Standing Tall!

Today I stood on my own two feet for the first time since November. I actually stood again and it felt amazing! I'd been feeling like my legs were getting stronger for a few days, so I decided that while I was in physical therapy I would try and stand. I nailed it on the first shot without any trouble. I can only stand for about 30 seconds right now, but it's still a huge step forward in getting better and I am ecstatic about it! In other medical news, apparently I have vasculitis in my feet, so I went to the dermatologist (the newest addition to my fleet of doctors) and he biopsied a piece of my toe. I went in expecting to get blood work done, I was totally cool with that, I actually have track marks from giving blood and getting IVs, so having a needle stuck in my arm wasn't that freaky of a concept to me. Getting a needle stuck in my toe, that was a first for me, but it actually wasn't as painful as I thought it would be and the doctor was really nice and had a good bedside manner, so it's all good. I just have to be careful with my toe until it heals and I get my stitches out and the results from the biopsy should be back within the week. That's all there really is as far as medical news. Oh, did I mention that I STOOD today!!! Here's a picture! I am very happy and going to bed now.... .... I stood...I really, really stood.....this is the best day ever! <3 esta

Being Wheelchair Bound + Being a Stubborn Dare Devil = Misfortune

Since my house isn't really handicap accessible, I usually get around by using desk chairs and one unfortunate day I decided to see if I could make one of those chairs jump. In my defence, it seemed like a really good idea at the time. But, what was going to be a glorious moment of independence and greatness turned sad. Instead of jumping, the chair wheels got stuck and I flew across the hall and crash landed with all my weight on my right arm. Fortunately I don't weigh a lot, so I didn't break anything or cause any long term damage, I'll just have to be in a sling for a couple of weeks. I'm now down to one working limb, but I have every confidence that my left arm can carry the weight until my right arm heals.
Aside from that, there haven't really been any changes on the health front. I still can't walk, am in a lot of pain, and being treated for chronic Lyme, but if that's what I have we won't see any changes for a month or so.
As always, thank you for your prayers and feel free to ask any questions. :)

What's Been Going On

I have to be honest, I really haven't been doing very well lately. On Christmas I went into the ER for stomach pain, got a CT scan, and it turns out that the stomach pain was nothing serious; just a common side effect of my medications. After that I stayed in the hospital for about a week because I couldn't control my pain levels, but I blogged a little about that while it was happening. My neurologist who claimed to love a puzzle was too puzzled by my case and played patient hot potato. I wound up in the ER again on the 18th because I couldn't get my pain under control, but I actually got one of the nurses that took care of me when I was admitted so she decided against putting me through all of that again and let me go home. I've seen an eye doctor to see if eye damage is the cause of my headaches and troubles with reading and writing (the main reason I haven't been blogging), but everything came back normal, better than normal actually, so that's not the problem. The theory right now is that I can't focus on anything because I'm still dealing with the effects of my concussion, so I just have to wait and hope things get better. I also saw my primary doctor because I've been getting worse and have started having seizure like twitches again. He is sure that whatever's wrong with me is neurological, it could be Lyme disease in my brain and nervous system, or it could be an undiagnosable condition. My doctor said that if its the later, the only way I could be diagnosed is with brain biopsy and that's out of the question, but he's committed to working with me and my family to give me the best quality of life possible. So, long story short, we're still in a waiting game and hoping that this is Lyme. My body's getting worse, but I still have a very powerful and loving God who is working everything as a part of His perfect plan for my life. I trust Him and He's giving me the strength I need to get through this situation. As always, thank you very much for your prayers and feel free to ask questions. :)