A Busy Week...

I am so sorry that it's already been a week and I haven't written! It's been a busy week. Here's a quick little summary of what's been going on...

Tuesday:
 I went down to Salt Lake to the Huntsman Institute to see my doctor for my osteonecrosis (avascular necrosis). My doctor and all of his team down there are so nice and so sweet!! As nice as it is to see them and hear all of their kind and supportive words, it's hard at the same time. When we were leaving, I was talking to my mom kind of about that....I was telling her how great the doctor is, how much I appreciate all of them, but at the same time how it's hard; because when I see this doctor, even though we were mainly seeing him to get his thoughts on the osteonecrosis in my elbows, we end up discussing the entire picture. It's kind of a realization that I do have osteonecrosis throughout the majority of my body, that I have had to have major surgeries this past year (in 2013), that I'm still facing some big surgeries, and that some things, we just don't have the answer to.
So, my doctor looked at the MRIs of my elbows, and said that the osteonecrosis is definitely there but the good news is that my elbows aren't "shot" (collapsed) yet. He wants to send me to an orthopedic doctor who specializes specifically with elbows, so that maybe that doctor might know some more ideas on if there's anything we can do to keep the elbows from collapsing (kind of salvage them, if you will). Then, I'll follow back up with the doctor at the Huntsman in about a year, unless we have any questions sooner. (Between now and then, he knows I have my follow-ups with my other orthopedic doctors specializing on the different joints.)
I was also able to go over to my sister Jodi's for a little while on Tuesday, go to a neat class/workshop up at the hospital (it's a 'Living Well with Chronic Conditions' class that they teach for anyone who has, lives with, or knows someone with any type of chronic condition; they teach all different things to help with them--it's great), and then to my institute class that night! Needless to say I was utterly EXHAUSTED by the time I got home!!
Wednesday:
On Wednesday I was hurting and things, so I took it easy most of the day. My Ehlers Danlos had been flared up for about a week or so, so I was struggling with my joints hurting and popping and things. I'm definitely learning that an Ehlers Danlos flare-up plus Osteonecrosis (Avascular Necrosis) in most joints is not a great combination!
However, despite the pain and things going on, there was definitely good things that happened that day as well...I was able to go get ice cream with my sister Jill for her birthday, and I had my follow-up with my ankle orthopedic surgeon and (drum roll....) I got my cast off!!! I am now in a boot and able to put weight on my foot!! Yea!! (I'll put pictures up next time.)
Thursday:
Thursday was a homework day--I worked on studying most of the day, and took it easy as well.
Friday:
Friday was quite the adventure...remember how I'd mentioned earlier about my Ehlers Danlos being flared up?! Well, due to my Ehlers Danlos I also have what is called dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is kind of term that is used to describe different problems/conditions that arise from problems with your autonomic nervous system. See, Ehlers Danlos is a collagen disorder/disease, and collagen effects about 80% of your body; thus Ehlers Danlos can cause a vast array of various problems/conditions/disorders (dysautonomia being one of them). Anyways...Since Dysautonomia deals with problems from the autonomic nervous system, it can deal with one's blood pressure and heart rate/pulse.
So for a few days my pulse had been staying fairly low (it usually wouldn't go above 60), I hadn't been feeling real great, and Thursday night-Friday morning I'd slept about 15 hours. I decided I'd go to the doctor to see what they thought since it'd been a few days. Well, long story short...I ended up having to go by ambulance from the instacare to the hospital. My blood tests looked good at the doctor, my pulse was doing pretty well, but I started not feeling well, was about passing out if I stood, and my blood pressure started dropping. In the ambulance however, they checked my blood sugar (glucose) again and it was low (it was only 45). At the hospital though, they were able to run a bunch of labs which came back fine, they were able to give me some IV fluids and glucose to get my blood sugars and blood pressure stabilized, and I was able to come home that night!
Saturday:
I had a test for school that I needed to take and study for (I'd planned on studying Friday), and I also rested.
Sunday:
I made it to sacrament, had my home teacher over, got some homework done, and rested.

Anyways....This week has definitely been busy--it was full of ups and downs--but throughout it all, I have felt beyond blessed!! The Lord has blessed me with tender mercies every step of the way this week! I've been blessed with a great doctor and team down at the Huntsman, I got to spend time with my sisters Jodi and Jill this week, I was able to go to institute, I've been attending an awesome class/workshops to learn more about chronic conditions and living with them (which has helped me find all different strategies for sleeping better, different action plans, making new friends, etc...), I've managed to get all my school stuff done on time and getting decent scores, my blood work was normal (we wanted to make sure my adrenal glands and things were still doing okay with things), my ER doctor actually ran into my primary care doctor on a Friday night while I was in the ER and he came down to check on me and say hi, I was able to make it to church, and I've started overcoming some huge obstacles (a little at a time) this week!! I am so grateful for a loving, eternal Heavenly Father who loves me (and each of you) and is ALWAYS there for each of us!!! I'm grateful for an amazing family, wonderful friends, and just the most awesome people in my life! I am unconditionally grateful for the Gospel in my life and the tender mercies that the Lord constantly blesses me with!!
I hope you are each doing well! I am excited to write more hopefully tomorrow about the exciting things I'm learning and overcoming throughout all of this (that I'd mentioned above) and a continued update on everything!

