New Game Plan

I just realized that it has been almost a month since I have posted anything so I thought I would write a quick update. Over the last month, I have been continuing to deal with migraines and the same old POTS issues. The last time that I went to the doctor we discussed a couple of studies that are taking place concerning POTS patients and exercise. We discussed how that if you start out increasing exercise in the sitting position and then gradually add walking exercise usually POTS patients are able to increase their activity level back to normal. I have already been riding a bike at home, but knew that I needed to do more, so this week I decided that I needed to start out at the wellness center. So far, I have been able to tolerate the increase in activity without any difficulty. I am doing 30 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes rowing, and 10 minutes on the treadmill. I am going to gradually increase my standing activity, of course I have to do my exercise in the afternoon as this is when my heart rate is at its slowest. Praise the Lord that I am able to do this much. I am praying that with some conditioning that I will be able to return to work early next year. The doctors say that this is what my heart needs is to be conditioned :) I am willing to give it a try.

I am looking forward to celebrating the Christ's birth and spending time with family and friends this holiday season. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.

All my beautiful nieces and nephews.

The Lord's Provision

Isn't the Lord amazing :) Over the last several months, I have been totally amazed how the Lord has provided for my needs, yes, I am still having some financial struggles, but my imediate needs are met. The Lord knows exactly what needs we have and when we have them. His timing is always perfect. Thank you LORD for meeting my every day needs, as you always do.

Sometimes Only God Knows Why!!!

So as I said in my last post, I had returned to work, however, that only lasted for a week. All was going well until I was required to work 9-10 hour days and was coming home with migraines, then I woke up with a Migraine and had to go to work with it and my heart was racing all day. I was praying all day about what to do and after much prayer and spending another 9 1/2 hour day at work I  knew that I was not going to be able to handle it health wise. I know that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing in my life and that He has something special in store for me, but right now that does not involve work :)

I will one day return to the work force but I will not push myself and will wait on His perfect timing. Please continue to pray for me as this week has been a rough one all around.

Gradual Improvement

I have been battling back and forth for the last couple of months about returning to work, praying about what the Lord would want me to do. I was looking for a job that I was capable of doing, especially since I am still having some tachycardia and fatigue, and headaches of and on. I happened upon an office RN position in and decided to call about it. Everything worked out and I decided to accept the position at this GYN office. It is a whole new experience for me but it is a perfect fit because I am able to sit down when I need to and still am making money. The Lord really knows how to provide for our needs. It is not exactly the job that I would have picked but I am learning to adjust gradually :)

I also went to Pittsburgh to see a Cardiologist on Friday who specializes in POTS. He informed me that I am doing everything right. My symptoms seem to be well under control and that I should continue doing what I am doing. The only thing that he would add is increasing my activity as much as possible, which I am already doing by returning to work. So that was a good report.

The progress has been gradual and some days are worse than others but that Lord has been faithful through it all.

God Gives JUST What We Need!

I had the wonderful oppurtunity of attending a woman's conference this weekend in Horseheads, NY with Mrs. Debi Pryde. It was just the shot in the arm that I needed to really look into my spiritual life and see that there are some things that I need to change. The Lord really knew that is what I needed right now, but it did not stop there. The Lord continued to work in my heart on Sunday through my pastor's messages. He spoke on the Promises of God how they are perfect and NEVER fail. How powerful.

Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

God promises that if we give HE will give unto us more bountifully than we already have, running over. God wants to shower us with blessings, but we have to do our part.

The Pastor also spoke about how God will supply our needs. We may not know when, but we have to patiently wait for Him to do it, don't rob Him of that blessing.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

God has all the things that we need we just need to sit back and wait for Him to provide. God will take care of us. I am so thankful that God is concerned about MY needs. Now, I just have to wait on HIM.

Praise the Lord for Good Days!!!

The last few weeks I have been struggling with headaches, unsure of what the next day may hold. I have been trying to daily place my trust in the Lord. Last night, while doing my devotions I was yet again reminded of the importance of drawing near to God and placing my trust in Him as it says in

Psa 73:28  "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works."

