so i stumbled upon this

Doing some research for my kids at school I found Brocellosis on wikipedia (it was back-linked from an article I was reading)
This led to some fun last night.
ALL of these articles were not avaliable 3 years ago. Also, they aren't fully correct (which isn't suprising. It IS
wikipedia
after all.)
But they are fairly accurate and hilarious and I know my parents will laugh with me.

Three years ago this October I got a cold.
Well,
we thought it was a cold.

It started what would be a year and half journey to
discover
what really
was
going on in my body.

In some ways, I think it was harder than going through
a divorce
(and everything involved with that divorce).
Maybe not harder.
Just different hard. And in fact,
both contributed to each other in ridiculous ways of
good & bad.

Along the way of being so sick,
I was given a diagnosis of: this, this, this, this, this and eventually this.
Multiple times I'd have these, so bad I could barely move.
I'm cool, because I have this. Which made them tell me I had this for a bit. In fact, I was supposed to have a follow-up MRI to completely rule this out, but I lost insurance and wasn't about to pay for it. So....I guess I'm naively believing in faith I don't have it.

They also tell me I have a yet to be determined autoimmune disease. But for various reasons that are to long, complicated and confusing to spell out here, they have yet to figure out which one or multiple ones I do have.

(ALL of this doesn't bother me in the least. I know I live on borrowed time and am no closer to death today then what HE deems. That's enough for me)

Thankfully, all this testing in my brain showed that I had this and this. Which lead to this surgery in March 08. BEST decision I ever made.

I didn't realize with everything else going on that I was in such chronic pain for so long. But I remember the first thought I literally had after surgery was "no pain." Considering all the pain I should have had with coming out of a major surgery like that, I knew I must have been in so much pain and just gotten used to it.

Some fun facts from this medical season in my life:

• The most vials of blood I ever had taken at one time was 13. Prior to that, it was 6. I thought that was a lot! Now, getting only 2 is like nothing. I'm a blood giving pro
• I once drove to a specialist down in Philly with my dad to see one of his professors at Temple Medical Hospital in a snow storm. 
• They told my parents I might not live another two weeks. (I don't remember this at all...I was really not with it much that Jan/Feb '07)
• My fever was between 100-103 for weeks, then it would drop way to low for a bit, then go back up.....
  
• My surgery scar is on my neck, but my doctor was SO good, you can barely see it.
• Brocellosis is so eradicated in the US that I still have yet to find a doctor who's familiar with it and can give advice/treatment for me. All the doctors I've seen give contradictory advice.
• Also, Brocellos is listed as a terrorist weapon (like anthrax) so it was amusing seeing the response from people after testing positive for it.
• Who knows where I got ANY of this stuff.
•  The medicine they put me on to kill Bro.cell destroyed my body (in a good way). It also made my pee bright red. My sweat was red (stained some clothes), and my eyes red-ish too; I couldn't wear my contacts while on it. (this was supposed to happen)
• I was still able to graduate college with high honors and on time. SUCH a blessing from the Lord.
• Also, I only missed 4 days of work during all of this. Somehow in HIS infinite grace and mercy I kept and maintained a full-time job. Not to the satisfaction I'd normally like, but enough to get the job done and not be fired :)

Since being diagnosed with the nonactive thyroid and being on a supplement I can't tell you the quality of life I have again. I really feel like I am FINALLY back to my old self. I've gone from being on too many pills a day to count, to just one single pill. Also, my immune system is functioning pretty much like a normal persons would. I've been the least sick of ANYONE in my family (UNHEARD OF!) the past year.

I do have days of not feeling great and I'm constantly aware of certain things now. Like eating a certain amount of food (and type) at certain times, keeping my schedule stable, lots of other little things, etc. But compared to how it was and thought it'd always be.
AMAZING!

Sometimes I forget so fast how I spent months just laying not even able to lift my hand up with the phone to talk to a friend who called. How I'd pass out standing longer than 5 minutes, how frail I was....man, finding all this stuff brought back the memories! Even finding all this, and marking it down here, I know I am forgetting so many other things, not to mention all the things that happened because of all this diagnosing.
eish man

I guess God really is good after all. I sure like Him...

 .................................................................................................

(I am NOT contagious, anymore.)