Bionic Woman!

I am totally a bionic woman now :)

So I have chronic illnesses that cause my nerves to over fire and create a lot of pain. I don't want to be on pain medication, so we went to see an amazing pain management specialist. And what she did was awesome!

So, I have a spinal cord stimulator in my back made by the company Medtronic. We had to have a surgery trial in the office to see if the stimulator would help with the over firing of the nerves before they put a permanent one in.

On our way for the trial surgery. I'm very nervous, and sad to have to transition a foster child.

I had back surgery while I was awake. And it was awful. They put 2 leads up the side of my spine, and tried to get to the right nerve bundle to target my trunk/belly area where a lot of the pain is from due to endometriosis and pelvic venous congestion syndrome etc. This test surgery took 2 hours, way longer that it should have.

So, I told my husband when we left I would never do that again, I didn't want the permanent stimulator, and I cried. A lot. It hurt wicked bad. And because they had to poke around so much more than normal my body tried to protect itself by sending lots of fluid to the site, so the left side lead didn't even end up working. I'm sure you can imagine how many prayers we said and how hard we tried. That day was also difficult because we had to transition one of our foster children, which feels like having your child die. It's awful and so heartbreaking.

Crying more that we had to transition a child than from the pain of the awful surgery.

But, after the first 24 hours, I noticed a significant change. My left side didn't work due to the fluid build up, but the right side did, I had 90% relief in my right side, and the swelling in my legs went down, as well as my belly! It was a miracle. For the trial they have you keep the lead out to change the settings, so I had a tail, as you can see in the picture.

Then, about 5 days later they pulled the leads out and booked the real surgery. I wouldn't be awake this time and it was at the hospital. They stitched the leads into the myofascial tissue around m spinal cord, and I have a battery in my back. I have to recharge it, and it lasts for 9 years. I shouldn't ever need the leads taken out, just every 9 years the battery in my body will need to be removed and replaced.

Happy with the trial, that's what the tail connected to, it allowed me to change the settings. Also I have multiple pairs of this shirt so don't think I kept wearing the same shirt over and over, I just really like this one so I bought multiples of the same one :)

So we got the permanent surgery, and I have this thing where I put the receptor over the battery and change the setting of the stimulator. It's like a gentle tingling sensation and helps my joints and whole body function amazingly better! It's a miracle! Then I have another receptor that goes over the batter that I recharge the battery with. So the battery in my back serves 2 purposes, it allows me to change the settings of the stimulator and it allows me to recharge the battery.

Cool stitches huh? The vertical tape covers where the leads went in, and the horizontal one is where the battery is. After they took off the tape we took a picture and the scar at first made it look like I had a huge plumber bum, so I didn't include that picture. Sweet bruises right on the first day! My Doctor is amazing, but rather rough. The bruises got way worse before they got better. But I would do it all over again.

The left black think goes over the battery, and the screen turns on allowing me to change the settings.

 

This is what re-charges the battery in my back. It's getting good reception and fastest charge when all those little black boxes are full!

My scars are healing nicely, and I had to be very careful to not twist, bend or lift anything, otherwise the leads could have moved at the top of my spine and it would have all been for nothing. The leads are only stitched into the base of the spine, not the top, because that requires a bunch of surgery specialists, so the best way is to just be careful and let your body scar in the top of the leads.

Here I am, a bit swollen and tired after surgery but excited about the potential for what might come!

 

Sometimes I turn it down where it's still on but I can't feel it. Other times when my endometriosis is causing a lot of pain I will turn the stimulator up and it helps block the pain signals and I feel the gentle tingle. The swelling in my legs has gone down, and I'm feeling great!

We did have some complications after the surgery, so thank you to everyone for your love, support and prayers. The hospital didn't follow my doctors protocols so I developed a fluid pocket around the battery which made changing the levels and charging very difficult, and for the first little while the stimulator didn't work correctly because of the fluid build up, just like in the test. So my amazing hero Ken went and bought this therapeutic girdle thingy that's this elastic thing you wear that puts pressure over the area, so we are now in the clear, and the fluid pocket is gone.


If my leads shift slightly it's ok, because the company can change the settings by putting their machine over my battery and they can change where it stimulates and so we had it adjusted last week and now that the fluid pocket is gone it's working amazingly well! We are so happy to not have to need pain medicine and have a wonderful treatment plan that I have control of that really is helping make a huge difference.

We have been so blessed by the Lord to live in a wonderful new area with amazing Latter Day Saints (Mormons) who love the gospel of Jesus Christ and have been so welcoming and making us feel so loved. We have had miracle after miracle to get my stimulator to work, to move to this new home, to be able to have Ken's business start to grow, and so many other special and sacred things I can't mention there are just too many!

I know Jesus is our Savior, and if we turn to Him and pray for help and guidance, we can overcome the obstacles in our way, like fluid packs that cause complications. I know that if you are struggling and in need of comfort, all you need to do is pray. I'm so grateful for modern medicine to help me live a healthy and fulfilling life. And I'm grateful that soon we will be able to begin with a new agency and adopt a family of our own.