So this morning, NO headache...praise the Lord. I was actually able to help my mom with her kitchen. I also got an amazing phone call. The appointment for the Headache Clinic in Pittsburgh which was scheduled for February was able to be moved up to October 14 (due to a cancellation). I am thrilled. The Lord really is good. I am hopeful that they will be able to give me some advice or some help in some way. Of course this makes 3 appointments in Pittsburgh in October, but at least maybe then I can get some answers concerning my health. It will be a busy month.

Over all, having a pretty good health day and praising the Lord for it. Hope and pray that I will be in church tonight for once on a Wednesday night. Looking forward to being in the Lord's House among the Lord's people.

Roller Coaster Ride :)

The last several months have been like a roller coaster ride for me. I have many ups and downs. I will have several good days and than go through a bad stretch. Last week, I went through almost a whole week with no headaches and I spent a great deal of time praising God for the good days. Then, it came to an end and the headaches came back. For the last several days, I have been dealing with migraines again. My doctor basically told me to deal with it until I go to my neurologist in October (that is easy for her to say). Today, I actually did not feal too bad. Today, I managed to help my mom make applesauce and elderberry jelly, helped my dad pick some corn and helped my mom prepare it to freeze. A big day. I am tired, but I hope that there are more days like today. One day the Lord will allow me many good days in a row, at least that is what I am praying for. Please continue to pray for me that I can indeed hold out until the end of October when I go see the Neurologist and Cardiologist in Pittsburgh. Hopefully they will be able to give me some answers. Afterall, I like rollercoasters, but I prefer to ride them instead of live them everyday of my life :)

A GREAT Nights Sleep...A Great day to PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Psalm 48:1-2 "Great is  the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.  Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."

The last couple of nights the Lord has allowed me to get the rest that I have needed. Last night, I slept through the night until 5:30 am and then I stayed up talking with my dad before work and then went back to sleep and slept almost until 9:00 am. I feel well rested for the first time in months. Praise the Lord for feeling good.

My hands and feet are on the mends, my head feels good, it is a Sunny day...it is a good day to praise the LORD.

What ELSE!!!

I am beginning to feel a little plagued...so Saturday was my first headache free day, but I exchanged it for a rash on the hands and feet which itched and burned and hurt like crazy. I thought it was what the kids had. Then it got worse on Sunday...good news, still no headache. I thought maybe it could be an allergy to my Penicillin since it started right after taking it. I called the ER and they told me to stop taking it and started me on a new prescription. So, today I went to the doctor and found out that I have Scabies (yuck) of all things....not real sure where I got that from, guess I could have gotten them anywhere as yucky as people are these days. My life is full of surprises. A couple of weeks ago I made the mistake of saying that everything hurt except for my feet, now my feet hurt...hey at least I am headache free for the last 3 days. Praise the LORD.

On Top of Everything Else....

So this week has been an ok week, as long as I stay on top of the pain medication for the migraines, up until yesterday. Yesterday, I woke up with a major sore throat. It did not really surprise me too much because 7 out of the 8 nieces and nephews are sick. (1 has strep throat and the rest with the runny nose and fever). So, later in the afternoon I started to run a fever and my heart was racing off and on even while sitting down, which is a little unusual for me. So, I decided to go to Express Care to get checked. When they checked my heart rate while sitting it was in the 140s and they did a strep test. When the doctor came in he said, "Well the good news is you have strep throat, the bad news is we are going to send you the ER for your SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Believe me I was not excited. By the time I got to ER my heart rate was in the 120s and I got to see my favorite doctor (not really), and she told me that I had sinus tachycardia caused from the strep throat and that I needed to rest and take penicillin for the strep. OK....so I came home and went to bed.

Psalm 38:21--"Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me."

This is the Day that the Lord hath Made Let Us Rejoice and Be Glad in It!

This morning I had the great opportunity to attend church once again this Sunday morning. I always enjoy spending Sundays in church. I am always blessed not only in the preaching, but also in the song service. This morning was no different. We sang two of my favorite hymns and they both brought tears to my eyes because of the promises from God's Words that they hold.

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION----(What a great reminder that GOD is our Foundation and will get us through the difficult trials and will never leave us nor forsake us.)

