Thoughts on waiting.
Kerissa • October 15, 2015
Hey friends,
Tomorrow, rheumatology is getting me in for the Periodic Fever Syndrome, and I’m so thankful to the Lord that it’s much sooner than January.
The appointment is at 1 PM. Please pray that this specific dr. will be able to start treating it. The numerous fevers are hard on my body, and I’ve been dealing with episodes of joint pain and inflammation since August.
I received my repeat 24 hr. copper test results, and sadly, the level increased from 77 to 106 in just a month (normal range is 3-50). We have lots to discuss with my GI dr.. I see him this coming Monday. I also have a follow-up with my sleep medicine specialist next week.
I will update after those appointments!
To end, I recently came across this little “devotional” I wrote years ago. I can’t remember if the homework assignment was to paraphrase a passage or an original composition. I don’t even recall when I wrote it (my bad for not putting a date!)…maybe it was after being newly diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) or when I started dealing with all my other numerous rare diseases. Nevertheless, I wanted to share it in hopes that it encourages you.
The Hardest Thing to Do
by Kerissa
Wait
. Sometimes, this word can be the hardest to accept when in times of trial or tribulation. There will be times when we ask with little faith, “Why do I have to go through this?” or “God, why am I suffering?” What can be done about these questions when one is anxious for answers or does not know what path to take?
Although waiting
on God and humbling one’s self can be the hardest thing to do, God states in His Word that His “plans…stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” We should not worry about anything because He always intercedes at the right time. Psalms 27:14 says, “ Wait
for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait
for the Lord.” Complaining like the children of Israel did against Moses will do nothing. Waiting
in quiet patience and faith, even when under affliction, will bless God and make Him proud.
If we accept our difficulties with humbleness, we will be able to say with confidence, “Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I do not know what to do. But I will wait
until You drive back my foes. I will wait
, for my heart is fixed on You alone, O God, and my spirit waits
for You in the full conviction that You will be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.” ~Charles Spurqeon
So wait
on the Lord. He really does hear our cries and prayers. Know that God is always by and on our side. In the end, we will all be able to understand why God placed those terrible thorns in our path, and someday we will thank God for the word “ wait
” in each of our lives.
Dear friends, I just wanted to thank you all so much for praying for me during my abdominal surgery on August 6th! 💚 All of your messages/emails really encouraged my heart! If you missed my previous post, I had to have an unexpected surgery to take down the jejunostomy tract and repair an enterocutaneous fistula (a rare complication from having a j-tube for 12 years). I truly felt your prayers, and the Lord answered so many of them as well! 🥹 My surgeon only had to remove about 1 1/2 inches of my small intestine which is great news! I was in the hospital for 4 days because my blood pressure was low and pain control was rough (it’s a long story, but pain management is complex due to a specific medication I take daily at home..). But aside from that and having an allergic reaction to the surgical glue, I’ve been healing well. Thank you again for praying!! God has been so faithful throughout this journey. I got a visit from my sweet foster nephew when I was in the hospital (2nd picture)! 🥰 I can’t wait until I can show you his face—he’s so adorable. 🩵 I’ve mentioned this before, but an important medication I take causes severe insomnia (still not falling asleep until anywhere between 3 AM-9 AM). 😞 But I saw my naturopath this past Monday, and she’s going to treat me for suspected cortisol spiking up during the night (which disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm). I’m thankful for the wisdom God gives her, and I’m excited to see if this treatment will help! It will take 6 weeks to see if there’s any benefit, but I first have to specially order it..
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." -Psalm 46:1
Hi, friends, I thought I wouldn’t be posting for a while since I’ve been doing really well, but I’ve hit a bump in the road again and would appreciate your prayers. 💚 This past Tuesday the 21st, after nearly 12 years living with it, I had my jejunostomy tube removed completely. I thought it was going to be a simple process and that the stoma (hole) would close quickly within 30 minutes like they said. That didn’t happen, though, as the stoma started draining a ton! I couldn’t even leave the lobby and had to go back up to the clinic on the 8th floor to have an ostomy bag placed to collect all the small intestinal digestive juices that continually drained. Unfortunately, I’m experiencing a very rare complication called an enterocutaneous fistula. 🥺 I’m disappointed this is happening, but I’m not exactly surprised since my whole medical case with Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome has been rare from the very beginning.. I also don’t heal well due to connective tissue problems from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (case in point: my port site issues back in May when I had to have a new one surgically placed on the other side of my chest).. 😞 The clinic told me to keep emptying the ostomy bag and monitor the output. It wasn’t a fun 2 days. This whole process has definitely made me so grateful to God that I’ve never needed something like an ileostomy! TMI, but I lost almost a whole pound of fluid because so much was gushing/spurting out of the stoma every time I ate or drank. Losing so many electrolytes, I started experiencing symptoms of dehydration—weakness, high heart rate, and headaches. So yesterday, I had to go back and see the surgery resident who basically placed another j-tube (it was so painful again!). 😭 This is a temporary “plug,” and I’m bummed to say that I have to go to the operating room to have the jejunostomy tract taken down and the fistula repaired. This surgery will be happening as early as next week (it depends on my surgeon’s schedule).. She said it will be complex, especially because adhesions (scar tissue) form when a person has multiple abdominal surgeries.. I lost count what number this surgery/procedure will be, but I do know I’ve had more than 20! 😞 I know God is with me wherever I go and will supply me with the strength to endure yet another surgery like he always does. But, I’m still sad that I have to have more incisions added to my body. I shared the lyrics to this song before on an old blog post (the song is called It Is Well With My Soul by Matt Redman), but it immediately came to mind again when I was thinking of scars. As the song below said, it’s a reminder to me that my scars can be a testimony to others of God’s grace in my life and how he has brought me through every single pain and sorrow. In the Bible, I’ve always thought it’s so neat that Jesus still had his scars after he rose from the dead—he had a new body, and yet, his scars were still visible. ❤️ Our scars are a sign of grace in our lives Oh Father, how You brought us through When deep were the wounds And dark was the night The promise of Your love, You proved Now every battle still to come Let this be our song It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul
