Christmas Thoughts & Updates
Hi Friends! How are each of you? I still would love to pray for you, if you want to send me a message. The Christmas season is here, and I know it can be full of mixed emotions. The season can be stressful, or bring extra sadness while missing someone special not here this year; life gets busier, while still dealing with ongoing, everyday struggles... all while we hear songs of cheer and joy.
And yet, there are still joys that can be found when we look for it. Christ, came in flesh to save us in many ways. Christ is reality, and knows our realities and struggles in this fallen world. He wept because He knew the pain we suffer, and He suffered beyond that we can imagine (John 11:35, Luke 19:41, and Hebrews 5:7). He did all this out of love. He is Immanuel, which means, "God with us". He is all powerful, The King of kings, and yet He came in a humble stable to love us, to take on our punishment in a horrific way... When I really think about that, I'm amazed and feel so loved.
I too love you and care about and feel for each of your joys and sorrows, yet not perfectly, like Christ does.
On to my update, which isn't nearly as exciting as Christ's love, and holding us close, crying over our pain, and desiring to redeem all of us.
I have been so blessed with my boys & daughter-in-love helping me decorate for Christmas last weekend, and Caleb came with me on my first big outing, driving myself to the chiropractor and a Costco run... he did the lifting & pushing. I was thinking how my brain tells me I can do things like before, but my body keeps saying, "NOT YET!" I try to do a little, rest a little, and try to do some more. Sometimes it backfires on me, other times it works. That's a realistic look at my life now.
I talked to my pulmonologist last week about my lingering pain issues, and he suggested I let the surgeon know. He is best reached though his nurse (who is wonderful, by the way). She called me back on Monday after talking to the surgeon. He too, doesn't know why I'm still having pain or coughing. Another CT scan might provide an answer, but the insurance may not pay because I've had so many in the past 6 months, and it's not super healthy for me either. She also encouraged me follow up on a referral to pain management. They gave me the referral back in early October, but I didn't use it. I now have an appointment with them on December 30th. I told the nurse I'm not really wanting any more meds, but she said they can also look at the big picture, including if physical therapy, a shot, or other options that might help...
Back to my cough... Thankfully, it is less frequent than even a week ago. Right before Thanksgiving, I started both using the nebulizer with albuterol twice a day, and acid reflux meds. Soon after, my cough changed from tight to more loose. I assumed it was from the nebulizer. And, then I lost my voice for a day or so. I sent a message to my pulmonologist, and after we returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Iowa, I received a message back that it sounded like I had a virus... and now, the cough is back to the tight cough, but, thankfully, less often... I guess we will have to figure out which medication it was, or if it was time. I do hope & pray it will leave totally, like it did right after surgery.
I'm also back to driving regularly in the past week. It has been nice to have some independence that way! Well, I've had to borrow the van Joel usually drives, or my son, Caleb's car because my van needed a new battery. Joel just replaced the battery tonight, so it should be good.
That's about it. Moving forward & doing new things. I just have to be careful that the mild pain doesn't flare into worse pain. But, it's so much better than it was in the beginning! I still have some shooting nerve pains each day, but they thankfully come and go within a few minutes, unless I overdo it. I am still on medication for the nerve pain. My hope and prayer is for full healing from the pain without needing medication! Having no cough would be great also. But, above all, I do desire to learn and grow through this "recovery" season, and this season of Celebrating Christ's birth. May both draw me closer to Jesus.
