Knocked Me Flat
Warning: this is a long post. If you prefer only reading our prayer requests, you can scroll to the *** at the end. =)
I believe the best way to sum up my doctor’s visit yesterday is to say that the body is a mystery. My life long friend Amber said that to me one time and it’s always stuck with me. She said as much research and information we have about the body these days, there is still so much we don’t know. God has created the body in such a complex, and incredible way. And sometimes- a lot of the time- we just don’t know the answers to why we feel what we feel.
Yesterday I met with my family doctor, and it was so good for me to be able to share my story of what happened in the hospital when I delivered Basye. Throughout this whole journey I have been surprisingly unemotional. Don’t get me wrong, while I was in the hospital I shed my fair share of tears, but then they just stopped. I think I’ve been so sick I haven’t had the strength to let all of this effect me emotionally. I even made it through the finale of, “Parenthood” without crying because I just don’t have the capacity to shed a tear for fake TV families right now.
All that to say, when I was finally able to share my physical journey with a medical professional I found myself getting quite emotional. I had to really work not to cry as I recounted our stay in the hospital. I choked up while sharing with the doctor but kept pushing through because I did not want to cry about it. I realize now it was such a relief to be able to share with someone who could potentially help me physically. And who could potentially shed some light on WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.
I’ve had several friends who have said to me, “So what happened?!” And as I’ve thought through the order of events, I really don’t know. Even while we were in the hospital the doctors were confused as to what was happening to me. One doctor even said, “Trust me, I know this is hard for you to understand, but I want to know what’s going on with you even more than you do.” That may have been true, but I’m sure she’s forgotten about me by now, and I’m still living with the questions.
My doctor yesterday was extremely thorough. Thank you Jesus! She took her time listening to me, and combing through every detail she was given in the hospital reports. Thankfully all that information is in the system, and with a few clicks on the computer she was able to read about it. That was a huge help because I don’t know how to explain a lot of the things the doctors explained to me.
I had blood work done at the appointment, and miraculously, my blood levels are already up to 11.9! The average range is between 12-14 so I’m pretty much back to where I need to be. My doctor said I have “amazing bone marrow” to get me back to those levels so quickly. But I disagree. I KNOW it’s because I have a powerful God who heals, and an amazing army of friends and family who have been praying for me. THANK YOU ALL! Our God is Healer! I only have to be on such strong doses of iron for 1 more week.
Because of my heart racing issues I had an EKG done, and that also came back normal. Thank you God! Since there is still concern about why my heart races, I’m going to have a 24 hour heart test done next week. It’s still unclear why my heart pounds doing the simplest tasks- like lifting Jase out of his crib, walking up the stairs, or reading an intense scene in a book. (That last one is a little bit funny- I’m reading a book a friend loaned me that takes place in the “Cowboys and Indians” era and the Indian scenes scare me!)
One annoying thing about the appointment is that while the doctor was listening to my heart she found a “suspicious” looking mole on my back. I have to go back in to get that removed. =( As if I want one more health issue to deal with. Throughout both of my last two pregnancies I’ve had all kinds of crazy skin things appear. ICK.
Anyway, after a long, two hour appointment we were about to leave when I had one more slightly traumatic incident that involved Chuck finding the doctor, and ended with her joining me in the bathroom. I won’t go into details but let’s just say having a doctor put her hand on my shoulder as she said, “Wow! You’re just going through a lot!” while I sat in a very vulnerable place was what finally set me over the edge. I couldn’t help but cry after that. A woman can only handle so much.
So while we have many reasons to thank God, we’re still unclear about why my heart races and why I have headaches. I think what makes the most sense to Chuck and I is when the doctor said, “You’ve been knocked flat!” Meaning the flu/giving birth/loss of blood combo is not something you just bounce back from after a couple weeks.
***Moving forward, we’re asking God to heal my racing heart, weakness, head aches, and that mysterious mole! THANK YOU for praying! We praise God He has protected both of our babies, as well as Chuck and my Mom from the flu. That is no small miracle. THANK YOU JESUS! Basye still has her tummy issues, so we’re asking God to heal her. Thankfully, her eyes have been looking wonderfully clear!***
And now this officially concludes the longest post ever. If you made it this far, thank you for reading- you’re a true friend! 😉