...you are going to read my blog, and there will be news like, "Marcus and I just finished a triathlon in Hawaii" or "we just got back from a cruise in the Carribean"... or "God totally healed me and the doctor's can't understand how"
Unfortunately, that is not today's entry. :)
I am still vomiting, now on a double-dose of medication. That's the highest dose that you can be on... so I'm remaining hopeful for my visit to Mayo. It seems that I'm keeping small amounts of clear liquids down on occassion with the new double dose... but no amount of food is staying in. Shoot.
The good news is that my heart is hanging in there on the double dose, there is no sign of problems on my EKG. (That is one of the side effects of the meds... it can cause heart problems.) The other good news is that I'm totally done with my blood clot shots, and that it will continue to heal all the rest of the way on it's own. The huge bruises & swelling on my sides are going down now that I'm not on huge doses of blood thinners, so that's nice too. :)
I remain on 2 liters of IV fluids per day, and that is seemingly keeping my weight stable. It helps with the dizziness too, although I am still getting dizzy often...
For the last couple of weeks, I have not been sleeping through the nights... I wake up about 4-5 times each night in pain. Please pray that this gets under control soon. :)
Hugs!!
brelin
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
double the meds
we finally got the clearance from the doctor to double the dose of medication that i am on. this is good news because it means that my heart is not affected by the medication, and it means that i might stop vomiting on this higher dose of meds. I took my first double dose at noon, and it didn't really do anything magnificent yet...but i will keep you posted.
on a more pleasant note, we've had lots of fun with our nieces & nephews lately. they are really cute and really funny, and really good at snuggling and reading stories. i am a fan of all those things as well... so we have a lot of giggles together.
much love,
brelin
on a more pleasant note, we've had lots of fun with our nieces & nephews lately. they are really cute and really funny, and really good at snuggling and reading stories. i am a fan of all those things as well... so we have a lot of giggles together.
much love,
brelin
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
still vomiting...
Thanks for all of the prayers. It turns out that my fever just lasted one day...Praise God for that one!
The drug study medicines seemed promising the first couple of days that I was on them, but since then, have not been helping nearly so well. I'm not really keeping down much of anything except that I'm no longer vomiting just stomach acid. (which is a definite improvement) I throw up about 10-15 times a day though, which is not really good. My vomiting is definitely worse in the evenings, and my latest trick is to throw up so hard that it's difficult to breath. I wouldn't recommend it... :) I just had an EKG (to check and make sure that my heart is okay on this drug study medication) today, and if those results are normal (which we're expecting), the doctor can double the dose of the medication and see if that does the trick.
I finished my last shot for the blood clot in my arm!! It ended up being one whole month of shots! I have really nasty bruises, but hopefully they'll go away soon. The blood clot treatments are all over for now. We'll just continue to pray that my left arm stays clot-free with the picc line in it.
We booked our flights to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We'll be flying out on Feb. 18, and returning home sometime around March 4. Marcus will be with me for the first half of the trip, and then he'll come back home to work. My mom will join me for the last half of the trip... so that I'm all taken care of.
The drug study medicines seemed promising the first couple of days that I was on them, but since then, have not been helping nearly so well. I'm not really keeping down much of anything except that I'm no longer vomiting just stomach acid. (which is a definite improvement) I throw up about 10-15 times a day though, which is not really good. My vomiting is definitely worse in the evenings, and my latest trick is to throw up so hard that it's difficult to breath. I wouldn't recommend it... :) I just had an EKG (to check and make sure that my heart is okay on this drug study medication) today, and if those results are normal (which we're expecting), the doctor can double the dose of the medication and see if that does the trick.
I finished my last shot for the blood clot in my arm!! It ended up being one whole month of shots! I have really nasty bruises, but hopefully they'll go away soon. The blood clot treatments are all over for now. We'll just continue to pray that my left arm stays clot-free with the picc line in it.
We booked our flights to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We'll be flying out on Feb. 18, and returning home sometime around March 4. Marcus will be with me for the first half of the trip, and then he'll come back home to work. My mom will join me for the last half of the trip... so that I'm all taken care of.
Friday, January 18, 2008
more news and more prayers needed...
I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that I am running a fever. The home care nurse just checked it and said to call the doctor tomorrow if it's still there in the morning. Please pray that it's no big deal...
The good news is that I kept down half an english muffin and 1/2 a cup of water this morning! Yay!! On the new meds I can usually keep down some breakfast, but then at lunch and dinner I just throw up all the time. In the afternoon/evening is when it gets the worst, and right before bed is a pretty rough.
I will keep you posted over the next few days... My vomiting is down right now to about 5-7 times per day! Praise God!
love brelin
The bad news is that I am running a fever. The home care nurse just checked it and said to call the doctor tomorrow if it's still there in the morning. Please pray that it's no big deal...
The good news is that I kept down half an english muffin and 1/2 a cup of water this morning! Yay!! On the new meds I can usually keep down some breakfast, but then at lunch and dinner I just throw up all the time. In the afternoon/evening is when it gets the worst, and right before bed is a pretty rough.
