Post-Christmas Update

Wow, it's hard to believe Christmas is over. It's also hard to believe that I haven't blogged in almost a week and didn't blog on Christmas Eve or Day..sorry! I definitely had plans to blog and actually a couple of things to share. Oh well! LONG POST AHEAD!!!!! Quite a bit of updating, and hate to split it up. Sorry!

It was crazy around our household....working until the 18th, cooking, cleaning, babysitting, parties/get-togethers,family, shopping, etc. We had a great Christmas. My mom and I went shopping the day after, and found some good deals. I really enjoyed it and it wasn't that bad, as far as the crowds and traffic went.

I am actually working this week (Monday-Wed). The place where I have been working was going to have a really small skeleton crew, and the manager asked if I wanted to come in and cover for the girl I had been working with. I jumped at the opportunity (especially since it meant earning a little more $$$). It was really slow today.

I had a transplant clinic appointment on the 16th. It went pretty well. My PFT's had gone up a pretty good bit, my 02 sats were 99% (which is the highest they have been since April or May this past year). All in all it was a good appointment. We think that some of the breathing and 02 sats have been better due to the removal of my gallbladder. My shaking has continued to be really bad, and there are setting up a consult with a neurologist, just in case something is going on.

I am still having a really difficult time gaining my weight back. I lost about 12 pounds before/during/after the surgery. I have yet to gain 1 pound back, and I am at a whopping 86.5/87 pounds, which is NOT good. I am really trying, but my stomach is really having a difficult time eating a lot at once. I'm also experiencing a lot of nausea, which is interfering as well. Hopefully this will turn around soon. I hate it...and none of my pants/jeans fit me right now. I had to go buy 2 new pairs of jeans.

I am all registered for classes this next semester. I am taking Physiology (the 2nd part to anatomy). It will consist of a lecture class and a lab class. I am also taking Nutrition, which is one of the pre-nursing electives required. I'm excited and praying this semester will be much less stressful :)

I have been off and on as far as feeling good. I have been really exhausted and not sleeping the best. I have had a really bad sinus infection for several weeks now. I started on some oral Cipro back on December 11th and are taking it for a total of 3 weeks (21 days). I only have a few days left. I am also on my month of TOBI (and are a little behind on starting it).

Today, unfortunately, I had not been feeling the best, but though it was just my sinuses and being tired. About 2:00 or so, all of a sudden, it hit me. I felt awful. I managed to stay at work until about 4:20 (our day ends at 4:30); I checked my temp in the car, because it felt like I had one. Sure enough I had a low-grade temp. I got home, unloaded and climbed in the bed, and checked my temp with a different thermometer (instead of the one that stays in my car 24/7). It was higher at 99.8 (which is high for me). Currently, my temp is 100.9 and is not going down with Tylenol. I have no idea what is going on. My chest is hurting, back aching, coughing up junk, and very sob. I hate this, especially since I was working this week. UGH!!!

I will keep you all updated. I may be making a trip to clinic or the hospital this week. Sorry again, for the long update. I hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas. And if for some reason I don't get around to posting again before Thursday...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Jesus is Better than Santa....

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.


It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Believe

BELIEVE.....

That miracles happen
and that they can change your life.

Believe that you have an angel by your side
to help you through

and believe that anything is possible at Christmas,
for Jesus Christ is LORD!

Friday Fill-In

1. No, we will NOT upgrade the shipping at our cost (an inside joke at work).

2. Please don't paint at the old kitchen table.

3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: that looks nice and warm; too bad I don't like coffee or tea ;)

4. Everything is going to be okay.

5. I'll take the "C" average I got in anatomy...totally worth it and not upset about not making an "A" or "B" at all.

6. The recent news on Tiger Woods is very sad, his actions were very inappropriate and I can't believe some people chose him as one of the most outstanding athletes of the year (at least from my point of view).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a Christmas party involving good, yummy chili, ornament Dirty Santa and good fellowship with other godly women; tomorrow my plans include babysitting and more babysitting (and a few errands if time allows) and Sunday, I want to go to church and enjoy the last Sunday School before Christmas and the last one before our long time teachers retire; the day will probably involve a little bit of shopping if I have enough energy!

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I passed!!!

By the grace of God (and possibly a little bit of scaling the grades), I passed my anatomy class with a "C" average! One step closer! And that means I can apply to nursing school in January...yay!!!

I seriously didn't think it was statistically possible!

