My Progress

It has been a little over a month since I started going to the gym (April 22, 2009), and I still have had no major weight loss yet. The scale varies, sometimes it says I’ve lost 4lbs. and sometimes it says I’ve lost 2 lbs. BUT, I measured myself on May 6thth, and then today (May 26, 2009) and I have lost inches!!!

I’ve lost:

1 inch on upper arms
1 1/2 inches on chest
1 inch on waist
½ inch on thighs
½ inch on calves.

So I’ve lost 4 ½ inches total … GO ME!!!

I try to workout everyday, but I started when I was in school and was studying for finals, so I missed a week for that, and then I have missed several days from time to time for reasons beyond my control (gym was closing early, company coming over, not feeling well, etc.) So I would guess that I have really only went about a half of a month, so I think I am doing very well considering.

It was helpful that I listened to a CD my sister burned for me over the 7 deadly sins, and sloth and gluttony really convicted me. Our society is really pushing people to be gluttons with biggie size food and buffets. We should only be eating normal serving sizes, and not until we feel full. It is ok to leave food on our plates, really it is!

Overeating is a major cause of illness in this country … Diabetes is linked with it (type 2 that is), heart disease is linked to it, and vascular disease is linked to it, and high cholesterol and high blood pressure too, as well as other diseases, so maybe we should STOP overeating!!!

Have a great and glorious day!

[Insert Witty Title Here]

It has been a week since Austen started using his insulin pump, and things are going very well. I am thrilled at how well it is working and how Austen has taken the initiative in taking care of himself. I know how to work his pump, but he has been doing it all himself.

This is my first week of no school and I guess I am enjoying it ... it would be better if I weren't a tad under the weather with allergies, but it is better than driving to Paducah everyday. Although, I have had to drive to Mayfield for Austen's doctor appointment, and will have to again tomorrow to see the dietitian so she can adjust his insulin rates if necessary.

I have started Professor Grant Horner's Bible-Reading System, where you read 10 chapters of the Bible everyday. It is set up so that you are reading Proverbs and Acts completely through in a month, and you are also reading both the Old and New Testaments, which I like. I read my first 10 chapters last night, and plan on doing today's 10 here in a little bit.

God is good all the time, and I am always amazed and in complete awe of how he works!

ALSO, if you would be so kind to check out my sister's blog, she needs some help with getting to the Living Water's Ambassador's Academy that she was accepted into, so if you would like to donate to help her, please visit her blog. You can pay by PayPal or by credit card.

By donating you are entering in a chance to win a great book!

Insulin Pump - Day 1

Well Austen's first day on the pump was uneventful. He seems to be learning the ropes really well. (Good thing because mom doesn't know how to use it, but I am learning on my own, just in-case) His numbers weren't bad yesterdy, except for one, and that was because he took it off to do some exercise at the BCC and then misread the glucose reading and thought he was low and didn't cover for the food he ate.

They told us Monday night to only get half of his long acting insulin, and then eat breakfast Tuesday morning and not take a shot. Once we arrived at the hospital, she went through the teaching and then he checked his blood sugar and then he put on the pump and gave himself a bolus of insulin. Here are his numbers for day one: (May 12th)

2 hours after breakfast 222
Before lunch 176
2 hours or so after lunch 152 (he thought it said 52 so he ate while at the BCC)
After he got home from BCC 431 (around 8 PM, took a bolus of insulin with the pump)
Bedtime 220
1 AM 209 (May 13th)
3 AM 213
6 AM 186

Because of his age and hormones, they want him to be between 100-140. Once he becomes an adult, they will change that to 100-120.

His monitor that goes with the pump is so cool. As soon as he checks his blood sugar, it sends it straight to the pump without having to do anything. And the bolus wizard calculator on the pump keeps track of all of the bolus' he gets and keeps him from stacking insulin and going too low. It tells him how much insulin was for correction, and how much was for food, and how much is active. It is really a neat invention! Thank God he finally has it. I think Austen will take better care of himself now, because it is easier with the pump.

