since my first blog, i have not have the energy to update my health status. the second week of June my health took a turn for the worse; i had a series of 8 TIA's in 4 1/2 weeks. Before i was use to 1 episode about every 6 weeks or so, & with these episodes coming so close together my body has begun to shut down. my brain is very scrambled & sensitive to light, sound & heat. on top of my neuro issues, i have not been able to eat & drink like normal. yesterday it took me two hours to drink two sips of water. it's a good day when i can drink one shake & eat a cup full of berries.
this change in my health has dramatically changed our family's life. my life has simplified quite a bit. i am no longer driving. i go to dr's appt 5 days/wk, & rest a whole lot. kyle has taken on all of the responsibilty of cook, maid, referee with the girls :), full time chiro student (he's taking 26hrs right now), & the care of a very ill wife. i never imagined that i would be so sick at 28 & unable to do everything a wife & mom normally do. fortunately, i know that God knows my end from my beginning, & he knew that this would a part of my life. i can honestly say that i have peace...even thought i don't know how everything will work out.
i am very blessed to have a great team of doctors who are proactively working on my case. b/c it's not normal for an active, "healthy" 28yr old to have issues like i do, they have to think outside the box with me. last week, my primary doctor recommended i go to Spain for treatment. the hilu medical institute in marbella, Spain has treatments there that can help resolve my issues without compromising my liver & nervous system. yesterday, out of the blue, someone offered to pay for me to go to Spain & receive the treatments i need...that's $30,000 given to me in one morning. i am still in shock & overwhelmed that someone would be so generous. Kyle & i are planning to go to Spain towards the end of August.
we are not sure what we will be doing with the girls as of yet. Alyssa is suppose to start school August 22nd. there are so many decisions that have to made in the next couple of weeks. i know we will figure it out, & it will work out. God would not make a way for me to go to half way around the world w/o having a plan for the girls :)
i have cried so much in the last 24hrs. our family is so blessed!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
hi Shannon, how are you? um....i am well!
for the last week or so i have become acutely aware of what comes out of my mouth. growing up we were taught the power of our words. Proverbs 18:20 & 21 says:
"20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the knowledge that i have the power to speak life or death over my body, i began to have a hard time answering the question "So Shannon, how are you doing?". clearly things are not going according to my grand plan, & it's more than obvious that my body is not performing like a normal 28yr old's should. But i refuse to speak death over my life for another minute!!! from now on when asked "how are you doing Shannon?", i will respond with a confident & life giving "I am well"! And if i need to go into the details of my condition or my life's circumstance i can & will, but for now i am choose to profess that i am well!
thanks momma for the lesson learned!
"20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit." with the knowledge that i have the power to speak life or death over my body, i began to have a hard time answering the question "So Shannon, how are you doing?". clearly things are not going according to my grand plan, & it's more than obvious that my body is not performing like a normal 28yr old's should. But i refuse to speak death over my life for another minute!!! from now on when asked "how are you doing Shannon?", i will respond with a confident & life giving "I am well"! And if i need to go into the details of my condition or my life's circumstance i can & will, but for now i am choose to profess that i am well!
thanks momma for the lesson learned!
Friday, July 1, 2011
What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?
As I think about starting a blog, I wonder how many people can relate to my situation. How many of you are climbing an unexpected mountains in life that takes everything out of you? Please understand, I am not the type of person that likes to sit around & think about how bad things are. I like to make the most of life. I like to enjoy what life has to offer. So take into consideration that this blog is not just for venting about my current situation; it's for recording what is going on in my life, & hopefully when all is said & done it will be a venue to show off how my God turned this trial into a trophy.
