Notes from the Porch (Twenty-Eight): a November update

It seems impossible that it has only been about five weeks since my last "Notes from the Porch" update! I think because it has been some of the more difficult months in this journey time seems to be passing incredibly slowly. So many of you have emailed, texted, called, etc. and wondered how things are going and I do apologize for the lack of response. It has honestly just been very difficult and a lot of time spent in bed due to pain and illness. 

I was so thankful that I was able to go THIRTEEN weeks on intense medication (which I started in August). It was a blessing as I am doing an integrative route and this was one of the first times in this journey that my body was able to handle such intensive treatment (on the antibiotic side). It was a daily, hourly, minutely prayer request that the medicine would not cause huge issues in my digestive system and thankfully I was able to go THIRTEEN weeks for the first round! PRAISE THE LORD!! (I also want to share another HUGE PRAISE!! Since starting at my new doctors office in March this is the first time in YEARS that I have gone more than 6 months without traveling to the ER/Hospital once a week (or sometimes twice a week!!)!! I am going on ten months y'all without seeing the ER/Hospitals for emergency situations!! PRAISE GOD!!!! I am so thankful for my medical team!!)

Unfortunately, around week ten of the antibiotic routine I started to experience difficulty with the medications I was taking. I tried as hard as possible to keep pushing through but at thirteen weeks and 1 day I was unable to keep any water or food in me (as I mentioned here on instagram) so my medical team made the decision to stop all of my oral antibiotics for several days. During that time I doubled my already extremely high dosage of probiotics and the hope was that by the end of the week I would be able to resume antibiotics but unfortunately a week and a half later and I am still not able to. Would you please pray that my body adjusts and that I am able to heal quickly from either (a) my body deciding that it has had enough antibiotics for now (which would mean we might be looking at non-oral options including a PICC line/port, etc.) or (b) some infection that I might have. Thank you!! 

During this time I am still following my daily schedule (which you can read about HERE) but instead of all of the medications I am taking extra supplements, oils, and some other things. 

Another prayer request is for my upcoming doctor's appointment (on December 1st) where I will be finding out some of the next steps that I will be taking. For anyone who is seriously ill you understand that these appointments are always filled with anticipation and some anxiousness as you wait to find out what your life will look like for the upcoming weeks and months. I am so incredibly thankful for a kind and compassionate team of doctors and a wonderful medical office and I know without a doubt that the Lord led me to them in this journey. Although it seems slow, I know that I am slowly healing and am resting in the Lord for these next steps and plans. 

As I mentioned in my last notes from the porch update, I had some tests done to due concern over my thyroid function. At this point I would just ask for continued prayers as we are looking into some different things. As I mentioned last time, this is not a complete shock to us but they have found some things and we are praying that there is no additional issues that would complicate my treatment. 

I continue to ask for healing on my back. It seems to be slowly healing but I would definitely ask for continued prayer for the relief of pain from that area! 

I am so excited to share (in case you missed it) that my first book, "Praying through Lyme Disease" was published last week! My prayer is that it will be an encouragement to those fighting this disease and for their loved ones on the journey as well. It is the first book of its kind on prayer and Lyme Disease and I am praying that it will bless everyone who picks it up! (You can read the PRESS RELEASE about it HERE if you are interested!) We are working hard to get the word out about the book and I am in the process of setting up different author appearances and signings for this. If you know anyone  you think might be interested in hearing a little bit about my story, the power of prayer, and Lyme Disease I would be honored to talk with you about setting up something to speak to a group/Bible Study/Support Group about these topics! I prayerfully consider each request and only take a limited number of appearances due to my health so I would love to talk with you if this is something you are interested in! (You can shoot me an email here)!

Thank you so much friends for ALL of your prayers on my behalf. There are so many different moments throughout the day where I can see the Lord answering in a thousand different ways the different prayers that are given. I appreciate you and all of the time that you have brought me before the Lord. Your prayers are DEFINITELY NOT in vain!

I will conclude with a final prayer request that is most urgent and that is for financial provision. In September I was given a very generous donation (from St. Nicolas Anglican Mission) and an unexpected series of anonymous donations  (I still don't know who these were from but THANK YOU!!) throughout the month of October. These were SUCH a blessing and every penny has been carefully guarded and spent. In addition I have had an increase and several orders from my shop which has been such a blessing. Each penny has been used for everything related to my health. Unfortunately though this past week (after treatments, medical bills, medical appointments, medication costs, supplement costs, etc.) I have depleted those funds and am now at the end of my financial resources. At this point I am not able to continue with certain treatments or purchase certain supplements without the provision of additional resources and obviously this is of extreme concern (especially without being able to take oral antibiotics).  (Just to give a "rough estimate" it costs about $5000 for me each month (including what insurance covers) to meet each of the medical needs that I have. You can read more of the "breakdown" here.) And with the savings that I had almost completed depleted this is one of the more precarious financial times in this journey. I am so grateful for each of you that have supported me throughout the years and for each of you that continue to do so. You have been used by the Lord and I could never repay your kindness. The Lord has NEVER failed at providing every single thing I have needed for this journey and I appreciate your prayers for provision once again. ANY donations can be done through the "Go Fund Me Page" that is set up for my treatment which is found HERE:

As I have spent alot of time in bed resting and healing I have spent more and more time in different passages of scripture and each one has touched my heart in different ways. I shared on instagram about the way the Lord comforted me through birds that visit outside my window the other day and yesterday as I felt a little stronger to ride in the car to the grocery store I thought about all of the Lord's blessings. I have also thought though the last couple of weeks about all of y'all who spend time praying for me. Words can't express how blessed I am by your love, support, and all of your prayers. I think often of the sick man that was lowered through the roof to Jesus because he was to sick to get through the crowds. The love and support of his friends put him right at the feet of Jesus and that is EXACTLY what each of you do with your prayers. Thank you so much for taking me to the feet of Jesus and for taking all of my concerns before Him. What a mighty God we serve and one that never fails us in our times of distress and trouble. 

Thank you dear friends. With lots of love,