I will keep you posted over the next few days... My vomiting is down right now to about 5-7 times per day! Praise God!
love brelin
Thursday, January 17, 2008
the drug study meds...
Hi All,
I have two big pieces of news!
1. I started the drug study medication yesterday at 2 pm. Since then, I've kept down some water, and a few crackers. Last night I had a few horrible vomiting episodes, but hopefully those will get fewer really soon...!!
2. I had another ultrasound, and my blood clots are getting much better! I am still clotted in my subclavian vein in my right arm, but previously I was clotted in 4 veins... so being down to one is much better! I am on my last 7 days of shots!! Yay!!
That's all I have for you today... I will keep you all posted on my progress--hopefully I'll have excellent news to report tomorrow!
Brelin
I have two big pieces of news!
1. I started the drug study medication yesterday at 2 pm. Since then, I've kept down some water, and a few crackers. Last night I had a few horrible vomiting episodes, but hopefully those will get fewer really soon...!!
2. I had another ultrasound, and my blood clots are getting much better! I am still clotted in my subclavian vein in my right arm, but previously I was clotted in 4 veins... so being down to one is much better! I am on my last 7 days of shots!! Yay!!
That's all I have for you today... I will keep you all posted on my progress--hopefully I'll have excellent news to report tomorrow!
Brelin
Monday, January 14, 2008
swollen face? yikes!
So, while I continue to wait for the drug study medication, propulsid, the doctor thought that he'd try me out on another medication for the abdominal pain. He thinks that there may be some nerve damage, and so put me on lyrica to see if that helped with the pain. Interestingly enough, I tried it, and sort of felt like I was floating in a pool... I turned some pretty interesting shades of green, and had a rough evening of vomiting and feeling like I was going to pass out.
The next morning I woke up to find my face pretty swollen. Imagine Angelina Jolie-looking lips, and my eyelids and cheeks were really swollen too.... It was less than gorgeous. We looked online and found that if you have a swollen face on lyrica, that you are supposed to contact the doctor immediately, because you are having an allergic reaction. Sweet. So, I'm okay now... my face is back to normal... but it was just a little new adventure for my weekend.
I'm back on two liters of fluid a day, we think that part of the dizziness is due to dehydration. My vomiting has been worse (and more often) than normal, so we're REALLY excited for the drug study medication to come and work really well!!
I guess that's all of my adventures. You can continue to pray for my abd. pain... it's pretty bad this week... and for my blood clot to continue to be reabsorbed. And that the study medication comes quickly and works effectively right away.
Much love,
brelin
The next morning I woke up to find my face pretty swollen. Imagine Angelina Jolie-looking lips, and my eyelids and cheeks were really swollen too.... It was less than gorgeous. We looked online and found that if you have a swollen face on lyrica, that you are supposed to contact the doctor immediately, because you are having an allergic reaction. Sweet. So, I'm okay now... my face is back to normal... but it was just a little new adventure for my weekend.
I'm back on two liters of fluid a day, we think that part of the dizziness is due to dehydration. My vomiting has been worse (and more often) than normal, so we're REALLY excited for the drug study medication to come and work really well!!
I guess that's all of my adventures. You can continue to pray for my abd. pain... it's pretty bad this week... and for my blood clot to continue to be reabsorbed. And that the study medication comes quickly and works effectively right away.
Much love,
brelin
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
oops on the date...
so today is actually tuesday the 8th. i got a little confused on the dates... marcus came and picked me up from the tri-cities yesterday, we had a great visit, and then came back over the pass today. we got home and played our new game on the xbox, rock band, and then went to the GI doctor. (just so you all know... i am secretly a rockstar! just kidding)
the good news is that i am accepted into the drug study officially now!! i will receive the new medicine sometime in the next week!! yay!! he said that we should know within the first couple of days if it is going to work. so that is what we'll pray for. my hope is that by the end of next week i will be eating AND digesting! woo hoo!!
love you all.
brelin
the good news is that i am accepted into the drug study officially now!! i will receive the new medicine sometime in the next week!! yay!! he said that we should know within the first couple of days if it is going to work. so that is what we'll pray for. my hope is that by the end of next week i will be eating AND digesting! woo hoo!!
love you all.
brelin
perseverance
I got this definition from dictionary.com...
perseverance
noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2. Theology. continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.
Yesterday, I went to worship at Richland Lutheran Church with my parents and my adorable grandma. I had to run out during the gospel reading to throw up, but when I returned I walked in on the middle of the sermon. The pastor was preaching about being hard-pressed on every side, but never giving up. He mentioned, "Has God brought us this far, simply to abandon us?" Sometimes it feels like God's not answering our prayers in the way that we'd like, but we KNOW that He never abandons us. God does not bring us into a situation and then leave us there... He is constantly with us, encouraging us and carrying us when we cannot walk on our own.
