Lake Tahoe in Pictures - Part 1

Yesterday afternoon, we drove an hour from Reno, to Lake Tahoe. We didn't go to the clinic yesterday (Friday) or today. It's nice to have a break. My doctor loaded me up on pain medicine so that this trip was possible. We ate lunch in North Tahoe before heading south.

The view from where we ate lunch

The blizzard started coming in right after lunch, and by the time we got to our hotel, this is what it looked like!

Our hotel

The blizzard right when we got here

Ice skating rink

They had to get the snow off of the skating rink so they had this cool machine!

We walked around some shops for a while, then went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. We were all exhausted after yesterday, so we came to our room and relaxed.

The heaters in our room are very loud, and I was hallucinating all night from the Morphine. Every time the heater came on, I was convinced there was an avalanche...I was terrified all night. Now, it is so funny to think about, but then it wasn't! I was so scared!!

I'll post more pictures very soon!

Update on the past few days.

I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update. The past few days are a blur from all of the pain and nausea medicine. Monday I was supposed to start the push but we decided not to. We talked with my doctor and all decided it would not be smart. I would end up having to be admitted to the hospital because of the pain if I got a push. So we decided to start me on 2 antibiotics to try and kill the infection in my abdomen. I am on Cipro and Flagyl. I did a major auto hem procedure on Monday. I took the antibiotics while I was at the clinic and when they kicked in, the pain got so much worse. The pain was so bad that I threw up. I had to have 3 doses of Demerol and Phenergan. I started feeling better after a while, so we got to leave. When we got back to the apartment, I got sick several more times through the night. That was Monday.

I woke up Tuesday feeling terrible. I barely got dressed before I was so sick. We got to the clinic and within 5 minutes my doctor sent me to the hospital. He called them to tell them I was coming. So off we went to an unfamiliar hospital. My dad and Landon were at the airport in OKC getting ready to fly to Reno.

We got taken back to a room at the hospital and I changed into my gown. When the nurse was taking me to my room, he accidental hit me in the head with his elbow. We had to laugh because we were already crying. They started an IV which took 3 tries. They drew blood, and gave me Dilauded for pain. Next I went to have a CT scan. I have had so many in the past six months, its ridiculous. They discussed the pros and cons of exposing me to more radiation, but decided it was necessary.

The CT scan showed that I have a large ovarian cyst. It also showed dilation of my small bowel. What does that mean? They said they aren't sure. It could be from things slowing down from the pain medicine (too much information I know), or it could be the start of an obstruction.

After my scan, I started hurting so much again so I got more medicine. Everyone at the hospital there was so nice, but it was hard being in a different state and hospital.

They were willing to admit me for pain control and monitoring, but after talking to my Lyme doctor, we decided to leave. My mom dropped me off at the apartment and went and got my dad and Landon from the airport! I wasn't in as much pain because of the dilauded, but I still didn't feel good.

I woke up yesterday morning (Wednesday), feeling a little better. I fasted Tuesday night and yesterday morning for my blood work. We went to eat after that, then came back to the clinic. I took my antibiotics and within and hour, the pain got so much worse. I had already taken a morphine pill, but the pain was still so bad. I also had fever (which I've had for days, maybe even weeks) that was higher than before. I ended up having to get a couple doses of Demerol in my IV. That seems to work better than oral pain medicine, it just doesn't last long. We had an appointment with my doctor yesterday afternoon. He put me on morphine pills around the clock to try and get the pain under control. It's so bad that not even morphine and Demerol can knock it out completely.

Last night in the middle of the night, I woke up in so much pain and was nauseous and I couldn't move because I hurt so much. My phone wasn't by me, so I could not get my parents. I eventually fell asleep again though. I felt terrible again this morning, even with the morphine pills. We got to the clinic, and I was given a dose of Dilauded and Phenergan. The pain came back after a couple hours so they gave me Fentanyl. That did not go well! The pain got worse, and I was doing everything I could not to scream. They gave me another dose of Dilauded, which helped a lot.

So today I had 2 double doses of Dilauded and Phenergan, morphine pills, and Fentanyl, and my pain is still there. It is a lot better than it was, but it's still there.

My poor arms are so sore and bruised! They ER nurse said several of my veins are as hard as rock from all the sticks, so we can't use them anymore. In the past several days, I've had at least 14 IVs and blood draws in my arms. They're all swollen and look terrible. Thankfully, I can use my port again!

Today when my doctor saw me crying in so much pain he asked if I would be okay with them giving me the IV pain medicine. I told him that I really don't want to get addicted. But he reassured me that it is okay to be taking this much right now, because he can see how much pain I'm in. He can't stand to just let me cry in misery. If you're in that much pain all the time, your body can't heal. It made me feel a lot better about taking such strong medicines around the clock. My metabolism is so fast, and my pain level is so high that it just takes so much medicine for me to be comfortable.

