three cheers for Darius Rucker!

It's been another busy week with lots of wild adventures!

Early in the week, Marcus and his brother Jon made a trek to get more miracle water from Glacier Basin. They hiked in the pouring rain and other miserable conditions, so I was told to be very appreciative when they arrived home with it. :) So far, I've been drinking it--but nothing miraculous has occurred. I'm going to be sure to have the doctor test some of the water if something good happens though. I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

I worked as a sub this week in an 8th grade Math/Science class, and had a blast. I really like the teacher of that class, and enjoy his "style"... so I always have fun with his students as well. Later that night, I tried to play soccer, rather unsuccessfully this time. I learned that teaching+soccer=almost fainting on the field due to low blood pressure. Okay, we'll know that now for next time. Marcus benched me at half-time, which was okay, because it was so cold & rainy that I just wanted to sit in the car anyway. :)

I'M DRASTICALLY CHANGING THE SUBJECT TO A MUCH MORE CHEERFUL ONE. BRACE YOURSELF....

I feel like last night all of my high school dreams were realized. I went to a concert with my friend, Alicia Gelles. We have known each other forever--since 4th grade or something. We went to a Rascal Flatts concert in Tacoma, and the opening band was Darius Rucker. The name meant nothing to us. However, when HOOTIE from Hootie and the Blowfish walked on stage and started singing, it was like a dream come true. Apparently, some time in the last 10 years, he's made a switch to country music and "changed" his name to his actual name. Weird. The best part was that he not only sang a few of his famous country hits, but he busted out the famous Hootie hits from the good old days. Alicia and I held each other close, our hands clasped and raised proudly in the air, swaying rhythmically to the music, belting out "Hold My Hand" as Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker closed down the Tacoma Dome. It was a magical night--straight out of 1996.

larch trees!

My mom came to visit, and we got to see "Joseph" at the 5th Ave. Theater--it was amazing. If you have the chance to go, you should do it! The main reason for her visit was to come fix yet another bridesmaid dress. I am too short, and not the correct size to buy things off the rack. Shoot. However, my mother, (tailor to the poor) has done another phenomenal job of taking in, hemming, and generally rearranging my dress, so that I will look fabulous for the wedding in a couple months. Thanks, Mom!

Marcus and I went on another hike, this time to the North Cascades to a place near Blue Lake/Liberty Bell/Early Winter's Spire (I think those are the correct names). It was amazing, and I got to see larch trees for the first time. Larch trees are like pine trees, only the needles turn yellow and then fall off. We took pictures to show you this amazing sight. It's been raining for a week straight, but it didn't rain a drop on our hike. (yay!) The sun came out for our photo opps. :)

Beyond that, there's not much to report. I'm doing reasonably well lately... my energy level is pretty good, and my vomiting is only insanely bad a few times a week. My pain level was off the charts the other day for some reason, but after Marcus carried me to bed, doped me up, and then prayed for me, I finally fell asleep--I've been doing great since then. I'm still not sure what caused the disaster, but I'm glad that it's over. :)

Happy Fall to All!
brelin

something stinks.

I'd like to blame Marcus for the foul odor that is in our condo. However, I think it's something far worse than a human smell that he (or I) could have produced. It seems that whenever we turn on our bathroom fan(s) that a nasty smell comes cirulating into our condo. Delightful. Since we have had the really blustery winds the last few days, the odor has been significantly less. I think I can still smell it, despited the candy corn-scented candle that has been burning non-stop to mask the stench. Being the responsible and grown-up homeowner that I am, I have contacted multiple places, only to get the run-around about what to do. Can't someone just hook up a giant vaccuum and suck the dead thing (or whatever it is that is stinking) out of the exhaust vent? Is there no such thing as a giant vaccuum? I've called HVAC people and Duct Cleaners, and no one wants to come fix our odor. Everyone is very nice, but no one seems to be able to help. Marcus is coming home with a ladder tomorrow, so hopefully we can find the problem ourselves. Ugh. i hate being an adult.

I played soccer again last night! This time, it was much more successful than the other times I've tried, and I only threw up once during the game! VICTORY. :) Oh, and I didn't fall down all over the place either. I'd like to attribute this to the vast amounts of carmel brownies that I've been consuming lately... perhaps these are good for one's soul and soccer playing abilities?! I feel like they are.

I don't think I have much else to report. I subbed in 7th grade science the other day, and those kids wore me out. The highlight of the day was when one kid called me a "nazi", and his friend didn't hear him, but I did. His friend said, "huh?!" I said to the boy, "Jimmy* just called me a Nazi. You should tell him that he should insult me more quietly next time so that he doesn't get put on the naughty list." Jimmy's eyes got very wide, and I said, "Jimmy, I've been pretty nice so far, you should hear my REALLY mean voice." And then his eyes got bigger. It was really hard not for me to laugh, I'll be honest. All in all, it was a good day.

I'm enjoying going to Bible study, we're studying Luke. I'm also enjoying leading my Young Life girls, they are hilarious, and it's almost time for homecoming! Very exciting--I can't wait to see the pictures!

hugs,
brelin
(*Jimmy is not the boy's real name. I didn't want to totally embarrass him in case he stumbled upon my blog somehow.)

lots of fun adventures!!

My life has been so full of fun activities lately!! :) I have been so blessed to be attending all kinds of events in the Seattle area lately. I saw the show, Wicked, with some friends of mine--which was AMAZING. Then a couple days later, I went to a Sounders game with some other friends, which was SUPER fun. Later, I went to see Ben Harper & Pearl Jam in concert with another friend in the Key Arena which was RAD. The best part about all of these events is that someone else was supposed to go originally, and then I was called at the last minute to "fill-in"--getting to take advantage of an extra ticket. Thank you to all of you, friends, who have been so generous this past week!! :) I almost forgot to mention that Marcus, Tad, Jim, Carol, and I had a killer "jam session" at our house playing the new "Beatles Rock Band." It was awesome to see my mother-in-law playing a plastic guitar while my father-in-law was trying to pelt out the words to "I Am the Walrus." Yes, they are LOVING being retired, and yes, I took pictures. However, I think if I posted them, I'm not sure we'd ever get them to come over again. Just know they had fun. :)

The past few days in Sammamish, the weather has been awesome, and Marcus has had several days in a row off, so we thought we'd embrace the sunshine by heading to the mountains for another hiking adventure. We threw stuff in our backpacks and headed for an overnight trip to Gem Lake. (pictured below.)

It was a pretty uneventful trip, all in all, which in my world is fantastic!! There were no insane log crossings, no rock climbing sections, and no near-fainting episodes. However, I did throw up twice, sadly breaking a 4-day puke-free streak. Below is a picture of me at the beginning of the hike.

Oh, I almost forgot the man-size bug that we saw when we were about to leave. We had just finished packing all of our stuff up, Marcus was about to close his pack, and we saw this HUGE and disgusting monster sitting on the top of Marcus' pack. We immediately grabbed the camera, to photograph the removal of the bug, hoping (and praying) that the bug would not fall inside the pack. I might have let out a girly shreik, worried that it would fly when Marcus poked it with a stick. Little did I know, it was hugely fat, and could barely hop it was so heavy. :) I'll include a photo for your viewing pleasure.

After much discussion, I've decided that I'm going to try not to keep track of days in a row that I don't throw up because I just get disappointed when I start throwing up again. Marcus suggested that I celebrate each puke-free day individually, enjoying the increased energy and day of fun for what it is; and then start over being thankful the next morning again. Hopefully I will get to keep being thankful a zillion days in a row, but I just won't be thinking about "breaking a new record". I'll let you know how my new thought process goes.

Have a wonderful week!

p.s.

Side Note from God: do not get ahead of yourself. I'm right here. I've brought you this far, why do you think I'd abandon you now?!

As I have been re-organizing my bathroom cabinets this morning, I had an overwhelming surge of thankfulness that I no longer have to use a picc line to survive. It is easy for me to get ahead of myself, caught up in the things that I want and worried about how things will get taken care of in the future... Right now, in this moment, I remember and celebrate that I am not dependant on a picc line to get my fluids--I can simply drink water or gatorade or delicious iced tea from Cheesecake Factory (my fav) and most of the time it even stays down! :)

Thanks God, for these simple gifts--that I so often take for granted.
Amen.

the heavy metal water strikes again.

Some of you may remember my miraculous healing which occurred roughly around the same time as my consumption of the "heavy metal water," which I drank after a ridiculously strenuous hike into Glacier Basin. (you can see the post on July 21 for more information)

Anyway, after seeing the GI doctor this past week for my nausea and vomiting which has returned and gotten worse again...it seems that my heavy metal water might have had some legitimate restorative effects after all. The doc ran some blood tests, and it turns out that I am low in zinc. I start my new supplements tonight. I'm also starting some more new meds that are working on restoring my mast cells... hoping to decrease the inflammation in the bowel, decreasing the pain overall, and hopefully, in turn, eliminating the vomiting. I appreciate that Dr. Schneier never runs out of ideas. :)

As for other activities, I'm beginning a new bible study tomorrow morning--the study of Luke. I'm excited to be discussing the bible in a group of women again. And a couple other women & I are leading a group of 10th grade girls in Bible study on Sunday nights too. That just started up last week, and will be a lot of fun as well. I'm doing some tutoring on the side that will start up this next week--and will get my brain going too.

Please pray for immediate healing. Pray for clarity in the road that God would have us walk down. In the midst of all this, our desire is to start a family. Please pray that my body might be restored completely, that we might be able to conceive a child, and that Gdo would protect me and that healthy child during a safe and easy pregnancy.

Thank you all for your love and support.
brelin

things that make you go hmmmmmm.

I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that my vomiting started up again, and was pretty rough for the past several weeks. I sort of felt like a disappointment, like I was somehow a failure to my blogging community--so I didn't want to write about it right away. I've been so excited to report my good news about being a digester, and I didn't want to let you all down again.