Last August my life as i knew it began to change. I had an unexplainable episode that took me out for about a month & a half. I found myself reacting to all of my food, having a hard time breathing, & not being able to have a lot of sensory"stimulation"...good or bad became to much for me. I tried figuring out what was wrong on my own, but couldn't really figure it out. My food intake was exceptional. I had an amazing workout program...thanks to my trainer/husband. By mid October, things began to calm down & get back to normal. however, one of my practitioners noticed that all the organs on my right side were weak. This "finding" came just days before my first neurological episode on November 1st. This episode left me with a right-sided deficit 4 days before throwing my 6yr old & 3yr old daughters their double birthday party. I am a super hands on, crafty mom. this new right-sided deficit left me unable to finish most of what i had planned to make for their party. I was really looking forward to making their outfits. I wasn't able to finish the girls outfits b/c i couldn't concentrate hard enough to tell my right hand how to thread the needle to my surger. i finally gave up & bought outfits at target the day of the party. as petty as it sounds, i was so looking forward to putting the whole party together, & that just didn't happen. I am sure no one really noticed, but i did.
it took me about 4 or 5 days to realize what had really happened to my brain & body. by thanksgiving, i began having excruciating headaches. my dr. informed kyle & i that i had infact had a cerebral cortex injury in the left side of my brain, & this was causing me to have TIA's (mini-strokes). He also informed us that i have been having these TIA's undetected for 15-20yrs. my dr. explained to us that the reverse curve in my neck was the cause of my brain injury. he told us that reverse curves like mine only comes from some sort of trauma...trauma that probably when undetected until now b/c kids are resilient; my body was able to compensate for a long time, but at this point it had had enough! kyle & i knew that i had a reverse curve, but didn't know how to properly correct the curve in my neck.
I was fortunate enough to find a group of dr's who specialize in spinal curve correction. my first visit with my maximized living doctors (dr rob vasquez & dr. jim johnston), i was told that i had a -14 degree curve, & that my body was creating disease & unable to function properly (which explained why at 28 i was having TIA's). i feel so grateful to have dr rob & dr jim on my team! in just 3 months, my neck went form a -14 degree curve to a +11 degree curve. i had never had results like that with any therapy, adjustments, or exercises i had done before.
however, b/c my body is still degenerating faster than it is healing, I began to have more "episodes". in February I gained 22lbs in 6 wks (not normal!) & continued having neurological episodes. During this time, i continued with my treatments & rehabilitation. still trying to keep things together with my family, but not really able to wash laundry, do dishes & play outside with my kiddos w/o experiencing extreme fatigue.
by mid-may at a re-evaluation appointment with my ML Dr's we were told that my neck had begun to go back...i lost 2 degrees in my curve that i had previously gained. they were not really sure why i had begun to regress, but felt like as if i had a lot more going on in my body (most likely high amounts of toxins), & this was interfering with my curve correction.
the first of june, kyle & i decided to recruit another doctor to our team. we began to consult with Dr. Raymond Hilu from the Hilu Institute in Marbella, Spain. We were referred to him by Dr. Rob. He had a good friend go to the Hilu Institute to kick an aggressive melanoma cancer (btw he beat it & is healthy!). i sent off my blood sample, & got back some interesting results...some of which are : E. Coli, liver toxemia, acidic organisms, microclots, autoimmune behavior...just to name a few. he gave some dietary & supplemental suggestions. the most interesting suggestion he gave me was to avoid stressful situations at all cost, & to especially avoid confrontation. i am to only respond to confrontations via hand written note or e-mail. this last recommendation cracked me up, but has been very helpful! we are suppose to recheck my blood in 6 months.
on june 13th, things got alot more difficult. I had a TIA that was much worse than the first one in November. it left my brain scrambled. the next day I couldn't pour a glass of water & listen to someone talk to me. trying to get to the bottom of things, we recruited Dr Hollen Stone just up the road in friendly Frisco, Tx to be on my team of doctors. Dr. Stone specializes in endicrinology...primarily thyroid conditions & diabetes, & has some really interesting research posted on her blog that perked our interests. she is known for success with patients like me. At my first consultation with Dr Stone, she felt as though i was a good candidate for Hoshimoto disease (an autoimmune disease that is turned on by a compromised immune system; this disease eats away at the tissue of the thyroid glad.) because of the symptoms i have & b/c of my genetic history ( my mom has hoshimoto & graves disease...both autoimmune diseases that attack the thyroid). We ran the antibody test that detects hoshimoto. Wednesday kyle & i went in for a second consultation. Dr. Stone explained to us that the test was negative. She said it could be a false negative, but we're hoping the test was accurate b/c that means i don't have disease that is eating away at my thyroid. however, the test did show that i have antibodies attacking something in my body. those antibodies could be attacking my brain, my liver...really who knows. Dr Stone did not feel comfortable beginning a treatment plan without knowing what was going on. i left her office with orders for more tests. i told kyle that i felt like a rab lat (interpretation----lab rat...i am having trouble putting things together...not all the time; just enough to really frustrate me. especially when i am misunderstood). I had 6 vials of blood taken, urine test, GI test, adrenal saliva test, & a full panel hormone saliva test ordered. now we get to hurry up & wait. it will be at least 4 weeks before all of the results come in.
