Thursday, December 23,2010
I received a phone call from the Chiropractor’s office telling me that the MRI I had on Monday showed that I have two fractured vertebrae in my back. T6 and T7 are fractured. About two weeks prior I had complained of severe back pain. I knew the ache was something really bad. It hurt just to go over a bump in the road while riding in the car. It hurt terribly to walk with just a “spring in my step”. On one of the days I had to lay in bed non stop from the pain. The Chiropractor’s office suggested that I get checked right away to see if it could be osteoporosis or cancer. Because I have had cancer and have been through a stem-cell transplant in 2004 I am presently at a high risk for cancer.
Sunday Dec 26
I called my friend Valerie Crawford on the way back from Orlando, to tell her the current news. Valerie lives in Oklahoma. She had assisted me in the past when I had cancer. If it were not for her and God I would never have made it through the last time I had cancer. She stayed by my side during the worst part of my life. Valerie was shocked when I told her the news. She said “It must be osteoporosis. You could not have cancer again. God did all these miracles for you. He would not give you cancer!” Valerie told me how because I was considered “post menopausal” from the heavy chemo, and how I never went through hormone therapy, as a result my bones could be effected, and therefore be reacting negatively. The chemotherapy also puts me at a high risk for osteoporosis.
Valerie started to look up the Mayo Clinic website while she was on the phone with me. She read:” Multiple Myeloma. The some of the symptoms are: Fractured spine, fatigue, shingles, loss of appetite, kidney and bladder infections, and pain in the skull.” My heart sank as she read these symptoms over the phone. I had ALL of these symptoms. When I arrived back home from the trip I was very exhausted and my bones where burning and aching quite badly. It was about eleven at night when I arrived and I was in extreme pain.
Monday, Dec 27th
Mary, my sister, had been cleaning all day. She had been organizing one of the rooms she was going to sleep in. She also had been helping me with the boys so much. It now was about 8pm and I was on the computer at the kitchen table. Mary was taking a shower. I had already put the boys to bed. Strangely, I kept on hearing noises that sounded weird from the bathroom but I did not think anything of it. Mary had been singing not that long before this. I did not connect it in my head as to what might be going on. Next thing I know I heard a big crash. I opened up the bathroom door. Mary was having a “grand- mal seizure” It was terrible. My back was hurt and I had to try to lift her because her body had was shaking and hitting on the hard bathroom floor. She was making a horrible moaning noise. She was not breathing and there was some foam and blood coming from her mouth. I kept crying Jesus help. I drastically looked around for cayenne pepper tincture and a big wooden spoon. Mary’s arm was stiffened and outward, and her wrist was bent down going into a muscle spasm. I finally pried her mouth open with a wooden spoon, and I put the tincture of cayenne in her mouth. She was biting on the spoon quite hard. Next I noticed her tooth had been broken and her tongue was bleeding from her biting on it so hard. I called my friend Lori and put it on speaker phone. I told her Mary was having seizures. She started praying. Mary started to “come to” somewhat. She got up and started walking around like drunk person. So, I tried to keep a towel on her and get some clothes on her. Lori called a lady from her church Rebecca who came to my house. I also had called my friend Donna to come over. By this time Mary was laying on the couch. Rebecca arrived after Donna. Rebecca was so helpful. I did not know her at all. She was like a angel. She took Mary to the emergency room for me. I felt so much better with Donna helping me, too. God sent me help not too early but not a second to late, either.
TUE Dec 28, 2010
Mary came back from the hospital after one in the morning. Rebecca said they did a CAT scan on her and there was a spot on her brain. She had it for years but it hadn’t grown. The emergency doctor thought it could be something connected to her seizures. Mary had addressed this concern to doctors before and they did not help her.
Glenn did not have to work this day, and was able to be home all day! I was so sore my back hurt so bad. All my bones where on fire. They hurt inside. I was exhausted from sleeping by Mary the whole night. She had about three little seizures during the night. I wanted to be able to stop her from going into a Grand mal seizure by giving her the tincture. I could not take care of my own boys and Mary. It was perfect timing for Glenn to be home! I felt like fainting but there was so much to do! Of course the house was so dirty and dishes piled up to the sky. The boys and gone through the house and about destroyed about everything. I then got the song by Mercy Me
To everyone who's hurting
To those who've had enough
To all the undeserving
That should cover all of us
Please do not let go
I promise there is hope
Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast
Will this season ever pass?
Can we stop this ride?
Will we see the sun at last?
Or could this be our lot in life?
Please do not let go
I promise you there's hope
You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing
Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
The truth of what we're soon to face
Unless someone comes to take our place
Is there anyone?
All we want is to be free
Free from our captivity, Lord
Here He comes
Glenn fed the boys and kept changing all their diapers.
I had phone calls to make about my medical situation. I had to call different offices to get information and schedule appointments. I was placed on hold so many times, told they would call me back and never did. I cannot do this alone, I thought, What am I going to do tomorrow? Glenn will be gone. He needs to go to work. We are barley cutting our bills this month.
In the afternoon I was trying to lay down because my body was in so much pain. Having to lift Mary when she had her seizure in the shower really made my back hurt even worse.
A car pulled up in the yard. Glenn asked me if I invited a group of people over. “No” I said. I looked out the window and it was “Grammie”, and Edith, and her three younger children. Edith and her children had come down from Pennsylvania to stay with Grammie because she was in the hospital on Christmas day for 50% blockage to her heart. Grammie wanted to come over and check on me. Edith came in and did the dishes and asked if there was anything she could do to help. Mary started going into a petite mal seizure. Edith helped me and prayed for Mary. I told Edith I really needed someone to come and help me. I needed to go to my appointment in the morning. Edith said that they would be there in the morning to help. I had some tears running down my checks. What a relief. Help was on the way, all the way from Pennsylvania! It seems like those who need help like Grammie are willing to help, and those that don’t need help don’t help others!