The good news is that it seems that I may have stalled long enough for the vomiting to have worked itself out again. This is my 4th day of being puke-free in a row! Yay!! :) Hopefully, I'm back on a tremendous digesting streak. I'll have to keep you posted. I go see the doc again tomorrow.

The same old news is that still the docs have no real understanding of WHY the nausea/vomiting comes and goes. Or what makes causes my miraculous moments of health (besides a miracle of God, of course.) Unfortunately, the docs have a hard time writing a prescription for those and are not able to call those directly into Bartell's Pharmacy. :)

Anyway, I'm going to try and play soccer tomorrow... since my health has been so outstanding for half a week already. I'll make sure to let you know how it goes.

Also, for those of you keeping track--yesterday was my 2 year puking anniversary. 9/7/07 was the day that the vomiting all began. (and, I didn't throw up the whole day! Thank you, Jesus!!)

Okay, tons of hugs to you all... and more about all of my fun adventures later.
brelin

woop woop! here we go, here we go!

I just got back from a quick trip to the Tri-Cities to visit my grandma, see a couple friends, and hang out with the fam. While I was there, my mom and I went on a super fun visit to Spokane with my cousins (7th and 9th graders) Tina & Sveta. We tried on silly prom dresses at the Macy's Clearance store, took funny photos of ugly jeans, and drank fancy lemonades. It was amazing.

Since I've been home, I've enjoyed cleaning my house, and spending some time with family and friends. I'm catching up on paperwork, filing lots of papers--including wading through medical records from the last 2 years. (yuck.)

I've also decided that I'm going to clean the carpets this week. I know, it sounds like a real hoot, huh? They are so dirty, and I just want them to be sparkly clean again. So, I'm looking forward to a date with the rug doctor. :)

My tummy is doing fine. My pain has been a bit worse the last week or so, but my vomiting is still gone. I've only thrown up a few times, and I'm still down to just 5 medications. :) Yay! I'm so pumped about my little (huge) miracle.

I'm off to enjoy the sunshine.
love brelin

delicious.

Marcus and I just returned home from the annual "Rismiller Family Vacation." The past few years, this has meant a trip to Sun River--staying together in a giant house for seven days. Most people cringe at the thought at spending that much time with their in-laws. I can say that it was super fun, but I was ready for my comfortable (and quiet) bed by the end of the trip.

While we were there, we had fabulous adventures of every kind! We went on several long bike rides, we went white water rafting, we played in the pool, we went canoeing, we jumped off a rope swing into the river, we had a fun girl's day of shopping, Marcus and I played golf on a rainy day in Bend, and we went out to dinner with his brother and sister & spouses at the Pine Tree Restaurant. The place was amazing. I've always enjoyed the food there, but I don't think I've ever celebrated a scone with honey butter, or a delicious marionberry cobbler so much in my life. The whole week seemed delicious, including the activities I had energy to participate in.

I have remained almost totally puke-free. I had 2 rough evenings while in Sun River. I believe they were in large part to being over-tired and out of my normal "routine", eating foods that were much more rich than normal. (see paragraph above.) I continue to celebrate being puke free, as the 2 days seemed to have been just a little blip in the digestion train. Since I have been home, I have been feeling good again, and have gotten lots of rest. :)

I am really enjoying each moment of health, literally celebrating almost every day! It's such a relief to feel good, and I plan to relish in the goodness--feeling like I have a new lease on life, and trying not to "worry" about what might happens if it comes to an end again. I pray that my vomiting days are truly over forever.

I'm so thankful to God for each moment that I have to play with Marcus. We're enjoying having this time together to remember our love and our marriage don't always have to be centered around talk of bowel movements, or metal bowls filled with puke. It is such a blessing to be living in the "and in health" part of our vows. :) It seemed like we were sort of stuck in "in sickness" part for far too long.

It has been one year, eleven months, and 4 days since I began vomiting. There were times this past couple of years where the pain was so bad I just wanted to die and be with Jesus so that I didn't have to hurt anymore, and on the other hand, there have been moments where we have been filled with such hope, seeing God's hand of providence in it all. We continue to walk the path that God has laid before us, knowing that He is with us each step, guiding our feet, holding our hands when we stumble, and carrying us when we are too weary to continue on our own. Right now, it is a joy to report that we're able to skip down the path toward Him. I'm loving it.

this is my college dance...!

My father-in-law and I were talking about how God's plans are always so much better than our own, and how I was perhaps "tied up" in relationship for a long time so that I was "off the market" so I could meet Marcus, fall in love, and marry him--all part of God's perfect plan. I agreed, thinking that must be it.

Fast forward a few days: I was doing a little car dancing... really busting a move. Marcus turns to me and says, "I just realized why you were still around for me to marry you." I turn down the blasting music and ask, "Why?" He says, "It's your dance moves." Hmph.

The fabulous news is that I FINALLY have enough energy to do some excellent car dancing in addition to my normal daily activities. Oh, and I think I'm developing a metabolism. Not only am I digesting food, but I actually got hot the other day. (I'm famous for putting a sweatshirt on when it's 80.)

Marcus and I went to a healing prayer service this past week at a friend's church. We heard a couple speak who'd been married for 25 years, and they shared their powerful testimony. Their story was such an encouragement to both of us. After being married for just a year and one month, the husband had a massive stroke, leaving him paralyzed and mute. The doctors told him that he had no chance of ever recovering. Over the past 6 months though, God has began to heal him slowly. There are movements in his body, and their faith story was tremendous. After they shared, the wife said a prayer asking that "the power of the Holy Spirit fall down on this place." I felt something come down over me and it was amazing. Later in the evening, two women prayed for me. One of them I know well, she used to be on staff with me at Sammamish Hills. They prayed for Marcus and I, and we walked away with such peace. We're so thankful for this time, so filled with joy and gratitude for the restoration of health and life that is taking place in my body even now. I can feel myself getting stronger with each new day. It is such a blessing that can only be from above.

Please pray for continued health. Thank God for this tremendous blessing, and praise Him for the work that's going on. Celebrate with us, and join us in our joyful shouts and our exuberant car-dancing to our favorite late 90's rap hits! :)

Hugs & Love, b

still no vomiting!

It's been sixteen days! I'm convinced it's a miracle.

I'll be sure to fill you in on the details tomorrow. :)

still puke-free.

For those of you who are counting, it is 9 days now.

And I'm not sure if you want to celebrate with me the foods that I'm eating, but here's a short list of the things that I've digested so far:

1. Raspberries-picked fresh off the vines with my super cute nieces, Maya & Sophie, after a fun girls-only sleepover. During this sleepover, I discovered just how much fun 5 and 7 can be! We drove home with the top down on the Jeep and the music blasting. We giggled, we swam, we colored, we watched the movie "Enchanted", we painted our toenails, we read stories, we kicked a soccer ball, we looked at a huge moth, we tried to scare the huge moth with our stuffed owl beanie baby, we played with a puppy, we picked mini-sunflowers, we went to a farm and picked raspberries, and we ate a LOT of snacks including fruit snacks, brownies, granola bars, popcorn, & cookies--and none of us got tummy aches. :) The only bad part of the sleepover was when Maya punched Auntie Brelin in the eye in the middle of the night... twice.

2. Birthday Cake- celebrating Jim & Tammy's birthdays! This was really fun because we got to have a birthday party! Who loves parties?! I do!! I'm really fun at parties, especially when I don't have to take a bazillion drugs! I have tons of energy for playing and laughing and running and jumping!

2.5. The most delicious brownie of my life...which I just finished eating in the car. It was an Oreo Brownie with Vanilla Frosting. Note: Whoever made this, feel free to make more and deliver some to my home at any time. :)

3. Corn on the Cob-served piping hot with butter and salt. Yum!

4. BBQ Chicken- eaten on the back porch on a sunny summer day with family. Splendid.

5. Bagel with Cream Cheese- toasted, delightful, and served with love.

6. Watermelon, Carrots, Snap Peas, Cantelope- all raw. For those of you who know me well, that alone is a miracle. :)

Honestly, I am living it up. I'm bursting with energy, I'm full of optimism, and I'm praying that my future's so bright I've got to wear shades. :)Cue rockin' 80's track.

Oh, I thought of another "new thing" that I'm doing, I started taking a probiotic supplement called "Align" 14 days ago. Today is my 15th day taking it. Again, I'm chalking my healing up as a miracle, but I'm going to continue doing the things that I'm doing just to be on the safe side. God can certainly use probiotics. I believe I've tried probiotics before, but this seems to be working so we'll celebrate now. :)

Thank you for your continued prayers, for your excitement, and for the joy that you share with us as we celebrate digesting!!

Yay!

brelin

a miracle? oh, and don't drink the water.

I wanted to start off by saying that I absolutely believe in miracles. I think that one might have happened last week. :)

Marcus and I went on a fabulous backpacking/biking/hiking adventure that was a little strenuous and ridiculously exhausting. I threw up all the way there, all 4 miles on my mountain bike, and then the rest of the 3 mile hike into the camping area. Once we got there, we arrived to signage that said, "don't drink the water here. due to mining, the water contains heavy metals, and is unsafe to drink, even after boiling." Well, we were camping there for two nights and could not go without drinking water for 3 days, so we drank the boiled water anyway. We arrived back home on Sunday night. (Marcus is fine just for the record, and I didn't throw up any more than normal.)

Then, miraculously on Tuesday, I suddenly stopped vomiting. Why, you ask? A miracle. God healed me. There is nothing else that I have done differently. I have not been eating anything abnormal, nor have I changed any medications, I have simply stopped vomiting. So, either God healed me miraculously overnight, or perhaps He used the "heavy metal" water to do the trick. Regardless, I have been 7 days now without vomiting! Let me repeat myself.... SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT VOMITING SO FAR!! It is a miracle. I am feeling so good, that I have been able to stop taking my nausea medications completely except one pill in the morning, so I am not sleepy or experiencing the yucky side effects from the meds at the moment.

