IPAC

Today was Noelle's first Insulin treatment. She was really nervous. We joked about other's reactions to the treatment. Her friend, after hearing about the treatment said, "Is that safe?". My mom asked how they would bring her glucose levels back up. But she had a lot of nervous energy and a lot of anxiety about the unknown.

This helped. Just kidding. I do think they do chemo in this room for their cancer patients.

She made a glove turkey to help burn some energy:)

Supplies at the ready. First Noelle had her oxygen. This is meant to enhance all her treatments, and improve their effectiveness.

Then they tested Noelle's starting glucose level. According to a google search:), normal is 70-100. Noelle's was 88. She had to have 8 pokes this morning to check her glucose. This is hard because her fingertips are sensitive due to her oversensitive nerves. Next time we are going to try numbing them.

First Noelle was given Zofran and Toradol, then Insulin. Her glucose was monitored. When it dropped below 70, her antibiotic, Rocephin, was given. After the antibiotics, her glucose was again monitored. When it dropped below 40 she was given PME, Polymannan Extract, a plant based sugar and Dextrose.

She got very hot after treatment. This is her amazing cold hat;) Along with the PME and Dextrose, Noelle had to eat to help return her glucose to normal. She had to fast this morning before the treatment.

After her glucose was once again tested. (142) She hit the sauna and we were done for the day. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will be Noelle's IPAC days. They will also be our short days. Her treatment started at 8:30 and we were done about two hours later. So far, no negative reactions. Tuesdays and Thursdays will now be really long days. She will receive all her other treatments on these days. Two of which really mess with her stomach.

Night Driving

It is not unusual for Noelle and I to go for a drive around 8 in the evening. There are many evenings when Noelle cannot set aside her anxiety and relax enough to wind down and sleep. So we drive. Last night, we thought we would check out the fountain at night. You really cannot capture the beauty of this fountain. So for the fifteen minutes that it goes off every hour, I watched and Noelle tried to burn off her extra energy/anxiety:)

recap

Thursday: Noelle did not have a good day, especially emotionally. Her anxiety was out of control so we did not make it in to Envita for treatment. We did make it out that evening for supper. We had great burgers, with gluten free buns, at Rehab Burger.

Friday: Noelle had a great day of treatment. We did adjust the level of her Vitamin C due to the fact that she felt very ill after that treatment on Wednesday.

On Tuesday and Thursdays there are enough patients that there are actually assigned treatment rooms. We pretty much stay in the same room each time. One of the other patients in our room finished her treatment on Friday. She was cured of Ovarian Cancer! Her PET scan is clear! We will miss her, she was a ray of sunshine. She will be coming for maintenance doses and we will still be here in May when she comes back for her first maintenance dose. After hearing about some patients who come back for maintenance doses I asked Noelle's doctor if we should expect that for her. He said no.

Saturday: Pretty laid back day. I wake up pretty early; usually by 6:30. Probably because we go to bed early as well. Noelle sleeps later than I do so I started exercising in the morning. I have been either walking or swimming. The shoes that I brought have given me horrible blisters. So we found a sporting goods store, definitely not Scheels. Luckily, I found a self-confessed "shoe-nerd" who helped me find a new pair of shoes. Throw in a pair of goggles and a clearance Roxy purse for Noelle and we were good to go.

I have mentioned the diet we are trying to maintain, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, organic, and grass fed when appropriate. Well, everyone needs a cheat day. Saturdays have unofficially become our treat day. The first week was Sprinkles cupcakes, the second week was gluten free cheesecake from the farmer's market. This week was gelato!

It is described as a dessert lounge. How awesome! Noelle stayed with the cheesecake theme, and that is the flavor she chose. I was seriously tempted by the Adult Shakes, but chose a Mango gelato. Maybe next time!

And, today: I got up and swam, then listened to my home church service online. I actually listened outside since Noelle was still sleeping and I didn't have access to headphones. Noelle's stomach is pretty upset today. We did make a quick trip to Whole Foods. This afternoon she rested and I cross-stitched.

Not very exciting, I know. But this is it right now. I know some of Noelle's friends think that she is on vacation. That is certainly not the case. This is survival/healing mode.

Tomorrow Noelle starts the IPAC (Insulin) treatment. Please pray for her. Every new treatment brings with it its own set of side effects. This is directly treating the neurological Lyme so I would expect her emotions to be directly effected. Please continue to pray the her stomach can handle all of these treatments. So proud of her! She made it through week one of Flagyl, the oral antibiotic I mentioned earlier. It is a week on/week off.

NOELLE, YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER!!

"My Heart's Cry"

My parents sent me a box of books. Thanks Mom and Dad. In order to encourage my spiritual journey, I decided I would read one Christian book then one fiction. So this book is the first one I chose; written by Anne Graham Lotz. To be honest I am not in love with her writing style. She interrupts her writing with poetic lists way too often. But the following passage struck me:

"Actually, for the majority of people, including Christian leaders and teachers, life is just not fair! It's hard and often unlike what we expect."

The endnotes add, "While life is unfair and hard for everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike, the Christian has a decided advantage because we know our pressures, pain, and problems are not wasted. They serve a divine purpose that is ultimately for our good and God's glory."

Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

Doctor's Appointment

We will meet with the Doctor at Envita every two weeks. Today we had our first follow-up appointment. We reviewed some of the test results that have come in. We learned many important things. Noelle's immune system is operating at a level that is good for the state of her chronic illness. The Doctor is confident that Noelle will get better!

We did discover that Noelle is fighting two other chronic infections. She has Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV 6). Not related to the sexually transmitted Herpes virus. This virus if very common in children under 2. For Noelle, it has become chronic and persistent. The Hydrogen Peroxide and Vitamin C infusions Noelle is receiving will cover this infection. Noelle also has a bacterial infection called Mycroplasma Pneumoniae. This infection is both active and chronic. The antibiotics Noelle is on will cover this infection as well.

We are still waiting for the results of Noelle's Lyme co-infection test results. She was tested for Babesiosa and Ehrilchosis.

Noelle tested low in Potassium. This is a result of the medication that she is taking to correct the pressure in her head that was causing vision issues and optic nerve issues. She also tested very low in Vitamin D. Preferred levels are above 60, her's was 19. She will be adding both Potassium and Vitamin D supplements to her already vast regime of medicines and supplements.

Noelle has been experiencing more nausea than usual. This is most likely due to the treatments themselves, especially Vitamin C and the Hydrogen Peroxide. The Hydrogen Peroxide is pretty awful, it is the one I described earlier that gives a bad taste and even makes the patients' emit an odor through their pores following treatment. The doctor prescribed a nausea patch today, so we will try that tomorrow.

Since Sunday, Noelle has also experienced more emotional symptoms. This is very much a part of the neurological Lyme which we are battling. Please pray against the anxiety and depression, a general feeling of not being in control of one's emotions.

Thank you, Jesus!

I had prayed that we would receive a tax refund. I knew that it would help the financial strain from the costs of medical treatments. Today we learned that we are receiving a substantial refund! Very exciting! Great reminder that God cares about us, despite Noelle's health struggles.

Verse for today

This was in my devotional from "Jesus Today".

Matthew 6:34,
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.", the Message.

Clinging to God's words.