Rambling.

Well, here's a new post just so I can keep my promise that I won't slack anymore. Not much has gone on this week. Well, I take that back. A lot has gone on this week. Our church kicked off their sports camp this week (their unique version of VBS, which I LOVE!). I was supposed to coach basketball and for those of you that know me, know how excited and thrilled that makes me. However, because of all of my GI problems and side effects from medicines, I wasn't able too (yes, the medicine is STILL making me sick-- even with Zofran). However, I am helping my mom do crafts which I'm actually enjoying. Like I mentioned, the medications are still making me sick. Actually, I feel the worst this week than I have felt since April when we start trying to treat me. Crazy, I know. So, in an effort to determine once and for all what is wrong and HOW we will fix it, I have an appointment scheduled to see a gastroenterologist next week. Please be in prayer that he is able to come up with a diagnosis and treatment that will work. I'm tired of what feels like a small army of men kicking my insides.. and the tears that come with it.

On a happier note, Matt and I got our pictures back from our photoshoot! I'm going to post some of my favorites, simply to lift my spirits and hopefully for your enjoyment.

Secondly, I went to my mom's yesterday to hang out. Well, I decided to play around on my old piano some. Something about music, piano namely, is so relaxing and makes all of the worries of this world seem to drift away. With that being said, I dug out my old keyboard and brought it back to the apartment with me. It is so nice to start playing again. The music you now hear on my blog (if your speakers are on) was inspired by the renewal of my love for piano and some of my favorite songs. Hope you enjoy that, as well! :)

On a SUPER SUPER SUPER happy note for us, we leave in 17 days to go spend a few days with Matt's grandparents in Mobile and then, on the 13th, we SET SAIL for the Caribbean. Yay, yay, yay. We absolutely cannot WAIT to get some R&R without cell phones, computers, internet, etc. Just us, a boat, and the water.. (and about 2000 more passengers, ha).

Well, that's all I have for now!

Xoxo

Same Song, Different Verse

We've all heard the saying "same song, different verse." Well, this is exactly how I am beginning to feel in regard to my health situation. I returned to the doctor on Tuesday for a follow up appointment. Well, after another x-ray, we found that.. *drums, please*.. we are back at square one.. AGAIN. Yes, that's right, my intestines still are not working. In fact, my colon is actually twice the size it should normally be and has zero muscle tone. It's safe to say that I was let down, again. As I said before, it's the same song, just a different verse ever time I go for my check-ups. So, my doctor and I have a consultation. I talked to her about how to medication was making me so sick and I poured out my heart about my frustrations and sadness over this situation. Here's what we decided..

My doctor wants me to try ONE more treatment. I will start it Friday around noon (please be in prayer with me). Once it's over, I will begin to take the SAME medicine on Sunday. Except, this time, she is giving me the medication in 8 mcg tablets (I was taking 24 mcg tabs). I will take 4 tablets a day, so ultimately I will be getting the same dosage of medicine, just over a longer period of time. We are hoping that lessening the amount of medicine I receive at one time will help decrease all of the nasty side effects I was experiencing.

So.. I will take the medicine for a week and return to my doctor for another follow up. IF I am able to tolerate the medication, she will try to keep me on it for 6-8 months then begin to wean me off (if possible). However, if I tolerate the medicine, there is a chance that I could be taking this medication for years to control my illness. Remember, this is a category X medication, meaning it is absolutely CONTRAINDICATED in pregnancies. So, although we are planning to wait on children for awhile, this scenario could mean we would have to push back the thought of children even further. We need to get me well/healed/whatever.

However, if I am NOT able to tolerate the medications, our next step is unknown. I will probably be referred to a specialist and go from there. The thought of the unknown scares me.

The devil is definitely trying to use this situation to get me down and, unfortunately, it has worked on occasion. I know that "God works for the good of those who love Him" (Rom. 8:28), but it can still be very tough and depressing at times. I also know that the same God that allowed the blind to see and the lame to leap can heal me, if it is in His will. I am praying that His will, regardless, be done. I am also praying for me to find the beauty in the midst of all of this pain, because God does give beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). Pray with me, friends.

Love you all,

Sweet Friends, Good Shopping, Great Food.

Hey guys! Ok.. the reason this blog is titled "Keeping Up With the Gates" is because we are constantly on the go. Whether school, work, or traveling, we are always doing something. It's even hard at times for us to keep up with ourselves. So, this past weekend, Matt took the day off Friday and we headed north, to Tennessee. We have some dear friends that live in Murfreesboro, so we went and stayed the weekend with them. It was so nice to get out of town and spend some time together not worrying about work and other things. The drive to TN was so calm and beautiful.. it's always nice to be able to see and enjoy God's magnificent creations. As we were getting closer to their home, we see a castle.. yes, a castle.. on top of a mountain. If you truly know me, you can imagine how excited I was. We later found out that the castle (which is residential and private property) was the film location for Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video. Here's a picture we took of it from the highway.

So, once we arrived to our friends', we got ready and went out to eat (we did this a lot this weekend, ha). We went to a restaurant in Murfreesboro called Demos'. It was wonderful. I had blackened catfish and hash browns. It was the best catfish I have ever had. After dinner, we got the tour of Murfreesboro. It is such a cute town. Downtown is gorgeous. The homes reminded me a lot of Savannah. Here are a few of my favorites.

We laughed and had a great time the first night. The next morning, we woke up and headed to Nashville. We spent the day in Nashville touring and eating. We absolutely loved the city. So much history, so much good music, so much food.. living there wouldn't be a bad idea. Ha. After all, Vanderbilt DOES have a Children's Hospital and offers a Master's in Nursing. Hmmm :) A possibility? Maybe?

