A Journey None the Less

For those of you who have been following my journey with some health issues, the end of this blog will serve as an update for you. But first, for those who don't know what's been going on, a little bit of back story...

Around two and a half years ago I started having some issues with cramping in my left side. I shrugged it off because it was annoying but not detrimental to my life. Six months later I was sent by my employer to get a physical and the doctor informed me that she could feel some swelling and a lump in what she thought could be my ovary. Of course no body wants to hear that especially someone without insurance at the time. Within a month of that appointment pain started increasing  and the frequency of how often I was cramping grew. It was no longer annoying, it was beginning to keep me from functioning normally. I knew I needed to figure out some insurance, and so I started on that journey about a year in and let me tell you it was not easy. After a long and quite obnoxious trail of paperwork and circles of conversations with people, I was finally approved for insurance in April of 2015 that would kick in starting a few months after that.

All during this time of waiting and praying my symptoms got worse and some others were even added to the list. I was overwhelmed, worn out and just wanting to be healthy. I met with my doctor and explained all the things that had been happening (cramping, fevers, menstrual issues, headaches, nausea, etc) and he scheduled me with a Women's Specialist pretty quickly. I was excited to see the specialist because to me that meant answers were coming... little did I know.

My first meeting with the specialist was one of THE MOST horrific days of my life. Sounds dramatic? It was! I will spare you the details, but let's just say while she was examining me we found that my body parts just didn't want to cooperate and that led to a LOT of pain!!!! I don't even have words for the pain. Not only was it painful but it didn't bring any answers AND the Women's Specialist was rude and communicated with me like I was some moron. You know what I'm talking about, right? When someone talks down to you and makes you feel like your questions are unimportant... whew, some forgiveness had to happen there, let me tell you!

From there we began with blood test and urine tests and then some more blood tests... it seemed to be a never ending cycle. I was getting no answers and just felt like a hamster on a wheel going round and round and round. In the midst of all this testing I started getting migraines. Can I just tell you, I was done. Literally over it. My extrovert personality and love for ministry suffered... I did nothing but go to work and come home and sleep. I wore sunglasses all the time because my eyes were so sensitive to light that it would immediately trigger a migraine. I was running a low grade fever pretty much everyday and still, there were no answers. I couldn't laugh because it hurt my head, I couldn't read because it hurt my head and I couldn't sing because... well, it hurt my head. And I was NOT happy about it!

At this point the migraines became a priority to figure out, but I was sent for an ultrasound of my pelvic where they found that there were many cysts forming and several cysts that had burst in my ovaries. So I had an answer, without a solution. They put me on pain meds to try to manage the cramping and then we began the cycle of testing all over again but now for the migraines. All my blood work came back normal except my vitamin d, which was pretty much non existent. I was started on a prescription high dose of vitamin d to get that number right. They did eye tests on me, had me keep a journal of my day to see if anything out of the norm was affecting me and finally I was sent to get a CAT Scan of my head. The day of the scan I had a pretty normal (for me at the time) migraine, but when we got the results there were no abnormalities in my brain. Even on the right side where I was feeling a ton of constant pressure. Back to square one and feeling more frustrated and overwhelmed as ever my doctor put me on a new med to try to ease some of the migraines.

It was here that I had this random thought about going to see the dentist. I mean, I hadn't been in a long time and I was now covered by insurance so why not add to the eight million doctor appointments I already had every week. :)

I knew going in to the dentist that the first thing they would say to me was that I needed to get my wisdom teeth out asap. I had heard that the last time I went to the dentist but was not covered for it so it didn't happen. And sure enough, as soon as they took the first X-rays the dental assistant said "oh my, those things need to come out!" But guess what, my insurance still wouldn't cover it. In that same dental appointment the dentist said to me that there was a lot going on with my teeth and asked if I had been having headaches. I almost cried because it seemed too easy that it could be my teeth causing these issues in my head. So I took to my doctor the information that the dentist had given to see if there would be a way to have my health insurance cover the extraction of my wisdom teeth and the root canals that needed to take place. My doctor said he would contact the insurance company.

So that brings us to the most recent part of this journey of mine. About a month and a half ago I was laying on the couch feeling terrible of course, when I bit down and had a harsh pain. When I opened my mouth I had half of a tooth that had broken off. I could have cried. I should have cried lol, but instead I just added it to the list. I had to deal with it, because I couldn't eat. So that Monday I went to work, told my wonderful boss that I was going to have to see the emergency oral surgeon at Highland Hospital and I wasn't sure what was going to happen or when I'd be back to work. Bless her heart.

