Normal Platelets and Prayer Requests

I had an appointment today and my platelets were 228k, which is normal! PRAISE THE LORD!

People ask how I am doing.  As long as my platelets are normal, I can consider myself doing very well.

The last couple days have been rough for me.  My body's reaction to the high dose of steroids has not been wonderful.  The side effects have not been fun.  My lymph nodes have been swollen and very sore.  My digestive system is just jacked up, to say the least.  I have been tired, and trying to rest when Hazel does.  Each day gets a little bit better.  My doctor told me today to expect better things every day.  We are praying the side effects will fade quickly and my healing will continue. 


I have been advised to quite nursing Hazel.  My hormones have been imbalanced and breastfeeding doesn't help with that.  She was royally ticked off at me yesterday.  She did not want to take a bottle.  It has been pretty emotional on me as well.  I know it's something I need to do for my health and I am okay with that.  I had quite a bit of milk in the freezer, but we have now started on formula.  Boy, that stuff is expensive!  She is eating table food a lot now and is 9 months old, so we will only need to do formula for a couple months before she turns one.  Please pray that she transitions well with formula.  Prayers for her to sleep through the night would be great too.  Seriously.


I go back on the 21st to meet with my Hematologist and talk about a plan for maintenance.  As long as I don't have anymore dips in platelet counts, it should be an easy, short process.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
- that my platelet counts stay in the normal range
- that my body will start feeling "normal" again, and the side effects from the drugs will wear off soon.
- that Hazel will adjust well to bottle feeding, and sleep better at night.
- for finances, that God will provide above and beyond for all of these medical costs



Thank you so much for the prayers.
Thank you for the meals!
Thank you for notes, texts, and calls of encouragement!

Thankfulness (and family photos)

Here is what you have been waiting for! These were taken three weeks ago now, and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out! Some of these photos truly capture in just one second, in what our whole life seems to be all about. This weekend, as we head into the Thanksgiving Holiday we look back on the last year. We thank the Lord above, and all his goodness. We are thankful for my ITP remission. We are all around thankful for being healthy and happy and blessed. We are truly undeserving of his matchless grace! Enjoy the photos. Think about your blessings this week. May you and your family be truly blessed!

It's A Celebration

When I was younger, I LOVED birthdays!

I loved everything about them... the presents, the cake,...get-together's with friends and family,

...and I supposed I even loved getting a little older each year. After 21, it's kind of gone down hill for me. I'm not really sure why except that every year I get down in the dumps about what I haven't accomplished. I don't really know why. I guess it's different when you have to make your own birthday cake.

This year is going to be different! This year I'm celebrating a life that I almost lost. I'm not sure if you know how serious my ITP diagnosis in October was. The fact that I walked out of that hospital at all is a true miracle. The fact that I'm in remission now with now daily treatment is another miracle in itself. I'm not sure why God gave me a second chance but this birthday is going to be filled with CELEBRATING!!! I'm going to make Tony get me a cake. I'm going to demand a song to be sung. I'm going to actually spend my birthday money on ME this year. And, I"m going to be happy on my special day!

This year is going to be different too! A year of purpose and excitement for the unknown. A year full of laughter and giggles with my sweet husband. And lots of snuggles with my babies.

HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY TO ME... tomorrow!

Thank you, Lord for blessing me with this year! I am truly thankful!

(PS- To read about my ITP diagnosis and updates click on "ITP UPDATES" under the "LABELS" section to the right on my side bar.)

Christmas in a flash

Found the Camera on Christmas eve- it was a miracle! Here is a review of our Christmas/New Years holiday. I have more photos to upload than I have time to upload then, but this will give you an idea.





Our Christmas this year was fabulous! The kids got to meet Santa this year. I swear he was the real one! Caroline's first Christmas for Santa to visit...

Tobin was overjoyed to finally meet the real Santa!

We made our yearly tradition of Christmas cookies. I didn't think we were going to have time this year- but being snowed in on Christmas Eve made it easier for us to do the things we love to do together like... make Christmas cookies, read books, watch Christmas movies, and just enjoy each other. Mostly, we got to focus on what Christmas really is all about- the birth of our Savior!

Tobin was shocked when he woke Christmas morning! He got a Kitchen(which he plays with all day long every day- I keep thinking he'll get tired of it), and the only thing he asked for - A Slinky Dog!

Caroline got spoiled by everyone this year. Being her first Christmas , it didn't take her long to figure out how to unwrap the presents. She loves tearing paper now! Here she is playing with one of her new toys in her dress that my Grammy made her!

We experienced a real live blizzard this year! When it hit town, we were at church. It normally takes us 15 minutes to get home from church in traffic. It actually took us over an hour to get home! It was unbelievable! A white Christmas we will never forget! We got a record breaking 14.1 inches! Tobin loved making snow angels and of course, throwing snow balls!

Christmas afternoon, we dug our car out of the snow...

... drove through the snowy hills...

... to go see our family!

We had a great Christmas this year! Aunt Serina made everyone these great hats!

Second cousins Kinsey and Caroline finally got to meet.

...And we said goodbye to my sweet Grandaddy, Herschel. He is now gardening with the Lord in heaven, but we will miss him so much!
Tuesday, My doctor said I was officially in Remission. I am now off all steroids- Praise the Lord! I give the Lord full credit for my healing. We are starting 2010 thanking God for our blessings. Hope your 2010 is blessed beyond measure!

Platelets are producing!

I just wanted to update everyone...