At the moment, I'm eating regular foods.... even some meat, dairy, grains, fruits, and veggies. I've got all kinds of energy because I'm actually digesting! :) My pain is substantially less than it has been in a couple of years, and I am honestly feeling terrific!! Please pray that this continues indefinitely!!

Thank you God for all of the healing that has taken place in the past week... and I humbly ask that it continue forever. Please Lord, let the vomiting be done forever!! Help me to trust you implicitly, and not to take even one moment of health for granted. Thank you for the joy of this day, and for the healing that has already taken place.

In Your Awesome Name,
Brelin

baseball games with big daddy

There is something special about baseball with Steve-o. I was reflecting on my childhood baseball experiences, and I can remember way back to the Tri-Cities Triplets baseball games when I was pretty little, when they used to fling gummy worms into the crowd during the 7th inning stretch. Perhaps that was the start of my digestive problems. :) While I was in the Tri-Cities this past week, I got to have another baseball "experience" with big daddy. It's not so much about who is winning--rather, it is about what kind of junk food can be consumed, who is there doing the chicken dance, and who can lament about the poor pitching the loudest. I love this good ol' American pasttime.

I had a wonderful time in the Tri-Cities, including lots of fun with my mom. We tackled a sprinkler project (nice work, mom), I pruned some bushes (sorry mom), we did some quality scrapbooking, hung out with my aunt, and we saw a really depressing but good movie (My Sister's Keeper--everyone in the theater was sniffling and crying so we didn't feel too bad).

I got to hang out with my brother and his girlfriend a few different times...which was super fun! I hadn't really gotten to see them much before, so it was nice to spend time with them. We had yummy tacos one night that I even digested!! (yay!) It was fun getting to know Alyssa better, and it's always great to see Andy.

I also got to see Grandma Sanders while I was there. We giggled on the way to the Spudnut shop in the back seat. Steve-o was lamenting about crazy drivers in the front seat when Grandma suddenly realized that she was not wearing her seatbelt. She made a hilarious face, and looked over to me like, help!! So, quickly we tried to get her seatbelt on, while mom and dad continued to discuss the drivers, while we were laughing hysterically.

Overall, I would say that the past couple of weeks my health has improved slightly. I seem to be vomiting slightly less often, but I also think I have been a little less than normal also. We're thinking of going on an overnight backpacking trip at the end of the week for fun if my health continues to hold. Thanks for your prayers!

super slacker

I can't really remember what's been happening during the month of June, but I know that until recently it has involved a LOT of ziplock baggies. In fact, I have managed to work my way through the Costco-size box again. shoot.

I digress.

I think I'm allergic to my condo. I think I'm just joking, but let me unpack that for you. Marcus and I went camping this past week to Alta Lake, which is near Lake Chelan. It was really fun, and a terrific adventure! We woke up to rain hitting our face in the tent at 6 am, because we hadn't put the rain fly on (since it never rains in e-wa.... oops!!) And, I had insisted that we didn't need the umbrella too. oops again. Most of the time that we were there was super sunny and really fun, we swam in the lake, ate s'mores, and played frisbee. The best news, is that while we were there, I started digesting, like 2 meals a day! It was madness!! :)

Then, we got back home, and the next day, I returned to my "normal" vomiting everything again. Rats.

We went to Jim's retirement party yesterday--which was wonderful! I'm so excited for him!! And to top it off, there were phenomenally delicious cupcakes there!

I rolled on over to the Tri-Cities for the week to enjoy some fabulous summer sun. I'm hoping to continue my super digestion while I'm away. I'll let you know how it goes. And a little side note, my schedule is WIDE open while I'm here in the Tri, so if you want to hang out, give me a jingle--we can catch up over a tasty starbucks beverage or a walk. :)

Hugs and continued super prayers for healing!
brelin

the rain in spain.

I try to love the weather here on the west (wet) side of the state, but it's really a struggle. I can honestly say that these past couple of weeks have been absolutely glorious here in Sammamish. It's like God picked up Sammamish, keeping all the beautiful trees, mountains, lakes, flowers, etc, and then dropped it into the middle of eastern WA, allowing us to experience the glorious 80's and 90's. I was in heaven.

I woke up this morning to clouds again, and I'm hoping that it's just a little blip the summer sun that began so early this year. Because it seriously helped me feel a little cheerier! :)

I went to a really cool fundraiser the other night about a non-profit called Krochet Kids. It was started by some guys that graduated from HS in 2004. Can you believe that?! It's crazy to me. The organization is changing lives, empowering women in Uganda, and clearly affecting people here with their amazing story too. Very cool.

People often ask what I do with my time. I'm not sure where it all goes, but I do feel "busy" most days, not "overwhelmed", but "busy". I meet with about one friend per day. I go on at least one walk a day to keep things moving in my intestines. I've been swimming and playing frisbee since it's been sunny. I volunteer with a few different non-profit groups. I rest, and I read, I pray, I journal, and I send cards. Sometimes, if I'm feeling especially terrific, I will work as a sub, but that is very rare--and usually wears me out for several days afterward.

Another thing I try to do with my time is....I try to digest. The doc continues to play around with my meds/dosages/etc. I focus mainly on fluids, and if that goes well, then I try to eat. I hate to say that I've found a combo that "works"--but it seems like when I drug myself very heavily with a particular set of drugs at a particular time, that I am able to keep down some food. The only problem beyond that, is that I'm so drugged that it leaves me really spacey, not able to carry on a conversation--much less work.

Well, I guess that's all for today. I'm out of words, and needing a nap after all this typing! :)
Thanks for continued prayers.
Love,
brelin

home again, home again jiggity jig

here's a funny little story from my life...
i was freaking out about money to Marcus a couple of weeks ago, so I told him that I was going to return to substitute teaching. I thought I would just do a "half-day"--and it would be no big deal. Please keep in mind, I'm still not consistently keeping solid food down, so my energy level isn't exactly "super." Anyway, I got a last minute phone call, and accepted a full-day job in the 4th grade. I didn't actually mean to take the job, I was honestly flustered, and took it on accident. By the time I hung up the phone, the damage was done, and I was headed to the 4th grade. :) Fortunately, I hadn't taken the meds that make me dizzy, so I gulped down some gatorade, and prayed for the best. The kids in the class were awesome, and I made it through the day with flying colors, (except for when I struggled trying to figure out the 4th grade math problem--don't worry, I got it .)

beyond that, not much is going on with us. my health is not much improved. i'm still doing well with liquids. i'm doing ok with solids sometimes. i throw up most days, several times a day--unless i don't eat anything at all. i do better when i medicate myself heavily, but i don't like to take them because i'm not able to drive, and my brain doesn't work as quickly as i'd like it to.

it's super sunny and warm in seattle--which makes everything a little more bearable. i'm in love with the verse from 1 thes. 5:16. it's 3 words long. i think i might get it tatooed somewhere on my body. ALWAYS BE JOYFUL. i'm clinging to these words this week, as i hold on to the promise of God's faithfulness while i keep up my hope for complete healing.

b

no news is good news

I'm doing a bit better. The meds that I'm on have seemed to stabilize me enough for me to keep fluids down regularly, and I'm managing to keep really bland food down pretty consistently now too. Toast is my new best friend. In fact, I'm not sure I really eat much besides that. I'm sliding in some cooked veggies on occassion, and those are a delicious treat. I'm also enjoying applesauce, and cups of tea. :)

I have a lot more energy than I did a couple of weeks ago, but still take naps almost every day. My meds make me tired, and a little dizzy when I am quick to rise, but those symptoms are manageable. I have two big goals for the summer: 1. Stay out of the hospital. 2. Remain unconnected to tubes of any kind. This includes: picc lines, J-tubes, NG-tubes, catheters, IVs, etc. I feel like these goals are really attainable.... and trust me, I've got my eye on the prize. :)

My little sis flies in from South Carolina today. I can't wait to see her! My bro is graduating from U of Idaho this weekend, and we're all in for some serious family fun!! :) It should be terrific! I'm so proud of both of them!

Please pray for peace as I wait on the Lord again (still) for healing. I'm anxious to have more energy again.

Hugs and love,
brelin

all in God's time...

I woke up this morning feeling hopeful. Not necessarily feeling better, health-wise. But, feeling hopeful. This morning, I'm again relinquishing ALL power of my body, my plans, my life--and fully submitting them all to God. It seems that He has perfect plans that He carries out in His perfect time anyway, and I ought to trust Him because things seem to run much more smoothly when I do. So, I'm officially letting God handle it all.

I will continue to seek the wisdom of doctors. I will continue to take my medicines as prescribed, eat as I am supposed to, exercise when I am able to... and love without abandon. I will share joy with others as often as I can, I will smile at strangers, I will spread kindness to others, helping my neighbors, loving my family, and most of all, I will do my best to be an example of God's love to others in all I do.

I'll try not to tailgate, I'll buy someone a cup of coffee, I'll take time for that friend who needs it. I'll encourage others to do the same.

God, I pray that you help me not to be discouraged, frustrated, or angry during this time of illness. Instead, help me an encouragement to others. Help me to be a shining light for you. Give me the energy and the strength to make it through this day, because it is YOUR day. I love you, Amen.

the hospital... again.

So, it's been a while.

Since I went to the doctor, things have been getting progressively worse. The vomiting has been increasing, with little relief. We did manage to have lots of fun in the sun with some friend in Arizona on a trip over spring break on a trip that had been planned for several months. There were just lots of puke baggies involved.

Once we returned home (Easter Sunday), I was completely exhausted, and the pain was pretty out of control. By Monday morning, my vomiting was really bad. I was up all night Monday night, and by Tuesday morning I there was blood in my vomit again.... and not even a sip of water was staying down. We called the doc to see if I could go in for some outpatient IV fluids. He said that he wanted to admit me.

