Quick Update

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 

Psalm 100:4  

Being that it's November and Thanksgiving is around the corner, this verse is often in my mind.  It was my mom's favorite verse to read before our feast on Thanksgiving Day and it always reminds me of her.  And I am thankful these days for what look to be some answers for my health issues.

I've been on treatment now for 11 days.  While it's too early to judge whether I'm on the mend or not, I believe that the meds are doing what they're supposed to.  I'm experiencing die-off symptoms, which is a good sign, and if I take the meds too often, I really feel it.  So, I'm engaged in the dance of determining what is too much and what is not enough.  Thankfully I have the freedom to mess with the dose and get it to a manageable level on my own.

I think that eliminating the foods from my diet which I thought were "safe" has had a positive impact on my system as well.  I still have a long way to go, but there is hope that we're on the right track now.

Thanks for much for praying.  I'll keep you all updated as we go along.

Treatment Underway

Beloved, I pray that in all respects

you may prosper and be in good health,

just as your soul prospers. 

3 John 1:2  

I love how all-encompassing God's Word is.  The first time I recognized what this verse was saying, it blew me away.  Soul prosperity comes first, and the others are compared to it.  That's cool to me.

I started treatment this past Monday.  It was recommended that I start very slowly and then increase the dose if I feel I can handle the current level.  I decided to take the meds before bed so the lousy feeling would be happening more when I was already lying down.  So, three nights of that and I wasn't feeling any problems during the day other than tiredness.  Today I have upped the dose and took one in the morning, also.  I'm dealing with a headache in addition to the tiredness, and some heart palps and nausea stuff that may or may not be associated with the meds.  Hard to tell sometimes.  So, not too bad so far.  Yay!

The food angle of things is better, as well.  As I mentioned last time, Dr. Allison was able to help me with understanding more about the foods I can eat.  The diet is referred to as the FODMAP diet and has its origins in the SCD diet.  It has to do with how our guts absorb - or not absorb - sugars.  When a gut is damaged because of gut flora imbalance, all kinds of nasty things happen.  One of them is the inability for the intestinal lining to do its job properly.  Absorbing sugars is one of the things that is particularly critical, because if the sugars aren't absorbed, they stay behind and feed the bacteria and yeasts.  This causes them to proliferate and worsens the gut flora imbalance, and around it goes in a vicious cycle of illness.  Eliminating the foods that leave those naturally-occurring sugars behind is a critical piece of the puzzle.  Dr. Allison not only helped me understand some of these things at my appointment, but also sent me an in-process FODMAP diet pamphlet she is creating based on her research.  It's not complete or finalized, but it has been really, really helpful to me.  I've been able to eliminate some unsuspected things that were problematic, and also add in some things that aren't problematic but which I thought were.  So, no weight gain yet, but that may be awhile.

I will continue to keep you posted as we go along here.

Thanks for praying for me and my family.  We so appreciate it!

It IS SIBO.......

"Go gently through this day,

keeping your eyes on Me. 

I will open up the way before you,

as you take steps of trust along your path."

From Jesus Calling

by Sarah Young

So, this was in my devotional reading this morning.  I am so loving this devotional.  So intimate and so on the money so often. 

I guess "so" is the word of the hour.  :-)

Well, my appointment in Portland today was amazing.  Dr. Allison Siebecker, who specializes in and devotes her practice to SIBO, confirmed that it IS SIBO.  She considers the test results accurate and classifies my case as moderate to severe.

We spent an hour together, and the Lord so totally empowered me to communicate a ton of information clearly and concisely and in rapid fire order.  Yesterday I could hardly think or articulate at all.  She listened well, is a delightfully interactive person, respectful of the work I've done on my own health, is compassionate and available.

She was able to work through a treatment plan/protocol with me.  There are a few different ways to treat it, and she was so helpful in determining the best one for who I am and how my body reacts to everything that goes into it.  A course of natural antibiotics comes first, with follow up in a month or so.  She was also able to help me understand the diet I need to follow.  There is a lot of information out there that doesn't always agree.  Her research has been instrumental in determining a more complete picture of what works and what doesn't.  She was also able to recommend some things to help get calories into me and hopefully stop the weight loss.  It will take a few days for things I've ordered to arrive and enable me to get started, but I am hopeful in a way that has been a long time in coming.

My hope is always in the Lord, and at the same time He, in His mercy and grace, has also given me some hope through the work and research of Dr. Siebecker, which seems to be about to help at least some of this long-standing problem I've had.  And I am grateful.

Thanks for praying.  I'll be updating as I go through the treatment phase.  It can be pretty brutal.  The die-off of the bacterial overgrowth will make me sick and tired, but at least I know that there will be purpose in it.

Bless each one of you.  I so felt your prayers today.  It was amazing.

Test results.......

