My condition-An update

Seeing that I've left you hanging on the edge of what is wrong with me, I'm sure it's time for an update.
I have been back and forth to Cambridge, Addenbrookes, Spire Lea, and Lakenheath seeing doctors and being tested for so many things. I probably need a tranfusion myself after the many draws they have taken. I have faith that whatever it is, God can deal with it or move back to the states and hole ourselves up on a ranch somewhere, acting suspiciously till the feds come and see that we are doing nothing more than growing herbs and becoming nudists.(okay-you KNOW I'd never do that. People have known me for years and have never seen my skin except from the elbow or midcalf down!)
Okay now back to reality, so after seeing all of these drs, waiting for weeks for test results, being called on my PERSONAL cellphone by drs (one called me 3 times in ONE day, mind you. April says they call that stalking, I think I'm popular, ha ha),living with horrible joint and muscle pain and having to crawl to get around this house to get things done, I saw the rheumatologist ONE LAST TIME on Thursday.
(Did I tell you I put 300 miles on the van this week alone? Darryl had a hole in his heart plugged up on Wed -an ASD, they call it, and I had 2 appointments on that same day which had me driving from Lakenheath to Papworth, to Cambridge, back to Papworth, back through Cambridge, and then home. He ended up staying the night and I had to go and pick him up at lunchtime the next morning at Papworth, past Cambridge, back to Cambridge to get him lunch at McD's and then home. So you see where I'm coming from? Going round in circles! Ha, ha, ha!) Yes, I feel like I am losing it. He seems to be doing alright except for overdoing it the first 2 days, but he only has a half inch cut on his groin instead of having his chest cracked open, so he got away easy, THANK the Lord! If he is so hurt now, I could only imagine..............
Now back to me.... So the new diagnosis is UNIDENTIFIABLE! Can you believe that? Dr. Speed kept telling me she was sorry, but she couldn't figure out what was wrong with me except that something was wrong and they couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe it is pregnancy related and will go away after the baby is born. She couldn't guarantee that, but she was sorry and if my symptoms got worse then she is a phone call away.
Are you as frustrated as I am? I bet not! I just know I need to know something and I want to not feel pain and achiness all the time. I want to be normal again and hop out of bed in the morning to get breakfast started. I want to sit down and not have to adjust the pillows so my legs won't hurt. I want to be able to go to bed and not have to move and shift to be comfortable for 30 minutes then have some lightening pain shoot through my joints facilitating me having to reposition 3 pillows and recomfort myself again. I want to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night without fear of falling and having to use any solid piece of furniture to support my LONG 15 foot journey to a 2 hour relief.
I WANT TO BE ME AGAIN!!
I pray for something to help me be patient and have peace right now. I pray for my family who has half a me, and a grumpy half of me to deal with. Even Mr needs prayer for his speedy recovery so I can get him back to work and not be angry that he is sitting around playing video games and watching movies(resting, they call it) while I am trying to get things done.(Is that selfish?)
Pray for my niece to make it here safely on Thursday morning so I can hand over the reigns to her.
And most of all, I pray for Chloe who is about to be knocked out of her pole position by a new short person in town. She and I have so much fun together that I can't imagine someone else coming between us.
Lord help me!

Picking up the pieces

Well it's been a bit over a week since mama passed away and I find myself singing the last song they sang at her funeral, "I'm Trading my Sorrows". It's a nice song and quite catchy. Of course it wasn't as fancied up as it is here on YouTube, but they sang their hearts out for us and I do appreciate all that the Higher Praise Family Church did for our family. If you happen to go to the Fort Worth area, look them up and have a visit-they are a wonderful group of Godly people.