I was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday morning, and they started some IV fluids, pain meds, nausea meds, and blood work. They found that my liver enzymes were elevated. I'm still not really sure what that means... I think it has something to do with one of the lobes of my liver being pressed on by a vein or something, but I'm not sure if they can do anything about it. On Friday, they did a follow-up HYDA (sp?) scan to check something else, and I will check back in with the doc tomorrow.

The good news is that I'm keeping down fluids on my own again. I was released from the hospital on Friday night and am doing okay. I'm on a lot of meds, but am feeling pretty well considering. I have even kept down some toast!! :) My blood pressure is running pretty low, which leaves me feeling a little dizzy. But mostly I'm feeling pretty good.

I'm hopeful that this was just a little flare-up, and I'll be back to feeling terrific in no time!! :)

Thanks for all your prayers... and I'll try to keep my blog better updated.
brelin

a new look

Oh, I just wanted to give credit for the new look on my blog. Here is the link to cute and free blog backgrounds!!
http://simplychicblogs.blogspot.com

the report

I had a good appointment with the doc on Wednesday; seeing him is sort of like seeing an old friend. When I walked into the office, he said, "My day is complete." Apparantly he has several women with ridiculously odd intestinal problems (me being in that category.) He had seen the other 3 in the hospital earlier in the day, so seeing me at the office just topped it off. :)

The doc suggested that I try a couple of different medications. One is a narcotic, and I'm simply not interested in going there yet. I'm hoping that I can get a little better without going down that road. He has a new theory of sorts... something relating to my mast cells, thinking that my intestines are basically allergic to food. Not tomatoes, or dairy, but ALL food. So everytime there is a stimulant, (food), it causes pain and often vomiting. To me, this completely makes sense because when I don't eat, I often feel pretty good. I know that never eating again is not a good solution, so he thought that perhaps I can lessen the problem with an antihistamine. I'll have to keep you posted.

Beyond my guts, I'm doing fine. My shoulder is almost totally better, and the pinched nerve in my foot is doing well too.

I'm enjoying substitute teaching, and am doing most of my jobs in the middle school. :) I love it!! I think my "acceptable noise level" is a little higher than most teachers, but I think that's okay. I figure if the students are working, and not hurting themselves or others, then it's all good. :)

Hugs to you all,
brelin

cry me a river........

For some unknown reason, the JT song is rolling through my head. I believe it is in large part due to the pain that I am currently experiencing in my shoulder and foot. Let me explain...

These past few weeks, there have been BUCKETS of snow dumping each day on the mountain. While my stomach/intestines have been less than stellar lately, I have still mustered up enough energy to embrace the snow in all of it's glory. Marcus and I headed up to Crystal Mountain for some glorious snowboarding conditions a little over a week ago. About 2 pm, I came crashing down the run, managing to bend my arm back a funny way and then land on it. I might have shed a few tears on the hillside while Marcus examined my arm for obvious breaks before I stuck it in my pocket, and headed down to the base. I prayed that God would not let me get carded while I purchased an adult beverage to dull the pain in my arm. Prayer answered. I imbibed, then went home, and then finally on Monday morning (last week), I went into the doc for some xrays. I separated my shoulder, but not "too" bad. He said I can head back up to the hill anytime, as long as I don't fall on my arm. I'll let you know how that goes, we're heading up tomorrow.

Oh, so while I was getting the ol' arm checked out, I mentioned that I had this weird pain in my foot. It turns out that I have a "fluke" thing that "unlucky" people get... a pinched nerve in my foot. The foot specialist gave me a cortizone shot, and I am doing a bit better now. I go in next month for one more shot.

I've been painting a rather "rose-colored" picture of my own health lately, which hasn't been entirely accurate. My vomiting has gotten increasingly worse these past few months. I'm not horrible, and am nowhere near as sick as I was--but I'm not doing nearly as well as I once was. I have an appointment to see the GI doctor on Wednesday, and am praying that he'll be able to provide some sort of treatment that will help get me back on track without drugging me up too much.

Okay, I think that's all to report today. Please pray that the appointment goes well on Wednesday, and that I get return to full health sometime soon.

Hugs,
brelin

the study of Job.

I would like to start out by saying that I LOVE LENT. I know that's a little weird, but I REALLY enjoy doing the Holden Evening Prayer worship service. This year, there is a study of the book of Job going on each Wednesday after worship. I thought I'd check it out tonight, and am so glad that I did. We studied the first 3 chapters, and there are so many things that stuck out.

1. God's power is limitless, while Satan's power is completely limited. In order for Satan to make Job's life miserable, he had to ask permission from God.

2. Job was blameless, and his faith is totally overwhelming. Tons of crap happened to him in the first chapter, and his response was to fall down on his face and worship God. (chap 1:20) I'm totally in awe of Job's response, and pray that mine can be that good. God presents us with choices in the midst of suffering: do we fall down in worship? or do we run away from God?

3. Job's friends said nothing, because "sometimes suffering is too great for words." chap 2:13. Sometimes we don't have to say anything to help others--because just being present with them is enough. Thank you to all of you who have been present with me over the years that I've struggled with my health.

When we're confronted with suffering, we're asked to choose. Do we choose to follow a loving God in the midst of it all, or do we run away from Him in our times of strife?

keep on truckin'

Hi All,
I just started substitute teaching today. It was my first day, and I taught 6th-8th grade health. Ironically, we were talking about medications, and their effects on the body. I had a good laugh to myself. It was certainly an adventure, I was really nervous before I got there, but then it all started going smoothly by the end of the day. Tomorrow, I'll be in a 5th grade class all day at one of the elementary schools. I can't wait.

I had a terrific 30th birthday. We had a rollerskating birthday party which 40 or so people attendend. It was fabulous. On my actual birthday, Marcus took me out for dinner and then we went to the Broadway production of the Lion King. It was magnificent, and really beautiful. Everyone should go see it.

I'm still plugging along with Bible study on Wed morning, and mentoring another student on Wed. afternoons. All are going well, and I'm thrilled with how terrific my 9th grader seems to be doing this semester. If you happen to be reading, you're awesome! :)

Health-wise, I am doing okay. I would say that I vomit most days, but not everything, and not everyday. On the days that I do get sick, it is typically more than once a day... but again, it is not everyday, and certainly not 20 million times a day--so I continue to feel good about my progress. My baseline level is still much lower than before 2007, but I'm adjusting.

Tonight I'm looking forward to a ballet recital for Maya, and then tomorrow is a basketball game for Garrett. Both should be a lot of fun~ :)

Hugs and love to all,
brelin

my latest news.

Hi All,
Thank you to all of you dedicated blog readers out there. I apologize for it being several weeks since my last post. I feel like somehow since my life is more stable medically, it's somehow not as interesting for the general public. Regardless, here is an update.

I just finished my paperwork for getting certified as an Emergency Substitute teacher for Snoq. Valley School District. I'm looking forward to getting started as soon as the state issues me my certificate.

Marcus and I just got back from another vacation. This time we went to sunny southern California. It was 80, sunny and wonderful! We went to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland, as well as Magic Mountain. We also met up with some friends from Sammamish, and watched a friend play basketball for Cal Lutheran. We learned that it's hip to say "T.O." when you're talking about Thousand Oaks.... and T.O. is like a Sammamish that's not in Sammamish.

Healthwise, I have been doing okay. I still vomit several times a week, and these past 3 weeks have been worse than "normal"--or the new normal, anyway. I'm not discouraged, and haven't really noticed a reason why... I'm just reporting so you know. :)

My little sis stayed with us for about a month before she moved out for a new job in South Carolina. She's enjoying it so far, and reports that her internal dialogue is starting to be in a southern drawl. I told her that she's not really one of us anymore.

I'm approaching another birthday, and am sooooooooooooooooo thankful for my much improved health this year. I am so glad that God's healed me, and given me new life and improved energy!! Thank you, God. Woo hoo!!

Hugs,
brelin

still doing awesome

So, I was just talking to a friend on the phone, trying to update them on all the fun in my life... and at the end of the conversation, I figured I had probably update my blog, so that you ALL can be aware of the great things happening!! :)

I continue to be fabulous health-wise. I have been able to stay off all of my meds since sometime in Oct/Nov, and am still feeling wonderful! I have a couple of bouts of vomiting per week, but it's nothing major, and certainly nothing that I can't deal with!

Marcus and I have season passes to Crystal Mountain, and I'm enjoying snowboarding and learning to ski. We've been there 7 times already this season, and are having an absolute blast. Yesterday, while Sammamish was in an angry cloud of darkness and gloom, we were enjoying the summit at Crystal, which was perfectly clear, sunny, and had glorious views of Mt. Rainier. Oh, and did I mention it was warm too? THANK YOU, God. seriously. It rocked.

I continue to wait for God's clear vision about what to do with my life. I enjoyed following the chaplain at Children's Hospital at the beginning of Jan. She was wonderful and her job sounded very rewarding, but I am simply not feeling a huge push from God to head that direction. One reason is that I don't really want to go to school forever (about 4 years full time). I figure that if God REALLY wants me to do it, He'll shove me in that direction, and I will just know that it's the right time and the right place for me.

Until I have a clear vision, I am beginning the process to get my emergency substitute certificate so that I can sub in some of the local school districts. I'm excited about the flexibility that will provide my schedule, and I'm also looking forward to being back with students again.

I continue volunteering with my Young Life group of girls on Wednesdays, and I am enjoying my weekly meetings with a cute girl on Weds after school. It is fun to be walking alongside students in the midst of the joys and struggles they experience.

Hugs, love, and THANK you for your prayers.
brelin

fun adventures in mexico and the snow!

Marcus and I went to Puerto Vallarta at the beginning of this month! We had a wonderful time playing in the ocean, snorkeling at Las Caletas, and riding zip lines that were over a 1/4 of a mile long. It was 87 degrees, and sunny the whole time that we were there!! We soaked up the sun, drank lots of "miami vices" (a delightful mix of pina colada & strawberry daiquiri) and made some wonderful memories. :) Marcus' parents, Jim & Carol, came along with us, and we enjoyed spending lots of time together on the beautiful beaches.