I have been so exhausted from all the medicines. Right now the plan is just to support me with pain medicines, and IV fluids with adrenal support, as the antibiotics get rid of the infection in my abdomen. My Lyme doctor wants to talk to my gynecologist since I have another big cyst, and possibly more endometriosis. My family and I are going to try and go to Lake Tahoe so my brother can ski, and we can snow tube!

Thank you for your encouragement, I love getting notes from you all. I check everyday, even if I'm not able to post. I love you all so much!!

quick update

Just wanted to say that things are going okay. Im sorry that it's taking me forever to post a real update! I've been so exhausted and out of it from the pain and pain medicine. Being in so much pain is very tiring. I've also had fever, which wears you out. My dad and Landon got here last night, so that's been great!

Hopefully I'll feel like posting more very soon. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. They mean so so much to us!!

in the hospital in Reno

Yesterday and today have been horrible. My Lyme doctor just sent me to the hospital here in Reno. My dad and brother are on the plane, and will get here tonight. I'll try to keep you updated as much as I can. Please pray. It's so weird being in an unfamiliar hospital

Weekend update

Friday night we went out to eat with the family who has the boy my age. We were at the restaurant until 10 that night, just talking!

Yesterday was a crazy day. On Saturdays, only a couple nurses are at the clinic for a few hours. So we got there yesterday morning, and found out that I had no orders for what I was supposed to do. We went ahead and started an IV in my arm, and began the Vitamin C IV. I'm not using my port right now because I have a terrible rash around it. We started talking to the nurse and found out that if I needed the pain medicine (which we knew I would), that I couldn't get it because the doctor wasn't there. We immediately stopped my IV, and I just got my shots and left. We wasted a good vein in my arm! They did talk to the doctor and he got me a prescription of Loritab for the weekend, and to try that instead of IV pain medicine during my IVs.

My mom and I decided to drive to Lake Tahoe yesterday for a couple of hours to look for ski pants for when my dad and brother come. It's only an hour away from Reno. We went to a few stores, and ate there, and then came back to Reno. The lake is so pretty!

Tomorrow, I am supposed to start The Push at the clinic. The Lyme tricks the immune system, and shuts it down. The Push is a shot that stimulates the immune system to fight the Lyme, causing a reaction. The shot goes in a vein in the arm, and you get it right before you leave the clinic each day. Since it helps your immune system to kill the Lyme, it causes you to be very sick. It takes about an hour to hit after you get the shot, so you race to the apartment to get ready. First, it feels like ice is running through you and you start shaking like you're having a seizure. That can last for several hours. Next, the migraine and body pain hit to where you have to be in a dark room and you can't even move or walk because you hurt so bad. I also get jaw pain, so I don't want to talk. Your fever goes up really high. This lasts all night.

Everyday you decide if you want to go up on the dose of The Push, or stay the same, or go lower. They make The Push every weekend, so it's always stronger at the beginning of the week, and the strength is always different. It's different for everyone too.

You are encouraged to ride it out for 6 hours each night, before taking any medicine to bring down the fever. But at anytime, you can take a bath in apple cider vinegar, and that will draw out the medicine and toxins and stop the shaking. Sometimes you just can't handle it anymore, so you have to do this or take pain medicine. The pushes have been really strong lately here for everyone. It leaves some unable to walk for a couple of days, or in extreme pain. You also get very dehydrated from not eating or drinking during the reactions, so they give you fluids at the clinic along with things to help you feel better.

I'm supposed to start that tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see if the doctor still wants me to start it. If I do start it, I most likely will not update until Tuesday unless I don't have a reaction, which can happen. We will see how it goes!

Clinic Days 2 and 3

I hope all of this makes sense...it's been a really hard couple days and I just got medicine that makes me very tired.

Some days you just wish you could forget. Yesterday was one of the those days. Remember the boy my age who I asked for prayers for in my previous post? We got to the clinic yesterday morning and he was on oxygen and having terrible convolutions. Everyone was around him for hours. We were all crying, and didn't know if he would make it honestly. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my whole life. I can't even explain how scary and tense yesterday was. I really don't even want to think about it, but I can't stop replaying it over and over. We kept hearing sirens, wondering if they were coming to take him. All we could do was pray. They gave him tons of medicines to knock him out and try and stop the shaking, but it didn't work. This went on all day.

At the same time, I was getting a Vitamin C IV. I did fine until the end, and then I got so hot and was in so much pain. They gave me more IV pain and nausea meds, which helped after a couple doses. I had to have a fan on me because I was so hot from my fever. My mom and I and G and his mom were at the clinic until at least 7 again last night.

Everyday that you don't do the Major Auto Hem, you get 2 shots. One is a detox shot that goes in the arm. The other is Glyoxal aka the butt shot. It's pure oxygen, and goes in your hip. This shot is so painful that grown men pass out from it. It does hurt a lot, but you get used to it.

We came home and ate, then I went to bed. The Phenergan and Demerol makes me so tired.

