366 days ago

One year ago yesterday the docs at good ole Kaiser had slowly weaned me of the drugs that had kept me in a coma for five days. Yup.... my third medically induced coma of my then 24 years.

I had gotten Septic Shock on a Saturday night, woke up Sunday shivering, vomiting, other things (ing) and went to the emergency room. When we got there, the doctor told Bry I was in cardiac arrest and to call my parents so they could get down in tim

e to say goodbye to me. (Don't worry... I didn't die)

They intubated me (aka: big huge tube down my throat so that they could put me in the coma)

By the time my parents got there I had two central lines in, one in each side of my neck, and the Doctor told my parents I wouldn't make it through the night, and to call my sisters so they could come up and say goodbye. (Don't worry...still didn't die).

The bacteria that put me in cardiac arrest had coursed throughout my blood stream and I was in multiple organ failure. kidneys were shot, liver was on the outs... and heart was still a mess.

I made it through the night (yay) and then was in the ICU for five days. Woke up still intubated and immediately began begging them to take the tube out. Via handwritten notes because I clearly couldn't talk.

Something really cool about this time: while i was in the ICU, there was a family whose mother had a stroke and was also in the ICU. There were four adult children and their faither, all in the ICU waiting room all the time, all strong Christians. They were such a blessing and encouragement to Bryan during all of this, and then why I woke up in the ICU they would come in and pray for me. When I woke up I was soooooooooooooooo confused, beyond confused about what had happened. And they came in and prayed for me within the first 24 hours that I remember. One of the sweetest memories of fellowship and community that I have ever had was one afternoon they came in and played and sang worship songs with Bryan and I. I still had an oxygen mask (think darth vader status) on, and could barely sing a whole note without become totally winded, but that afternoon I knew the power of the Holy Spirit was with me as I sang praise to the Lord in the ICU with these fellow believers.

Eventually I was moved from the ICU to the telemetry unit where they could monitor my heart better, and my friends still came to visit me.

The last week on the telemetry floor was one of the most difficult times I have been through, I can't lie about that. I was struggling and confused and just reeling from everything that had happened. I now had been through "cardia arrest" and "heart failure" and been told that I might need to have an oxygen tank forever. It was a dark time.... and I am forever grateful for these friends that were there with me praying and rejoicing in what the Lord had saved me from (dying) and what the Lord taught me.

I was listening to a sermon by Matt Chandler on Colossians and it challenged me to recall the truths I was struggling to remember during that time. The text is here or the audio is here.

Selfishly, I am really hoping not to have any more of these anniversary of a near death hospital trip posts....but come what may, I am the Lord's.

I have my echocardiogram tomorrow morning...one year since my heart failure.... and i am praying that my heart will be fully recovered and I will be heart medication free. But as I said... come what may, I am the Lord's.

P.s. the only permanent damage from all the was a little gangrene in my arm from an arterial line that got infected.

The blurry hospital picture of the gangrene arm

The gangrene scar

MRI results....

Are good!! Neurologist called on Friday to say that the mass was "stable" and that I will get another MRI in 6 months. wahoo!!!!

Fashionista

Last Night after dinner, I went for a walk

with my grandpa, I mean boyfriend.

Kahakis....running shoes...and a khaki fleece.

Gotta love him.

Check-Up

Results should be in by Monday. :)

Not Fraggle Rock....Castle Rock!!!

Do you remember the show Fraggle Rock? No? Maybe this will help jar your memory. Either way, it doesn't matter... this post has nothing to do with fraggle rock..it just sounds like Castle Rock... which Bryan and I went to on Sunday.

Its a lovely little "hike" (i use the term loosely) through the mountains outside Saratoga.

Took us to a cool little waterfall and

had some fun rock formations.

Fun, fun, fun day!!

winna winna, chicken dinna

went to the grocery store to get some chicken. not a mom and pop grocery store. a real grocery store. Nob Hill grocery store. (sue me for defamation if you choose.) They were out of fresh chicken. I asked the nob hill grocery store man, "excuse me, did you move the chicken to a different location....there isn't any in the case?" he says, "no, I'm sorry.... we are out of chicken." Out of chicken. thats just crazy to me. i mean, don't get me wrong....its not the end of the world....but that would be like costco being out of toilet paper. weird.

p.s. i went to lucky...they had chicken.

Gloria a Dios

I am unpacked, my pictures have been uploaded and I have caught up on sleep. But I am just scratching the surface of processing everything that the Lord taught me during the King City trip.

Things I LOVED about the trip:

Spending time with Karen and Ann Marie, two of the other female leaders on our team.

Seeing the children in King City so excited to learn the memory verses at VBS each day.

My role on the team was to do crafts with the parents that came with their kids to the VBS. It was a test of my Spanish, but an amazing opportunity to share what the Lord is doing in my life and hear what he is doing in the lives of others. Many of the women there didn't know the Lord and so having this opportunity to share some of the attributes of God with them was an incredible blessing.

Doing ministry alongside Bryan. Praying for the kids/adults together, growing together and working together.

My TEAM!!!! The high school students were so encouraging! The way they interacted with the kids at VBS, the way they served each other, and the way they loved what they were doing in King City. It was tiring for them, and they gave it their all.

All of the High School students that were so ready and willing to serve.

The daily reminder that all of this was/is possible by the grace of God alone. All of the things that he has done in my life and in the lives of others.

I shared parts of my testimony with many of the parents of the VBS kids, and they were in awe of God's grace and what a comfort and stronghold he has been in my life. I am praying that I will be as in awe of these things as they are.

Thank you all for praying!!!