My Well Well Visit

For those of you who have been partnering with me in prayer, I want to thank you!  This last Wednesday I was in CA for a follow up appointment from my last hospitalization.  My lung function remains at 50%, which is a proven promise from God.  He has brought healing to my lungs and it is proof that He has heard your prayers! 

Not only are my lungs functioning well, but I am also gaining weight.  In my case a few pounds is something to celebrate.  I have almost reached a healthy weight which will not only keep my warmer, but healthier.  Maintaining a healthy body weight helps my lungs and it creates a buffer for when the next infection comes.  Since my infection last December I have struggled to gain weight and my lungs have taken the toll.  Each infection set me back further.  I am happy to see my body trending in the direction of health. 

I take each day as it comes and some things are still too much for my body to handle.  I know that often I push myself too far and spend a day or two in pain.  I loved going to the OSU vs. Utah game on Saturday and cheering my Beavers on!  Later that night I felt the pain in my lungs from yelling so much, but oh was it worth it!  Being able to stand for the whole game and walk the steps of the stadium without coughing up blood was such an amazing experience! 

My motto this past year has been to take each day as it comes as perhaps the healthiest I am ever going to be.  A couple years ago all I could think about was the day transplant would come.  That was the day I was looking forward to and constantly hoping was drawing near.  Then I was hit with a particularly terrible pneumonia in December and reality slapped me pretty hard.  I realized that was how horrible I would feel before I was even considered eligible for a lung transplant.  I was in terrible pain, my lung function was in the 20’s, and I didn’t have the energy to shower.  I realized that I had been taking advantage of my health.  Instead of praying and pushing for a transplant, I needed to be out pushing and pursuing my dreams appreciating the health that I had. 

So today, my motto continues to be appreciating my stage of health every day as maybe the best I will ever feel.  There is no time to sit around and wait for the perfect opportunity to live life.  Right now is always the best time.  Every day I wake up and I thank the Lord for the breath He has given me.  Lately, that breath has been more than I have had in months.  I am enjoying this time of rest and being healthy.  My doctor was as excited as I was with my improvement. 

You know the expression ‘jump for joy’?  Well I now know where it came from.  Sometimes God does more than we can hope or imagine and you can’t help but actually jump with excitement and gratitude.  Joy is truly the best feeling in the world.  Joy dismisses fear and it triumphs over trials.  It defeats anger and it cures heartache.  Joy does not need an explanation; it is not of your will, but of God’s grace. 

Not only are my lungs happy, but my liver is too!  This is a very rare occurrence and I don’t believe it is by chance.  I believe that God has heard your prayers and that for this moment He has answered them and provided me with a time of homeostasis. 

In a few weeks I am going to schedule a procedure to have a new port placed.  I had a port placed at the end of summer in 2011, but when I went septic earlier this year the terrible bacteria that is in my lungs harbored in my port and they had to surgically remove it.  The infection that I had that spread from my lungs to my blood could have killed me if we had caught it any later.  It was by God’s grace and the knowledge of my amazing doctor that God has placed in my life that saved me.  There is a risk that this could happen again, but I am running out of options for veins for IV antibiotics.  Prayers of protection for my line and prevention of infection would be much appreciated!

The last thing I would like to update you on is the transplant situation.  At my last appointment we discussed the facilities that my doctor has sent my chart to with a request for transplantation when the time comes.  To clarify, I do not need a transplant right not, but I will inevitably in the future so it is best to have a plan before I end up in crisis.  Two of the five centers responded with a no.  We are still waiting to hear back from University of San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Chapel Hill.  I know that God is the one who is in control and trust that His provision is in place.  I have no fears, no doubts, and no worries.  My future is secure regardless of what happens.