Monday, October 20, 2008

Chronic Illness

For nearly 5 years, I have been trying to connect people with similar needs. I would meet someone in New York with the same physical symptoms as someone in Michigan and say, "I wish you could talk to them, because you may be able to help each other." So one of the purposes of this blog is to allow people to share their needs and reach out to each other for advice, prayer, and support.

When dealing with chronic illness, it's easy to feel alone and like no one understands. We know we have a God who created our body, and He knows our body better than we could ever hope to. He is also gracious enough to give us other believers to walk with us through the struggles and pain and to help us understand our own bodies better.

Let's share together here. Feel free to let people know what's going on with you and how we can pray for you. If you have specific questions for folks, ask them. Let's love on each other!

Denise

5 comments:

Higher Ground said...

To get things started, I thought I'd share a bit about what's been going on with me over the past 5 years.

In February of 2004, I woke up one day and noticed a few of my toes were blue and burning. Over the next couple of weeks the symptoms grew worse. I saw many, many doctors over the next 4 or 5 months, and they kept sending me to a different specialist. The best diagnosis I got was "that's weird." Anytime my feet were cold or down for any length of time, my toes would turn bluish purple and that would work up through my feet if they were down for a longer time.

I took a trip to the Mayo Clinic in April of that year, where they took pictures of my feet for future research, but sent me home with no answers. As it got warmer, I noticed my feet were no longer blue unless they were down, but now both my hands and feet were turning red and burning like a very, very bad sunburn anytime I was outside in the heat.

After 2 years of struggling with different doctors, telling the same story over and over, and trying a multitude of drugs with some pretty bad side effects I needed a break. I went off of all of the medications and tried the natural approach. I detoxed my body from toxins, hooked myself up to a computer to see what was going on in my body, and tried a few other natural remedies.

I still have not found anything to help, but I have found what makes it worse-stress, weather, being on my feet. And I have discovered ways to survive the day.

Okay, so there's the physical stuff. I could fill up 3 screens with what God has done through this trial in our lives, but I'll try to be brief.

God has taught me humility, contentment, and an appreciation for life. He has increased my compassion for others and taught me how to share my vulnerabilities with others so they don't feel alone. Above all, He's shown me that He is with me every day, and that the miracle isn't always in the healing. Sometimes the miracle is just in knowing that He knows where we're going tomorrow (He's already been there), and at the same time He walks us through every step of today (Deut. 31:8). That's the miracle I've seen so far.

So that's my story, and the journey continues...I'm looking forward to hearing yours.

Denise

Higher Ground said...

We met a fantastic lady named Carol this weekend, and she has dealt with many different types of pain over the past 15 years. She'd been diagnosed with arthritis and had some other problems that sent her into the hospital several times. Her story of how God proved Himself faithful over the years is incredible, and I hope she gets on here and shares her story with everyone. God is good and so faithful.

Carissa Berens said...

One thing that I have and will continue to use are essential oils. Since i've become a licensed Massage Therapist I have stayed away from the medication and drugs. Also, one thing that always comes back to me, no matter what is going on is that God is in control. This past year, my faith has been tested with having to watch my dad go in and out of the hospital starting with a hip replacement and then a quadruple bi-pass, and now he is back in the hospital now, but I still have faith and see the fingerprints of God in this situation as well.

Higher Ground said...

Carissa,

Thank you so much for sharing. I totally agree with your statement that God is always there. For me, one of the main reasons for the trials in my life is to realize that He truly is always there. It grows our faith when we actually feel His presence in the darkness.

Do you have a specific chronic illness you use the oils for, or just for general health?

Carissa Berens said...

Well, specifically I don't have any illnesses but, i've given oils to different clients for arthritis, as well as well as hot flashes and use different oils on myself when I have any pain. I also use Lavendar quite a bit on my girls before naps and bedtime.