J tube out and 2 units of blood

I had a busy Monday for sure.  I woke up, got ready, and did my blood work. From there we headed to Moline to have the GI doctor to look at the J-tube.   He said it didn't look like it was infected but since I was  fasting that morning he would do an endoscopy and check it out inside.  If all looked clear when he got in there then he would pull it if he couldn't find anything wrong.  He went in and all looked okay so he pulled it. When I woke up while still in the procedure room I asked the nurse if it had been pulled because I could tell with the pain being gone from inside.  The outside part is oozing gastric content due to the hole being there.  They said it takes a couple days to close up.

I got home and my heart started racing like a galloping horse and with it came a low grade fever.  I was able to sleep off and on.  Shane had went to the church for a bit.  Around 7:15 the kids came in our room and sat with blankets wrapped around them.  I was going to read a Bible Story to them, but Kelsey spoke and said I didn't need to be doing that and that she would read to them.  I let her and by page 8 I caught myself drifting in and out of sleep.  When she finished reading she told them to take my hand and they all prayed for me and went upstairs to brush their teeth and go to bed.  I woke up a little later and not sure if I had dreamed of that or did it really happen considering all the meds and me being exhausted.  I had Kelsey come downstairs and asked if it had happened like I thought.  She said yes and my heart melted.  So neat that my kids know how to pray on their own without me even saying anything.  My how they are growing up.:)

Today I am getting 2 units of blood today due to my blood work being low.  My hemaglobin dropped to 7.5 and the doctor wanted me to get 2 units infused.  I have been here since 9:10 and think I'll be done around 3:30. It must be the beautiful weather here causing me to be tired.  The wind is blowing, the snow and ice are falling.  Kids got out at 1 pm today.  Would be alright with  this Mama if we didn't have school tomorrow.:)

Thanks for your prayers
Jamie

Enjoying life:)

We had a wonderful weekend.  I hope you all did also. :)   We had a relaxing time Friday night with some sweet friends.  On Saturday, we went to the Valentine Banquet at church, and yesterday was a wonderful day of services in church.  The banquet was beautifully decorated by our awesome youth group.  They did a great job serving too!

I can't help but  stand in awe of God's goodness.  I am one very blessed person.  I don't want to take advantage of any day that God has given to me.  I want to give it my very best, for He deserves it.  I want to be a blessing to all that I am around.  He is so worthy of all the glory and the praise, whether I get my miracle or not.   I woke up this  morning with the song I stand in awe of the one who made the mountains, I stand in awe of the one who calms the sea and I'm amazed that the Lord of all creation is the one who longs for me , longs for me.  Thanks for those who keep emailing me and encouraging me.  I know I'm not walking this alone but first of all God is with me, and then I have wonderful people like you praying for me.  I have a friend who told me that she has a friend praying for me.  It just humbles me that people who don't even know me, never met me, yet are willing to hold me up in prayer.  I am forever grateful.  Thank you for all the prayers, for that is what has brought me thus far and will continue to carry me through.

Can't help but love and brag on my sweet kiddos.  They have school off today so we are cleaning and they have been extra good.  No one is arguing, fighting, crying and the list could go on.:)  Everyone is working
together and being extra good-no I did not give them a reward to bribe them to be like this.  Make my heart burst!:)  There is something special about the kids and I love them to pieces!  How they have blessed my life!    I think I need to fix them a special sundae and let them know how proud I am of them and their hard work! Matthew said to me last night in church service as he sat next to me and held my hand - "Mom, don't worry, your not getting old just cuz your veins in your hand are showing -it's just cuz your thin!"  LOL!  They melt this Mama's heart.

Not one Dr appt this week!  :) Yea!  Yipppee!  Just had to do blood work for the hematologist and that's it.The nurse did call and said that my hemaglobin dropped again even more so they said I am able to get some units of blood this week if I want to help boost me.  I am choosing to wait till next Monday and praying it goes up before then, otherwise we will be transfusing next week. They will check the blood again Monday, but if I feel worse or change my mind they told me to just call and they'll set me up for the units of blood.  I can't urge you enough that if you are healthy and able to donate a pint of blood now and then to do it.:)  1 unit I believe saves at least 3 lives. I use to donate blood and plasma back along time ago.  What a rewarding feeling and  doesn't take too much time to do.

Please keep a friend of mine with gastroparesis in prayer this week as as she goes to get her pacemaker placed.  I am praying that it works for her and she has good results from it.  THANKS!!!  I appreciate it and I know she will be appreciative of the prayers also!:)

Love and Thank you-
Jamie

Happy Valentine's Day and 2 Follow Up DR. Appt.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  :)  God has blessed me with my high school sweetheart  and this month we celebrated  20 years of being "boyfriend and girlfriend".  I sorta feel "old" saying that!  I count it an honor to be married to my wonderful, awesome, and World's  Greatest Husband and Best Friend! :)    

Tonight I was priveleged to make supper for my family.  I set the table all up for Valentine's Day making it special and pretty.  I used my Great Grandmother's china!  We only use it for special occasions.  I made Steak and then used a Chinese stirfry and added it with the Steak.  I also had Spring egg rolls and wontons.  Shane and the Kids enjoyed it.  To top it all off, I had a super duper friend who made apple crisp for dessert with ice cream and caramel syrup drizzled over it all.   Just the smell alone was YUMMY!   I asked to have the honor in prayer tonight and with tears in my eyes thanked God for the beautiful family he has graciously blessed me with.  I was able to have a bit of broth from some wonton soup from a Chinese Restaurant uptown here.  I also had an Italian ice while they had their dessert.:) What a wonderful time together we had.  Thank you Lord for all your blessings upon our family!!   

