And still, I am blessed.

Hey there friends!

♥

Here comes another health update.

I was back in the emergency room last Thursday.

I really feel like it's my home away from home at this point.

Along with me, my mom had to go.

As it turns out, we both needed surgery.

Different reasons.

Double blow for my dad, sister and brother.

Mine took two hours, once again.

It's usually a 20 minute process.

It was terrible. Painful and difficult.

They had to administer so much pain medicine.

I am so grateful that the team I have is so wonderful.

Not just in what they do but the bedside manner and patient care is out of this world. 

It's really scary being rolled into a cold OR but it's made much better by the scrub nurses and doctors comforting me and laughing with me.

They always talk about my girls too.

The scrub nurses even know my girls by name now.

When they finally started the procedure they found the tube had kinked inside my kidney.

Even after the surgeon got the kink out of the tube he was still struggling to remove the tube.

Eventually, after trying and trying to free the tube he just pushed the maxim amount of pain medicine allowed for Sophia and yanked it out.

Yes, it's every bit as painful and awful as it sounds like it would be.

I can be drugged, not sedated.

Turns out, I have a lot more kidney stones that any of us knew about.

The stones attached themselves to tube like crystals in a cave. 

Talk about painful.

Due to it taking less than two weeks for that to happen, I now have to have weekly tube changes.

These typically take place every four weeks.

This is a bit overwhelming considering that I have appointments for Sophia almost as often plus special appointments and ultra sounds to make sure she's growing the way she should. 

We will also have to go for all the tests that come along with pregnancy and schedule a tour of the hospital.

Not to mention the appointments for Kaylee to go back to school and WIC appointments.

Seems like I have a long road ahead of me.
By the grace of God, baby girl is still going strong.

I can only attribute that to all of the prayers that you all have been sending my way.

I am eternally grateful.

My mom's surgery was on her knee.

About two weeks ago, she went to another hospital for some severe knee pain.

Needless to say, they sent her away.

Over time it got worse and finally I was able to convince her to come with me since I was going anyway.

It turns out she had a pretty severe infection that required surgery, four days in the hospital and a PICC line.

She came home today and since the surgery she seems to be doing much, much better.

Could you amazing people still send some healing prayers her way because she has quite a long recovery road.

All this is taking a toll on me emotionally.

I have, since I was nine, taken care of my mom when she was sick.

Now that I am in a bad way, I can't do what I normally do for her and it hurts.

I know that I am not a super hero and I can't do it all but man, sometimes I wish I were.

I can't do my baby shower, Kaylee's annual Halloween party or our Annual Christmas party.

These things have be really down in the dumps.

However, I think that I am still very blessed, even in spite of all this stuff.

God has not only blessed me with his friendship and saving grace but with an amazing man to help me through all these tough times.

An amazing daughter who is helpful, sweet and wise way beyond her years.

&

A healthy baby girl growing inside my belly.

I don't think it gets much better than that.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. 
-John 16:33