I got my new picc line in today, and the hydration is flowing in through my left arm now. My right arm is still swollen from the clots, and I have 5 more days of shots to go. I have still not heard anything about the drug study medication, so I'm praying that will happen promptly in the new year.
I'm still vomiting frequently. When I don't eat anything, I vomit stomach acid. When I do eat or drink something, I throw up that instead.
Marcus has a nasty cold, so we are quite the pair for this New Year's Eve celebration!! We may try to stay up until midnight, mostly because I need to try and get 2 liters of fluids in my IV tonight!!
We had lots of fun with family this year for Christmas...We're thankful to be kicking off another year with each other, and with hopes for health in 2008!! We're trusting God with all of our hopes and dreams this year and for 2008 as well....
Much love,
brelin
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
arrrrrrrgh!
I am on day 5 without keeping fluids down, and i am worn out. i never thought i would be excited to have a picc line get put back into my arm, but i can hardly wait!! i'm cramping very badly, but am trying to hang in there and skip an ER visit tonight. tomorrow and the new picc line can't come soon enough!!
Keep those prayers coming... I need them now!! :)
brelin
Keep those prayers coming... I need them now!! :)
brelin
Friday, December 28, 2007
festive christmas blood clot
hi all,
this week has been full of adventure. on dec. 24th in the afternoon, i noticed a little redness around my picc line (right around the arm)... the home care nurse came over and told me to have it looked at right after Christmas. i was running a small fever, and so was hoping (and praying) for no infection.
i went to sleep on christmas day feeling mostly okay (still vomiting, but okay besides that) and then woke up on the morning of the 26th to a gigantically swollen arm with a picc line. we went in to see the doctor right away and they sent me to ultrasound and the lab to have some blood drawn.
the blood drawing was somewhat of a debacle, they poked me 4 different times and couldn't get blood from any of my veins. finally they poked the end of my finger and squeezed really hard until they got enough blood to run the test they needed. the ultrasound took a long time, because it was then they discovered a blood clot in my arm.
they determined that the blood clot was from the picc line, and promptly removed it. i have to take shots twice per day for 10 days in my abdomen to thin my blood so that the clot can be reabsorbed. i will go in on dec. 31 to have another picc line put in. Please pray that i don't get too dehydrated before the 31st.
i am seeing no improvement in the nausea, but my abdominal pain has been less overall the past couple of days. either that, or it pales in comparison to my arm that is swollen 2 inches larger than the other.... shoot.
i hope you all had wonderful christmas days with your family, and that you all have tons of fun at new years! hugs to you all!
brelin
this week has been full of adventure. on dec. 24th in the afternoon, i noticed a little redness around my picc line (right around the arm)... the home care nurse came over and told me to have it looked at right after Christmas. i was running a small fever, and so was hoping (and praying) for no infection.
i went to sleep on christmas day feeling mostly okay (still vomiting, but okay besides that) and then woke up on the morning of the 26th to a gigantically swollen arm with a picc line. we went in to see the doctor right away and they sent me to ultrasound and the lab to have some blood drawn.
the blood drawing was somewhat of a debacle, they poked me 4 different times and couldn't get blood from any of my veins. finally they poked the end of my finger and squeezed really hard until they got enough blood to run the test they needed. the ultrasound took a long time, because it was then they discovered a blood clot in my arm.
they determined that the blood clot was from the picc line, and promptly removed it. i have to take shots twice per day for 10 days in my abdomen to thin my blood so that the clot can be reabsorbed. i will go in on dec. 31 to have another picc line put in. Please pray that i don't get too dehydrated before the 31st.
i am seeing no improvement in the nausea, but my abdominal pain has been less overall the past couple of days. either that, or it pales in comparison to my arm that is swollen 2 inches larger than the other.... shoot.
i hope you all had wonderful christmas days with your family, and that you all have tons of fun at new years! hugs to you all!
brelin
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Merry Christmas!!
Hi All,
Sorry it has been so long since I've written this... I've been busy with the hustle and bustle of this time of year.