Dr appt's this week-  I had one with the Moline surgeon that put my Hickman line in last week.  It was a follow up to make sure all is well- which yes they are!:)  Yeah!  I go back in 5 weeks to get the stitches out.  Thankful all looks good though!  Today I had an appt with the blood Dr. to follow up with the bone marrow biopsy.  It didn't show anything serious, but did show that my bone marrow is scattered and having a hard time trying to stay produced.  He said for now that we will keep an  eye on some extra special blood work and then follow up in 5 weeks.  Also if it shows that it is low then he can do a procrit shot I believe is what it is called.  He also said for now that the anemia is caused by chronic condition.  Basically from the gastroparesis.    Thank you for all your prayers and thankful that it's nothing serious.   Thank You Lord!:)

We have our Valentine's banquet for church Saturday and my in home care nurse coming to the house too.  Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for your encouraging emails,cards, and most of all prayers!

Love-Jamie 

Surgery went well :)

I thank all of you who kept me in prayer for the hickman catheter surgery yesterday.  All went well and is back to working again. :)

I am sorry for not updating last nite but, I was resting the whole evening.  I slept in the love seat recliner because we were extra careful not to get bumped in the night.  I made it through the night, fighting pain and nausea, and woke up this morning sick.  I ended up having some bile go down the wrong pipe, and a chest x-ray this afternoon showed I have a small amount of pneumonia on the right side.  I was put on an antibiotic to help stop it.

Thank you so much for the emails and texts I have received, but most of all your prayers!  That  is what helps me get through each day.

Tomorrow's Surgery

Thankful that the weekend was not as crazy as the week was!:)  I was able to enjoy both services on Sunday at church with a much needed rest in between.

I went to my consult today and we are leaving the house at 5:45 am to be there by 7 am.  They will do the surgery to switch out the two hickman lines at 8:30 am.

I want thank you so much for all your prayers and ask once again for you to go before the Lord -that He would guide the surgeons hands and that all goes well with no complications.  So thankful to know that God cares and answers our prayers.

Love- Jamie

Bone Marrow Biopsy

Today I had the bone marrow biopsy. Everyone there was so friendly and nice. The Nurse Practioner who did it and the nurse were wonderful. I am hurting so I 'll keep this short. They did the biopsy in my left iliac crest. I was given some versed and they had me put 2 ultram thru my j-tube. I was awake for the procedure and able to let her know that I could feel her going in and hitting bone. She numbed me some more and was able to get the samples she needed. She kept saying just let me know if you feel it and I'll numb you more. Just didn't think that I would hurt this much after the procedure. Things could be worse, so I don't want to complain. I made it home and have been able to rest some on the right hip. I don't think I'd better do my 5 mile run in the morning like usual. (Just kidding:) Sometimes you have those moments that you just have to smile to keep from crying.:)

When I got there I had to have a CBC, and my Hemaglobin was 7.9. It doesn't surprise me considering the way I have been feeling and my heart has been racing. They have me getting 2 units of blood in the am as an outpatient. Guess you never know, maybe I'll feel like running out of the hospital afterwards:)

Matthew is starting to cough more but it is not as harsh and barky. Thank you so much for the prayers for our family. God is so good! Love-Jamie

The past few days...and tomorrow

It has been a couple busy days that have left my head spinning.  I had lab work on Monday and got a call from Cleveland saying that one thing was critically low and wanting me to go it a bag of the phosphorus. Well by the time we got off the phone, they were able to get a vial of it for me to add to my TPN each nite til my TPN gets mixed again on Wednesday.  :)  That saved me a trip from having to go to the ER when I had the visitation for my friend, Mary, to be attending.

Well...fast forward a few hours later and 9 pm I'm hooking up to my TPN, and when I flush my line I hear a pop and feel something wet.  As I look down at my double hickman line, the one I was flushing busted.  I think quick, and remember that I had a repair kit that they gave me for cases like this.  Shane found it and we put a plastic hemastat clamp on it to keep any air and germs out.  We look at the instructions in the kit and decide we better not try to do this on our own since we had one chance to do it right.  We got to the ER and they thankfully were able to fix it temporarily.

We came home and hooked to TPN.  With the way my blood sugars have been, I was told to check them occasionally.  Well, I remember at 12 am and so I hurry and check it-236. I wrote it down and went back to sleep.   The next morning while I was getting ready for the funeral I was fixing my hair and all of a sudden bright splotches of light was all I could see. I got to my bed and checked my blood sugar...50.  YIKES!  I did some sugar and a sip of juice and 20 minutes later it was up to 72.  What a crazy few days!  So thankful for prayer.  Who knows what Gods kept me from the past few days also!

 My little guy is croupy and temping off and on.  Trying to nurse him to health and protect myself from it at the same time.  It's hard not loving on him-just find different ways to do for now:)  Hate him being sick ,but enjoying the time together.

Tomorrow is the bone marrow biopsy in Peoria.  It's not till 1 pm and then Monday I go to Moline for a consult for my Hickman line and Tuesday they will put a new one in.  I've learned to always be ready for whatever is to come.  I would never have guessed last week that all this craziness would have happened, but I am blessed to say through it all I'm still trusting in God and leaning on HIS everlasting arms and thanking HIM for the strength he gives.  I'll keep praising HIM through it all.

Thank you for all your prayers!

Love
Jamie