God Does Answer Prayer

Today at 9:30 AM we go to JPMC in Mayfield to meet with the Dietitian/Diabetes Care Center Coordinator to have Austen's insulin pump hooked up. It took 5 years of prayer, but God finally answered.

I have plenty of snacks and juice cartons just in case we need them, and I have his Glucagon kit in case of emergency. I need to stop by the store today and get some icing in a tube to keep in my purse. If he is unable to swallow but still conscious, you can put icing in their cheek and it will absorb and keep them from going into a coma.

Austen will love it if he constantly has to eat to keep his blood sugar up, I will be ready to admit myself into a mental hospital ... but that is the difference between a mom and a kid I guess. Kids don't realize how scary this disease is, but as long as you are educated and know what to do, then it helps to be more comfortable. I just don't want him to go so low in the middle of the night that he slips into a coma, that is really all I am worried about.

I know it will be a little scary at first. I will be getting up during the night to make sure he doesn't go too low, and I will be a nervous wreck until he gets leveled out, but it's worth it. God has protected him from eye and kidney damage thus far, so I wonder what God has in store for him.

Please pray that Austen stays in a normal range so that both him and I keep our sanity :) Have a great, glorious, and blessed day! Oh, and don't EVER give up on something you have prayed about, keep praying because God might say yes in His time!

Thank God It's Friday!

I don't know why I am TGIF for, I have to study this weekend for my lab final in medical micro. I think I'm running out of creative names for my posts :)

I've been going to the gym since April 22nd, and one week I had to miss because of studying for nursing exams and finals, but as of today I have lost 4 lbs!!! I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it is spot on where I should be, as you are not supposed to lose more than 2 lbs. per week.

I have changed the way I eat. Right now I am just trying to keep my calories under 1500. That means no seconds, and no real fatty foods or junk food. But other than that I am eating what I want. I'd really like to be eating healthy, but eating healthy is expensive. Those changes will have to be made slower. I consider it great progress to lower my calories and go to the gym everyday to work-out ... AND drinking a lot more water than usual :)

PLUS, I've been in God's word everyday since Saturday, which helps to get me spiritually in shape. I know I need that more than being physically in shape. Especially right now, when even though I know I have been forgiven by God and the people I hurt, I feel like there are some who have not forgiven me, and only a few people knew what was going on so that has me puzzled. I am trying hard not to take it personally, and will be praying for God to work in those situations as well. Maybe it's me, I don't know. God got a hold of me and showed me where I was wrong, so I know he can fix anything.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Waiting To Exhale ...

I have my last final exam on Monday, May 11th at 8:00 AM. It is the lab exam for Medical Microbiology, and it consists of being assigned an unknown bacteria and applying different stains and doing different procedures to find out what bacteria it is. EXCITING! [enter sarcasm here]

I have a very busy week this next week, so please keep me in your prayers. My son gets his pump on May 12th, so he will need your prayers as well since it could cause him to become low at first, and is very scary. My birthday is May 14th (I'll be 35) ... I sometimes feel much older than that. Then on May 15th I have a renewal CPR class. After that I have the summer to rest and recuperate. :-)

Starting in August, I will have one semester left of nursing and then I will be studying for state boards. I cannot wait! I've been in school now for two and half years, and I'm ready to be finished and working in the hospital. It's almost over! Thank God!

The Bible Says ...

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:31-32

A lot of people told me that it took a lot of courage for me to get in front of the church and apologize to someone I had hurt. I only did what God commanded of me to do. But, in my opinion, it took a lot of courage for the person I hurt to forgive me, because forgiving someone that has hurt you is very hard.

This scripture makes it clear that we are not to be angry, and that we are to love one another, and yes, forgive others the way God forgave us.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Update On Obeying God

As mentioned in my previous post, God made it clear to me yesterday morning that I was to apologize to a brother in Christ. I did not know how exactly I was going to do it and at the last minute came up with a plan. I told the person I wanted to talk to them after church, but, I had a deep feeling that I was supposed to go down during the invitation and make a public apology. (something I really did not want to do, and I was trying to improvise) God said uh-uh.