Today I went in for my weekly Labs. My platelet count today was 249K! I went 5mg down on the steroids this week and my platelets went up 20k! Praise God! This was the first time that I went down on the steroids, and my platelet count didn't go down. This is great news! This means my body is producing platelets again, and we are trusting God fully for healing. Keep praying for full remission!

on another note: I thought this was great! the Platelet Disorder Support Association has really helped me understand my ITP and has so many great resources of support. I thought this was funny: A stress ball that is shaped like a platelet. What's so funny about it you ask? Stress causes your platelet count to go down. Teehee! I told Santa I need one for Christmas... we will see.

ITP update and requests

Monday I went in because I had some more bruising and they ran my labs again just in case to check my platelet levels. My platelet count was 234K which was 100k less than last Thursday, just 4 days before. My count was still in the normal range, so they weren't concerned and sent me home. Today I had a check up with my Hematologist and he had them run my labs again just to make sure everything was still normal. My platelet count today was 227K. Only 10K less than Monday. Since they've been weaning me off the steroids pretty quickly, my doctor thinks that is what caused the huge jump last week. He is pretty positive about my platelet count leveling off and staying within normal range. There is still no way of knowing for sure that my counts will stay in the normal range as the steroid mg that I'm on keep going down. However, we are praying and trusting God for the important word "remission". I am continuing to go in weekly for blood tests and will update then.

My biggest daily obstacles are all the side effects from the steroids. My face is so swollen and round with little tiny pimples all over(although just cosmetic and should go away once I'm off of them completely). Weight gain is frustrating considering the last 9 months all I've been trying to do is get healthy and loose weight...which now I feel has all been in vain. I have lots of energy most of the day, but cannot sleep at night when my body is physically tired. That's the worst part- needing to sleep when I cannot. I know I have no right to complain, considering that these steroids are saving my life and I am so blessed to actually be alive at all. Forgive me, I guess I just needed to vent. All you ladies know that how we look and feel about ourselves affects our daily lives. I guess I just don't want these things to bother me. Maybe that's a prayer request-that these side effects won't matter to me.

Tobin is back in pull-ups again, and refusing to go to the potty. This whole things has really affected him. He is needing more attention every day. He is insecure every time I leave him with a babysitter, and even Tony. He is afraid I will go to the hospital again. Please pray that peace will overcome him and his sweet little sensitive self won't worry about his mommy.

Thank you for keeping up with me on this journey. We are praying that it will all be over with sooner than later(especially with $50 co-pays adding up quickly). We are continuing to pray for God's ultimate and permanent healing and trust him for my full recovery. Thank you for continuing to pray for my healing, our family, our finances, and daily life.

Normal Platelets

Today I went in for my weekly labs. My platelet count was 364,000! Which is right smack in the middle range of normal! PRAISE BE TO GOD!!! They have been quickly weaning me off the steroids- which by the way is good and bad. Good that I can get off them and away from the nasty side effects but bad because my body is responding by having terrible withdrawals! My body is so confused! Anyway, I just wanted to update everyone and let you know that my body is producing platelets, and hopefully when I am off the steroids, my body will keep producing and I will be in remission.

We are praying for Complete healing and total remission! We have faith God has a plan and we put our whole trust in him. Tony and I always say, "If you don't believe in God- hang out with us a while". You're welcome to follow us around any day of the week. We give him full credit for my quick recovery and know that this will all be over soon enough.

Please continue to pray for my body's healing, side effects from steroids, and that my platelets will continue to produce as they take me off the meds. I'll post another update in a week when I meet with my doctor and get my counts checked once again.

Thanks again for the prayers! We could not make it without them!

A New Daily Life

The night of my diagnosis of ITP last weekend, my doctor told me I could not nurse Caroline anymore. As you nursing mothers may know, it's not fun to quit cold-turkey. The hospital stay was hard, and harder for that reason (not just physically, but emotionally as well). God has truly blessed me in that I have been able to nurse both my babies. I am thankful that I had 8 months with Caroline. This week has been pretty emotional for me, as well. I went through the grieving process. I was in denial, then anger/depression for about a day, trying to find my footing, and now I life a new life-thankful for every minute of every day. The side effects of the steroids are bugging me, but I know once I am in full remission those will go away.



My Doctor has also informed me that I should have no more babies. We are praying, and trusting God that I will be in remission for years and they might give me the okay. He is the ultimate healer, but we also know that we are so blessed to have our boy and our girl. So, now that the dust has settled a little, I would like to ask for prayer for our future. The couple who wanted many kids may not have many kids. I almost feel it is selfish to feel this way-wanting more, considering that I have my life and that so easily could have been taken away so quickly. Now I realize how lucky and blessed I am to be alive, at all. I'm rambling... I just ask that you'll please pray with us as we ask God to give us peace for our future.

Caroline has been teething, and wants me for comfort. That has been the hardest part of this, besides my healing- forcing her to be weaned when she doesn't understand why, and doesn't want to. I'm not sure why I'm writing this post except to be quite honest, I want to document it for me so one day I won't forget how precious this time was for me. It's even harder forcing my baby to take a bottle, knowing that there is a huge possibility this may be our last baby. (and by forcing, I don't mean that she has trouble eating- she LOVES to eat, anything!)

I want to end this post with a few photos to remember this stage of my life.


I'll miss her sweet feet hanging out of my nursing cover...

I'll miss her sweet satisfaction when she's through eating

I'll miss her crossing her fingers as she nurses- Now, when she drinks a bottle she holds onto it, instead of me.

I'll miss her sweet face staring up at me.

Thank you, Lord for giving me this sweet time with my babies. I am forever grateful.