4 Years of Isabella!

I know I said I was going to Blog about last weekend, but I am so late on my Isabella blog! Bad mommy! Well Isabella turned 4 recently! Praise God for our little miracle baby! We prayed for almost four years to have another baby. We had gone to a fertility center and decided to do invitro. After making the decision we found out by our next appointment that we were pregnant! See God does have a zero finance plan, saved us thousands of dollars! Anyway, our precious baby was born with, go figure, lung complications and didn't come home until three weeks after she was born. She was on the ventilator for seven days then had to learn to swallow and eat after. This was the hardest time for us. Manuel and I sat at the hospital staring at her everyday of the three weeks. Analiese was only allowed to look at her through a window and would cry uncontrollably when she left without her sister. She didn't get to meet her sister until right before she came home. Manuel and I prayed fervently through this time for her to be healed completely. Everything is in God's timing. She came home and a month later we found out that the reason she wasn't gaining weight was because she was still having lung complications and was burning all her calories from breathing so hard. She was labeled asthmatic and had to undergo daily medications and breathing treatments four to six times a day. Before turning one we had another scare when she had pneumonia. She stayed in the hospital for a week. Her little life is an awesome testimony of God's grace, love, and promises already. She has been completely healed of her lung problems! She is full of life, loves to run, has a belly laugh like no other, and praise God breathes very well. Turning four is a major milestone for Bella! She already has so many aspirations! She wants to play soccer (and will this year), wants to run track, wants to read more math books, wants to get married and have a baby. This has all been her topic of conversation lately. On her birthday she looked at me and said with a very perplexed "mommy, I thought I was going to be big (pointing to the ceiling) on my birthday". We took her to get her ears pierced on her birthday. We coached her, promised her candy, reassured her, all with the promise that no matter how much it hurt she had to let them do the second ear after the first. She not only didn't cry when they did the first ear, she didn't even flinch. It was so cute she looked so bored. I put together a slide show of her four years. To me every picture is a confirmation that God is in control, He has plans for each life, and no matter how trying our times He is with us! We can trust Him in ALL of our hard times because when we look back we will be able to see how much stronger HE made us through those hardships. Bella is a giggling, walking, and talking example of the miracles God performs everyday. We are all miracles, every life, every breath, and every day! Enjoy the quick version of Bella's four years! It's been fun! I LOVE YOU BABY!

I've Been a Bad Blogger!

Sorry! Manuel just recently set up our DSL and so now I full access again! The right heart catheterization went well. Praise God, they did not put me to sleep! They numbed the area and went in through the artery in my neck. The procedure was about 30 minutes and the most painful part was when the numbness went away and my neck hurt so bad. It felt as if the artery was just going to burst but that went away after 24hrs. Dr. Saggar (cardiologist) said that the pressures in my heart were within normal range, on the high side of normal, just under the high range. So, my heart is healthy! This in itself, at least to me, is a miracle being that most people who suffer from lung disease also develop heart disease. I am so happy about this! Just another way that shows me God is taking care of me! I also have another praise, I have had VERY minimal joint and muscle pain! We have all been praying for healing in my body and in this area I have been feeling GREAT! I keep quietly praying and asking "okay Lord did you completely heal me of this or will it come back like last time?" But it doesn't matter which it is because I am healed for this moment in time if it does come back, and I am healed forever if it doesn't. FINALLY a WIN, WIN situation. Well there is my little update. Tomorrow I will post a blog that is more upbeat! We had a great weekend and I can't wait to share. Love you!

Quick Notice

Ok, so tomorrow (Wed.) I will go in for my same day procedure at UCLA. I will be having a right heart catheterization done. They will put me to sleep, go in through my neck and into my heart. They will be checking the pressure in my heart. If the pressure is too high, not good, yet, it helps with higher placement on "the list". As of yet I am still in the process of being put on "the list". They are awaiting financial authorization, which should happen this week. Please help us pray that authorization be granted and that it happen soon. Please pray that the anesthetic not make me sick tomorrow, which always seems to happen, and just that I feel normal after. My mom will be taking me, so please pray for safe travel there and back, hey let's add in NO TRAFFIC. I am scheduled at 1:00pm. I appreciate all of your support and love, words cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for all of you! I love you!

WE'RE IN!

WOW! We are in the new place and it's GREAT! This would not have been possible if it weren't for the countless amount of HANDS that came forth to help. All of the rooms are put together and it looks as if we've been here a week. Manuel has been working non-stop like a mad man! He is a POWER HOUSE! We are just praising God for providing the home, the help, the meals, and most of the the LOVE! I was able to make breakfast for the girls today, it was so awesome! I have tucked them into bed now two nights in a row! I have been able to do so much here. Our God is an awesome God!

Did I mention....

that I've been sick? Started off as a sore throat. When I went to see Dr. Lynch (UCLA) Monday I told him about it and he warned "getting sick can lead to pneumonia, you have to stay healthy. It can be fatal for you because you have no downhill from 17%" Yeah, sounds scary huh? Well, then I got really bad body aches, headaches, cold chills, fever,lethargy,weakness,and loss of appetite. I went in on Thursday they gave me an antibiotic on the chance that I was developing pneumonia, a 5 day bout of prednisone (whoopee)and sent me across the street for x-ray. They called me Friday at 4:45pm to let me know that my x-ray was positive for pneumonitis but said to just keep taking the meds and I "should" be okay. Reassurance. Went into the ER today because my good friend Laura,who is a nurse, found my local pulmonary group doctor who suggested I be checked again and put on IV antibiotics. They checked and PRAISE GOD all traces of pneumonia were gone! They said the antibiotics I was prescribed were what they give at the hospital for pneumonia so it is working. They wanted to keep me for my lungs, it's funny when I go in and it's a whole new set of nurses and doctors and they get scared over how badly I sound. They want to give me a bunch of breathing treatments and pump me full of steroids. I warn them they don't work, they try then they say "wow you're still wheezing really bad and working really hard". I just told them that my breathing felt no worse than a "normal" day for me. This is how it always is and they made me promise to go back home and REST. So that was our Saturday, now I'm resting, watching everyone pack my home, and BORED! PRAISE GOD FOR THE ABILITY TO BE BORED AS I COUNT (literally with all the people helping, offering, calling, texting, and praying) ALL MY BLESSINGS!

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ YESTERDAY'S BLOG PLEASE DO, IT'S IMPORTANT!

THE DECISION

On Monday I made the decision to ask my doctors to put me on "the list". It was a good decision especially since my lung capacity has gone down even more than the last time I was tested. In March I was at about 20% lung capacity and now I am at 17%. This is total proof that God is sustaining me. To function even the little bit that I do just screams of how HE is giving me the strength that I have. It is AWESOME! I will be put on "the list" within the next week or so. I have to get a right heart cath done first. This measures the pressure of my heart and if the results don't come back good then that will give me a couple of more points for higher placement on the list. My age is a big factor. I will be told by UCLA the general category of where on the list I am placed but they will not tell me the #. This is because waiting is waiting and they don't want you to be focused on a number when there are so many factors put into when you get your organs. I will be posting links on the left tool bar to UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) and UCLA Lung Transplant, in order to help you understand the process and struggles that we will be going through. I love you!