Our Pastor preached on obeying God ... is that not a God moment? ... I was like "OK, I understand, I will do this, just please help me do it graciously." I wanted to do it, I needed to do it, I was just scared to death!!! At the time of the invitation my first thought was to just ask the person to come down with me so that I could apologize to both him and the Pastor (another way to improvise), but again, God said no, he had other plans ... I did not have a plan of what to say ... I just asked God to take over and help me do it.

I ended up making a very public apology in front of the whole church, and afterwards hugged my brother in Christ and apologized again. He apologized to me too, which I had not expected and would have been fine if he hadn't of, but it assured me that God had gotten to us both, and that now everything would be OK.

The only downside to this is that I don't think I apologized to my Pastor, and I had intended to, but once I was put in front of the church with a microphone in my hand, I almost forgot my own name ... I don't speak well in front of large groups. Anyway ... Wednesday I plan on making sure to apologize to my pastor as well.

We felt very welcomed back to our home church. I was hugged by tons of people, and it blessed my heart to know that even when you do wrong, your brothers and sisters in Christ will forgive you and love you anyway! God is good, and all I know is that even when it's tough and not the way you want to do something, listening to God is always the best way. I feel so much better now, and I know that both God and my brother have forgiven me, and now I can be back into fellowship with them both!

Obeying God

Yesterday I was thinking about how God has not given us a clear answer about where to go to church yet. I picked up my In Touch magazine and started to read the daily devotionals and then read some in my Bible. I prayed last night, again, for God to give us an answer we would see. This morning we were watching Faith Center on TV, and then Charles Stanley came on and talked about anger, and how it doesn't matter what someone does to us, we must let go and forgive. Then he told a story about a man that stayed out of church for 5 years over something that Charles Stanley said that made him angry.

I felt so convicted, like God was telling me that in order for me to be forgiven for letting my anger keep me out of my church, I needed to apologize to someone, even though I feel they should apologize to me. I know I have said and done things that have hurt them, and so how can I expect them to do the right thing if I don't? It doesn't matter if they do the right thing or not, I have to do what God says regardless.

I don't know if this means we go back to our church for good, I know the kids really like Pathway, and if it gets them to listen and get fired up for God, than that's fine, but I don't feel like Pathway is home to me. And we have been less involved in church since leaving our home church.

Anyway, I have deleted all of the posts that I made that could have been hurtful to the person I need to apologize to, and if I see more, I will delete them too. I guess I was fooled into thinking that it was OK as long as I didn't mention names, but God knew who I was talking about... I have been very emotional all day since watching Charles Stanley, and even everything that Pastor Mike said seemed to enforce what Charles Stanley said, even though he wasn't saying anything even close ... so I know God is wanting this. Now I just have to swallow my pride, humble myself, and do the right thing ... and that is the hardest part. Please pray for me!

3 Semesters Down, 1 To Go!

Well today was my last day of nursing 203. We had a potluck dinner and it was delicious! Everyone passed this semester, no one failed, THANK GOD! These people are like family, we spend more time with each other than we do our own family's, and so when we lose one it's hard ... but we didn't, so that's great!

I still have Medical Microbiology until May 11th, May 12th Austen gets his insulin pump installed, then May 14th is my birthday, and then the 15th I have CPR renewal. But after that I am done until August 17th, so I can relax and study 2-4 hours a week to keep up on everything.

I am tired, no I'm beyond tired, I'm suffering from severe information overload. I'm going to go take a nap and then head to the gym ... I haven't been able to workout all week, and I'm ready to burn off some stress!

Why I Hate Mondays

We have a 2003 Ford Windstar. Yesterday we were on our way to Wal-Mart to buy groceries when all of a sudden the RPM's went up and the van would not go. We pulled off the side of the road, and then it started going again. Apparently it will go as long as you keep the speed below 40 mph.

Stanley called his dad and asked him if he would sell us his 2003 Taurus and let us pay for it with income taxes next year, otherwise we would be without a vehicle and I would have no way to school. We are still plan on fixing the van, as it has a great motor, it doesn't use a drop of oil, but times are hard right now and we do not have the funds to put another transmission in.