Music Monday

SOON-AH WILL BE DONE

I had never heard this song before until Saturday night at the concert I attended benefiting Cystic Fibrosis. It was an alumni of men who participated in the famous Huffman High School Chansoniers Chorus from the years 1972-1997 (or rather, those were the ones who could dedicate and commit their time to doing the concert). Back in May, a retirement reception was held in honor of the choir director who had been at Huffman High School for many many years. At the retirement party, some of the members of the choir started singing and thought it would be fun to get together and do a concert. In the midst of planning the concert, they decided why don't we support a couple of charities while doing this. They stated that they would have loads of fun, but at the same time making a difference in the lives of those affected by the charity they would choose.

Anyways...to make a long story short, this particular high school men's chorus became very popular and people from all over the state use to travel to hear them sing. This weekend, people from Tennessee, Georgia and all over Alabama drove to attend this concert. I'm not sure how much the tickets cost, because mine was free, but both show times were sold out. An awesome $10,000 was raised for EACH charity, for a total of $20,000!!! I think the choir director said the sanctuary held maybe 750 people? It was a very neat experience and the best singing by a men's chorus I have ever heard! And the neat thing was that the majority of the songs were Christian or faith-based.

This is one of the songs the Chansoniers sang. And NO, this is not them singing....but this particular group sounded good when I looked on YouTube :) I hope you will take just a minute to listen to it. I think it is an awesome song...lyrics and how it sounds musically! Enjoy!

Weekend Wrap-Up

WOW! It's been forever since I blogged (or at least it seems). I apologize for that....especially to my loyal followers! It has definitely been a hectic week, good and bad!

I finished up final exams on Wednesday this past week. Grades will be posted this Wednesday, the 16th. I don't have a very good feeling about it and don't know if it was even statistically possible to pass the class with a "C" average. I really don't want to have to take it again, but it is definitely looking that way :(

Work has been crazy, so I've been doing as much overtime as possible. I did work Saturday for 1/2 a day. I did manage to decorate my room! I am working on my Christmas cards and have plans on mailing in the next few days. Here is my little Christmas tree in my room:

My stomach is much better from the gallbladder surgery. It seems that all the fluid is gone, and the pain and soreness are much much better. I'm still adjusting to eating, and can only eat small proportions. I still have not gained any of my weight back and have actually lost another 2 pounds...but i have confidence it will come back eventually :)

I have had a pretty intense sinus infection and finally got some antibiotics for it this past Thursday. I ran a fever Friday night and felt pretty crappy, but have felt somewhat better this weekend. I missed out on my Christmas Sunday School Party Friday night, which i was pretty bummed about. But have had a few other fun things this weekend. Last night I attended a local concert put on by an alumni high school (very well known) men's chorus. They chose 2 charities that would benefit from their ticket sales. And CF was one of the charities picked due to certain relationships and connections with some of the members. They raised over $10,000 for EACH charity, which was AWESOME! And this particular Men's choir was the best I had ever heard. They were so nice and generous and glad they could support such a great cause.

We had a community CF Fundraiser Saturday a week ago (the 5th). It was an auction held at a local Starbucks. It was sort of a pre-fundraiser for our upcoming "Scrap for the Cure" event next Spring. We raised about $2600 from the auction, and Starbucks has a charity program where they are going to match that...AWESOME!!!

This upcoming week is busy with work, parties, and doctor's appointments. I have a transplant clinic appointment on Wednesday. I have a CFF luncheon on Thursday. I am supposed to have my surgery follow up appt on Tuesday, but are going to reschedule it. I can't miss that much time during work this week.

Last Sunday I went with a friend of mine to Sips N Strokes. Here is a picture of what I painted...it was pretty fun! I love attending these sessions...so much fun!

It's been very COLD and rainy (misty rain) pretty much all week. But tomorrow our high is supposed to be 69 degrees F...crazy Alabama weather! I hope all of you have had a great weekend. I think I am officially in the Christmas spirit!!!!

ROLL TIDE!!

YAY!!! The University of Alabama Football Team beat Florida in the SEC Championship yesterday!! It was such an awesome game and I am so proud of how they played!!! ROLL TIDE!! I don't think too many people expected them to win, and definitely not by as many points as they did! Last year, they lost to Florida in the SEC Championship!



Now we get to play Texas in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship! Bama is traveling to Pasadena!! It's been awhile since Alabama has competed for a National Title, let alone won the SEC Title!!! But I have confidence that they will do very well! GO BAMA!!!!