Since then, we have been enjoying the winter wonderland that we call home. It seems like it has been snowing non-stop since we arrived home, and we are loving it!! I drove over to see my sister, Sarah, graduate from WSU on Dec. 13th! We are super proud of her for being a supergenius, and are looking forward to her coming to live with us while she starts a new job in the Seattle area. She'll be joining us sometime at the beginning of January for a couple of months until she finds a place to settle down.

Marcus and I have season passes to Crystal Mountain and have already gone snowboarding & skiing twice. I have decided to pick up skiing after a 15 year respite, and am pretty impressed with myself so far. I only fell 4 times the whole day! :) I have almost fully retired from my job at American Eagle, so that it doesn't get in the way of our snowboarding schedule!! :) I'm down to working just one or two Saturdays a month.

At the beginning of January, I'm hoping to get started doing some substitute teaching. I'll be throwing my name into the pool at Issaquah, Renton, and Snoqualmie Valley school districts. I figure I'll get back to working with kids, and enjoy the flexibility that subbing provides...I think it will be a good fit for right now.

I am still in the midst of discerning God's call on the possibility of chaplaincy and attending seminary. I will be doing a job shadow of a chaplain at Children's Hospital on January 6th--and am looking forward to the clarity that may come after that.

Our Christmas has been wonderful!! So far, we have celebrated with the Rismiller's and the Weakley's. We're looking forward to a spring thaw and then celebrating the Johnson family Christmas too. :)

Lots of love and hugs to you all! We are so thankful for all of you! Merry Christmas!!
brelin

more fun adventures!

Hi All,
It's been a while since my last post, but nothing really has changed. I am still feeling good most days, and enjoying all kinds of adventures again!!

I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Tri-Cities with Marcus, my parents, siblings, and other super fun relatives. We had a great, but short, visit with them, and made it back to Seattle in time for me to leave for a wedding, and Marcus to get to work on Friday am.

The wedding that I was in was for a college friend, Ellen. A couple of us were her bridesmaids, and made the trek to Bremerton for a fun & busy wedding weekend. I made it home exhausted from the adventures on Sunday night. The wedding was beautiful, and it was fun to celebrate God's love in the context of marriage with them... Marcus joined me for the wedding, and we were rocking out on the dance floor. It was reallllllllly fun.

I'm home for Mon & Tues, and then on Wednesday we fly out to Puerto Vallarta for the week. We are VERY excited to lay on the beach, soak up the sunshine, and have fun with Marcus' parents who are joining us for their first time in Mexico. We are pumped to share this experience with them!! And I am so thankful that I'll be allowed to frolic on the beach and in the waves...SO thankful for healing.

I think that's all for me. Love, hugs, and happy belated thanksgiving!!
brelin

sweet! and not so sweet...

Hi All,

So, I've got good news and bad news. Which would you like first? I always like to get the bad news out of the way first, and then be pleasantly suprised at the end... so here it goes.

The bad news.
I am not going to be able to go back to work at Sammamish Hills Church after all. It seems that there is no money to add a new staff position, and some nasty black mold that had to get removed from the building has drained the budget more than they'd hoped it would... Thus, no "bring brelin back" campaign, because they have to get their budget fixed first. While I am extremely bummed about this, I continue to trust that God has a plan. It seems that I currently have no idea what that plan is, but am eager and happily waiting to find out what it might be.

The good news.
I am feeling called to Chaplaincy at a Children's Hospital, and am learning more and more what that entails. At this moment, I believe it means that I, Brelin Rismiller, will be headed to seminary sometime soon. I am continuing to grapple with what that really means, as I would be Pastor Brelin at the end of it all. It freaks me out a little bit, but I am both eager and excited to discern more about what God's call really is. So, the reason that I'm writing is so that you all can be praying for me to know what God's will is in all this. Please pray specifically that I follow His call above all else, and that He'll make it painstakingly obvious if this is not the direction that I am called to go.

The other good news.
I am healthy! I was able to run 5 miles today in the beautiful fall sunshine. I am enjoying this fall with new insight and appreciation for the beauty that is all around me. I am so thankful for each breath that I take, for each beat of my heart, and that I'm no longer attached to life-sustaining tubes of any kind. I have no picc lines, no blood clots, no feeding tubes, no shots, and just one medicine (and a lot of vitamins!) I got my tube out exactly 14 months from the first day I started vomiting... and I am thrilled for the drastic progress that has taken place since surgery on July 23rd--I am also completely thankful for all of your prayers.

The best good news.
I am currently in LOVE with this passage from Psalm 37.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

Waiting patiently, (as best I can.)
brelin

pure joy.

I cannot begin to express the feelings of JOY/excitement/relief/freedom/THANKFULNESS that are bursting from me this day. I just got home from my doctor's appointment, during which my feeding tube was removed!!! It feels sort of like getting your braces off--only WAY better. Like something is missing from your body... but you're not really sad to see it go. :) The doctor was thrilled with the progress that I've made... impressed with my determination to get well, and off the meds that I wanted to.

Here are some of the things that I'm thanking God for this day:
1. I am completely off of medications, except one... which the doctor says I can safely stay on forever.
2. I have my feeding tube out.
3. I can swim and lay on the beach in Mexico at the beginning of December.
4. I can return to a full workout! (i've been having to modify since surgery, but he says I'm good to go now. :))
5. I have an amazing loving family, church family, and awesome community that has been so supportive of Marcus and I all along. We are so blessed to have so much prayer support, encouraging hugs, and well wishes from you all.

Thanks to all who have stuck with us on this wild adventure. :) Yay!!

In Christ's awesome love,
brelin

still going strong...

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to share that everything is continuing to go well health-wise. I have been able to stay off the pain meds, and I am now on day 3 of no topamax. The transition has been a bit rocky... with a little nausea and one bout of vomiting, but I'm going to try and hang in there, hoping that my body will adjust all the way to life without chemicals.

I'm still working at American Eagle in Redmond. It's a nice change of scenery for me each day I head to work, and the people that I work with there are great. I'm enjoying my part-time adventures, and the employee discount is nice too. :)

I'm continuing a study of Genesis with a group of women in Mercer Island, through CBS. The study is wonderful, and God's love is revealed more fully in each text. I just finished reading about Abram and his crazy adventures. It seems that the message running throughout is God telling His people over and over again to, "trust me, and I'll get you through." It's so great to know that He never abandons us, especially in our times of sorrow and doubt. awesome.

Marcus is still fine, and still loves his job firefighting. He'll be taking his "year 3" exam in April, and then he's a full-fledged firefighter. Very fun. He is such a rock of support to me, and I'm so thankful that God blessed me with his love.

Well, I guess that's all for me. Have a blessed week, and happy Halloween!
brelin

more fun news

Hi all!
For the first time in as many months as I can remember, I am completely off of pain medication. I have been working on getting off of them since I saw the doctor in September, and I ripped off the last pain patch last week, finally able to manage the pain on my own terms. Don't get me wrong, it still hurts each day--but not so much that I can't take it. And I think it will be even better once they take the feeding tube out too. :) YAY!!

Next piece of good news, I am also weening off of topamax as well. I am down to just 100 mg, from 150 mg, and still feeling good. This is a nerve-dulling medication, and I'm not especially fond of the "stupid" effect on my brain... so I'm trying to get off it. So far, so good. My weight is staying stable, and I am feeling good most days.

Final, and most fun piece of news is... Church council at Sammamish Hills voted last week that I can return part-time to work with Kaitlin, our new youth ministry director, once funds are raised. I am sooooooooooo excited about the possibility of mentoring her, working with the students & parents at SHLC again, and getting to use my gifts again. The church budget is in the red, however, so people are going to have to step up their giving before I can come back. Perhaps they can do a "bring Brelin back" drive. :)

Anyway, hugs and love to all you faithful readers... is anyone even reading still? :) If so, catch my mom up, she says she doesn't read anymore. :)

brelin

show and tell

FIRST OF ALL, I wanted to share that I have been working out since I got my feeding tube put in, and I was able to run 5K in the Salmon Days race on Sunday! I ran the whole way, and I'm super proud of myself for finishing!! :)

Secondly, I was invited to share my faith story with a fabulous group of 9th graders tonight at Sammamish Hills, the kids who will be confirmed this fall. It was such a treat to get to see all the kids again... and I loved getting to share my faith story too!

Here's what I came up with. This is the one that I decided not to go with.
You can pray for something a million times-and it may not seem like God is listening...or that He is not answering in the way that seems "right".

This last year has been like that for me. Sometimes it seemed like everything in the whole world was wrong. I didn't feel like myself anymore. I didn't have the energy to smile and laugh, or run or jump or play... My body was shrinking slowly, until I didn't recognize it as my own. My clothes were too baggy, my hair was falling out in clumps from malnutrition, and I'd already been in and out of the hospital multiple times. This had all been going on for months already, and I didn't know when it was going to be over. I kept crying out to God--wondering when He'd heal me, questioning myself--thinking that perhaps I'd lost my mind. I'd run into folks I knew, and it was such a relief to know that so many people were praying-but so difficult for me to not know what to say them when they asked, "how are you doing?". It was so discouraging to have to repeat, time after time, month after month-----for almost a year-----that nothing was different, that nothing had changed. That I was still vomiting 20 times a day. That I struggled daily with dehydration. That the doctors still couldn't find a treatment that worked. That in the later months, my heart was starting to show signs of damage, and my liver was having problems. And that despite all of the prayers, God still hadn't done anything.

Yet, God was doing something mighty in me. I sort of feel like a half-finished work of art. I imagine that is sort of what those 9th graders feel like too... That God is transforming us into this totally beautiful, super talented, amazingly brilliant, totally strong person--but I'm not quite there yet. I'm starting to feel fabulous, but sort of waiting on the edges for God to finish the project. He's starting to reveal His plan slowly to me, but He's cautiously giving me details, and asking me to wait on Him for the rest of the plan.