We stopped by his parents house to get the car, and I went in to check on my mother-in-law. She had a stroke two weeks ago and her blood pressure has been running high. I checked mine to be able to gage how accurate her monitor was. My BP usually runs 100-110/60-70 so when it said mine was 110/78 I knew it was pretty accurate. She checked hers and it was 201/100, I immediately told her how dangerous it was for her BP to be that high. She said it had been higher than that and nothing happened ... my father-in-law had tried to get her to go to the hospital over the weekend and she wouldn't go.

I told her she was a ticking time bomb waiting for something to happen, and she needed to call her doctor or go to the hospital, I pleaded with her. I called her doctors answering service and they said to go to the emergency room, so my father-in-law took her, and she is still there this morning, but she may get to come home today. They got her BP down to 170 over something, that's better, but it is still way too high.

Please pray for my MIL, pray that God will direct her doctors to make some good changes to her BP meds and it will start keeping her in a normal range, otherwise she could have another stroke, or even a heart attack.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Austen's insulin pump was delivered via UPS today ... PRAISE THE LORD! Talk about an answer to prayer, and a 5 year prayer at that. It just goes to show you that it is all in HIS time and not ours.

The box was huge and contained everything we could possible need for a while. It even has a device that inserts the IV cannula into his belly fast so that he doesn't have to do it manually. AND it came with a blood sugar monitor that sends the readings to the pump, is that cool or what?

They calculate that he will use 20% less insulin with the pump, and he will definitely get better control. We just have to be diligent about keeping snacks on hand and a Glucagon kit in case he goes too low. But WOW! After 5 years, he finally has the pump!!!! I'm so EXCITED!!!! We just have to wait to use it until we go to the dietitian and get taught how to use it and she has to set it up for him.

I'm amazed at God's mercy and grace, His love is awesome!

Counting It Down

We have two exams left in the next week of nursing school, and then we are out for the summer. Medical micro will continue thanks to our lovely professor who always changes things on us. Our last lab exam is now on May 11th ... PFFFT!

The pump people called yesterday and they are shipping out Austen's insulin pump. It sure took them long enough!!! It should be here in a few days and then we have to go see the dietitian for her to set it up.

Now ... it's my bedtime, I have worked out for a total of 2 hours and 50 minutes and I'm dog tired :) Have a blessed sleep!

Busy Couple Of Weeks Ahead

The next couiple of weeks are going to be crazy. I have set up mobile blogging so that I can do it from my phone, but I'm not sure how much time I will have. This is what the next couple of weeks looks like for me. Your prayers would be appreciated, THANKS!!!

Monday April 20, 3009

Medical Microbiology @ 7:45-9:30
Nursing Exam #5 @ 3:30

Wednesday April 22, 2009

Medical Microbiology Lab Exam @ 7:45-9:30
Comprehensive Pharmacology Quiz @ 3:30-4:30

Friday April 24, 2009

All Meds Publishing Campus Labs are Due

Monday April 27, 2009

Disaster Lab

Tuesday April 28, 2009

Nursing Exam #6 @ 2:15-4:00 Anderson Technical Building

Wednesday April 29, 2009

OFF FOR STUDY DAY

Thursday April 30, 2009

HESI Nursing FINAL EXAM @ 2:15-5:15 Anderson Technical Building

Friday May 1, 2009

HESI SCORE REVIEW
Class Potluck

May 4, 2009

Medical Microbiology Final Exam @ 10:00 Waller Hall (LAST DAY OF CLASS)

UPDATES

Stanley's mom is doing better. I stayed the night with her last night so that my father-in-law could get some sleep. I slept pretty good, and so did Lura, but Stanley can't sleep without me at home, so he didn't sleep well at all.

Her right carotid artery is stopped up and so they did a CT angiogram this morning to see how bad it was. They don't know the results as of yet, but I think surgery is in her near future.

Austen's insulin pump should be here in the next week or two! A lot of bad stuff is going on, but God continues to show us His presence and that He is still working in our lives! Going to Pathway again on Sunday.