The test results show that SIBO is a likely possibility.  The test itself apparently has a 62.5 percent sensitivity for SIBO, but my doctor thinks it's likely that this is what is going on.  There are a variety of options for treating it, but in my limited knowledge, I don't really know what to choose. I sincerely desire the opinion of someone who really knows this condition inside and out.  I'm hoping that the specialist in Portland of whom the Lord made me aware is that someone.  I will be seeing her on Thursday morning.  Her practice and research is devoted to SIBO.

The past two days have been really hard.  Not much of a break from the nausea and my head has been foggy.  And I'm just so tired.  I long to feel better.  "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."  And I also hope He will use this doctor in Portland to make sense of where I am after these years of mystery.  And if not, He is still the solid rock on which I stand.

We'd really appreciate prayer that He would give this specialist wisdom in my case.  Supernatural "seeing" of what is truly going on.  Recognition of tests that need to be done.  Diet that needs to be followed.  The best treatment options.  And strength for me to do this.

Thank you so much for praying.  Bless each of you.

I will refresh the weary.....

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."

Jeremiah 31:25

This verse was part of my devotions this week and I'm grateful for it.

Thank you for your prayers as I took the SIBO test.  I made it through okay with less difficulty than I anticipated.  I am waiting now for the test to be evaluated and for my doctor to contact me.  That will probably be early next week.  If the test proves positive, I will for sure be seeing the SIBO doctor, and if not I will talk with the clinic as to whether she would want to see me anyway for the mystery-solving aspect of my gut issues.

I am asking for prayer for the ability to gracefully make it to next Thursday.  My weight has continued to drop as I struggle to find things I can eat.  Each day has brought discouragement.   Today I am again not feeling well.  On top of this, my heart is breaking over things I cannot talk about.  In the midst, God is all over everything, and I need to cling to the hope I have in Him.  For that is truly the only hope any of us have. And it is a mighty hope.

Thanks so much for praying.

A reward for His suffering......

"May the Lamb that was slain

receive the reward of His suffering."

1st Moravian Missionary

On Sunday, our teaching time was used to watch and listen to a video of revival preacher sermons.  One of them was Paris Reidhead, who preached the famous sermon "10 Shekels and a Shirt" which concludes with the quotation of one of two Moravians who had sold themselves into slavery in order to reach slaves who would otherwise never hear the gospel.  As they sailed away from their loved ones, never to return, he called back to them, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!"

That is our reason for being.  Jesus's reward for His suffering.

This has been in my mind all week.  We, His beloveds, are the reward of His suffering.  Every soul who comes to a saving knowledge of Him is the reward of His suffering.  That is an amazing thought which is settling into my heart.  And recognizing that I am the reward of His suffering enables me to see new ways in which I belong to Him.

Last Friday my health took a turn for the worse.  My gut has just come to a point where it doesn't really like anything in it.  I'm dealing with nausea most of the time, as well as light-headedness and dizziness.  My weight has dropped again.

After doing some more research on SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), my original belief that it isn't a factor has been challenged.  There are many markers that indicate it would be wise to test for it.  I found a doctor at a clinic in Portland who specializes in SIBO, and the lab provides a SIBO hydrogen breath test that I can do at home.  That was a huge relief, because the test requires a 12 hour fast, involves drinking a sugar substance and then taking breath samples over a 3-hour period.  Having to drive somewhere on a fast, being in a strange place and sick from the sugar substance, and then having to drive home again was keeping me from actually going and getting the test done.  Yesterday I went to Portland to pick up the test kit and will be conducting it on Monday here at home.  From there I will have the opinions of two doctors as to the results.

If SIBO is the problem, it will involve both specialized antibiotics and a tailored diet.  Diet stuff doesn't bother me anymore.  I'm so limited as to what I can eat now, it really doesn't matter.  :-)  Antibiotics are always a concern for me because of my Candida history, but this is worse than what I went through 25 years ago, and I have to trust that a SIBO specialist will guide me through the mine field.

My emotions are up and down.  I'm seeking to draw near to the One Who calls me "Beloved" and feel Him draw near to me. He reminds me daily to seek Him. Seek Him at every turn.  So I'm trying to sink into that mindset.  Let go of me and embrace Him.

One other thing that is on our hearts and minds is that the company for which Dale works is having difficulties with solvency.  His job is in jeopardy, with the very real possibility that the company will have to close down.  Prayer for another job solution, should that happen, would be greatly appreciated.

How you can pray:
~ That the SIBO testing will be definitive and conclusive.
~ That this specialist will be someone with whom I can work comfortably.
~ Perseverance!
~ Dale's job.

Thank you all for praying.  You are a great blessing to us.

Update

Though the fig tree does not blossom

and there is no fruit on the vines,

though the product of the olive fails

and the fields yield no food,

though the flock is cut off from the fold

and there are no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will exult in the victorious God of my salvation!

The Lord God is my strength,

my personal bravery,

and my invincible army.