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

---

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

---

The Lord really is a great and awesome God. I need to remember that I need to stand daily on His promises. Today He allowed me to have a fairly good day, PRAISE THE LORD. I went to church and out to dinner with my Pastor and his wife. I did have a headache when I got home, so I took my pain medication and it actually brought it down to a low roar, which is a huge blessing because before this did not work. I am thankful for a pretty good day. Praying I will have more of these.

My Suffering is No Comparison

Yesterday morning, I went for my Lumbar Puncture at 7:30am. I got to the Short Procedure Unit a little early. Much to my dismay they stated that I would need an saline lock IV in order to have the procedure, just in place so that if I passed out they could give me fluids or medication if needed. I have veins but they are teeny, tiny and it takes forever to get an IV started on me. The nurse was going to look, but something happened and she needed to go and attend to it. So needless to say 2 anesthesiologists were trying to get my IV started. I lost count of how many times they stuck me, but it was somewhere around 20 times, around 12 of them were in my neck. They finally had to do it under ultrasound. I was very disrought...it took almost 2 hours of constant sticking. Then I had to go through the lumbar puncture which was another couple of very painful needle sticks in my spine. So needless to say I was FULL OF HOLES.

However, no matter how many times that I was poked, nothing comes close to the suffering that Jesus faced for me on the cross.
He was falsely accused (Matthew 26:59--^"Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;")

Held captive instead of a murderer (Mark 15:7,11 "And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.")

Spit on, made fun of and hit (Matthew 26:67--"Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,")

Betrayed and denied by His closest followers/friends--Judas and Peter (Matthew 26-27)

He was scourged or brutally whipped (Matthew 27:26)

He was stripped naked and the soldiers made a mockery of Him by placing a crown of thorns on His head and placing a scarlet robe on His back bowing before Him and saying, "Hail, King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:28-29--^"And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!")

When He thirsted He was given vinegar to drink (Matthew 27:34--"They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.")

Soldiers mocked Him while he died (Mark 15:24--"And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.")

He was placed between 2 thieves like a criminal (Mark 15:27--"And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.")

Continuously mocked while on the cross (Mark 15:29-32--"And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.")

His Father turned His back on Him (Mark 15:34--"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?")

THANK YOU JESUS FOR SUFFERING FOR THE PENALTY OF MY SIN AND FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME TO KNOW ME AS YOUR CHILD. PLEASE HELP ME TO CONTINUALLY REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER WHAT SUFFERING I FACE YOU HAVE FACED FAR GREATER. YOUR OWN FATHER FORSOOK YOU AND YOU HAVE STATED THAT YOU WILL NEVER DO THAT TO ME.

HEBREWS 13:5--"LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE WITHOUT COVETOUSNESSL AND BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YE HAVE: FOR HE HATH SAID, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE."

Continuous Throbbing Headache!!!

So I was hoping that I would be able to slide into September without a headache, but it is NOT looking good. Yesterday, since I still was dealing with a monster headache I decided to make an appointment with anyone available at my doctor's office. So today, I had an appointment with one of the PAs. I had seen her a few weeks ago, so it turned out to be good. She decided to do a STAT CT scan of my head (which was normal) and some STAT lab work (all normal). Then she talked about doing a Lumbar Puncture (which for those who don't know is when they put a needle in your spine and test spinal fluid for pressure or infection, disease). So, tomorrow AM I am going to have the lumbar puncture done after that not sure what will happen. I am taking things, still ONE DAY AT A TIME.

OH, and I decided to chop all of my hair off so that I don't have to work so hard to get ready to go places. When I got back, my niece Elizabeth saw me and laughed (I told her I was going to get it cut short and she was worried I would look like a boy). I said do I look like a boy, she said, "No, you still look like Aunt Hannah." She makes me laugh :)

Taking it a Day at a Time!

Yesterday, I decided that despite the head cold, the major headache, and POTS I went to church. It was so wonderful to be in the House of the Lord. It was so nice to be able to fellowship with God's people and to hear the Word of the Lord again. I missed it so much. I also had the wonderful opportunity to talk to an old friend from Arizona (Manny it was so great to hear your voice). I miss my far away friends. It is amazing how getting in touch with friends can uplift your spirits and make you have a better day. I am so thankful for the network of prayer warriors that I have across the United States. The Lord has really blessed me.

