A JOYFUL NOISE

Wow.  I had not realized it's been over 2 months since my blog update.   Among my usual health battles I have been have computer issues and have been functioning a lot on my Kindle recently.  I have got to admit.  Kindles are nice for "on the go" and stuff but it's hard to use when you want to type a size-able email or even a short blog!  I really do appreciate computers and appreciate my friend who is always willing to help work on my computer when needed.  I still have some kinks to work out but it's doing much better than before. In many ways there is really no "new developments" to report as in "good days" vs "bad days".   In the past few weeks lately I have noticed that my diet has once again taken a change.    I'm not sure what has brought on this new thing where pain is sharp and I get nauseated after I eat certain foods (I once was able to tolerate on a limited amount).  My pcp has increased one of my medications...

............what do you do? Many of us has encounter opportunities and had to make the decision "should I" or "shouldn't I". Either can affect your life in a little way or a dramatic way. I encountered a unique opportunity a couple of weeks ago while spending time with relatives. A few weeks ago my cousin and I got into a discussion of Buddhism. Now, don't be alarmed, I am in no ways changing my religious beliefs. We got into this discussion because my aunt had brought a beautiful piece of glass artwork by a famous Chinese Artist. It was a beautiful glass "picture frame" that was surrounded by glass carved dragons on the sides and on top. Inside the "picture frame" was Chinese writings, which I couldn't read. I was commenting to my cousin how beautiful it was and my cousin commented on how open minded I was. I wasn't sure why she said that, but I eventually found out that the artwork was ac...

I realized I haven't had an update since my last doctor's appointment which was with my ENT doctor. Today I had a follow-up appointment with my Pain management doctor. The previous medication I was put on was Neurotin which gave me several horrible side effects, one was I was feeling worse than ever. Today we talked about other options to help manage my pain. The doctors really want to push in trying all sorts of medications before opting to go for surgery to remove my appendix and possibly gallbladder. There are really no definite signs of the "need" to take it out but it was an idea that they said could possibly help; however, medication therapy is the first step. I'm not a big fan of continuous intake of medications, but then again, I'm not a big fan of surgeries either! I'm on a new medication now call, Topamax. The doctor says that the side effects I experienced with the Neurotin shouldn't be as pronounced. One side effect is low...

Almost every time I go to UVA Hospital, no matter what the appointment is for, I come home extremely exhausted. Today was no exception, except my chronic pain hit it's all time high. Since before Christmas, I have been on three antibiotics to try to get rid of whatever my sinuses was holding on to. I've never felt completely better even after each regime of antibiotics. Three weeks ago, I called the UVA ENT clinic and they couldn't get me in until today. *sigh* The chronic pain / nausea along with my more labor intensive breathing due to sinus congestion has made the past 3 months go slow and hard.....but especially the past 3 weeks has been very trying. I've been trying to do everything I can to help me feel more comfortable but getting now where. It's tough. I was half expecting my new Sinus ENT doctor, Dr. Payne, to examine me and say "we can't do anything due to the anatomy of your sinus)." I already knew that was going to co...

What is unconditional love? Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of their actions or beliefs. All of us try to have unconditional love for those who we care about, whether it is our mate, children, best friend, etc. I always ask myself is my love for my sister, parents, relatives, friends, is truly unconditional. We live in a fallen world, so is there such a person who TRULY has or have shown unconditional love? I thought about this a lot today. Today was hard for me when I found out a sweet young man I know passed away unexpectedly. I think of Ian when I see or hear the term unconditional love....( yes, I reflect on how our Father in Heaven has unconditional love for his children). Ian didn't have a mean bone in his body. When he sees you, you know he will give you a hand to shake or open his arms for a hug. He made friends so easily and loved people so much. He never judged you based on how you look, what yo...

It seems like I start all my blog updates with "sorry I haven't written.....". In fact, there isn't much update going on in my life except the fact that I have not been well since a little after Christmas. I went to AHC urgent care after Christmas because my sinuses were acting up.... 4 wks later I still wasn't feeling well with my sinuses... and still never fully recovered. The last week I went to see my pcp again and I have bronchitis! ugh! So hopefully, this round of antibitics, cough medicine, and Albuterol will knock this virus out. I never used an inhaler before but boy am I ever so grateful for it! My stomach pain continues to give me problems. It's still in the same places; lower right and upper left. As I continue to monitor myself, I'm more and more convinced it doesn't boil down to neuropathic linings in my stomach area. I hurt almost continuously; however, it is aggravated after eating---- and sometimes even after drinki...

I know that traditionally in December, I send out my Christmas card along with a letter about my year and maybe even a photo. This year, I didn't get around to finding the correct card or writing a letter in time before the year ended; so this is why I write this post--- just to let you all know I appreciate your friendship and love once again this past year. I continue to struggle with my physical pain and low energy. I still can't work full time and sometimes even helping my mom around the house takes a toll on me... my pain level increases and sometimes so bad that I have lay down for a good while. You will read about some of my trips I made over the year. It wasn't easy at times with my constant pain, but God gave me strength to enjoy time I was able to spend with friends and family. Throughout the beginning of the year, I continued to go through tests after tests to figure out or rule out things that could be an underlying cause of all this pain. It wasn't ...