Vitamins that are AMAZING!!

So since I'm allergic to Thrive, which really stinks, I tried to find vitamins that would help do the same amazing things Thrive did for me. Unfortunately I had to buy a lot of different things to make things work, but it's been helping with my swelling, pain, energy, skin, pain, sleep. Pretty much everything! It's been such a miracle. So here are the vitamins I take, and here is a list of what is in them and what they help do:

Every Woman's one daily multi: This one helps my immune system not freak out

Vit A 5000 IU

Vit C 60 mg

Vit D 1000 IU

Vit E 30 IU

Vitamin K 80 mcg

Thiamin- Vit B1 1.5mg

Riboflavin- vit B2 1.7 mg

Niacin 20mg

Vit b6 2 mg

Folate400 mcg

Vit b12 12 mcg

biotin 150 mcg

pantothenic acid 10 mg

calcium 25 mg

iron 3 mg

iodine 75 mcg

magnesium 4.5 mcg

zinc 7.5 mg

selenium 50 mcg

copper 750 mcg

manganese 1 mg

chromium 60 mcg

molybdenum 10 mcg

Quercetin:

500 mg 2/day this one helps with energy. it's awesome, and great for cancer patients to have energy

Q- absorb Co- Q 10:

Co-Q 10 30 mg

Green Tea extract: helps with swelling and energy

Grean Tea 500 mg

Calcium Magnesium Zinc + Vit D3:

by nature made

Prenatal with DHA- helps with swelling, my fibro pain, and energy

prenatal vitamins usually do not have any hormones in them, so it's ok for a guy to take them. The prenatals really help with my energy, swelling, and making my hair skin and nails much healthier!

Whole World Botanicals: Royal Break-stone:

helps with my kidney stone pain

contains- phyllanthus niruri

 

Hope this helps some of you!! It sure has made a world of difference for me!

Miracles, alleric again, miracles again

So my life is a life of miracles as I've said before. We found this amazing product called Thrive and it helped me feel so much better! My inflammation went down, my discomfort level went down and I had so much energy. It turns out, after an anaphylactic reaction, that I'm allergic to things in Thrive which is a huge bummer!!! So we are still waiting to see and allergist and unfortunately I'm still taking Benadryl around the clock, but there is a miracle in this!!!

Thrive had such a profound effect on my body that I loved it!! We have had to go to the vitamin store and try and find similar ingredients, which was inconvenient and expensive, but it's working. If we hadn't tried Thrive we wouldn't have known that there are vitamins and minerals that my body is deficient in, and we wouldn't have been able to find similar supplements. If you don't have any food allergens I highly recommend Thrive, it really changed my life. I'm so sad I can't continue the product because it was so convenient and affordable! So if you want to try Thrive, please let me know and I'll get you in touch with the amazing friend who introduced this to me and changed my life!!

I will be forever grateful to this amazing and brave woman!! I love you D!!

Now that I have energy, my swelling is under control and I'm feeling great, I'm ready to take on the next steps in our life journey!! We met with our adoption agent today and had an amazing time!!!! She is an incredible lady who is so supportive of us! And we had to check off this list of what child we were willing to take, which is pretty much any child, and we really want to adopt a boy with Down Syndrome. And I'm Native American, I know I totally don't look like it, and since I'm Native American we have a very very great chance of getting a Native American baby!!!

We are so excited!!! So Thrive was a miracle, giving me hope that there are vitamins that can help me feel awesome, and now the adoption paperwork is underway! It will take until about may/june but we could get a baby! And we signed up to be a safe haven, which means when our agency is on call for a baby that gets dropped off at the hospital or a fire station etc. We can race down there if they call us and adopt that beautiful baby!

This man does this and has helped save hundreds of children! We are so excited to be part of a similar program!!!

And we have opted to adopt children with special needs. Some people disagree with us or are not supportive, or question our judgment, but we are following what we feel to be the Lord's will. And so the road may be tough, but we are ready. And thank you to those of you who have been so supportive and encouraging of us as we take on this new journey in life. We are so grateful for your love and support!

About a year ago this weekend we lost our first baby. And the road after the second loss was really rough. But I was talking to Ken about it and he said try not to remember the hurt around this date, and I said, well just think about all that we have come through, all the grief, difficulty, all the trials, and all the miracles. If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything.

This process of finding out that I can't have children, living with chronic illness and finally finding some supplements to give me energy and reduce swelling and inflammation, having severe allergic reactions, fostering a sibling group for over a year, having a big surgery, going to painful physical therapy, seeing our foster children struggle with the challenges they face, all of it has been an incredibly difficult journey. But Ken and I have never been stronger and our marriage has become so solid, it's been amazing. I am so grateful the Lord led me to such an incredible man, and that we have the privilege of fostering such wonderful children and to adopt some amazing kids soon!

I keep a miracle journal to show our children when they are older all the amazing things the Lord has done for us and is doing! I can't wait to see what this year holds! We are so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for being sealed in the temple, married for time and all eternity!