I've been using 1-2 liters of IV fluids per day. My energy level remains very low. We spoke with the doctor on Friday about the possibility of using PPN, which is a partial nutritional supplement. We're hoping that this increase in calories could help me live with more energy, perhaps enjoying the things I love to do.
There is still no news on the drug study. The doctor's office has said that I should have medications in hand sometime around the first of the year... or perhaps in January sometime. So we continue to wait on that too.
I continue to go to acupuncture once a week. It helps with the pain levels, and I don't vomit for one full hour after the appointment. It's wonderful!!
We got a call from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and we've set up an appointment for February 21st. They said that I should count on being there at least 5-8 business days. Marcus will join me for the first half of my stay there, and then my mom will fly out to meet me there for the second half.
We celebrated Christmas with the Rismiller family on Friday, we're celebrating with the Johnson's on Monday, and then the Weakley's are coming out on the 26th and we'll celebrate with them too. What a party!!
Thank you for your continued prayers of peace & patience. You can pray for both Marcus and I to have renewed hope for healing. My pain levels have increased these past few weeks, so you can pray for that too! :)
Have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family!
Much love,
brelin
Sorry it has been so long since I've written this... I've been busy with the hustle and bustle of this time of year.
I've been using 1-2 liters of IV fluids per day. My energy level remains very low. We spoke with the doctor on Friday about the possibility of using PPN, which is a partial nutritional supplement. We're hoping that this increase in calories could help me live with more energy, perhaps enjoying the things I love to do.
There is still no news on the drug study. The doctor's office has said that I should have medications in hand sometime around the first of the year... or perhaps in January sometime. So we continue to wait on that too.
I continue to go to acupuncture once a week. It helps with the pain levels, and I don't vomit for one full hour after the appointment. It's wonderful!!
We got a call from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and we've set up an appointment for February 21st. They said that I should count on being there at least 5-8 business days. Marcus will join me for the first half of my stay there, and then my mom will fly out to meet me there for the second half.
We celebrated Christmas with the Rismiller family on Friday, we're celebrating with the Johnson's on Monday, and then the Weakley's are coming out on the 26th and we'll celebrate with them too. What a party!!
Thank you for your continued prayers of peace & patience. You can pray for both Marcus and I to have renewed hope for healing. My pain levels have increased these past few weeks, so you can pray for that too! :)
Have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family!
Much love,
brelin
Thursday, December 13, 2007
exhausted...
It's been a pretty long, tiring week. My vomiting/dizziness has gotten worse over the past few days, so that now I am vomiting so violently that it makes me dizzy and i almost pass out. Marcus told me that he thinks it's from a nerve in your neck that causes your blood pressure to drop so that your head doesn't explode! :) I thought that sounded like a cool explanation--so i thought i'd post it for you.
I tried to hang out with the kids on Sunday night at youth group, and it was super fun to see everyone--but the whole experience was so exhausting, that I don't think I'll be up to that again.
The doctors have increased my hydration so that I'm getting two bags of IV fluids a day, when I need them. (that's 8 hours of being connected to an IV--but it's much better than passing out.)
Thanks for your continued prayers. We love you guys!
brelin
I tried to hang out with the kids on Sunday night at youth group, and it was super fun to see everyone--but the whole experience was so exhausting, that I don't think I'll be up to that again.
The doctors have increased my hydration so that I'm getting two bags of IV fluids a day, when I need them. (that's 8 hours of being connected to an IV--but it's much better than passing out.)
Thanks for your continued prayers. We love you guys!
brelin
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
fun friends!
I don't really have anything to share. I am still sick, vomiting frequently... like, a lot of times per day. My weight stays the same as long as I do the IV fluids. If I miss a day of IVs, I drop an automatic 2-3 pounds. My pain comes and goes... some days are worse than others--today has been pretty bad.
I'm having lots of fun with friends, and doing my best to make laughter an important part of my day. I'm trusting that God is helping me truly understand "joy in the midst of suffering". I believe He's also teaching us about patience.