Ultrasound Report & More

Apparently the ultrasound I had on Thursday to check out the fluid in my abdomen turned out normal. The only thing they saw was pelvic fluid. I was told by my regular GI doctor that the pelvic fluid was normal, and just sympathetic womanly fluid. I may discuss that with my GYN though just to make sure. My GI surgery nurse coordinator was going to ask my surgeon if there was anything else she wanted to check out. This was Thursday, and she never called me back. So I guess not. It's a little frustrating, because my stomach is really big, bloated and pregnant looking and very uncomfortable/painful at times. I'm praying that maybe I just need a little more recovery time and that will get better. The more frustrating part is that I can only eat very little and only certain things. I haven't gained any of my weight back yet, which can be concerning and dangerous. I have to talk with my transplant coordinator again on Monday to see what they want to do about the liver lab values being too high.

I really don't want to have to schedule more appointments or go back to my regular GI doctor right now. (at least not before Christmas). So we'll see how this next week goes, i guess.

I worked 12 hours yesterday (Friday)...work is so slammed right now and I really need the extra/overtime hours. Our boss had approved a half of day (4 hrs) for everyone to work today (Sat) and really wanted everyone to come in. I had plans on it, but just couldn't get out of bed this morning. After the stressful week and pulling 3 all-nighters, my body was aching for some sleep. So I decided to just that. We also had a CF event going on today which I was helping out at. But with not feeling that great and with it being frigidly cold outside, I decided against that too. Tomorrow I have a few fun things planned and are hoping I feel good and energized for those. I have to fit some studying in as well for my final Anatomy lecture exam this coming Wednesday, although I'm not even sure if it's possible to pass the class now. I'm so upset and stressed with that!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I should have time not to keep up with blogging more frequently. I'm not sure how many of you follow Brandi's blog, but we have a dear CF friend of hours who recently was transplanted. She is having some complications including 40 lbs of fluid build-up, a severe aspergillus infection and induced pneumonia from the aspergillus. They put her back on the vent last night. So if you feel led, she could definitely use your prayers. Her name is Lauren and she is a sweet heart. She has no family or friends down here with her, and her mom is in end-stage cancer, and was just turned over to hospice yesterday!

Checking IN.....

I guess my plan for blogging more frequently just didn't happen last week nor is it going to happen this week! SORRY! Studying, work and my health is taking up my time!! I have 2 Anatomy finals tonight (one make up and my lab practical final). I'm not prepared and are so worried. I definitely need the prayers and miracles. I pulled an all nighter Monday night studying. Worked about 9 hours Tuesday, then attended a anatomy lab study session last night from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Came home, got some dinner and ended up crashing and falling asleep. NOT MY PLAN! I had planned on studying the entire night, or at least most of it. I took off work today, but didn't wake up until 10am. And i feel awful, like i've been run-overed by an 18 wheeler truck. Not sure why and hope I'm not sick! I'm finally getting a little more alert and energized, and will studying 24/7 until about 4:30 today. My anatomy lecture make up test is at 5:30 pm and my lab practical final exam is at 7:00 pm. I'm more worried about that than the lecture make-up! So if you read this today or tonight, I would greatly appreciate any prayers! I know that is not technically something to pray for, but hey, I'm on the verge of passing the class, and I'm going to ask for all I can!

My liver has decided to continue acting up post-surgery. The fluid in my abdomen has not decreased and is actually getting pretty painful and very uncomfortable. I had some lab work rechecked yesterday. Not sure if i mentioned this before or not, but I had to get some lab work done this past Friday due to lots of fluid accumulation. Some liver values were high, I was started on some lasix, and then was re-evaluated yesterday. The lasix really didn't work that much, and my lab values decided to go up a tad, to the point where the transplant team is a little concerned. I spoke to the GI surgery nurse coordinator yesterday. They have decided to do an ultrasound to make sure nothing serious is going on. So I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning. It seems like I can never get away or never get a break from all this health stuff. I have been eating better, but not that much, and really have not been able to gain any of the 8-10 pounds or so I lost. So I really need that to get better as well!

Well, that's all the time I have for blogging. I have a Christmas party to attend tomorrow night (Thursday) and a couple of things going on this weekend. I have my final/3rd Anatomy Lecture Exam next Wednesday, December 9th. I am so ready for all of this to be over with, but want a HAPPY ENDING!!!

I hope everyone is having a great week!