UPDATE!!!

So....I know that I have not taken the time to keep people updated. I have been super busy. I started back to work in May and worked at Jones Memorial Hospital on Med-Surg.

June was full of birthdays and fun with the kids. I also was able to go to my mom's family reunion this year which was the first time in a long time. I had a great time seeing and spending time with family.

July I was busy working quite a bit.

August included a week of amazing Vacation Bible School at my church. It was tiring but worth every minute of it.

September brought on some interesting changes in my life. I had been dealing with what I thought was a cyst on my stomach. I went to the surgeon and he decided to remove it. The week after surgery I went back and he told me that I had Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). He said that it was a malignant tumor and that I needed to go to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo for further follow-up. This was a real trial of my faith, because I was doing so well and now a wrench was thrown in it all. I did not get to go to Roswell for follow-up until the beginning of October at that time the doctor told me that I have a locally aggressive tumor....IT IS NOT CANCER....what a relief. However, I would probably have to go through surgery again depending on the pathology reports.

In the meantime, my sister, Erin, had her beautiful twin girls. I was able to go in with her for the c-section. Two amazing miracles were born, Elishia and Isabella. Elishia ended up in the NICU for several days with Pneumonia. I was able to spend that time with Erin and be supportive during that time. Praise the Lord they are both doing amazing :)

In October, I went on a job search because my current job was causing a lot of stress and things were only getting worse. I interviewed at Charles Cole Memorial in the Obstetrics Unit. I started work there in the middle of November. I absolutely love the staff and the doctors.

It seems as though the year has just flown by, Thanksgiving was a wonderful time to reflect back on the year and be thankful for all that the Lord has brought me through. I found out in the middle of November that I would have to have surgery again, but it should be a minor procedure and I would be back to work without difficulty.

December 4 I went to Buffalo for my "minor" surgery. It turned into a 2 night hospital stay because my pain was out of control. They said that I still had some of the tumor left and they had to go wider and deeper than expected. So....I have been off of work since. I am hopefully going to be going back on the 31st.  CHRISTMAS this year was absolutely amazing. All of the kids were so excited and a little overwhelmed. I could care less if I receive anything for Christmas watching the kids is so much better. The year had to end with a bang, yesterday I went day after Christmas shopping for the amazing deals. It had started to snow and I slipped on the ice in the grocery store parking lot and landed flat on my back :) I am very sore today....headed to the chiropractor. We also got 12-13 inches of snow from 1pm until about midnight. Beautiful, but it is a lot of snow.

I am looking forward to what the Lord brings in my path this year. I hope that everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and that the NEW YEAR is full of blessings!!!

Back to Work

Hey all, so I have recently returned to work. I started back on May 9th, so I have officially been employed for over 2 weeks. I have been feeling great so far. I am actually really enjoying the job too. I am working Medical-Surgical which is quite a bit different from Pediatrics, but I am learning quickly. I absolutely adore the older people, they can be so cute and funny, kind of like the kids. Looking back over the past year, I have so many things to be thankful for. I would have never imagined returning to work the way things went last year, but the Lord is good and I have recovered almost back to my normal self.

Praising the Lord

The Lord has been good over the last several years. I am praising Him for the improvement that I have seen over the last several months. My migraines are becoming less frequent (only about 1 a week). I am also thankful that most days my heart rate is almost normal, at least for me. I was also able to stop one of my medications completely. Praise the LORD. I was on this for decreased blood pressure and due to the exercise I have been able to maintain a steady blood pressure. I am still on something for my heart rate, but for right now I am not going to mess with a good thing. I have a potential job and look forward to returning to the work force. I have really enjoyed getting to spend time with my nieces and nephews. They are such a joy and a true blessing. I am continuing to teach Children's Church and that is really a wonderful opportunity. The kids often teach me more than I teach them :) In April, I will be teaching the Ladies Bible Study due to our pastor's wife surgery. I am looking forward to this opportunity and how the Lord will work in my life through this.

Update

I know that it has been a little while since I have posted anything :( I just wanted to let everyone out there know that I am doing GREAT!!! The Lord has been so good. I have been able to maintain my heart rate with disciplined exercise. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a much needed vacation and spend time with old friends. Even while on vacation and not being as disciplined as I should have been my health has been great. I am planning on returning to work soon, Lord willing. I have an interview this week, so we will see. Thank you all for your much needed prayers over the last several years. The Lord allowed everything to happen for a reason and it is only through His sufficient grace that I have come through this all.

Somethings working...praise the LORD

So I have officially been working out at the gym for over 5 weeks. So far I am able to walk 45 min on the treadmill and the highest that my heart rate has gone is 160. I have a goal of being able to return to work in April. I am still on all of my medication, but hopefully will be able to get off of that. Oh, and my migraines have been less frequent since I started working out. I am very hopeful that one day I will be free from all of this... maybe on the other side of glory.