The Joy of The Lord is My Strength

As I write this I am on an airplane to travel home for a few days. I look forward to my time at home even if it means that I have four or five different doctors appointments between Friday and Monday morning. I treasure the time I get to spend with my sweet family. I get to see them every seven and a half weeks as I travel home for doctors appointments. I also get to this sweet precious little boy named Ben and his parents. :) They have become family to us and I look forward to seeing them.

Crohn's Disease hasn't stopped me and I don't plan to allow it to. It may slow me down or keep me from doing all I want to do but it certainly hasn't stopped me. One of my challenges this semester has been keeping the energy to student teach in the midst of a flare. When the Lord placed me at Pearl Haskew for student teaching just over a year ago I had no idea the blessing the school, teachers, staff and students would be to me. Even on the days I wake up feeling weak or crummy I look forward to going to the Pearl. I can't believe I will finish student teaching and graduate in under 50 days. One of my previous Gastroenterologist had a goal to get me through school! Reaching this goal is so close and I can't wait to share that with him.

"...do not grieve, for The joy of the the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) This scripture couldn't be any truer for my right now. Without the Lord I would not be able to push through the weakness and pain that Crohn's can cause on my body. The Lord has surely blessed me in so many ways and for that I am forever grateful. I know He has a perfect plan for my life in so many ways, including using my Crohn's.

I've been on steroids since July now and this week I've been a little frustrated as I can not seem to wean to a lower dose without getting significantly worse. There are many days I'll avoid food until a certain point in the day so that I can make it through the day teaching. I'm thankful for modern medicine and the ability for doctors to continue to research new ways to treat Crohn's. I'm on a fairly new infusions medication that is still in the safety trail phase. I have been on it since May and we are still not saying 100% if it is working or not working. We are believing that it will be the medicine that helps me successfully manage my Crohn's. :) Each day I pray for the Lord's will in my life in every aspect, including remission of my Crohn's.

As I am flying home I look forward to being able to have the comfort of home and being with my amazing parents. They have been so amazing through this entire journey. They often give time of their crazy schedules to go with me to the doctor, fight the insurance battles, or comfort me when I'm frustrated. The Lord has blessed me with so many cheerleaders and supporters in my life. I can't wait to see what He has in store for my life.

School is Out for the Summer

Spring Semester has ended and I am soaking up the free time I have this summer. I am looking forward to a fun, relaxing, and restful summer after a crazy semester. Spring semester was rather challenging in many ways for me, but I am praising the Lord for the strength He gave me each and every day.

Receiving my cords for NSCS. I am thankful for an incredible young lady that has taken over as President of the South Alabama chapter.

Over Christmas break I began switching medications for my Crohn's Disease from Remicade to an injection therapy, Humira. I did not respond well to this injection therapy and at the beginning of the semester. It was hard to start the semester flaring and having little to no energy. I was placed on steroids to hopefully kick the flare and allow my Humira time to work. Unfortunately that was not the case and after twelve weeks of being on the medicine I was declared a Humira failure. I was able go off and on steroids throughout the semester but remained on steroids more often than not. I have a love/hate relationship with steroids. Steroids help me to feel better and give me a boost of energy, but unfortunately there are side effects such as a racing heart, insomnia, and fluid retention. Steroids were a life saver for me this semester as I fought to have energy to complete classwork and student teach three days a week.

After being my doctor and I made the decision together to declare Humira a failure therapy for my Crohn's we had to decide on a treatment option that would be best. After a lot of discussion we thought that the next best step for me would be to try the newest medication on the market for Crohn's Disease: Entyvio. We began the approval process for the medicine Mid-March and after 9 weeks we are still trying to over come hiccups pertaining to getting the medicine approved. My nurse has been wonderful and done all she can to make sure I can get this medicine. After hitting many roadblocks in getting the medicine approved we have also hit bumps in finding an infusion center or treatment center that is willing and able to administer the medication. Because of the roadblocks I have encountered in the process of getting Entyvio approved I have gone several months without an infusion or injectable medications for Crohn's. I continue to stay on my daily medicines, but have not had the energy level I should and had to be very careful in watching what I eat. As I continue to move forward in this process I am trusting the Lord's plan because I believe He will work out all of the details.

 

I was inducted into Who's Who Among America's Colleges and Universities in April

It was a very busy semester with 15 hours of coursework and student teaching three days a week. I continue to enjoy student teaching at Pearl Haskew Elementary. I was in third grade this semester and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been blessed with incredible cooperating teachers and classes both semesters I have been at Haskew. Through my coursework this semester I was challenged and learned more about effectively teaching students. My Crohn's created some challenges, especially with a lower energy level, throughout the semester, but I relied on the Lord for my strength each day to complete assignments, go to class, and student teach. At the end of this semester I was incredibly thankful to have completed the semester through the ups and downs and challenges Crohn's presented throughout the semester.

 

My last day of student teaching for the semester. I will miss those sweet third graders. 

One of the most exciting parts of this semester was filling out and turning in my graduation application. December 12, 2015 will be a very special day. I am super excited to complete my last semester of student teaching and I will fulfill the last of my requirements for my bachelors degree. Freshman year of college I was extremely sick and was diagnosed with Crohn's. Although it has created challenges along the way The Lord has given me the perseverance to push through. All the Glory goes to Him!

  

Graduation Application: Check!!! So excited for December 12, 2015

What Does it Feel Like to Have Crohn's Disease

What Does it Feel Like to Have Crohn's Disease? I have been asked this question a number of times before and I have never really had a good answer or explanation. This morning I ran across the article, But You Don't Look Sick? The Spoon Theory, written by a Christine Miserandino who has Lupus. She wrote this article when she was in college while discussing with a friend what it felt like to have Lupus. This Spoon Theory can be used to describe what it feels like to have a chronic illness. There have been a number of Crohn's Disease Patients that have used this Spoon Theory to describe what it is like to have Crohn's.

This article is a rather long one, but it is well worth the read. There are some days that I have more energy than others, but I am beyond thankful that I don't have to rely solely on my own strength. The Lord has been so good to me in providing me the strength to push through those days when I feel my weakest. One of the hardest things since I have been diagnosed for me to do has been to recognize my limits. There are days that recognizing these limits is hard but it has gotten a little bit easier.

The idea behind the Spoon Theory is that someone with a chronic illness starts with a certain number of spoons each day. Everytime that one does something that requires a decent amount of energy you have to give up a spoon. Each day I have to consciously think about the choices I make in regards to what I do and the activities that I participate in. If I want to go out to eat with friends one night I might have to give up running errands that day. Having to choose to stay home or not get things done that I want to get done is something I am still getting used to and isn't always the most fun. Just like the author of the article points out, I have learned to keep an extra spoon in reserve in case I need it because I started off with fewer than a typical day, I woke up feeling bad, or  I need to get more accomplished that day.

I am so thankful for the family and friends that make up my support system. They have been understanding and supportive when I just don't feel up to going out to eat or going to an event. I hate to miss out on things, but I have learned that I can't help this. I have to be mindful of what my body can handle. Christine Miserandino does a wonderful job of describing what it feels like to live with a chronic illness.

Christine Miserandino

Christine Miserandino