Faithful

“Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”
(Lamentations 3:23)

These days there seems to be a lot of people we know who are dealing with illness.  Making friends with an illness is NOT easy.  As a "professional" patient, I can honestly say that having a chronic condition is a drag.  However, it has also brought many blessings. 

Immediately I had to start listening closely to my body -- for daily survival.  An illness is part of being alive.  Yes, there are many times I wish my hands and feet would work better than they do. But, I have realized that fighting them, stressing out, or wishing they were different achieves nothing.  Acceptance makes room for growth, change and even healing.  Health is physical, mental and social well-being.  There is a place of inner healing where we can be completely at peace whether we are physically well or not.  It is a peace from Him that truly surpasses all understanding.

It is a challenge like none other to making friends with your illness. Mine happens to be Chronic Immune Sensory Polyradiculopathy (CISP).  Although I have noticed that some docs also call it Chronic Inflammatory.  Inflammation is what happens when a bee stings, a paper cut slices your skin, or pollen lands up your nose. Your body reacts. More specifically, your white blood cells issue a short-term response to defend your body against the assault and help it heal.

Unfortunately, sometimes this process goes a little haywire. It is a classic example of “too much of a good thing.” Certain triggers create chronic inflammation — the body’s defense team doesn’t quit. Immune cells never wind down, causing damage to various body systems and even leaving them more vulnerable to attack.

My faith helps apply understanding to the illness. We cannot skip to the lesson part of an experience -- it impedes the whole journey of emotions.  We must experience all emotions to have a full life.  If we didn't experience the bad, the good would never taste so sweet.  Realizing that the illness is not an enemy, rather learning to accept it for what it is and learning to make friends is key.

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”
(Psalm 40:2)

Joyful, Joyful

Happy seven-months old, Baby Joy!
We adore you :)

We hope you like the "make-over."

Thankful

Six adults, three pups, and a little lady =)

We have much. We are still giving thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
.....Here comes Christmas and a new year.....

Happy six months, Baby Joy!!

She got to try baby cereal....It was quite entertaining for all of us......



Yes, indeed, we are blessed and very thankful!!!

Fall Is In The Air

You know fall is in the air when you start seeing pumpkins everywhere -- little ones and big ones!!!

You know fall is in the air when there are marathons to be run

.......even for some first-timers!



You know fall is in the air when you get to play dress-up
.......and a little Joy "birdie" can transform into a Peacock!

It is a time of reflection ....and a time for decision making!

Baby Joy's Dedication Ceremony at church.

Sarah and Josef finally find their new church home.

AND today is Election Day -- we get to vote for the candidate of our choice!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

The Chronics

That's us !!!
Not much new to report on my chronic condition.  When we got back from the Mayo Clinic, I called my neuro doc here to set up my new treatment plan and found out he is CLOSING HIS OFFICE and moving back to NC.  He gave me my file and a referral to another neuro doc here in S.A. The appointment is November 4th so I have to wait a little longer to get started.  The new med requires close monitoring and periodic lab work.

AND it seems that I am not the only one with a chronic condition.  Mr. Davila was recently diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus. Basically, he needs to take something like prilosec (which is now over the counter) every day to keep the stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus and causing further cell damage which could lead to a much more serious condition.  Thanks to early detection because he had NO symptoms at all !!! Doctors recommend that all men and women have a colonoscopy screening. I had both a couple of years ago -- upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Fortunately, there were no significant findings.  We figure you might as well have both since you are "knocked out" anyway.  FINALLY, Mark got both his screenings last week.  He was really surprised by the findings, especially since he is the type of person who can eat anything at any time without any problems. Even though he hates taking any type of med, he is being a real trooper and definitely following doctors orders!

We would like to encourage you to have both of these screenings.  It is a bit of an inconvenience, but a relatively simple procedure, and SO worth the peace of mind. 

Knowing is half the battle =)


Love,
Mr. and Mrs. Chronic

Surprised By Joy

FOUR (ALMOST FIVE) MONTHS:
She is blessed with two incredibly awesome parents who are working with her constantly to make sure she is healthy and happy -- and she is.
She is sweet.........

She is fun......

She loves "talking" to us .....and telling us all about "wazzup".....
And believe me, it is always an exciting conversation!

She pleasantly surprises us every time we see her!
....she can hold her bottle now and lets us know it :)
.....she can also roll over -- got to try and get a pic of that!!!

Wrapping Up the Mayo Experience -- Chapter 2

The Mayo docs are developing a new treatment plan.  There is another med on board to help with the immune system and continue the IV Therapy Infusions every two weeks. They want to see me again in six months!!!