Tag: faith

Posted in Culture, Faith, Family, Health, Methodism, Television, Tumor

Everybody Loves Raymond

Posted on by narciejeter

So the episode is on right now when Raymond gives Debra the “happy pills” to take care of her PMS. It cracks me up every time. I know some people are not fans of the show but when there’s nothing on TV like there’s not really tonight and you want a little amusement – this works.

We had a great 3rd birthday for Enoch tonight! And we’re all pooped now. GiGi picked up a great dinner from Sahara (a Mediterranean restaurant in Rock Hill that we hope will make it because it’s delicious!), the Choo-choo cake was ready to go and Mac Mac and Uncle Josh put together the new wagon. Grammy even gave the kids a bath. I don’t think Enoch could decide which gift he liked more or which ones he wanted to sleep with – the choo choos, guitar, or fish game and finally with the reading of a story, he went to sleep. What a day/night!

To keep you updated with the latest in doctor land, we went to see the neurologist today. Nope, he is not the same as the neurosurgeon, although I never knew those were the same, but hey what do I know? So several pieces of paperwork filled out (I am so excited about the technology being created where all of your medical info is in one place, I can even begin to contain my hope – we need to all invest in it.) and lots of questions later, we ended up with more appointments.

I know that all of these doctors/medical folk need answers and that they’re hearing it for the first time and I should be nice and tell them the whole thing again, but part of me wanted to say – read the blog. Or read the chart. Or communicate with the others. No, I don’t remember if one side shook more than the other. Nope, I don’t think one side was slower than the other probably because I landed on one side. Nope, I haven’t had any seizures before. Sure I can close my eyes and put my arms out and touch my nose with my fingertips (I have now done this for three doctors.)

I am thankful for these questions because I know they need this info and thorough is good. But boy is it frustrating. A friend of mine called shortly after and I was telling him that I think our insurance is going to hate me and he very hilariously said that by the end of this I’m going to be for Obama-care. (No I do not want to debate this and I love you but I don’t want a gazillion op-eds on healthcare reform.) It just made me think a lot about the privilege it is to be able to go to all these different people and have them each treat me. I mean this thing happened a week ago right now. A week ago possibly from this very moment and I’ve been to an er, done a gazillion tests, been driven back to SC by an amazing Edward, been supported and loved by family, been hugely humbled and amazed by the support and prayers of a larger community than I knew existed, gone to see a neurosurgeon and a neurologist. Everyone doesn’t have support like this. Everyone doesn’t have care like this. And I’m complaining about filling out forms. And I am still complaining. It’s annoying. But at least I have that opportunity. I feel like I’ve got so little answers to give but what if I had absolutley no info or answers and I hadn’t even seen anyone yet?

So what do we know today – the neurologist here likes the seizure meds that the neurologist in Virginia gave me so he gave me some more refills on that. He reminded me about the 6 months no driving thing (that still sort of stinks). And he scheduled a sleep deprived EEG for the end of June. What is a sleep deprived EEG you ask? Well, apparently I go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 2 am and then stay awake without drinking caffeine or eating chocolate and then I go get an EEG at 7:30 am. What that is checking I have no idea, but that’s where I’ll be early in the morning on June 26th.

The only other new info I have is that I got the folder for pre-op, op, and post-op today. Now that is exciting. Still haven’t looked up what this surgery is exactly but a wise nurse friend told me that it would be better to read what it is after the surgery than to gross myself out before. So pre-op on Monday, MRI and functional MRI which apparently has cool colors on Tuesday, and surgery on Friday.

I’m telling you I love this show. Marie just said, “Frank we’re having company.” And he answers, “They better like swearing.” LOL. I like this show because it’s real. And I love y’all my massively amazing community because you’re real. I love that your joining together across the web for the simple fact that I love people being community together but also because it makes me happy that our “connection” is alive and well. I’m not just talking about the United Methodist one although you know I believe that too, but I’m talking about the connection of people of faith, that belief that there is a different world possible. The hope that if we all could unite together we could change our worlds – one can of soup or smile or vote or radical choice at a time.

It’s the life – the every day – the Everybody Loves Raymond moments that are the meat – the good stuff. These are the things we cherish. These are the opportunities that we take for granted but we should be oh so thankful for. The times that we let loose and were our real, God created selves, warts, tiaras and all.