Here is the YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lO8c7fypM

I am waiting for the full impact of her being gone to hit me. It's creeping up slowly and I felt it's sting this afternoon when the children and I were in the car and I had to remember an uncles middle name and I couldn't. So I thought that I had better call mom and ask her when I got home. Then came the silence. She isn't here anymore and I can't ask her anything. She can't squeeze my hand, hug the children or forget ingredients to a recipe that she gave me(that's a whole 'nother story). Man, reality hurts and it's hard, but God has given my heart some peace in the form of humor. My mom was funny and I have that gene. My children have a bit of this gene too and when I was feeling low after wanting to call mom, my son says, "Hey what would happen if we could call Grandma in heaven?" "I can see it now, someone answers and I say, "Could I speak to Joyce England?" A voice says, "Hold on, please." (In the background, there is loud music and singing.)She answers and I say, "Grandma, it's me Wyndon." She replies, "Who?" ME, WYNDON, YOUR GRANDSON!" "Oh, Hi there Wyndon, I can't talk now, I'm in a conga line headed to a toga party. After that, there is a dinner buffet."Wyndon says,"How many times a day do they have this buffet?" Mom replies,"Oh, every hour! Well I gotta go! Bye!" Click.
We had a good laugh at that and could only imagine the wonders of heaven she is enjoying while we are down here picking up the pieces.
And knowing my momma, she is up there singing her heart out and waiting for the next pork buffet to roll around!

Remember my Mother

Dear Friends and Family,

My dear mother, Joyce England, passed away after suffering a series of strokes following surgery. She was a good woman and we are all so hurt by the loss of my mom.

Keep us in your prayers as we struggle with this.

Blessing the world in my mothers memory,
Misty, Darryl and the Children

When surgery goes awry

I am writing this from my sisters home in Fort Worth Texas where my whole family and I have rushed to get to my mothers side. She underwent a surgical procedure (July 27th), on her thyroid and was supposed to come home 3 days later. The day after the surgery she was sitting up and talking almost in a normal fashion. Later that afternoon, she seemed to be extremely sleepy but still trying to talk. The next morning, she was not awake when my sister and aunt came to visit. That evening, she was still asleep. The next day she could not be awakened.
My sister called me early Monday morning to tell me that I might want to consider coming home. Mom was in a semi-coma. She was transferred to the intensive care med/surgical ward. They were to do a cat scan that day and had called in a neurologist. I called and spoke with the nurse on duty and they were waiting for the scan to be over-I said that I would call in 6hrs. Six hours later I was informed by the nurse that my mother had had a series of mini strokes and was suffering the effects.
Now was the time to get home.
Thank God for the Red Cross.

All day headache

Okay, It was Monday in the wee hours and I was trying to sleep like anyone else should have been doing, but there it was-boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, chicka boom! My head was vibrating like I was running through a minefield and hitting all the mines!If you have a headach in your sleep, it makes for a miserable night and sets you up for an even more miserable day. So that began my Monday.

By 5:50am I was awake and inhaling acetaminophen and water (possible dehydration?). At 6:05 the phone rang- my sister from Texas to tell me that mom was in a bad state and hadn't been able to awake for several days after her surgery (they took her parathyroid-don't get it done, trust me!).I am not a bad daughter-I had been calling to check on her since she had her surgery but the folks back at home don't answer or pay their phone bills (just kidding!). She seemed to be not heavily concerned, but wanted me to know what was going on. She gave me the hospital contact info and the nurse whom to talk to.

So I called the hospital and spoke with Ike- the nurse in charge of one of the most difficult patients known to man- my mother, and he told me the jist. Mom's lab work was normal and they just can't figure out WHY she won't wake up. The neurologist was on his way to check her out and do some more testing. My mom whom I spoke to the day before this surgery was unresponsive. This little woman, all of the height of a fence post and had the will and attitude of a HERD OF RUNNING BULLS was down. I told him I'd call back in 6 hrs.

6 hrs later, Ike was still there. I told him he should be at home asleep, but I was glad to speak to him. He said that she coul squeeze his hand a little when he asked her to, but still could not open her eyes. Aha! Progress!! Told Ike to have a good night sleep and I'd talk to him soon.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning- spoke to Ike and the results are in that she has had a series of mini strokes (I thought so). We have taken the steps toward getting home to be there and help Dad, who had a stroke and heart attack in April, and be there for mom. Pray for us as we are headed to Tx tomorrow and who knows what we face, but Lord give us strength to endure.

***********************************
P.S. Chloe is claustrophobic since the drive from CA to TX.