Lots of prayer requests!

Just to let you know, Teresa is a tiny bit better, she was allowed to wake up for a short time today and she was responsive, thank God!  All signs seem to indicate that there was no brain damage from the episode yesterday when they had to perform CPR for 30 minutes.  She still is very very serious and needs prayers! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/prayforteresab/?fref=ts

Also a childhood friend of mine's husband is having open heart surgery tomorrow morning.  I was able to visit with the family today and felt their strength in God and love for each other.  Please pray for George that God will guide the surgeon's hands and that there will be no complications at all.  He was in this area for a minister's conference when this happened so they are far from home.  Thankfully they have family that were also here and lots of friends.  They pastor a church in north Florida.  But this is scary and he needs a touch from God! 

Well....I had a little scare yesterday....  I've had some pain in my right side for 4 years.  It has never gone away but some days have been better than others.  I've gone to the doctors over it and always tell my doctor that it is still there....   Recently I started having lower tummy/pelvic pain and pressure too.  I finally got in to see the doctor on Monday and she sent me for an ultrasound on Tuesday.  They told me the results, that I had an enlarged right kidney....yikes I looked it up and coupled with my other symptoms it scared me.  Since I wasn't going to be able to see the urologist for a couple of weeks, and the pain seems worse, I went to the ER last night.

One of my BFFs Kandi, went with me.  We first tried Tampa General since it is such a good hospital (evidently everyone else in the Bay area thinks the same!)...I waited 3 hours and they said they really couldn't tell me how much longer it would be.  One of the workers whispered to us that the wait could be like 5 more hours!    The funniest thing to us, was they had already drawn blood and put in an IV tube.  Evidently they do that to everyone as soon as they come in cause we were all sitting out in the waiting room like that.  I thought that it could just stay in since we were going to another hospital.   The  lady at the front desk went bonkers as we were leaving, she said if I left with the IV  in she'd call the police!!   For some reason, that just struck us as hilarious!   We decided to leave and go to a smaller new hospital nearer home.  Man, they got me in so quick and had all the tests done in 3 hours!  Based on everything, they did bloodwork and a CAT scan as well as an exam.  Nothing was out of the ordinary and the doctor is thinking I may have something called IC  Interstital Cystitis.  Thankfully I don't have an infection.  Some of the worse things have been ruled out but I'm sure I will end up having to have my bladder scoped.....NOT looking forward to that but I want to rule out anything serious and that is the only way.  I see the Urologist in a couple of weeks.  Please pray that there is nothing wrong in my bladder, or anywhere else!  As far as the CAT scan went, everything looked normal on the outside but it doesn't see into the bladder itself.   I still have some concerns as I'm dealing with the pain but having the CAT scan helped me a lot. 

When I think of all the REAL problems people have, I feel guilty to focus such fear for myself.  I'm not saying I shouldn't go to the doctor, I know I should and I always do all the yearly things....Pap, mammogram, and for me a colonoscopy every 5 years.  It's being responsible to do all of those things, especially when you have kids!  But I don't want to play up things either.   I have a lot of fears now, the older I get and the more things I've gone through or seen others go through..... Really I think I feel very vulnerable right now and everything is just enhanced.   I've lived with pain for over 4 years now and it does get scary when no one can give me an answer.  I'm almost thinking I have a form of fibromyalgia although I do not have all the symptoms.   My upper back has been sore to the touch for years as well as my side.  I can live with the pain, it's more the psychological pain of not knowing WHAT is going on that is worse!  I want to totally trust God with this issue and not be consumed with it.  There are so many people who are going through much worse, much more serious things than this!!

Thank you for all your prayers!!

 

Here is me and my hospital buddy celebrating at Waffle House at 2am last night!!!!   Everything is funny at 2 am!  Believe me we had some funny things to laugh at....  I had the funniest doctor who kept calling me "Miss"  and let's just say he didn't do good on bedside manners....not that he was rude, he just had a certain way of saying things that was hilarious.  There is something he said, that I'd love to repeat but it might just be a little too personal about me!  LOL!!  Let's just say he answered my questions very clinically..... 

 

Today I took the kids to see my friend whose husband is having surgery tomorrow.  First we stopped at Pizza Hut (no not the healthiest but so good!)

 

 

Then we saw these ducks!  We were laughing and said it was a good thing that the Duck Dynasty guys were not around.......it was raining too much for the ducks to fly!

 

Truly, I enjoy being with my family.  It's lots of work to take the little ones out and go everywhere with them but I love for all of us to be together even if it's just going to the store.  I realize my time with Steve is limited, soon he will graduate from high school and go to work full time or to college.  I treasure the time together with him and all of the kids. 

 

 

Selah has had a good day, no issues.  She did get some really soft hand splints, just something to keep her wrists straight.  Most of the time she holds her hands/wrists straight but sometimes-usually when she is sick- she turns her wrists a odd way that is not good.  So now we have really good soft splints, that give her just enough pressure to keep her wrists straight.  She doesn't seem to mind them at all.   They also are going to be working on her leg braces, there was a small red spot on the back of one foot last week.  She may just need a little bit more padding on the brace. 

 

 

Selah has some head control.  We are hoping she will improve and strengthen it. 

 

 

As you know I've really looked into Stem Cell Research for Selah.  There are no real clinical trials going on in the USA that she would be eligible for.  I actually heard back from the doctor in Germany but they also are only in clinical trials with children who had their cord blood banked.  That is all the US is doing also.  There are some clinics in the US and abroad that are using the child's blood marrow cells to inject into the vein in the head but some of what I've read is a bit shady.   Of course you have China and Mexico that use "embryonic cells" BUT I've been to China and Mexico....I don't want them injecting anything into my child!  Who knows what is being given....and the kids don't have huge changes either....  It's not like they are waking up and getting out of their wheelchairs!  The real success seem to be with the lucky few who have their cord blood banked so they could use it.   I'd advise any expectant parent to back their child's cord blood.  It's not cheap BUT it could save or change their child's life.  It was just starting when we had Sam and I had planned on doing it with him but then he came early and everything was so crazy we didn't do it....  You have to have everything in place before the child is born and since he came early......we didn't have the kit.  Of course with Selah being adopted, we certainly don't have her cord blood.   Please pray that if there is any REAL study in the USA that we can find it and enroll Selah into it.  I did find a little info about a study using a child's tooth to get stem cells.  That is not so far fetched....  Sam's doctor in Miami, grew a cornea from a lady's tooth....and used it on the lady and she regained her sight!    I could see the teeth being used! 

 

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Here are some of my tomatoes.  Since I grow organically I do have lots of bugs.  I have to pick them and let them turn red inside.  Sometimes I do have to fry up some "Fried Green Tomatoes"  Yes we LOVE them in the south.  Of course we love everything fried, I've said if there was a way to fry poop, we'd probably eat it LOL  But if you've never had Fried Green Tomatoes or Fried Pickles....you just have not lived!!!!

 

 

Again thank you for your thoughts and prayers, not just for me but for the needs I bring forward......