for now, i am still dealing with all of the aggravating issues. last night i had another TIA; that makes 2 episodes in just 2 1/2 weeks. i have never had them so close together. this one left me with a pretty good right-sided deficit. i started stumbling today too...that's a fun new symptom. my brain feels so scrambled; i get super confused & overwhelmed when i try to talk on the phone. it's really irritating b/c yesterday was such a good day. i got to take the girls swimming by myself in the middle of the day, i got to workout & even felt as if i didn't need to go in for my adjustment that afternoon. unfortunately, later that evening, i began to feel the TIA come on. i woke up wanting to make breakfast like i planned & go workout, but knew i couldn't.
i never imagined that at 28 i would be so disabled. i keep playing Blessing by laura story over & over again today. this song really says what i feel....the anger, the doubt & the knowing that God is all loving & all powerful. there is a line in the song "What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise"; it really speaks to me. at times it is super frustrating when i can't do things...especially for my girls. i wonder why do i have to do deal with this now? I have been so faithful to take care of my body these last 6yrs; why me, why my family, why now? fortunately i don't let myself think like that for long. the holy spirit is so sweet to remind me that i serve an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God who has me in the palm of His hand. also MY God doesn't waste pain! He can turn this trial into a trophy! I am standing the promise that this trial will be mercy in disguise!
Last August my life as i knew it began to change. I had an unexplainable episode that took me out for about a month & a half. I found myself reacting to all of my food, having a hard time breathing, & not being able to have a lot of sensory"stimulation"...good or bad became to much for me. I tried figuring out what was wrong on my own, but couldn't really figure it out. My food intake was exceptional. I had an amazing workout program...thanks to my trainer/husband. By mid October, things began to calm down & get back to normal. however, one of my practitioners noticed that all the organs on my right side were weak. This "finding" came just days before my first neurological episode on November 1st. This episode left me with a right-sided deficit 4 days before throwing my 6yr old & 3yr old daughters their double birthday party. I am a super hands on, crafty mom. this new right-sided deficit left me unable to finish most of what i had planned to make for their party. I was really looking forward to making their outfits. I wasn't able to finish the girls outfits b/c i couldn't concentrate hard enough to tell my right hand how to thread the needle to my surger. i finally gave up & bought outfits at target the day of the party. as petty as it sounds, i was so looking forward to putting the whole party together, & that just didn't happen. I am sure no one really noticed, but i did.
it took me about 4 or 5 days to realize what had really happened to my brain & body. by thanksgiving, i began having excruciating headaches. my dr. informed kyle & i that i had infact had a cerebral cortex injury in the left side of my brain, & this was causing me to have TIA's (mini-strokes). He also informed us that i have been having these TIA's undetected for 15-20yrs. my dr. explained to us that the reverse curve in my neck was the cause of my brain injury. he told us that reverse curves like mine only comes from some sort of trauma...trauma that probably when undetected until now b/c kids are resilient; my body was able to compensate for a long time, but at this point it had had enough! kyle & i knew that i had a reverse curve, but didn't know how to properly correct the curve in my neck.
I was fortunate enough to find a group of dr's who specialize in spinal curve correction. my first visit with my maximized living doctors (dr rob vasquez & dr. jim johnston), i was told that i had a -14 degree curve, & that my body was creating disease & unable to function properly (which explained why at 28 i was having TIA's). i feel so grateful to have dr rob & dr jim on my team! in just 3 months, my neck went form a -14 degree curve to a +11 degree curve. i had never had results like that with any therapy, adjustments, or exercises i had done before.
however, b/c my body is still degenerating faster than it is healing, I began to have more "episodes". in February I gained 22lbs in 6 wks (not normal!) & continued having neurological episodes. During this time, i continued with my treatments & rehabilitation. still trying to keep things together with my family, but not really able to wash laundry, do dishes & play outside with my kiddos w/o experiencing extreme fatigue.