I trust that He will continue to work in me, and that all things will be done and completed in His perfect time. I pray that I will be able to be an example to others, that I a masterpiece crafted by the Creator's hand, displayed for all to see.

Amen.

no news is good news :)

here's my life story...

i started working at american eagle at redmond town center part-time about 2 weeks ago, and i am totally loving it!! i am enjoying the fun aspects of working with the public in retail again, and i have enjoyed the employee discount as all of my fall and winter clothes from last year were too big... :)

marcus and i have been having lots of fun together and have been goofing off as much as usual. we purchased season passes for crystal mountain and are looking forward to an awesome snowboarding season. don't worry, the doctor approved. :)

i'm also doing a community bible study with my friend, abby on wednesday mornings. we meet in the middle on mercer island, and we are studying genesis. it's terrific so far, and we've got about 10 other terrific women of all ages in our group. yay!

i'm also leading a group of fabulous 9th grade girls from inglewood jr high on wednesday afternoons. we're studying the one minute bible, and we've got prayer partners too. i'm working with my friends, alaina and breanne on this, and am super excited for the year. :) our first meeting was super fun, and i can't wait for the rest of the year.

i think that's all to report. i'm sorry that it's been so long... our computer is broken at home, we're perhaps getting a new one sometime soon. i'll have to keep you posted.

much love and hugs to you all.
brelin

good news from the doc!

I just got home from the doctor, and I have excellent news!!
He said that I am doing great, and that I can continue to wean off many of my meds. The goal is to be off all but two of them by the end of December!! :) My incision from surgery is healing fabulously, and it looks just like it is supposed to at this stage. He was very pleased that I hadn't used my feeding tube in over a month. I was very pleased to report that as well. :)

And now for the best news..............
He said that he will consider taking out my feeding tube at the next appointment!! The next appointment is November 1, which is really no time at all, when I think about how quickly the time since surgery has flown by! :) YAY!!

I'm so thankful for all of the excitement and joy and fun and love that the Lord has lavished upon me this past year. It's so nice to be out of the season of "darkness"--finally able to look ahead to the future with hope, and a fresh sense of joy and energy for each new day. Many blessings to all of you... and thank you all so much for your prayers. Honestly, I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Brelin

hiking adventures

I am still unemployed. I enjoy this much more now that I am not vomiting 20 times per day. Marcus seems to work very little at his job as well... so we go on lots of adventures together. This last trip took us to the North Cascades, which I had never been to. We camped one night on some really pretty lake that I can't remember the name of, and then the next day we packed up our things and did a backpacking trip.

The doctor approved all of this, for those of you who are worried that I can't carry a backpack yet. :) We even brought our scale to make sure my backpack wasn't too heavy. We hiked the Thornton Lakes Trail which was a little too much of an adventure--we had to balance and walk on a log bridge (not easy on meds that make you dizzy when you have already low blood pressure), and then at the end, there was a short rock climb to get into the camp ground. I lowered my pack down to Marcus and it all worked out... but it was definitely an adventure. We did take some fabulous photos, and we had a lot of fun!! And the weather was totally gorgeous!! yay!!

Beyond all that, not much is going on. I am still feeling great!! I am keeping food down almost always!! When I do vomit, it is just once in a while... not a million times a day--totally do-able. I am able to get enough calories to keep my weight stable, even on all my adventures. :)

And we sold our car! Yay!
Hugs and love,
brelin

tuesday morning

So, I threw up my dinner on Sunday night also. I'm not really enjoying this trend. But last night, I got really nauseated--and then didn't throw up, so I take that as being a good sign.

Still no job news to report. But I will be sure to keep you all posted. I am expecting to hear something in the next couple of days.... so keep reading, you faithful bloggers. :)

We had the entire Rismiller family over for a festive gathering the other day... we were supposed to go swimming but it was a winter wonderland instead, so we mostly stayed inside. We were a little squished in our humble abode, but overall, it was really fun to see everyone. We decided that it was a "celebrate Brelin eating party". Yay!! Our friends, Abby, Aaron, & Kenzi came over too--and they always add super fun adventures to every shindig. :)

Marcus and I have slowed down on our crazy adventures the last couple of days. I attribute this to the freezing cold temperatures, pouring rain, and ridiculous cloud cover that seem to have taken over outside. I really love Marcus, and I'm glad that he really loves his job, but I really miss living where there is no sunshine. I'm sure many of my other fellow eastern WA friends will appreciate the lack of sunshine piece. I think I'm going to invest in a "happy light." This is some light that you can buy from the store that gives you the proper amount of natural light, so that you don't shrivel up and get prune fingers like when you sit in the bath tub too long when you're little. (just kidding, I made that part up.) Seriously though, I was reading in a medical journal at the doctor's office that people from the Seattle area actually suffer from a vitamin D deficiency from not getting enough sunlight. I'm sure my happy light will get plenty of use over the next 30 years until Marcus retires and we can move somewhere sunny. Tee hee!! :)

Okay, that's all for me.
Hugs and love.
brelin

shoot

Last night I threw up my dinner. That's the bad news. The good news is that I didn't keep going. I'm pretty sure what happened is that I let my pain get out of control, and my body just decided that it didn't want to cooperate any longer. So I just threw up.

I'm feeling my better this morning, and praying for NO repeat performances from yesterday evening.

I'll admit, I was a little frightened that throwing up once was going to spiral me into this horrible cycle of vomiting out of control for another year...but that is NOT going to happen again. I just need to remain calm, trusting that God's got me in his loving arms, holding me tightly, and gently speaking to my intestines, encouraging them to work properly. :) That's what I like to think anyway. He's God, He can do what He wants, right?!

Anyway, I'm feeling good, and loving life.... and I've gotten to re-connect with oodles of friends lately, and I'm really feeling alive again. Yes!! :) Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Hugs to all--
brelin

anybody wanna buy a car?

We're selling our beloved 2001 Toyota Corolla... it gets excellent gas mileage, and would be a great car for a first-time driver, or for someone who has a long commute, or who just wants to save the world. Marcus didn't fit in it, that's why we're selling it. Interested? Let me know.
Moving on...

I'm still eating like a PRO! I even spoke to the GI doc yesterday, and he said that I can get a part-time job, so I am in the midst of applications now. I will keep it a big surprise as to where until I actually get a job. :)

I'm really enjoying being able to live again... :) It's marvelous. I'm still thanking God daily (hourly) for the gift of food, and yesterday, I even ate more than I needed to--just to see if I could. :) Marcus wanted me to "go over" my necessary amount to make sure that I can. And I did it. (yes!!)

All in all, I'm a super happy camper! Please continue to pray for me and for discernment as I figure out God's call for me now.
Love and hugs.
brelin

ripped out stitches again.

i managed to rip out my stitches holding my tube in again. this time i didn't even do anything fun, and i can't blame it on my cute nephew either. i'm not sure how it happened, but it hurts.

i will call the surgeon again on Monday morning and see if they can squeeze me into the schedule and sew me up again really quick in the office. It's mostly just annoying. The tube could fall out, potentially, but I have it taped down really well, and I am not doing anything active or fun until I see the doctor just in case so it doesn't come out. (boring)

on a more fun note, marcus and i drove down to olympia yesterday and got to see lots of relatives. it was a super fun day, and we spent a good chunk of it on a lake--which made it even more fun! yay!! :)

i'm still eating like a CHAMPION!! i haven't had to do my tube feeding for about a little over a week now, since i've been able to eat enough calories by mouth! yay!! thank you, God~!!! Woo hoo!! :)

that's all.
love brelin

me and my feeding tube went hiking

My new photo, which shows off my tongue--which is helpful in digesting my food now. It also shows my feeding tube, which, for the last two nights, I have not even had to hook up--because I have had sooooooooooo many calories during the day!!!!!! Hooray!! MEANING--I ate the whole amount of calories that I needed all by mouth--and it all stayed down! YES!! Praise God!! Woot!! Woot!! My photo also shows off the really fun (not super strenuous, but still pretty tiring) hike that Marcus and I went on Saturday. We hiked to the Second Buroughs on Mount Rainier. I think that all might be spelled wrong, but you get the idea. Round trip it was about 6 miles, and I felt fabulous afterward!!

Yesterday, which was Sunday, we went up to Marysville and worshipped at Bethlehem Lutheran, where our friend Abby is the worship leader. The church was rockin'!! We had a great time, and then went out to lunch with them. While we were way up north, we went to the outlet mall, and I scored some board shorts at Pac Sun for $10 each (sweet)--and then we came home. Last night we went and played some tennis, I was doing really bad, and then we ran around the track at Eastlake. I ran for 1.5 miles!! Yay!! :) I even kinda pathetically sprinted at the end. :)

I LOVE feeling good. Thank you Jesus. My hope is that I can stay on this path of wellness, and get my feeding tube out soon... returning to work, eventually. Please pray for clarity and direction for me... knowing where God would have me go know next. This has been such a long year, it would be so wonderful if it was all coming to an end soon. :)

Hugs,
brelin

"take it easy"

For those of you who know me well, the words "take it easy" and "Brelin" don't often get put together in a sentence... especially when I am feeling good. And I am feeling FABULOUS!! Back before my 11 month bout of vomiting, I was known for running, jumping, and playing with middle school students, and sometimes doing cartwheels on the top floor of the church office.

I have missed doing all of these things since I have been sick. Now that I am beginning to digest, and since I am getting food through my feeding tube--I have so much energy--it's wonderful!! I have started playing a little tennis. (not hard-core tennis, just hitting the ball around), and yesterday I even went running!! The doctor did tell me that I need to stop playing ultimate frisbee, because I could get a hernia that may require additional surgery. Although my flying grab in the end zone was almost perfect--my ultimate days are over for 3 more weeks until I am not at risk for a hernia, thus "taking it easy."

