New and Rare

Well, I thought I was out of the world of "chronic illness" in the sense that over two decades of ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) seems to be mostly behind me, or at least about 90% in remission for over a year now.

I knew I was still dealing with numerous chronic disabilities and pain conditions in the wake of my strokes (several fairly significant ones listed at http://strokeofgrace.blogspot.com if you care to read), but I thought that was about it.


Nope, I was just diagnosed this week with a new rare disease, hypoparathyroidism. (I didn't know until this week that we even had parathyroid glads, about 4 of them, rice-sized, attached to the back side of the thyroid gland.) Apparently it is a pretty big deal when they don't work properly, and that mine are under-productive in the PTH hormone, answers so many medical questions. Now if only there were an easy fix... I've already had one lovely allergic reaction to an attempted intervention this week, so we are regrouping and my doctor is coming up with a new battle plan. It will likely take months or years to find a workable solution.

We honestly don't know what caused me to face this ailment. It typically happens in conjunction with thyroid issues, or more commonly, as a result of the removal of these tiny glands in thyroid surgery, something that I have not undergone. I personally believe the level of parathyroid imbalance that we are seeing, that my doctor terms "remarkable," is likely stroke-related (or may have been a mild issue for years, even possibly since birth, but certainly seems severely aggravated into much more significant imbalance by the strokes), but both the kinds of strokes and the type of parathyroid issues we are finding are each so rare, in and of themselves, that no one has yet been able to confirm my theory that the parathyroid issues have developed or intensified due to the strokes. (See update note at the end of page for one possible reason.)

Thankfully God knows, has it all in His control, none of this takes Him my any kind of surprise, and we can trust Him to lead us each step of the way in looking toward new answers.

Update, posted to my stroke blog, July, 2013:

I need to talk over with my endocrinologist about my insistence that my hypoPARAthyroid issues are somehow stroke related.  None of my doctors could see how, and yet I know my body too well to think the timing is just all coincidental. Doing research within the last couple of weeks, I found the potential link between repressed PTH (ParaThyroid Hormone) and Aspirin (I take 2, low dose, per day to keep my blood thin enough to not clot the surgery site of my artery). I brought this possibility up to my neurologist, and while we both agree that the Asprin therapy remains critical and is not optional for me, he does believe there is real merit to my theory that this is the cause of my PTH repression. I will talk over this idea with my endocrinologist at my next appointment in September.

Christ's Thorns

From Facebook, (not mine)

Headless Snake

"Unlike mammals, reptile reflexes remain deadly after death. In fact, they can still bite and deliver a killing dose of venom up to an hour after being decapitated. Watch as this snake’s head – severed from its body – continued to scan the area, waiting for an opportunity to strike." Source: http://neverchill.com/22834/zombie-snake-attack

It's a long one, but so worth the read. I finally got through it, when my eyes cleared enough because the tears pooling in them finally gave way and spilled down my cheeks. Where Is God When Bad Things Happen (from Ann's Holy Experience)

The quotes that jumped out at me, most profoundly, were:
A snake’s neurology and blood flow make it such that it slithers wild even after it’s been sliced headless...
Never doubt it, wondering world: Even if the tail still rampages, the snake’s head is crushed.

This illustration help me understand how Christ could crush satan's head and yet we are still feeling the poison sting of evil today. In the throws of death, satan tries to reek as much havoc as he can. For further perspective, read Satan's A Goner. Hmm, think God knew what he was doing when He designed a literal serpent's physiology, when He equated satan with the snake? Praise God that we have assurance that He wins in the end!

Light Born Into Darkness

In light today's (and other recent) shootings, I have no words. I direct you to a prayer, posted today by Max Lucado, saying (just in part),

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Read this Christmas Prayer in full at www.huffingtonpost.com/max-lucado/a-christmas-prayer_2_b_2302548.html .

Light Outshing Brightest Star

Paul's story leads me to ponder themes of light and darkness, sight and blindness. Here is a timely reflection on Light, by my friend Lynn.

Let Light Dispel Darkness

God's Immense Love

"But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit. So look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on, save your dear, dear child! Make a show of how much you love me so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed, As you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet." Psalm 86:15-17 (The Message)

War

 I found this in my drafts, written the morning before my first stokes: I'm convinced there is some spiritual warfare going on here. If you feel led to pray in this vein, that would be wonderful. Much of this started as Mom was seeing dramatic improvement from pain that's held her captive for 25 years, and the day I had a major breakthrough in God's direction for my current book is the day I really started going downhill physically. The old snake doesn't like it when God's winning and he seems to be pulling out all the stops to try to sidetrack us from God's victories right now. So glad we serve the One who will crush satan's head with his heal, but boy do snake bites hurt when we are going through them.