When It Rains It Pours

Please pray for Stanley's mom. She had a stroke in her sleep Tuesday night, woke up Wednesday morning not feeling well, had a headache and blurred vision, but did not let anyone know. Stanley's dad came home from work Wednesday afternoon and noticed her acting funny, checked her blood pressure and it was very high, so they took her to Western Baptist. She is now on the 5th floor awaiting tests to see why she had the stroke. (probably the high blood pressure).

The stroke was in the back of the brain in the area that controls vision. She still is having vision problems, and has a hard time thinking about things. She does know who she is, where she is, and what happened though, so that is good. Praise God it isn't any worse than it is.

If you have a stroke, you have a 3 hour window in which to reverse the damage. She was well past that window, so God must have been looking out for her.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Well we took Tanner to see Dr. Swain in Murray. He said that the lump was not anything serious. It is a hormonal thing, like male boobs, that should go away on it's own, but he is still going to monitor it to be safe. He said that he could remove it if it became bothersome or embarrassing for Tanner, but that it was harmless. I am so very thankful for this news because the radiologist made it sound like it was really bad. I know many of our friends at our old church have been praying for him, the family has been praying, and a lot of my school friends, so I am so thankful that God heard these prayers and everything is fine. God is so good!

Thank you God for hearing the many prayers on Tanner's behalf. Thank you for protecting him and thank you for the peace you gave me last week ... I knew it was going to be a good outcome, and it was all because of YOU! You are a great and glorious God and I don't deserve the favor you have shown to me and my family. THANK YOU! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!

On This Day ...

On this day 17 years ago, Stanley and I got married. We did not get married in a church either time we got married. (we divorced in 1997 and lived together and then we remarried in 2003) We have been talking about renewing our vowels this fall in the church. My original plan was to have the pastor that saved (meaning, walked me to the Lord) and then baptized me and baptized all of our kids, to perform the service. I don't know what we will do now. But I really think it is important for us to renew our vowels in a church, since we both rededicated our lives to Christ after we got married the second time, and since we never had that church wedding.

It would be nice to have pictures and family and friends there ... It saddens me how my plans have been shot down. Yeah I'm feeling sorry for myself. You picture your kids getting married in the church you have known most of your life, and BAM, it ain't going to happen, and it upsets me!

Happy original Anniversary Stanley ... I love you more now than I did then, you are an amazing husband, friend, lover, and father. I am so happy God kept us together!

Catching Up

Last night I was texting my BFF, and she was worried that I was going to be worrying all weekend about Tanner's lump since we don't see the surgeon until Monday. I told her that it is what it is and me worrying isn't going to change that. I think he will be fine. I did not know that at church last night that the kids in TeamKid prayed for him. It could be the reason why I am feeling better about things. I'm sure of it actually because I know that God answers prayer, especially when more than one person is praying for the same thing while believing the prayer will be answered. God is so good!

We have 3 1/2 weeks of school left for this semester ... I can't believe it!!! It seems like I just started the first semester and now I have just a little over a semester left! December will come fast after school starts back in the fall. Especially since we will only have class for two months and then our Preceptor the following two months. Then I will take my Boards sometime in January and I could be working as an official RN sometime after that! My dream is almost a reality, and I can only thank God for it ... and my husband of course, for doing most of the chores to allow me to study.

I have a paper to write today for school, two actually, but one is due on Friday. I also have some studying to do and some note cards to write for medical micro. I am so happy that our micro professor changed the date of our final exam. We have our last unit exam in nursing on the 28th, then we were supposed to have our micro final on the 29th, and then our nursing final on the 30th. He felt sorry for us and moved the micro final to the 4th ... THANK GOD! That was too much! The last two weeks of nursing and micro are bad enough as we have 6 tests! Can we say OVERLOAD? Thank God summer break is almost here, and I can study at my own pace with no pressure to stay on top of everything for my comprehensive nursing final in the fall that covers everything we have learned so far from every semester.

Well I am off to study and do some laundry. have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Surgical Consult

We have a surgical consult about Tanner's lump on Monday at 3:00 PM with Dr. Swain in Murray. Your continued prayers over this scary situation will be highly appreciated. Thank you.