I am eating like a champion!! I have been eating about 800 calories by mouth consistently each day for the last couple of days! Yay!! The rest of the calories that I need, I get from my tube feedings each night. The goal is to get all of my calories by mouth soon, so that I can get my feeding tube out. The soonest I could get it out is 3 weeks... but that is probably a bit unrealistic. It will probably be a bit longer.

The only ridiculous thing to report is that the stitch that was holding my feeding tube into my body came out yesterday, so the surgeon had to re-sew it back in yesterday. Ouch. I was really in a lot of pain at the site yesterday, but seem to be feeling better this morning.

Praise God for the healing that is FINALLY taking place in my body!! Yay!! Thank you for all your prayers, love, and words of encouragement. Hopefully we're nearing the end of this battle.

Marcus and I were talking the other day, and we shared just how much this past year has brought us closer to God and closer to one another. We feel like we can tackle anything together, with God right there with us. :) Yay. Amen.

happy days are here again...!

I cannot begin to express how fabulous I am doing! :)

I wake up in the morning with just a little pain..., I disconnect my feeding tube around 10 am, and then enjoy the day--munching on whatever my little heart desires! In general, my heart is desiring mostly low-fat foods in small portions. For example, I have 1/2 a turkey sandwich with some applesauce. I also really like cottage cheese, I just had that yesterday. I ate 10 cherries the other day!! :) I am keeping a food log, monitoring each thing that goes into my body, counting each calorie, hoping that sometime I can lower the tube feed--eventually decreasing it to NOTHING. :)

For right now though, we can celebrate that I finally have energy!! I have been running and jumping and playing!! Marcus and I joined his family in Sun River for biking & hiking. I even played some frisbee!! :) It is so nice to feel alive again!!

I am still having some surgical pain, but it is fairly minimal. I go see the surgeon one more time on Thursday, and she'll check to make sure that everything looks good, and is healing well.

That's all for now. Thank you for your continued prayers! :) Praise God that I can finally share this good news with you! I am so glad to finally have something to celebrate with you all!! (11 months later..... sheesh!!)

Hugs and love!
brelin

like night and day...

today is a new day... and i have renewed hope again.

The docs changed my formula again last yesterday... they have put me on a lower calorie formula, similar to the one that I was on in the hospital, with different components. This one seems to be doing MUCH better. Previously, I was either asleep, or feeling like I was going to throw up. Now, I am doing a lot better... in fact, I think I can I say I am doing great--drinking water (finally!!) and I even had some crackers and half a piece of toast today!!

And I'm starting to feel hungry! What a wonderful feeling!! :)

Keep those prayers coming!
brelin

out of the hospital...

I made it out of the hospital, and am doing really well, all things considered. I am getting nutrition in my body for the first time since September through my new J-tube!! (yay!)

The feeding tube seems to be doing okay. The nausea is pretty bad, and doesn't really lend itself to eating a lot in addition to the constant feedings. Right now, I am on a 24 hour feeding schedule, trying to get my body used to digesting again. It's on day 7 of digesting, and I think it's starting to revolt. I have encouraged it to "hang in there" as it were.

This morning I dry heaved into a bowl...not a good sign. Nothing came out, and I was super thankful... I managed to "hang in there" for 6 hours longer until my body let loose and threw up a lot of stomach acid. We're taking a break, now, from the feeding, so that my body does not revolt again.
This was my first bout of vomiting since I have come out of sugery--which I am totally thankful for. I am confident that this was just a small hiccup in my progress, and I am on the road to full health again.

Please pray for patience... especially mine. I want to be well... and it's going to be a long road.
Please pray for encouragement for Marcus... that he can stay positive even when it's tough.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, according to His will...

And so we keep trusting in God's precious love, and resting in His comfort,
brelin

not for the weak of heart.

i was talking to my sister sarah last night. she told me that i needed to put some kind of warning on that link to what's actually happening to me in surgery tomorrow. So, HERE IS YOUR WARNING. Read the article if you are a doctor, if you are tough, or if you really want to know what's going to happen. If not, you might want to skip it... it goes into some hefty detail.

Okay, that's enough about that. Consider yourself warned. :)

Yesterday was a superfun day for me. I played and barfed all day long. We got a couple of our closets cleaned out in the house--one of my favorite projects when I am a little freaked out about something... organizing. When I was done with the closets, we stretched out by the pool, reading a good book--and soaked up the sun. Ahhhh, fabulous. Then we got cleaned up, and went to a movie and out for dinner. We cuddled on the couch and then went to sleep. Oh yeah, and we prayed about a million times. The perfect day... except for all the puking. But hopefully that will all be over really soon. That is what we're praying for anyway. Love and hugs. Amen.

last few days

The last few days have been better!! I haven't been throwing up straight stomach acid anymore!! YAY!! Thank you, Lord. Seriously.
I'm not really consuming a lot of food or beverages. I'm not doing it on purpose. I'm just not really into it. I'm not really hungry. I'm not really thirsty. I just kind of feel blah.

The good news is that I was able to gain some weight while I was on the TPN recently. The bad news is that it wrecked havoc on my liver again, and I had mega-elevated liver enzymes again. The doctor switched the type of TPN that I was on to a nonfat, low-calorie version. I've already lost a couple of pounds since I switched, but that's okay. He thinks that ought to do the trick for the liver. If it doesn't do the trick, then we may have to delay the surgery. I hope (and pray) that it does the trick.

If anyone would like to do some more reading about the J-tube (the type of feeding tube) they're putting in, here's a good website that you can check out. It explains it all very nicely. http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/CareGuides/Cancer/TreatmentInstructions/jejunostomy

I think that's all for now.
Love and hugs to all!
brelin

my surgery info

My surgery to have the feeding tube placed in my sm. intestine will be on Wednesday, July 23 at 7:30 am. (I have to be there at 5:45 am!) The surgeon will be Dr. Cornejo. She will also be cutting out adhesions/scar tissue that she sees. She will start out laproscopically, and will move to a larger incision if she needs to.

Please pray that my body will not reject the TPN until the surgery (that is the IV nutrition that gets absorbed in the blood), that my liver will stay healthy(I sort of had a problem with that in the hospital)... and that I will not have any problems with clotting(from my previous bad arm clotting experience).

Please pray for peace, for wisdom for the surgeon and the docs, and for quick and complete HEALING for me.

the surgeon's office

so, for a while now, I have been "against" getting surgery. I was especially opposed to getting a feeding tube placed in my abdomen. As I look back, I think it is mostly a pride issue... and I think it's a little gross too. Pride... in that, I didn't want to be "crippled" or "dependent" on something else to help me live. For some reason the picc line wasn't quite as bad, or quite as permanent in my mind. A feeding tube in the intestine was over some line in my mind. However, I know that many of you have been praying for CLARITY for me. Yesterday morning, I woke up and knew that I needed to have the surgery. I knew with a certainty that I cannot explain or describe--but I have such peace about the decision--so I know that it is in line with God's will.

so, we called the surgeon that we met with in the hospital, and had a surgical consult today. we signed lots of paperwork and discussed the surgery with her this afternoon. the surgery will take place sometime next week... wednesday at the earliest. I will put the date in when I know it. She will be starting out laproscopically (with small incisions), and doing her best to cut out the scar tissue that way, but if it's too overwhelmingly filled with scar tissue from all the abdominal surgeries from the past, she will make another larger incision (over top of the current one) and cut out the adhesions that way. Then she will place the feeding tube and sew me back up once I am all cleaned out. The hope is that surgery will completely heal me and I won't need to use the feeding tube. But I will have it there just in case the surgery doesn't solve the vomiting problem.

Please pray specifically that the surgery will stop the vomiting completely and there will be no complications from surgery. Please pray for the surgeon, Dr. Cornejo. Please pray for peace for my family, especially Marcus. Please pray that we can all continue to keep our eyes focused on Christ--as this has been a long journey.

thank you all so much for your love and support!
brelin

home again, but still puking

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday night, as the doctor was headed out of town for the weekend. He sent me home with TPN and a home care nurse. My home care nurse comes once a week to change my picc line dressing, like before. This time I am on total nutrition, meaning that I get all the vitamins that I need from a lovely bag of creamy looking goo that I attach to my arm. I learned how to inject two viles of other vitamins into the goo so that it is even more nutrient dense. The goo has to infuse over 18 hours, so I am on a schedule from 5 pm to 11 am each day. Delish. :)

I am still barfing like crazy. Stomach acid, water, popsicles, or anything else I might try. I wake up in the middle of the night to vomit. It is not all that much fun... I wouldn't really recommend it. I am exhausted, and my pain is a little worse than normal today, but I am getting some more good drugs today.

My mom and dad (steve-o) are in town, taking care of me when Marcus goes to work. Sarah is coming to visit today, she should arrive sometime in the afternoon. I think that's all to report. :) We're having lots of fun!!

Keep those prayers coming!! brelin

hospital day ten

I had an MRI of my head last night to see if there is anything going on in my brain stem (which is the part that deals with nausea, I think.) I will have those results from the doctor around 12 or 1 this afternoon.
The doctor also checked my common bile duct with another blood test. I should have those results today also.
The doc started me on another new medicine on Monday night. I was able to keep a little food down (a couple of bites of mashed potatoes, and a bite of chicken.) Since that worked on Monday night, he prescribed the same medicine for last night dinner. I had about 1/2 cup of canned peaches, and those stayed down also. I took the same drug this morning, waited a bit, and then tried to eat a few bites of breakfast. Unfortunately, that came right back up after I ate it. Shoot.
Oh, and I am back on the TPN, they started it last night.