So may we find grace in the little things. May we see the marks on the walls, the scuffs on our shoes, and the grooves in our paths not as just tired wear and tear but as the everyday treasures of grace, hope, and keep on keepin’ on that make it all worth it! Praise God that it’s not all smoothed out and clean – how boring would that be! Will continue to keep you posted. Thanks for the prayers! Keep rockin it out!

Posted in Health, Tumor

Surgery times

Posted on by narciejeter

Thanks for the prayers y’all!  To be honest I haven’t read them all yet because I’m working on a Bible study with Josh this morning and I know that would be procrastinating.  Just to keep you updated – I’ll meet with the neurologist tomorrow and will have the two functional MRI’s Saturday at Presbyterian Main Hospital.  On June 11th at 1:30  I will have a left frontal craniotomy.  How’s that for some big words?  Haven’t googled it yet, but I’m sure I will before it happens.  Looks like I’ll be making just a brief appearance at Annual Conference.  Don’t want to miss the barbeque or bocci ball.  It’s hard to stay focused today!

Posted in Campus Ministry, Faith, Family, Health, Tumor

So…

Posted on by narciejeter

So I was at a campus ministry conference last week and was having loads of fun when I suddenly began not feeling well. Thinking that this sprung from staying up too late and working too hard (yes, we do work in the summers) I skipped lunch and slept and made it back in time for some small groups. Still not feeling well, I headed back to the dorm room at 5 pm and went back to sleep. 5 pm to sleep, do you say? Crazy? I know.

Somewhere in the middle of that, I had a very scary dream where I thought I was having a seizure and couldn’t breathe and felt completely and utterly out of control. The next thing I remember is being on the floor of the dorm room and thinking hmmm….I’m laying on carpet. I crawled back up into bed (oh should have said that the beds were lofted – you gotta love dorm rooms) and then later blew my nose only to find that I was blowing out blood. Yes, squeamish people, this is not the blog for you. If you’re looking for rainbows and leprechauns they are not here. Well, after seeing the blood, I turned on the light in the room and I realized that there was blood all over my face and in my hair because my nose and lip were busted. Some dream! In the midst of this I got my phone and hopeful that morning was soon to arrive, I was saddened to find that it was 12:08 am. The good news is that some campus ministry friends were still awake and hanging out downstairs where I knew there was Tylenol. After a quick run downstairs to them where I’m sure I looked like a mess and crazy because I’m telling crazy stories about dreams of seizures and I’ve fallen out of my bed and I have strange bruises on my arms, I’m back upstairs calling my mom in the middle of the night trying to figure out what in the heck is happening to me.

A very, very wise person called campus police and just as my mom was praying for guards at my door, they literally showed up. I know I must have looked a mess because they quickly unbunked my bed and asked if they could call the paramedics. The paramedics came and checked me out and everything looked good. They asked if I wanted to come with them and thinking that I was finally starting to feel sleepy, I said no, but then I started feeling nauseous and hot again, and so yes, I have now taken a ride in an ambulance. Oh my even in the middle of the night, that is embarassing.

Several blood tests later, I’m checking out pretty well. I think all the ER people thought I was just a crazy girl from South Carolina. Which is true. But somehow in the midst of this the doctor began to listen to my story, and to this “dream” that I had about a seizure and she ran a muscle enzyme test that showed that I had most likely had a seizure. Good to know that I haven’t just started randomly falling out of beds.

So this very wise doctor then does a CT Scan and sees a suspicious place on the scan so decides to do an MRI and lo and behold just before 7 am on Saturday morning I am in the middle of Winchester, Virginia hearing that I may have a brain tumor. Anyone see that one coming? And then here comes my very own McDreamy. Actually it took him several hours and I wouldn’t have described him as Mcanything – steamy or otherwise, but he was very nice and reassuring even in the midst of hearing the whole can’t drive 6 months after a seizure and all that jazz.

So where does that leave me? It leaves me with a waiting game and a fighting game. I get to do a functional MRI in the next couple of days to see how close this low grade tumor is to the extrafabulous part of my brain that helps me to function and then sometime next week I hear that we’ll get to know what the plan of action is. For me, I already know what that is. I’m going to love, I’m going to fight, I’m going to cry, I’m going to feel, I’m going to get mad, I’m going to laugh, and I’m probably going to have some headaches.

I never took the time to write a blog before. Ha ha. But I’m thinking now’s as good a time as any to start. Will post more as I figure things out.  Thanks for all of the prayers!  You can ask questions, but we don’t have many answers.  I think God likes questions though so have at it!