dreaming in color.
I turned 42 two weeks ago and I’ve seen many life changes over the past eight or so years related to escalating autoimmune disease.
What started with a diagnosis of celiac disease — that caused a GI bleed and profound anemia — quickly also brought rheumatoid arthritis.
The RA was brutal — and it was not manageable with long-term steroid therapy.
The daily prednisone — in addition to major weight gain, ridiculous bruising, and thinning skin — caused stress fractures in every metatarsal in my feet. Literally.
Eventually, one of those fractures would lead to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, also known as the Suicide Disease, one of the top three most painful conditions in the world.
The CRPS cycled through my left leg — excruciating, then my right leg — equally nightmarish, and now is systemic with all manor of crazy neurological symptoms.
With all those fractures, at some point, infection set up as well, and I fought multiple rounds of osteomyelitis in both feet — which led to septicemia — and required multiple surgeries as well as months of IV antibiotics.
Eventually infection would set up in my left SI joint and I would require hip surgery as well — and more IV antibiotics.
It has not been pretty.
All that said, while my days as a nurse came to an end in the midst of all of this, I am still here and I have improved greatly from my infections and from the initial stages of my CRPS — and I am so grateful.
Beyond that even, I share all of mud to share the amazing lotus. . .
When I had to stop working as a nurse, I had no way to know that eventually the Lord would see me back to school at the college I didn’t get to attend — despite having had a scholarship — when I graduated high school. At the time, I was crushed.
Now, they have an online program — and I will eventually finish grad school, a long held personal goal.
I also didn’t know that He would see me realize my dream of being a writer.
I didn’t really expect my little blog to be read by anyone. . .
Nor did expect to have any articles published. . .
Thank goodness, His plans are so much better than mine — because my first book is available for pre-order this Sunday, words I still cannot believe I am typing.
Out of this whole giant spoonie mess, He took it — and has used it for good, for a book of devotions for chronically ill people like me.
A book. My book. For Him.
He uses everything for our good and His glory.
Thanks be to God.