And so I have renewed strength in Christ. God does not abandon us, and God's worth never changes. We can always find a reason to praise. And so, even when puking my guts out, I will praise.
brelin
perseverance
noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2. Theology. continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.
Yesterday, I went to worship at Richland Lutheran Church with my parents and my adorable grandma. I had to run out during the gospel reading to throw up, but when I returned I walked in on the middle of the sermon. The pastor was preaching about being hard-pressed on every side, but never giving up. He mentioned, "Has God brought us this far, simply to abandon us?" Sometimes it feels like God's not answering our prayers in the way that we'd like, but we KNOW that He never abandons us. God does not bring us into a situation and then leave us there... He is constantly with us, encouraging us and carrying us when we cannot walk on our own.
And so I have renewed strength in Christ. God does not abandon us, and God's worth never changes. We can always find a reason to praise. And so, even when puking my guts out, I will praise.
brelin
Saturday, January 5, 2008
still clotted...
Hi All,
I'm having fun with my parents in tri-cities, but have some bad news to report. I had my follow-up ultrasound on my arm, and things are not looking good. The clot is still very large, and runs from my chest through my arm to the elbow. YIKES! I've had 20 shots of medicine, but they didn't really help much, apparantly. The good news is that the swelling in my arm is going down, so I'm hopeful for blood to be flowing soon.
I had a really bad night last night, I almost went to the ER... the vomiting was much worse than normal, and it felt like I was throwing up from my toes. I'm dry-heaving a lot, and am pretty exhausted from it all.
In addition to that, my new picc line--in the left arm, now... doesn't seem to be healing. The docs think I'm bleeding an abnormal amount from the blood thinning shots that I'm getting, but it'd still be great if it would heal.
There is still no news about the drug study medication, but I am going to see the GI doctor in Edmonds on Tuesday... hopefully he'll have good news about the study, and some new medications for me to try!
You can pray specifically for the clot to be re-absorbed in my right arm, and for the new picc line in my left arm to heal so that I'm not at risk for infection. While you're at the praying, you can pray that God does a miraculous healing, and that I don't throw up anymore ever. :)
I love you all, and treasure your thoughts, prayers, and comments. Thanks for hanging in there with me, all you faithful blog-readers. :)
brelin
I'm having fun with my parents in tri-cities, but have some bad news to report. I had my follow-up ultrasound on my arm, and things are not looking good. The clot is still very large, and runs from my chest through my arm to the elbow. YIKES! I've had 20 shots of medicine, but they didn't really help much, apparantly. The good news is that the swelling in my arm is going down, so I'm hopeful for blood to be flowing soon.
I had a really bad night last night, I almost went to the ER... the vomiting was much worse than normal, and it felt like I was throwing up from my toes. I'm dry-heaving a lot, and am pretty exhausted from it all.
In addition to that, my new picc line--in the left arm, now... doesn't seem to be healing. The docs think I'm bleeding an abnormal amount from the blood thinning shots that I'm getting, but it'd still be great if it would heal.
There is still no news about the drug study medication, but I am going to see the GI doctor in Edmonds on Tuesday... hopefully he'll have good news about the study, and some new medications for me to try!
You can pray specifically for the clot to be re-absorbed in my right arm, and for the new picc line in my left arm to heal so that I'm not at risk for infection. While you're at the praying, you can pray that God does a miraculous healing, and that I don't throw up anymore ever. :)
I love you all, and treasure your thoughts, prayers, and comments. Thanks for hanging in there with me, all you faithful blog-readers. :)
brelin
Thursday, January 3, 2008
a new location
I've been having a hard time the last few days trying to keep my spirits up.... chronic illness is awfully hard to deal with. It's been 4 months of constant vomiting now, and I'm weary. Marcus is working quite a bit these next few days, so Marcus and my mom did a "great Brelin swap" and came over to the sunny side of the state to visit my mom and dad. There is no sunshine here, but the change of scenery is nice. I have a cold now, that I think I caught from my really cute nieces and nephews. Shoot. I went to the pharmacy this morning, and went over all the drugs that I'm on with the pharmacist. She helped me pick out some cold medicine, so hopefully I can get some sleep tonight.
I am still using my new picc line (in my left arm now). I do about 1-2 Liters of fluid a day through my arm. My right arm is still pretty swollen from the blood clot, despite my stupid shots of medicine twice a day. I have to go in for another ultrasound tomorrow, and then they'll compare to make sure it's still going down. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday of next week with the GI doctor--he'll check on my blood clot, and hopefully tell me good news about the drug study medication.
I think that's all for now. Love you all...
brelin
I am still using my new picc line (in my left arm now). I do about 1-2 Liters of fluid a day through my arm. My right arm is still pretty swollen from the blood clot, despite my stupid shots of medicine twice a day. I have to go in for another ultrasound tomorrow, and then they'll compare to make sure it's still going down. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday of next week with the GI doctor--he'll check on my blood clot, and hopefully tell me good news about the drug study medication.
I think that's all for now. Love you all...
brelin
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