I was very uplifted yesterday....this morning I found some Psalms to get me through the day and the Lord showed me how important it is to take each day at a time.

Psalm 5:3, 11-12
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord: in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name  be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

A good nights sleep goes a long way!!!

It is pretty bad when the only way that I can get a good night's sleep is to be really medicated to get one. Last night I had a whole handful of prescriptions from neurologist, but it was too late to get them filled, so yet again I darkened the doors of the ER to see what they could do for me to get me through the night until I could get them filled. They gave me some anti-nausea and pain meds and sent me right home. I slept like a baby all night....and finally woke up with NO headache. Maybe I just needed to get some good sleep. I have a little headache today, but the doctor gave me some medicine to take for that. My POTS is still really out of control...my heart rate was everywhere, but I had stopped my one medication to see if it was causing the migraine. I started to take it again this morning, hopefully it will kick in and my heart rate will start to calm down and my life will start to be a little more normal....hahaha.

A new day, always a new adventure :)

Yesterday. I tried to take it easy, but you cannot keep me down. I stayed down all day, but despite the increasing head pain I kept going. I decided that I wanted to go and pick black berries with my sister-in-law. So I threw my chair over my shoulder and grabbed my bucket and off we went. I only sat in the chair a couple of times because it was more work to get up and down then just stay standing. Half way through the pickin' I decided to take a break....well, my chair wasn't quite on steady ground and I tipped right over backwards...I bet the BEARS got a belly laugh out of that. I sure did....my leg is sure bruised today though.

So the longer the day went on the worse my headache became....sometimes I just wonder what the LORD has in store for me....looking forward to that glorified body that is for sure.

My mom ended up taking me to the ER so that I could just get some pain relief...I got some pain meds and got home around midnight, so I was able to get a few hours of sleep before the pain came back in full-force. I am off to the neurologist in Elmira today, maybe she can help me....PLEASE PRAY!!!!

I woke up with this verse on my mind:
PSALM 121:1-2--"I WILL LIFT UP MINE EYES UNTO THE HILLS FROM WHENCE COMETH MY HELP. MY HELP COMETH FROM THE LORD, WHICH MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH."

Comfort from God's Word

Psalm 73:23-28

"Nevertheless, I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from tee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for moe to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works." 

Gaining!!!

Yesterday, I was able to make it home from the hospital in Pittburgh after spending yet another 4 days there. I did make some improvement. I don't have much of a headache and the dizziness it down to where I am not stumbling across the floor :) The ride was long, but I am glad to be home. They put me on one medication for a week to ward off the migraine and I am trying to slowly increase my strength. I did slowly take myself off of the one medication for POTS, not sure if that did anything or not...we will have to wait and see. Please continue to pray for me as I try to increase in strength.

Another POTS day!!!

So today....I barely made it out of bed....laying flat or reclining almost flat is the position the appears to be the only one that I can function in. I am trying to keep a POSITIVE attitude. I knew that I had a doctor's appointment so I had my hopes up...not sure why?! So needless to say, I managed to get myself dressed, what a chore....brushed my teeth and then had to lay down :(

I finally made it over to my appointment and had to go in via wheelchair (the ride of luxury). I of course almost passed out walking down the hall, but made it up on the table and everything looked normal. I told the nurse who of course by this time knew everything was not NORMAL. I stood up and my vitals all went to POTS :) They had me lay down and the doctor peaked his head in and said he would check on me in a few minutes. He contacted my Electrophysiologist in Elmira and now I have to go to Elmira tomorrow am at 9:00 and discuss the possibility of a pacemaker???? 

Please pray for me as I am a little scared of all of these possibilities and feel very crummy.