We got to the clinic this morning and I had another Major Auto Hem procedure. It also went well, until the end. So I got the same pain and nausea medicine, and after a couple doses it was better. I had to have a fan on my again because I was burning up. We left the clinic around 4 today because they close early on Friday and Saturday.

Tomorrow morning, we will go to clinic again for a few hours. I'm not sure what they will give me tomorrow.

Some of you might be wondering why I'm still doing treatments that cause reactions and require strong meds. Having a reaction proves that there is an infection in my abdomen. As the Major Auto Hem and Vitamin C IVs are killing the bacteria in my abdomen, I react because of the toxins of the bacteria. That means that the treatment is working. So until we make improvement on the infection, I will just have to get pain medicine. The infection has been there a long time, so it will take a while to get rid of. In time it will get better.

I've had fever the whole time I've been here, and it was higher this afternoon.

The boy my age is doing better than he was, but still not great. But we are going try and go out to eat with them tonight, so that will be a good distraction. Please pray for him and his family. His mom has been here with them, but his dad flew in last night after what happened yesterday.

Thank you so much for praying.

"He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds" Psalm 147:3

"The Lord is close to the broken hearted;he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18

Clinic Day 1

Yesterday was a very long day! We felt every emotion possible. The first thing we did was meet with my doctor. He examined me, and we discussed everything. He thinks I have Mesenteric Adenitis, which is causing all the stomach pain. It could be a combination of that, and adhesions.

After we met with the doctor, we did some tests. They tested energy currents for every organ and system in body. It showed that everything is really stressed. They say that test isn't for diagnostic purposes, but they would run tests to confirm what it shows. Almost everything was in the moderate category in terms of how stressed it is. My liver and lymph node system were in the severe. Almost to the severe category were my heart, circulatory system, lungs, and I forgot what other ones. What does that all mean? It means my body is very stressed. My heart and circulatory system is not functioning as high as it should. That's why we are here though. We need to get things taken care of.

They also tested the IV and shot ingredients on me to see what I was sensitive to. After that, we went to eat lunch before starting my treatments.

I did what is called a Major Auto Hem. They accessed my port with a 2 inch needle first. Then, they take out a lot of blood. I'm not sure how much it is. Next, they mix the blood with oxygen, and put it through a UV light before putting it back in me. The oxygen and UV light kill bacteria and help clean the blood. It took a while to get the blood back in me, because the lines kept clotting. They had to get another nurse to figure out what to. They finally got it back in over a few hours. Sometimes people pass out from all the blood being taken, but thankfully I didn't. After that, you get an IV of hydrogen peroxide. This also helps clean the blood and is very effective.

 I was doing fine until towards the end of the IV. I got so hot and my stomach starting hurting so much that I was crying. By this time, it was 6 pm and the only people there were the doctor and nurses, my mom and I, and this boy my age and his mom. He was sitting next to me and was also having a reaction from the night before. The doctor and nurses came to the IV room and literally stood over us for hours, monitoring us and giving us medicine. The boy my age was having seizures and it was so scary. He was in so much pain too. They gave us both Toradol which is a strong anti-inflammatory. It didn't help either of us. They gave him some Demerol and Phenergan to see if that would help him. It actually made him worse.

Since I was in more pain than before, they also gave me Demerol and Phenergan. This clinic is a homeopathic clinic, meaning everything they use is natural. I didn't even know they had strong pain medicine like that. In all of my 2 years of coming, I've never known anyone having to get narcotics there. The first dose of Demerol helped, but it wore off quickly so I got another one. That one helped a lot.

My mom and I finally got to leave at 8pm. I'm so thankful that the doctors wanted to watch both us for several afters, knowing that we might have reactions. The reason I hurt so bad after the IV was because it was killing the bacteria in my abdomen, causing a Herx reaction.

Here are pictures from yesterday before I got really sick.

Clean blood going back in, and hydrogen peroxide.

My blood going through the UV light.

Today I am getting a Vitamin C IV. Vitamin C in high doses, has the same effect as antibiotics. It's possible that I could have the same reaction as yesterday with today's IV.

Yesterday we met a lot of great people. The clinic isn't very crowded which is wonderful. I have the best story ever from yesterday! Yesterday I was getting my IV, and the boy and his mom  (who stayed all night at the clinic too) walked into the room. His mom saw me and KNEW me! She found my blog a while back and knew all about me. She said she has even told my story to other people! They live in Tennessee! We felt like we knew each other, and spend most of the day just talking. It was weird that we both had to stay at the clinic till late at night, and both have to get strong pain medicine. I hate that we both had to stay late at the clinic, but it helped pass the time with other people there. Since the doctor and nurses had to monitor us so closely, we all just sat in the IV room for several hours and talked. Please pray for this guy and his mom and family. They have been through so much, and have a long ways to go.

We are fixing to go to the clinic for the day! I will try my best to update again tonight, but if not, I will tomorrow.