by mid-may at a re-evaluation appointment with my ML Dr's we were told that my neck had begun to go back...i lost 2 degrees in my curve that i had previously gained. they were not really sure why i had begun to regress, but felt like as if i had a lot more going on in my body (most likely high amounts of toxins), & this was interfering with my curve correction.
the first of june, kyle & i decided to recruit another doctor to our team. we began to consult with Dr. Raymond Hilu from the Hilu Institute in Marbella, Spain. We were referred to him by Dr. Rob. He had a good friend go to the Hilu Institute to kick an aggressive melanoma cancer (btw he beat it & is healthy!). i sent off my blood sample, & got back some interesting results...some of which are : E. Coli, liver toxemia, acidic organisms, microclots, autoimmune behavior...just to name a few. he gave some dietary & supplemental suggestions. the most interesting suggestion he gave me was to avoid stressful situations at all cost, & to especially avoid confrontation. i am to only respond to confrontations via hand written note or e-mail. this last recommendation cracked me up, but has been very helpful! we are suppose to recheck my blood in 6 months.
on june 13th, things got alot more difficult. I had a TIA that was much worse than the first one in November. it left my brain scrambled. the next day I couldn't pour a glass of water & listen to someone talk to me. trying to get to the bottom of things, we recruited Dr Hollen Stone just up the road in friendly Frisco, Tx to be on my team of doctors. Dr. Stone specializes in endicrinology...primarily thyroid conditions & diabetes, & has some really interesting research posted on her blog that perked our interests. she is known for success with patients like me. At my first consultation with Dr Stone, she felt as though i was a good candidate for Hoshimoto disease (an autoimmune disease that is turned on by a compromised immune system; this disease eats away at the tissue of the thyroid glad.) because of the symptoms i have & b/c of my genetic history ( my mom has hoshimoto & graves disease...both autoimmune diseases that attack the thyroid). We ran the antibody test that detects hoshimoto. Wednesday kyle & i went in for a second consultation. Dr. Stone explained to us that the test was negative. She said it could be a false negative, but we're hoping the test was accurate b/c that means i don't have disease that is eating away at my thyroid. however, the test did show that i have antibodies attacking something in my body. those antibodies could be attacking my brain, my liver...really who knows. Dr Stone did not feel comfortable beginning a treatment plan without knowing what was going on. i left her office with orders for more tests. i told kyle that i felt like a rab lat (interpretation----lab rat...i am having trouble putting things together...not all the time; just enough to really frustrate me. especially when i am misunderstood). I had 6 vials of blood taken, urine test, GI test, adrenal saliva test, & a full panel hormone saliva test ordered. now we get to hurry up & wait. it will be at least 4 weeks before all of the results come in.
for now, i am still dealing with all of the aggravating issues. last night i had another TIA; that makes 2 episodes in just 2 1/2 weeks. i have never had them so close together. this one left me with a pretty good right-sided deficit. i started stumbling today too...that's a fun new symptom. my brain feels so scrambled; i get super confused & overwhelmed when i try to talk on the phone. it's really irritating b/c yesterday was such a good day. i got to take the girls swimming by myself in the middle of the day, i got to workout & even felt as if i didn't need to go in for my adjustment that afternoon. unfortunately, later that evening, i began to feel the TIA come on. i woke up wanting to make breakfast like i planned & go workout, but knew i couldn't.
i never imagined that at 28 i would be so disabled. i keep playing Blessing by laura story over & over again today. this song really says what i feel....the anger, the doubt & the knowing that God is all loving & all powerful. there is a line in the song "What if the trials of this life are your mercies in disguise"; it really speaks to me. at times it is super frustrating when i can't do things...especially for my girls. i wonder why do i have to do deal with this now? I have been so faithful to take care of my body these last 6yrs; why me, why my family, why now? fortunately i don't let myself think like that for long. the holy spirit is so sweet to remind me that i serve an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God who has me in the palm of His hand. also MY God doesn't waste pain! He can turn this trial into a trophy! I am standing the promise that this trial will be mercy in disguise!
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