We have some friends visiting--which is lots of fun! They headed up to Whistler today, and should have a couple of fun days snowboarding. I'm hanging out at home with some other friends, and trying not to think of all the boarding I'm missing out on because I'm barfing.
We're really excited for Christmas and all of the fun that the holiday season brings. In the meantime, we're enjoying Advent, and pondering Jesus coming again.
Lots of joy to you all.
brelin
I'm having lots of fun with friends, and doing my best to make laughter an important part of my day. I'm trusting that God is helping me truly understand "joy in the midst of suffering". I believe He's also teaching us about patience.
We have some friends visiting--which is lots of fun! They headed up to Whistler today, and should have a couple of fun days snowboarding. I'm hanging out at home with some other friends, and trying not to think of all the boarding I'm missing out on because I'm barfing.
We're really excited for Christmas and all of the fun that the holiday season brings. In the meantime, we're enjoying Advent, and pondering Jesus coming again.
Lots of joy to you all.
brelin
Monday, December 3, 2007
still no news...
I am writing to report that there is nothing to report. I am still vomiting a million times a day. I am still nauseated and in pain. I still get dizzy, and I'm a little more frustrated than normal today.
It's raining and icky outside, with the wind blowing too... so I'm praying today that the power stays on and that everyone stays safe--and that no trees blow over and smash people's homes.
Despite all of the above, I'm trusting that God will do something great in me today.
Amen.
brelin
It's raining and icky outside, with the wind blowing too... so I'm praying today that the power stays on and that everyone stays safe--and that no trees blow over and smash people's homes.
Despite all of the above, I'm trusting that God will do something great in me today.
Amen.
brelin
Saturday, December 1, 2007
i love snow!
I'm sitting here at the computer, looking out the window, and watching the snow come down like crazy. There is a really cute dog in our "backyard" that is frolicking happily, as if he'd uncovered a priceless treasure. I wholeheartedly agree with the dog, in fact, I might put on my snow clothes and make a snow angel just for fun. :)
The past few days have been busy with Mike Breen, a rad pastor from phoenix (originally from england) who has been working with our church in developing a discipleship-driven ministry... a novel idea, really--doing church like Jesus did. Brilliant. If you want to read more about that you can check out 3dministries.com It's a great website.
No new medical news to report. I went to a new doctor this week, he's a chiropractic naturopath. I don't think he did anything useful, so I told Marcus that I don't want to go back.
I have a lot of people praying for me. Just knowing that really does help me get through each day. I really do treasure your encouraging words, and the love that you continue to pour out on me & Marcus.
I was worshipping today as part of the Mike Breen conference. David Harsh was leading the worship song, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness is what you want from me." I've never had a problem singing those words until I tried to sing them today. I don't think God desires us to be "broken" Instead, I think he longs for us to be free from the sin and the anxiety that weighs us down. He promises to carry the load for us. The last thought I'd like to leave you with for the day is a few lyrics from the old hymn, "Great is thy faithfulness"
Here they are, I pray that they are a blessing to you, as they have been for me this day.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
hugs, brelin
The past few days have been busy with Mike Breen, a rad pastor from phoenix (originally from england) who has been working with our church in developing a discipleship-driven ministry... a novel idea, really--doing church like Jesus did. Brilliant. If you want to read more about that you can check out 3dministries.com It's a great website.
No new medical news to report. I went to a new doctor this week, he's a chiropractic naturopath. I don't think he did anything useful, so I told Marcus that I don't want to go back.
I have a lot of people praying for me. Just knowing that really does help me get through each day. I really do treasure your encouraging words, and the love that you continue to pour out on me & Marcus.
I was worshipping today as part of the Mike Breen conference. David Harsh was leading the worship song, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness is what you want from me." I've never had a problem singing those words until I tried to sing them today. I don't think God desires us to be "broken" Instead, I think he longs for us to be free from the sin and the anxiety that weighs us down. He promises to carry the load for us. The last thought I'd like to leave you with for the day is a few lyrics from the old hymn, "Great is thy faithfulness"
Here they are, I pray that they are a blessing to you, as they have been for me this day.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
hugs, brelin
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