Daily Gaining Comfort From the Lord

So my day did not get any better....I went from feeling really bad to only worse...of course when I call the doctor's office they say...."You need to go to the ER". After turning blue there I am a little scared of stepping foot inside there but deside I actually might feel bad enough today to do so. I went and 4 hours later they tell me everything is ok but that I have low potassium....nothing new to me....probably just one of those POTS days. Of course it was not really a NORMAL POTS day for me because my heart rate was low and my BP was everywhere, but now all of that has changed. After taking a nap, my heart rate was back to the POTS self all over the place 130 just sitting and then up into the 150s-160s just standing. Still feel really crummy but I will see the doctor tomorrow.

I Know that Psalms 71 is for the elderly looking on to the future of their heavenly home, but I have taken quite a bit of hope in it the last couple of days.

Psalm 71:20-21--"Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side."

I am daily gaining comfort from the Lord, this is the only way that I am getting by.

Just Keep Trusting In Him!!!

There are days when I wake up and the sun is absolutely brilliant and I have no pain, there is no struggle to get out of bed, and the day ahead looks bright and full of life. These days I am now stopping and praising the LORD for more specifically. I am not sure why the LORD has allowed the trials to come into my life, but I do know that I am going to try and use these trials to mold me each and every day.

Yesterday, I was almost headache free....so I thought since my mom is still in the hospital with some sort of Gastro issue (the doctors are still working on), I would try to catch up on the dishes and I also had the nieces throughout the day. I ended up watching a total of 6 of them throughout, not all at once...and my dad was a huge help. I know he is struggling with this all as well. I had to stop and take a CAT nap with Shyanna when I put her to sleep, but that was ok with me. When I hit bed last night I was totally exhausted, I should have known.....

This morning, when I got up I have a headache and my blood pressure is all out of whack....I almost took a nose dive getting out of bed. I am guessing that it is the decrease in medications and my body being totally exhausted. Anyway, I am sitting in the chair, sucking down some water for now....hopefully this will bring up the BP.

I am also hopeful that my mom will come home today. I just have to remember that the LORD has a plan and a purpose for everything that has and will happen in my life.

Psalm 71:3--"For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth."

Isaiah 26:3-4--"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

I just need to continue to place my trust in the everlasting Jehovah GOD who will be my strength in and through it all.

The Headache Continues....

I am currently at home....but it has been a long journey and I am not finished yet. After leaving Charles Cole still with a Migraine. I spent the day at home and then my dad and I decided to drive up to Stong's Memorial in Rochester on a Saturday night to the ER. What a trip that was....the ER was packed. We saw people with head wounds there were gunshot victims coming in and needless to say I was at the back of the line. We got there at about 9:30pm and did not leave until around 2:30 pm the next day with only a little bit of relief. The relief lasted for about a day and then I ended up going to Olean on Monday night....they too were quite busy, they did everything possible but no success. They decided to admit me, but I sat in the ER for 18 hours. Needless to say I am not to excited about going to the ER these days especially with migraines. I spent Tues and Wed and then on Thurs I was transferred to Elmira because that is where my neurologist is, thinking that she would be able to treat me and I could go home since this has gone on in the past. The treatments failed so they stood around wondering what to do. They decided that Rochester would be the place to go. So that took a few days to work out. Meanwhile they are feeding me narcotics and hoping to keep me comfortable. They found an excepting doctor, but no beds. I waited 3 days for beds and then yesterday they came in and told me they would not accept my insurance. So I said send me home I will figure something else out. During all of this they had psychiatrist see me to see if my migraines were related to depression, stress, or panic disorder :) and put me on a massive dose of medication causing me to sleep all day one day. Now they want me to go see him for therapy.....came home and quit taking the medication and I am not going to therapy either. HEHE I go to the doctor this afternoon I am going to see where that gets me and may try to get to geisinger in Dansville, Pa they have a headache clinic there. Please continue to pray. It is because of your prayers that the Lord has given me strength to carry on.

What a Headache!!

Thursday night after over 24 hours of having a migraine with no relief I decided to go to the ER to see if they could give me something to relieve the pain. I should have known better with my past experience. I had already taken my Imitrex at home (which the doctor had to change because of insurance), which had not even touched it. They decided to start out with some benadryl and compazine at first which did not work and then they started to give me mega doses of dilaudid. I think that I was on my 3rd dose and was really tired when they asked if I was doing any better and I said no but I am really tired and I don't even remember getting the shot. The next thing I remember is that I woke up with a lot of people over me telling me to breathe. Apparently I had turned very blue and almost completely stopped breathing...praise the Lord they found me when they did. I ended up spending the last two nights in ICU and I still have a pretty nasty headache. I am just very thankful to be alive.