I am still thinking positive, and hoping to get out of the hospital sometime soon. The surgeon said that she could do surgery right away if we wanted to, but she also encouraged us to wait and discuss it together for at least a couple of days. We are praying that God will continue to guide the doctors, and that if He wants to miraculously heal me, He can go ahead and do that also. :)

Hugs, brelin

sunshine in my window

I am still at the hospital, and doing my best to keep fluids down so that I can go home. Over the past couple of days, my liver enzymes have gone down a bit so that they are able to restart TPN this morning. They are thinking that an allergic reaction to one of the many new meds that they've tried over the past week is causing the elevation in the enzymes.

Two days ago I had low cortisol levels, so they were checking to make sure that I didn't have adrenal insuffiicency. They did a cortisol test yesterday that came back normal, so that was good news.

The docs are still wondering what to do with me. I have 3 options at this point. One is to go home on TPN, one is to have exploratory surgery (they would do it laproscopically) and try to cut out some adhesions and see what else may be going on in there. And the doctor suggested that while they were in there, they ought to put a feeding tube into my jejunum (the first part of the small intestine).

I really don't want to have a feeding tube at this point, I am still hoping to get better on my own. The surgery itself could change the body chemistry enough that I may quit vomiting. We have a surgical consult today sometime, so we will discuss it and pray about it together. Please pray that we have clarity in our decision-making.

My spirits remain good for the most part. I am trusting that God knows right where I am, and is holding me tightly in his hand. I've had lots of visitors and lots of fun conversations with folks. Thank you for all of the cards, flowers, prayers, and love that you have been sending my way.

God has been sending me these awesome verses to keep me focusing on Him in the midst of all of these frightening times... This is the one from yesterday. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." -Hebrews 4:16.

Love, brelin

liver enzymes

I've been on TPN since Monday, right after I got my picc line. The doctor said that some people "don't tolerate it" for some unknown reason. I happen to be in that minority. :) I always have been special, I guess. tee hee!!

So, they have removed my nutrition bag, my magnesium and zantac, my triglycerides, and all the other goodies. I'm down to one bag of normal saline and a pain patch on my arm. The doctor told me that I can "go ahead and try to eat whatever I want." So, again, we're back to eating and barfing--this time hooked up to an IV in the hospital.

I am enjoying a good book, and I have had lots of company--so the hospital hasn't been bad. My mom and I have gotten to spend lots of quality time together, which has been nice. She has even re-started cross-stitching.... an activity reserved only for sitting bored in the hospital.

Marcus' cold is getting better. He has been really busy on his shifts at work lately, not sleeping much at nights while he is on shift--so he's been able to go home and sleep after work, since my mom is here.

That is all that I have to report for now.
Love,
brelin

adventures in the hospital...

"Mom! Look at my face, there's something different!!" -me, excitedly.
"Bree, I don't see anything different about your face. You have a nice face."-my mom
"Mom! How can you not notice ANYTHING different?!?"-me.

That was the beginning of our day where I was trying to get my mom to notice that I got my NG tube removed in the middle of the night last night. Clearly, she didn't notice.

Just a few short hours later, beautiful sounds abounded in my room. A glorious cacophony rang throughout, down the hall, and into the fabulous nursing stations all around. This cacophony came from the RIDICULOUS beeping noises coming from the 5 IV pumps that I am currently hooked up to. I hope God was glorified with this "beautiful chorus."

On a more serious note, yesterday was pretty rough... I began vomiting the fluids that were being pumped into my stomach through the NG tube. They also found some blood in my puke as well. Since they pulled the NG tube out, I have been doing a bit better.

Today has been full of visitors and more tests (a pelvic ultrasound & a stomach ultrasound). Thank you for all of your prayers, kind words, and love that you've been sending our way.

I should find out all of the outcomes tomorrow morning. Please pray for direction for the doctors and wisdom for the nurses as well.

Hugs and love to you all.
brelin

in da hospital

...rollin' wit' my homies. :)

DISCLAIMER: let me start off in advance with a side note that i am on a narcotic drip medication in the hospital for abdominal pain, and a whole host of other abdominal systems. so what you are about to read may not make sense to you. if you start to trip up... do your best to begin thinking like a 5 year old and try again.

i got my picc line placed in my upper left arm yesterday, and am doing okay with that. i also got an NG tube placed last nigh. up my nose, down the back of my throat, and into my stomach. Yumm! Through my picc line, i'm getting TPN (total replacement nutrtion) during the day, and fluids at night.

more later... hugs and love!!!!!!!!!!!
bree

much more exciting than usual

my week has been full of adventure... and not the fun kind.

on tuesday night at 2 am, i woke up to horrible pain and vomiting. like rolling around on the bathroom floor bad. marcus had i had some good discussion about it, and then decided to head to the ER. we figured i was probably at least a little dehydrated, and they could help manage the pain. unfortunately, marcus had to work the next day, and they kept me at the ER until 7 am. He dropped me off at his parent's house, and headed to the station to start his shift.

wednesday, i spent the day vomiting bile. (stomach acid) i was sipping water and pretty drugged from my ER experience the day before. i did manage to sleep through the night on wednesday night.

thursday, i spent the day vomiting bile again. i went to see the GI doctor in Edmonds and he sent me to the hospital for 2 more liters of saline and some more nausea and pain meds. he gave me a prescription for some tylenol 2 to see if that helped slow my small intestine down enough to keep some food down at breakfast. i'm supposed to call him on monday. he said that he might just "put me in the hospital to try and figure things out" i think i'm ready for that now.

friday, i spent the day trying little bits of things... saltines, juice, thinking that perhaps if i soaked up some of the bile, i wouldn't throw up. but to no avail. i threw up just as much--maybe more. and then didn't sleep through the night last night.

which brings us to today. i kept my tylenol 2 down for the first time, and am sipping on some G2--hoping that i can keep it down. :)

nothing new to report

sometimes i think that i might be going crazy.... like seriously losing my mind. here's why: i ate some dinner last night that stayed down. i thought it was the beginning of beautiful things. then i ate some breakfast this morning. then this morning i threw up my breakfast and some of my dinner. shoot. then all day today, i've just been throwing up everything. even water. that's not fun. so, it's been sort of rough today.

tomorrow i'm going to go see a new naturopath/md. he's the doctor that my brother-in-law, jon, has been encouraging me to go see... jon warned me that the doc is a little weird. i began to get concerned about the appointment, and marcus reminded me that ALL of my docs are a little weird. good one. so here i go.

oh, for those of you wondering, i'm back in sammamish again. and i did enjoy the sunshine today. :) the trip to spokane was fun. it is nice to be home, and resting comfortably in my own bed though. :)

i think that's all i have to report for this day.
hugs and love to all.
brelin

spoke-vegas

Marcus and I are on yet another adventure... this time in Spokane, WA. We are here for a brief trip to visit his aunt's new home with his mom and dad.

Good medical news: I believe my bladder infection is finally gone.
Somewhat good medical news: With the new combination of meds, I am able to sneak some food down in the evenings right before I go to bed, thus getting in some calories...
Other good medical news: I have been able to stay out of the hospital so far :)

We are enjoying the sunshine and 75-80 degree weather. Marcus and his dad played golf today while his mom and I drove them around in golf carts--all of soaking up the sunshine!! It was fabulous!!

Hugs!
brelin

pizza?!?!

i had to end the song titles... sorry, Sarah.
Last night I kept down one piece of pepperoni pizza. It does not fit into the "low fat" category. But it does fit into the "delicious" category. I'm not sure why it stayed down, since literally NOTHING has been staying down this past week... but Praise God for it... and then move on, I suppose. :)
My bladder infection has still not gone away, so I am on round two on anti-biotics. And the GI doc put me on another combination of medications this weekend and told me to call on Monday. I started them last night, and slept well through the night, and did keep the pizza down, so maybe things are looking up. :)
Not much else to report. We cancelled the last part of our trip due to my pathetic self, and we are hoping to visit my aunt, Mary, in South Carolina later this summer. It should be super fun!! :)
I know that God hears all of our prayers, and I know that He is listening, and so I think that He must be doing something big in me--since He is waiting so long to heal me--He must be working on some kind of mighty transformation within. Sometimes I just wish He would hurry up, though. :)

Hugs for the day! brelin

Don't Worry, Be Happy

3 happy pieces of news for this day.
1. I got to see my sister, Alyson and her husband, Rich, that I haven't seen FOREVER... we've had two meals together in the last 24 hours and caught up on life.... it's been super fun!
2. It's 3:27 pm right now, and I have not thrown up the ENTIRE day so far. YAY!!! And I have even kept down like 5 bites of solid food, and a couple of glasses of water too!
3. My grandpa's 80th birthday party was really fun, we got to see the whole Weakley family, we've enjoyed lots of fabulous family fun time, and I got to see my Grandma Sanders too!

We're headed back to Seattle tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers, they must be working, so PLEASE keep them coming!

hangin' tough

Marcus and I are in the Tri-Cities now, we arrived on Monday. Tomorrow is my grandfather's 80th birthday celebration, so we are here to be a part of the festivities. We came early to soak up the sunshine, however, we brought the nasty rain clouds with us over the mountains--so there was little to enjoy on Tuesday. Today the weather redeemed itself, so I spent as much time as possible reading my book out in the sunshine. Tomorrow, Marcus is hoping to get some golf in before the party... and then the party is in the early evening.

My health continues to be slightly ridiculous. When I say slightly, I mean totally. I have been having more and more trouble keeping fluids down lately--and it seems that I can't keep much of anything down at all. For a while it seemed like some crackers were staying down--for the last couple of days, nothing is staying down. I seem to be staying somewhat hydrated somehow though, as I am not cramping, or experiencing the other really horrible side effects of dehydration yet... so I will keep you posted on that.

Marcus and I were supposed to be leaving for a sweet road trip directly after our trip to the Tri-Cities, but I believe that is no longer looking very promising. I think a trip to the hospital, or at the very least, the doctor's office is looking good after we get done here in Richland.

Please pray specifically that this combination of medication begins working immediately, that I can begin keeping down clear liquids--especially enough to stay hydrated, and that, ideally, I can stay out of the hospital. :)

Hugs,
brelin