Highland got me in fast and said all that I suspected they would say, "these have to go". They had to remove my broken molar and the wisdom tooth that was right next to it. Due to the roots of my teeth being SUPER crooked and big they had to break the teeth up using a drill. Because of this, my jaw was fractured. Are you cry laughing yet? Try living this real life story! Oye!

I couldn't talk, couldn't eat, was in a ton of pain in my head from the pain in my mouth and jaw. If I never was a mess before, I was certainly one now. The surgeon said the other 3 wisdom teeth had to come out too but they couldn't do them all that day so they scheduled me to come back 3 weeks later. I missed almost 2 weeks of work trying to recoup and getting myself to the place I could talk again... but I made it through.

When it came time for my second surgery I was convinced of two things: 1) I hated teeth problems lol and 2) this WAS going to help my head. I mean I was convinced. I had people praying with me that this "problem" would become the solution and I would be able to move forward with life. I went in with HIGH expectations and I wasn't budging from that position.

The surgeon said to me at the beginning of the surgery that he wasn't sure he'd be able to get all three teeth out that day and he may only be able to do 2... in my head I cancelled out that plan of the enemy and said NOPE! All 3 are coming out today. lol I told you I was DE-TERM-INED! He began with the top right tooth and pulls it out whole. As soon as it came out I felt this pop of relief from pressure that was being caused by the tooth hitting the nerve. That was one hallelujah! Two more to go. He moved to the bottom right and of course, just as the previous surgery on the bottom opposite side, they had to drill it because my root was too dang crooked and the tooth was the largest he'd ever seen. What comes with drilling my teeth into bits? Another fracture to my jaw.

When he finished dealing with that part of my mouth he said to me, "well, would you like me to try for the third one? or do you want to come back?" If only he could have read my mind right then... again I say Oye! lol

I told him go ahead (in the most non-understable way you can while you have a numb mouth and dental tools in there). He got the tooth prepared to pull out whole and warned me that it was going to hurt in my cheek because the roots were so on top of the nerve (or something like that) and he couldn't numb that close to my ear. So I braced for impact! He started pulling and I immediately knew what he meant... it hurt, a freaking lot! I clenched my fists but the more he pulled the more pain and pressure I felt in my ear. He asked if I wanted him to stop and I said NO!!!! I was sobbing and hyperventilating and screaming. Right before he got the tooth out it felt like my ear drum was going to explode. I thought for sure I was going to go deaf... who knew you could feel like that when at the dentist?

The tooth came out and again I felt this huge pop of pressure in my head. And then I knew, I was right! I gathered my composure, calmed my breathing and took a pretty gnarly picture of the two teeth that were still whole. I was so anxious to get out of there that the dentist had to chase me down to give me back my sunglasses that I had left behind. I got home and spent the next two weeks resting and healing. My jaw is still not fully healed and so I can't eat normal food yet. And I do still have to go back to get several root canals done. But I am so excited and happy to let you know that I have been migraine free for 3 weeks. I stopped my migraine medicine about two and a half weeks ago and have only had a slight headache once or twice, but I can tell it's from a stiff neck from resting in bed so much and not from the same kind of pain as before.

I am literally so pleased! And so grateful. There were many people in my life that had to deal with a me that was not really me for the last ten-ish months. I've been a hermit locked away just trying to survive and that is the complete opposite of me! I can't thank the Lord enough for that silly broken molar... don't ever doubt that the Lord will use terrible situations to bring about good!

Now that my mind feels so free to be me again, I feel I can put some more effort and prayer into figuring out how to deal with the cysts and the bursting of the cysts in my ovaries. You know pain like that almost seems minute when your brain has been hurting so much and you haven't been able to think or function like a real human being. But I will not settle for only partial healing in my body! I am believing that the Lord has a plan to bring complete restoration to me and that I will be able to move forward in loving Him and loving His people.

When I set out to write this blog I did not intend it to be a novel, but I just felt like this portion of my journey needed to be shared. So I am sorry it is the longest thing ever lol But please, rejoice with me! For our God is great and greatly to be praised! His faithfulness is astounding and I want the world to know that it's been a crazy journey, but it's been a journey none the less. And every journey has a beginning and an ending... don't give up if you're in the middle of one right now!