Boo--It's Me :)

Hey...it really IS me. It was a ROUGH summer. Thanks FOR all those who checked in with me. I really appreciate all of you who just dropped an email to say hi and thanks, too, for all of you who kept me in your prayers.

I am SO grateful that Autumn is here. We had record heat here this summer. It was really brutal. Don't you love this time of year?? Pumpkins, all of the beautiful colored leaves...SIGH! Just such beauty everywhere!!

Another reason why I didn't post much over the summer has to do with my health--(but then WHAT ELSE IS NEW?? LOL!!) I was having a lot of CNS (brain) problems which just really makes it hard to communicate (especially trying to string together more than a few words together on a blog and having them make any kind of sense--and even on a GOOD day--I am not saying that I am very sucessful...but at least I hope I make SOME sense.)

As with all things, though, my faith continues to get me through the rough times. If I didn't have God in my life--I really don't know where I would be. All I know is that He is the light that guides me in my darkness and is ALWAYS there for me.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Until next time...

Gentle hugs,

Another Round of doctors...another round of prayers answered but questions unanswered...

Okay, I went and saw a BUNCH of docs lately (and still have a few more to go see)...but the important news is this--my lungs are completely CLEAR. WOO HOO!! No more nodules. Doing a happy dance. My lung doc informed me that the "stuff--i.e. nodules were quite large--and also were numerous. He wasn't very happy to find out that my rheumie was asking me if I would again consider going back on the Enbrel (which my lung doctor believes was the main culprit in lowering my immune system to the crazy level where I got some really weirdo lung infection that basically took over my lungs--kind of like tuberculosis) My rheumatologist, though, (and I can see her side of the picture as well--says how well it helped with my headaches and diarrhea (oops--TMI, I am sorry--but the second ailment was so severe that I literally was homebound because of it. When I was taking Enbrel, it was the first time in almost 25 years that I could really have a somewhat "normal" life--except for ONE thing--my lungs became all gunked up within 2-4 months. So, of course, I just have to deal with the headaches and tummy trouble because I can't go back on that med which crashes my immune system (I am also on 3 other immunosuppresent "chemo" meds and then steroids which don't help matters any.

SIGH!! And STILL, with all of these meds...I have such awful headaches.

As I said...I still have another round of docs to go to--and one of those happen to be the neurologist. So, we shall see what he recommends. He is just THRILLED that I am still alive. Apparently, according to my MRI films, I have a "big hole" in my brain and I should be just grateful to be functioning as well as I am. He is always just amazed at how well I get around (as if I should just be sitting there drooling in the corner or something?? I am not sure what he really expects?? However, I am extremely stubborn--so if anything, they (docs) should all expect me to give them one HECK of a time. LOL!!

Anyway...that's the update for now. Again....thank you SO much for all of your prayers. The power of prayer is JUST amazing--isn't it?? Do you have a story about how the power of prayer in your life?? Do you have any tips for trying to deal with "dueling docs"?

Again--take care and SMILE at a stranger :)

Gentle hugs