Praising God

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good and praising God. For the last three days I have been following the doctors orders...I have walked 30 minutes even though my heart has been off to the races the whole time I have survived. I also have been riding my mom's recum bike for 20-30 min each night, and of course I am wearing my compression stockings and drinking a gallon of water a day. Last night I also added raising the head of my bed a little bit. All of these things together with my new medication (Mestinon 60 mg 3 times a day) have allowed me to feel a little bit normal today. I am hoping that this feeling becomes a fact of life and occurs more often. Please pray that this whole routine is the answer to prayer that I am looking for. Praise the Lord for good days :)

Do I have the Faith to be Healed?

Last night at church the Pastor was preaching out of Acts 3 about the lame man at the gate Beautiful. The lame man was did not even have faith in God, but was just asking for alms at the gate as he did every day. He could do nothing but beg for money. He lived life like many people with POTS do, sitting around hoping to gain enough money to survive. The one thing that I have that he did not have is faith in Jesus Christ. However, the Lord did not overlook the lame man because he did not know Him. Acts 3:4-8 says, "And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with Johns, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."

The question that I had when I left church last night is Do I have the faith for God to heal me? If God can heal a man that does not even know that he can be healed that surely God can heal me, someone who has believed and trusted in God her whole life.

Matthew 17:20 says, "And Jesus said unto then, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard see, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." I need to have this kind of faith.

New Look

I was told by the doctor that compression stockings can help with POTS. Since fluid pools in our legs the compression stockings help maintain the fluid more toward the heart or something like that. So since it has been so hot I did not want to give up wearing my capri pants :) I decided that I would sport a new look. However, it is actually not a new look...little boys used to sport this look all of the time in the past.

Me sporting my new look :)

Now all I need is a bow tie, hat, and some suspenders.

POTS has been the PITS

I am going to start out by giving a little bit of background information. I have been sick off and on for the last couple of years with numerous different things that the doctors could never pinpoint. Then I had finally gotten to the point where I was back to work and doing well, until the beginning of February when I came down with Pleurisy and ended up battling that for a couple of weeks. It is possible that the Pleurisy, which is a virus, is what brought on the POTS. At the end of February, I started having problems with palpitations or a fast heart rate. They told me there was nothing to worry about. Then one night I stood up and my heart was racing and I almost passed out. The next morning it continued only seemed to be getting worse. I ended up in the ER. They said I was dehydrated and sent me home. The next day I ended up in the ER again, this time they said I had vertigo or problems with my inner ear causing the dizziness and sent me home. The third day, I went to my doctor and my heart rate was around 180 when I stood up and almost passed out so she called the ambulance and sent me back to the hospital this time admitting me. After several days in the hospital and several tests, one being the tilt table test, they told me I had POTS. I was told to drink lots of water and increase my salt intake and given follow up appointments with the Electrophysiologist in a couple of weeks. Of course, I was not allowed to work or drive until at least then. For me, being a registered nurse, I was pretty much devestated.

Over the next several weeks and couple of months the doctor tried a couple of things which failed including toprol, proamatine and some that have helped a little Florinef.

NOW....I am still having mostly rough days. I am not nearly as dizzy as I was but I still am having a lot of heart racing. It does not matter if I take a bath or a shower my heart rate is still high when I do either (150-160s). I also am still pretty high when I do any kind of exercise for example today my niece and I went for a walk and my heart rate went up to the 150s. My blood pressure is still pretty low some mornings even on the florinef 90/62 with dizziness and shaky, but I praise the Lord that I am not as bad as some. I still have to stop and take naps a lot of days. I am going to be starting a new medication this week, but I am not sure what the name of the medication is. I will keep you all posted. The cardiologist that I saw in Rochester, NY also wants me to try compression stockings, walking 30 min per day, and lots and lots of fluid.

That is all that is going on with POTS.....