my other issues and I definitely give doctors a challenge. :) My current physician was able to get me started with IV treatment and did help with my nutrition, but we have had a lot of trouble getting my body to detox so that my liver enzymes don't ride a weekly roller coaster. We also were struggling to figure out how I would get to my weekly appointments because the doctor's office is 2 hours away from us and Brian doesn't like/trust my driving skills since Lyme has hit me cognitively especially on treatment days. Financially, treatment at this office was getting too expensive for us as we just got a letter in the mail telling us that my insurance would no longer be paying for my treatment. So, after much prayer, we decided to pursue a different avenue.

God did something amazing and opened up an appointment on December 27th with the PA of one of the top Lyme doctors in the country who is based in San Francisco, CA. The plan was to try and leave on December 26th at around 4:00am (I know it's a horrible hour, lol). However, the night before I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water around midnight (a total God thing) and saw that there was water everywhere on the floor and pouring out of our dishwasher (that was not on...go figure). So, it took us about an hour to clean-up the mess and then on about 3 hours of sleep, we left for California that morning.

I was ecstatic to be going on this trip. It was a gift for us to be able to go somewhere we had never been and see places that were so beautiful even if we could only sight-see from the car. :) My friend, who has multiple chemical sensitivities like myself, had told us about a hotel that she stayed at in San Francisco successfully. That is so important as you can only imagine the chemicals, air fresheners etc. that are usually in hotel rooms. We called ahead, and they were willing to clean according to our specifications-I was fine. We still had to bring our own water (since I am allergic to every bottled water or anything from the tap) which was a challenge to figure out how to bring 6 gallons. However, my clever husband found these HUGE 2 gallon glass containers (they looked like gigantic cookie jars) and we filled them to the top. It worked out perfectly. Can you believe all the little things we have to do for a 3 day trip? It's crazy! :) Always an adventure, let me tell you.

On Monday, December 27th, I had my appointment. It went very well. We were so impressed by the PA's knowledge in how to treat Lyme Disease, and also how to help me with my chemical sensitivities and detox issues. She gave us about 7 new things to try and also adjusted my antibiotics. For the first time, I felt like I didn't have to run my own treatment and make requests to implement what the top doctors are doing. We came away from that appointment with total peace. The PA did say that my case is so complicated (not surprising, lol) that I will be treated and seen by the main doctor from now on. She will do phone appointments, but he will be the one seeing me in the office and overseeing my case. We have a phone appointment to discuss my progress on Feb. 8th and on April 22nd we will travel back to San Francisco to see the main doctor.

Brian and I did try and get up early so we could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the car (something I have wanted to do for a long time); however, the weather did not cooperate and we were only able to see about 20 feet in front of us because of the fog. So sad! Brian wanted a picture near the bridge so we took what we could get and ended up with a lovely shot of the toll booths (not too mention my handsome husband!). We will be going up there 3 or 4 times a year, so I am sure we will get other opportunities where the weather decides to be our friend.

On our way home, we had the opportunity to visit a precious friend of mine who I have met on this journey. She is also suffering from Lyme Disease along with her husband. Their faith is so strong and is always such an encouragement. They are true testimony of what it looks like to walk through a difficult and long trial while keeping their eyes focused on Jesus. This is such a difficult disease as it hits you on so many levels (the physical torment, isolation, financially, and emotionally). I would appreciate you lifting this young couple in your prayers. God has major plans for them, and I believe that complete healing will come for both of them!

Overall, it was such a wonderful trip even though I didn't feel the best. It was great to be able to spend a lot of time with my husband and it gave us a small glimpse of what life used to be like when we would travel long distances and see new places.
Once we got home, we had another praise. For awhile now, we have struggled to find a local doctor that would accept me as a patient (I have been outright denied 3 times because of Lyme) and a doctor who would at least agree to support my treatment enough to be there for emergencies or to handle my maintenance prescriptions not related to Lyme Disease.

Well, we found one! A friend of mine had suggested a local NMD (naturopathic physician). I had an appointment with her this past Thursday, and it was AMAZING. I think my jaw might have been on the floor the whole time. She was not only willing to support me locally, but also willing to take a back seat to my Lyme doctor's protocol. She doesn't know a lot about Lyme Disease, but is excited for the opportunity to learn from one of the top treating physicians. She said she would be my "IV monkey". I find that statement humorous, but honestly, that is exactly what we needed. Her specialty is working with thyroid, adrenal and hormone issues, so I will get help in that area too. She even went so far to say that she would be willing to order my IV supplies from the same manufacturing company old doctor used so we could avoid any allergic reactions as much as possible. Brian and I walked out of that appointment truly in awe of what God did. All praise and glory to him! He took what looked like a very bleak situation and flipped it to be an amazing gift.

Whoa, this is getting long, lol. That is what I get for waiting so long to do an update. We did have a great Christmas. My parents were here and my sister was able to fly in on Christmas Eve. Brian had about 11 days off of work, so it was really nice to be able to spend that time together as a family.

I am going to start to wrap this up as I am sure your eyes are getting tired of reading, lol. Here are some of our current prayer requests:

• Please be praying that I can get my IV treatment lined up. I need to get some price quotes from some infusion companies and also get a script. Please pray for all the details to fall into place. We are trusting God that I won't react to any of the new IV materials. We are going to try and keep things as identical as possible; however, I am sure we won't be able to obtain everything that I was using. Also, please be praying that I will be able to take the new supplements/herbs and drugs. It's always such a challenge for us; however, it's necessary if I want to have a chance at getting better.

• Please pray for our finances. As I said above, my insurance is no longer covering our treatment. My treatment in the fall really took a lot of our money. To be on the other side and know that there have only been small improvements, it's pretty hard to swallow. We only have a small amount (in the big scheme of things) left and it's scary to look at my needs and what we have and see the LARGE gap. However, we serve a huge God who has come through for us again and again. We are trusting with all of our might that God will provide. He has done it before, and we know He will do it again.

• Please pray for wisdom about what I should do about work. In August, I took a leave of absence from my job because of treatment. I got very sick when it's my treatment days, so working would have been very difficult. Also, I was taking weekly trips to the doctor and it would have never worked out. I am still very sick and now, we are kind of stuck. With my current health condition and treatment along with studying, it's hard to imagine how I will manage working. However, I look at our budget and see the need and so it makes me want to do something about it. Brian doesn't think I should go back yet, but I feel the financial pressure. Please pray that we would have wisdom at what to do.

• Please pray for Brian. He is under a lot of pressure working towards obtaining his CPA license. He has the next exam section to study for while also trying to complete 2 college classes that he needs to fulfill the overall credit hour requirements for the license. He is very tired, and I can tell that our life pressures are wearing on him. Please pray for strength, energy and perseverance.

Well, that's it folks! Sorry this was so long, but I hope you will now have a clear picture of everything that has been going on. Blessings to all of you!