2013=A Roller Coaster Ride

I know, I haven't kept this updated with things, and I haven't posted in here in about 10 months! I'm sorry! I hope everyone is well! I've been thinking and I decided to start up with this blog again...if not for others to follow up on what's going on in my life, but for me. I think that writing about everything I'm going through in life (school, health problems, surgeries, and all the fun stuff that comes in life), will help me mentally and emotionally as I process some things, get to talk about fun and exciting things, and just being able to write about everything. So I will apologize right now if some posts are full of frustration, some are exciting and talking about things I'm accomplishing, and different things--this is my life...I love it and I am who I am! :)
Okay, anyways....It's SERIOUSLY time to do some catching up!!! I'm not going to go into serious detail or else this will end up as like the LONGEST post ever. So instead, I'm going to sum up things, and then start to write regularly (hopefully each day, but it might just end up at least a couple times a week). Feel free to leave comments if you want, ask any questions, or just feel free to read and follow things, whatever you'd like.
As you can tell from my title of this post, 2013 has been probably one of the biggest roller coaster rides I've been on. It's been full of highs and lows, twists and turns, times when I wanted so bad for the ride to just stop and give me a break, but the roller coaster has a plan of it's own (the Lord has His plan for each of us, and they happen in the time that it's meant to). Pres. Henry B. Eyring said: "Although His time is not always out time, we can be sure that the Lord keeps His promises." I love that quote, and I came across it at a time when I really needed that reminder. Although things don't always happen when and how we want them and in the time frame we want them...if that was the case, I would be married right now, have a little kid, be graduated from college, working, in grad school, etc...., but that's not the case, instead, I'm living at home, taking classes online (although I'm getting super close to my bachelor's degree), single, unable to work, and just doing my best each day. Those are totally different aspects from one another, but it's okay. Things have, and are, happening in the Lord's time frame, things happen for a reason (although we don't always know why), and in the end, the Lord still keeps His promises to us--it just may come in a different way and at a different time frame than we expected.
So, here's a quick recap of my 2013.....(I posted the following on Facebook on New Year's Eve of 2013):

 

I don't even know how to put 2013 into words--it definitely has been a growing experience in so many ways! 2013 has been full of several ups and downs! I made it through a year that I would've never thought I was strong enough to handle, but I so didn't do it on my own. I've been blessed with the most AMAZING family, friends, and medical personnel (doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc...who have become just like family and friends to me) that I could ever ask for!!! Here's a little of what my year's included (a quick sum up...the hardest things listed first):
--6 major surgeries (2 total knee replacements with long metal stems down into the tibia and up into the femur, a total hip replacement, core decompression of my shoulder with bone grafting, core decompression of my calcaneus/heel with bone grafting, and my ankle being fused)
--a combined total of about 11 weeks in a transitional rehab center and 12 days in the hospital
--Numerous tests (approx. 10 MRIs, 1 CT, over 20 x-rays, 2 ultrasounds, transfusions, lots of blood work, etc...)
--I managed to still finish 3 more classes for school with good grades
--I spent TONS of time with family and friends
--My adrenal glands started working again and I was able to get off the steroids (and lose the majority of the weight that came with them)
--I was able to start driving some again (I hadn't been able to really drive since about Feb. 2012) and got a new car
--I went through the temple (and to top that off, I was able to go through on my dad's birthday...I could so feel his spirit with me)
--I got to spend the week of Christmas (within just a time span of a few days) with every single one of my siblings, with my mom, and my step-mom for the first time in probably at least 10 years!!! (I've seen my siblings during this time, but not all during the week of Christmas!) And also with my sweet cousin and her family who I haven't seen in about 3 years!!
This year has definitely been a roller coaster (physically, mentally, and emotionally), but I've grown more throughout this year, been blessed more, and things than ever!! I am so grateful for everything and everyone in my life!! For 2014, I'm not going to make any HUGE resolutions (I'm not going to say no surgeries, because I know that won't happen; I'm not going to say to graduate from school, because I know that won't happen quite yet; I'm not going to say that I won't ever get frustrated, because I know that won't happen), but what I will say is this....In 2014, I hope to continue to have an amazing relationship with my family and to continue to love them, do all I can for them, and work for that; I hope to continue to strengthen my testimony by trying to go to the temple when I can, read my scriptures, pray, and look for missionary experiences; I hope to be as strong and healthy as I can be by listening (as much as I can--I do tend to be stubborn) to my body and taking care of it; I hope to strive to be a good friend to others; and I hope to be happy, continue to learn and grow, and be the best person that I can be!!

There's kind of a recap of what's occured in my life over the last year and what some of my goals are for this upcoming year. Even though I went through many things that I never would've thought I was strong enough to make it through (and I couldn't have made it through without the Gospel, my family, friends, and medical personnel), I was able to have some of the best experiences (going through the temple, start driving again, seeing all my family at Christmas, getting off my steroids) I could ask for!! 

One more quick thing I'll write about and then I'll be done for today. As you have already read in my recap of this last year, I have had both knees replaced, one hip replaced (the other will still need to be done), one ankle fused and core decompression (the other ankle will still need to have both those things done to it), and core decompression of one shoulder (so that we could put off having to do a replacement, and I'm putting off a replacement on the other shoulder as long as possible); we hadn't checked the severity of the osteonecrosis in my elbows (we just knew that it showed up that there was osteonecrosis in them in the bone scan in Aug. 2012). So this past Thursday they did MRIs on both of my elbows. So we will see what the doctors thoughts are on those. I also go down to Huntsman Cancer Institute tomorrow morning to see an orthopedic doctor who specializes with bone cancer actually, but he has also dealt with osteonecrosis a lot so we're going to talk with him about some things. 

I hope you are all doing well! :)