So, we went to the park in Nashville to see the Parthenon. It is the only full size replica of the Parthenon in Athens. The detail is so intricate. We were amazed. Here are some pictures from our tour of it.

After we left the Parthenon, we went to grab lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, yum! I'm not much of a cheesecake fan, but Matthew loves it. However, the cheesecake was so delicious, I actually ENJOYED it! I'm craving a piece now! Ha! The food was wonderful, as well.

We left The Cheesecake Factory and went to the Grand Ole Opry. Wow. The Opry is huge and beautiful. The tours were sold out for the day, but we were able to get a few pictures. It is so neat seeing tributes everywhere for those who have been inducted into the Opry.

After we left the Opry, we headed back into downtown Nashville and toured the original opry house, The Ryman Auditorium. We took a backstage tour and were able to see the dressing rooms, lighting, stage, etc. We learned several different fun facts about country music legends, such as Johnny and June, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Sr., and even Minnie Pearl. The tour was very interesting and the Ryman is gorgeous.

After our tour of the Ryman, we headed to a town outside of Nashville called Lebanon. We met up with our friends and shopped, shopped, shopped. So much fun! We grabbed dinner in Murfreesboro and headed back to their place to watch a movie. The next day, we woke up and grabbed lunch at a small town restaurant called Miller's. The food is to die for. I literally probably gained weight on this trip.. NOT ok. After our meal, we got on the road and headed back home.


We absolutely loved everything up there and cannot wait to go back and visit again. I'm still thinking it would be a nice place to call home one day :) We will wait and see..


Much love,

Healing Is In Your Hands

Hey followers (if I have any..)! Ok, so towards the end of my last post I wrote that I would be going to the doctor for yet ANOTHER x-ray and check up from my previous appointment. Well, I figured I'd use this post to fill you all in on what went down at the doctor (since, everyone and their mama always assumes I'm pregnant.. um, no). When I went to see my doctor and she x-rayed me, she informed me that my illness had regressed to back to how we were in April. So, for all of you non-medical people, I'm going to try to spare the gory details as I explain what is going on. I'm also going to be very general, as there are some things I'd rather not mention. However, I'm going to give a few details so I'm not having to explain to a million different people.


To make my story short and sweet, here we go..


I went to the doctor (leaving her name out for privacy reasons) in April (right before my finals in Semester 3) to have a small, slightly irritating problem checked out. Well, to best understand what was causing my pain, my doctor felt that it would be best if she had an x-ray of my stomach/chest made. Upon reviewing the x-ray, she found out that I may have what appears to be some intestinal problems (umm, ok?). I was slightly shocked, but as she managed to explain what she believed was going on, everything started to make sense. Well, since she was not 100% sure, she wanted to start me on a treatment and have me come back in (I believe) two weeks. Well, as I returned to my doctor for a follow-up, she performed another x-ray. The x-ray showed improvement. Although it had not improved like she expected, we were still thankful for improvement. She placed me on another treatment plan and wanted to see me back in about six weeks. Well, this brings us up to last week when I returned for a check up. Another x-ray was made (same song, different tune..). When she came into my examination room after reviewing the x-ray, she told me what I did not want to hear. We were back at square one. My intestines had not taken to the treatment and had regressed back to how they were in April. So, we talked for awhile about the past treatments and my childhood (trying to get clues for a diagnosis). Although she still has not given me a set diagnosis, she does know that I have a problem with the musculature of my intestines (yes, all of them.. small, large, etc..). So, here we go again. I get placed on a different, more aggressive treatment and I'm told to come back for yet another x-ray in about two weeks. No big, I'm used to this by now. However, when you are sent home with five different medications to take, it is not comforting. I got so sick the day of my appointment (last Thursday) and, fortunately, my sweet sister was at our apartment and was able to help take care of me.. not to mention, we had the youth group coming over that night and I was NOT canceling on them. So, I sucked it up. The next day (Friday), still not feeling great (obviously.. my liver is in like overdrive trying to metabolize all of the medications). Friday night, nausea began to kick in. So, I spent the next day (Saturday) at home since I had been feeling so ill the previous days. And, it's a good thing that I did. I was so nauseated Saturday night that I was in tears. Not to mention, one of my medications causes "tightening of the chest" as a side effect. Um, kind of scary when you want to throw up but feel like you can't breathe. Once the nausea passed, I went to slept. Sunday and Monday went by a little more smoothly. My body is beginning to adjust to the medications and I'm able to be myself a little more easily. So, that's the main part of my story.. we will pray and see how my check up goes.


However.. there is another side to this story regarding one of my medications (if you're still reading this, you're a trooper). This side of the story may, in fact, worry me more than the illness itself.


The main medication I am taking in order to try to work with my intestines is a prescription medication and it is VERY, VERY costly. Also, there is no cure for what I supposedly have, only treatments. This means that in order for my intestines to function properly, I will need medications to TREAT, not cure, it. Sucks, I know. But very thankful for treatments. Here's the scary part.. when my doctor prescribed me this particular medicine, she questions "Y'all aren't planning on getting pregnant anytime soon, are you?" Well, everyone knows that answer. No. She then proceeds to tell me that this medication, while it will treat my illness, can cause fetal death in the event of a pregnancy. This scares me for two reasons. Number one, unexpected pregnancies do, in fact, happen. And while we are not trying to have a baby, the though of an unexpected pregnancy and the result of fetal death breaks my heart. Number two, when we DO want children of my own, we will then have to make the decision regarding what to do with my medication and how to treat my illness without harming a baby. Hopefully we do not have to worry about these issues (for awhile, at least), but the thought is still scary, and it runs rampant through my mind often.






However, I know that HEALING can, indeed, come from our Father's hands.


God Bless,