He makes my feet like hinds' feet

and will make me to walk --

not stand still in terror, but to walk --

and make spiritual progress

upon my high places of

trouble,

suffering,

or responsibility.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

(Amplified)

Awhile back I listened to a few tapes by Beth Moore about overcoming fear.  The whole deal was based on these verses.  I loved what she had to say

It's all Him.  Strength, bravery, the army.  He is victorious no matter what.  And on top of everything that He is, He empowers me.  He makes me to walk, NOT stand still in terror, but to walk and make spiritual progress on my high places of difficulty.  Trouble. Suffering. Responsibility.  Whatever is overwhelming me.  All things that are overwhelming me.

So my devotional book, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, said the same thing about a month ago, right in the middle of one of the most difficult times I can remember, and He says this:

"When things seem to be going all wrong, stop and affirm your trust in Me.

Calmly bring these matters to Me, and leave them in My capable hands.

Then, simply do the next thing.

Stay in touch with Me through thankful, trusting prayers,

resting in My sovereign control.

Rejoice in Me -- exult in the God of your salvation!

As you trust in Me, I make your feet like the feet of a deer.

I enable you to walk and make progress upon your high places of

trouble, suffering, or responsibility."

I love how He affirms things He's taught me in the past.  Kind of a refresher course.

Back in June, we discovered that there was a possibility of mycotoxin poisoning as an underlying cause for all the stuff that is wrong with me.  I went through a bunch of tests again, and in the end result, they are simply not conclusive.  None of my autoimmune markers are showing any problems, all of the hormone tests come back normal (now that one is a mystery!), etc., etc., etc.  I have been on a mycotoxin treatment protocol for about two months, but there is no real difference.  I'm still cycling with good days followed by bouts of flu-ish nausea with no rhyme or reason or pattern involved.  My doctor is puzzled.  I'm beyond puzzled.  We don't really know where to go from here.  

The only possibilities that we haven't explored are testing for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and testing for mold in our house.  After reading about SIBO, I really don't exhibit the symptoms and there is no lab around here that does the test.

As far as testing the house for mold, we are seeking the Lord as to what He would have us do about that.  It's expensive and we don't really know if it will be conclusive either.  So many things haven't been.  But it could be and might answer the question of whether I may be experiencing re-infection over and over again, and therefore the human mold treatment protocol isn't really making any progress.  So many unknowns, still.

So, our prayer request at this time is for wisdom about testing for environmental mold or other contaminants.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  As I've said before, I can't imagine where we'd be without you.

A New Path.....

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

When I was about 11 years old, before I knew the Lord, I went to JOY club once a week after school at a neighborhood home.  The JOY stood for Jesus, Others & You.  Mostly, we memorized Bible verses and recited them and won little prizes.  I remember sometimes working on my verses with a friend during recess.  Psalm 119:105 was one of the first.  Isn't it cool how the Lord interweaves Himself in our lives before we even have a clue?!

So, lamps and light, and a new path.  We SO need His light.

The nutshell version of this new path is that, after conferring with my doctor, we are pursuing mycotoxin (mold poisoning) testing and treatment.  There is a lot involved with it, it's expensive, it will take endurance and perseverance on my part and a lot of counting it all joy.

We covet your prayers as we wait to hear which mold testing center is considered best by the environmental doctors, and then just for the fortitude to do this thing, as well as resources.

We know He has it covered.  We're looking for that Word-Light He has promised will light this path.

Thanks so much for praying.  We appreciate you all so much.

A little catching up.....

Well, it has been a year since the original 40 Days of Prayer was started by my dear daughter, Jessie.  Isn't that amazing?!

I've had it on my list for quite awhile to blog here and give you all an update, and today seems to be the day.

After about a year of treatment for the various issues that have been discovered (endocrine insufficiency [adrenal fatigue, pancreatitis, thyroid issues], leaky gut and mal-absorption, weight loss, MCS [multiple chemical sensitivity]), I don't feel that I have really made much progress in healing, other than that I have gained some weight.  For which I'm very grateful.

I am still dealing with gut issues involving cyclic nausea and food intolerances.  And as a result of adrenal fatigue, I have no real capacity for dealing with stress.  Everyday occurrences or changes to my simple schedule cause me to fall apart.  If you are familiar with the term "stress window," mine is basically nonexistent.  I struggle with being in large groups and find I "recharge" in solitude as opposed to with people, as I always have.  It is strange to feel as if I've turned into an introvert, and I miss "me."

In the midst of what we understand to be wrong with me, it seems that there must be an unaddressed underlying cause for all of these issues that simply has not been discovered yet.  My blessed doctor continues to explore options that come to his attention, and currently we are looking at two possible causes for which testing is available.  One is SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and the other is mold poisoning.  I will be talking with him probably next week about what comes next.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we mine these new ideas for clues as to what is actually going on in my body.  We hang onto the knowledge that God reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deep darkness into light (Job 12:22), and our trust is only in Him.

I would also really appreciate prayer for my family as we walk this path.  It is hard on all of them.

Bless each of you for your commitment to pray for us.  In talking or corresponding with many of you, I am so thankful for your continued prayer.  I can't imagine where we would be without you.

I Will Carry You....

Here's a link to my latest post over at "The View From Innisvale"