Notes from the Porch: the beginning of California two

Thank you so much for walking this unexpected journey with me in California. I am truly overwhelmed with your support. Thank you so much to all of you that were praying for my first doctors appointment on Friday at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. It was a day truly pregnant with lots of emotion and I could feel your prayers for peace and for wisdom in this appointment. {A special thank you again for all of the text messages, phone calls, emails, and facebook messages... thank you!! Several of you have asked for my California address here. Please feel free to email me and I will send it to you. Thank you!!} I had a wonderful appointment with my doctor and she had lots of great thoughts and ideas. I do admit to being a little overwhelmed by the ton of information that we talked about but I really liked my doctor which as many of you that struggle with health issues understand is a very important thing! *smiles*

{Sorry in advance for all of the phone pictures! I haven't had a chance to take "real" camera pictures!}

As I mentioned, I had tons of emotions as I got ready for my appointment.

I arrived at my appointment and was greeted by a bright and cheery waiting room.

My doctor (Dr. W), as I mentioned above, was wonderful. We talked for over an hour and she asked very insightful questions that other doctors had never asked. In addition to treating the Lymes she has ordered some additional tests that will clarify if there is something else that is additionally going on in addition to the Lymes (and M.E./CFS). I appreciate this because Lymes is nicknamed "the great mimicker" and there are some tests that she is ordering that have not been previously ordered.

I started these tests this weekend and on Monday morning at 9am will have additional blood. {Since my iron levels are so dangerously low they will monitor this carefully and I appreciate prayers in advance for me not to pass out!} I then will start my first round of alternative treatments right after that. The doctor has ordered an intense round of alternative treatments for the first week and then we will evaluate at the end of the week how the next two weeks look. {I will definitely be staying for three weeks here in California.} I will focus this week on Vitamin C IV's and the hyberbaric oxygen chamber as my main treatments. {There are other alternative options but due to financial reasons these are going to be my main alternative options.} I start a new general medication to start treating the infections in my body on Tuesday evening (so as not to affect the tests results) which she has seen good results with. In addition to the prayer requests that I mentioned above I do ask for prayer as my body is so fragile and I react very easily to everything and these treatments can be difficult so I thank you!

Friday's doctors appointment was overwhelming and intense and I am so thankful that my dad has been able to be here for a couple of days to help me get settled. On Friday we grabbed food at Whole Foods and then I was asleep by 6pm California time!

Yesterday we had a relaxing lunch at Whole Foods where we were able to eat outside because of the beautiful California weather.

Later on in the afternoon we went down to the hotel pool and I took a very long and relaxing nap! I think that this is going to be a place where I spend a lot of time in these next few weeks. *smiles*

I appreciate all of your continued prayers as I embark on this journey. Thank you so much for walking this journey with me!

I know that so many of us are going through difficult times these days. Hold on to hope. I wanted to share something that I read this morning in my devotions that truly encouraged my heart and I thought might be an encouragement to those of you that I know are going through very difficult times:

"Shining is always costly. We are apt to feel that we are doing the greatest good in the world when we are strong, and able for active duty, and when the heart and hands are full of kindly service. We we are called aside and can only suffer; we we are sick; when we are consumed with pain; when all of our activities have been dropped, we feel that we are no longer of use, that we are not doing anything. But if we are patient and submissive, it is almost certain that we are a greater blessing to the world in our time of suffering and pain than we were in the days when we thought we were doing the most of our work. We are burning now, and shining because we are burning. [Never forget] The glory of tomorrow is rooted in the drudgery of today." ~Streams in the Desert~