Allergic Reaction, Life lessons, and Happiness

So I have the MOST amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that I made up myself. ( I know, bragging is rude, but seriously, these are made with PUDDING! Amazing!!!) The cookie gets cooked all the way through but stays super soft and the chocolate chips are mini, so each bite is loaded with flavor!! I used some new organic eggs we got.

 In Maine we had our own chickens, and organic eggs are amazing! Although I HATED cleaning out the chicken coop, they just smell sooooo yucky! Also, our llama would back be into the feed room and shove her face in the feed bin and she was crazy strong, so not the fondest of farm chores.

Organic eggs or fresh eggs have an almost orange yolk, the white is a bit thicker, and you can practically see the delicious yummy protein goodness, so that is a plus. And they have a slightly different and stronger flavor, I highly recommend them!


So I also am in love with Cupcake Wars, and would love to have a bakery someday called the Pink Stiletto ( I have the shop, uniforms and menu already planned out ;) ) I've been trying to learn how to make my own cupcake batters that are original, so after I made some cookies I decided to try to turn the batter into cake batter by adding whipping cream. It worked very well, the cake is very moist and fluffy, but the middles fell, they didn't puff up. Surprisingly they didn't turn out dense or weird, they just didn't have much volume.

Does anyone know how much baking soda I should use in ratio to the flour? I think that will make them puff up instead of sink down.

But here's where things get exciting! So after eating 1 cookie, I see these weird spots on my thumb. It kind of looked like I had left my hand on something with a pattern that caused an indentation, but it wouldn't go away, and then I started to get worried!

 

I called Ken who was 20 minutes away donating platelets and plasma which takes FOREVER but saves lives so it's amazing that he dos that, but if he leaves before they are done, they can't use his blood. Then I got this rash.

I am so grateful to have an amazing and thoughtful husband, for his prayers for me, and for all the other prayers from friends and family on my behalf! I'm doing great!

 

It's a little hard to see in this picture but my skin started turning pink all over and these little red bumps started to appear. Then, my fingers, hands and wrists started swelling right in front of me, and fast! So I called Ken and as I was talking to him he said " Rachel, go unlock the door and sit down, you are sounding really confused, I'm calling 911". So I did, and the fire truck came! ( In less than 3 minutes too, we have an awesome fire station)

My chest started to get tight, I had a little fever, the rash spread and the itchiness got worse. Then my ankles started to swell and all these nice firemen and paramedics were there, calm as cucumbers telling me it was ok since I was still able to talk. I had taken Benadryl but it hadn't set in yet so they took me to the hospital.

 

Ken had to go get the kids so he came to the hospital for like 5 minutes then went to get the kids from school. My friend who is a PA was on shift so that was cool to say hi! They gave me some more antihistamine medicine and some nausea medicine, and just watched to see if the reaction would calm down. It did so I got to go home! exciting huh?! I told Ken not to eat the cookies or cupcakes and what does he do? Eats some!

 

But he didn't have a reaction so the doctor said that our bodies change about every 7 years and you can develop food allergies, so I just have to o one of those skin allergy tests and stay away from eggs!

 

So life lesson: don't be afraid of paramedics and firemen, they are very helpful, call 911 if you get a strange rash and have chest pain, and let your mom come get you and take you home. It just makes everything less stressful!!

 

So yesterday was exciting! I'm very happy to be fine and that the reaction was not worse. I'm also very happy to be using Thrive, because I had plenty of energy, had no discomfort besides the itching, and was able to think clearly about what I was allergic too, even though I was a bit confused from the reaction. Thrive isn't a magical cure, but it provides your body the necessary nutrients for it to function at it's best. I can only imagine what would have happened had I not been using my Thrive!

 

And Ken liked the cupcakes and is probably going to eat them all. If you have any egg free yummy recipes I'd love to try making them!! oh, and Benadryl is an excellent thing to have on hand, especially if you don't know you might be allergic to eggs!

 



 

Thrive Week 1 Results!!! Miracles, total Miracles!

So, I started a log to see if this Thive Le-vel stuff really works. You be the judge. I dare you to try it for 5 days, and I guarantee you will be on it 5 years, or most likely the rest of your life!

2/12
weight= 170 lbs
inches around the most swollen part of my belly (making me look pregnant)= 43"
Inches around largest part of thigh= 24"

 

Yes, this is a maternity shirt, because my chronic inflammation makes me look pregnant, and no, I cannot have children so you can imagine how difficult this is.

 

 

Normal discomfort level including stiff joints, muscle cramping, headaches before Thrive= 8 (on over the counter anti inflammatory)

 

Normal swelling of belly ( as seen above), hands, knees, ankles, feet and the discomfort level of that before Thrive- 8

Now my normal discomfort level taking Thrive Le-vel of the above swelling and general discomfort- between a 2-4 daily. That's down 4-6 whole points on the number scale!!!!

 

Ken and I decided before we tried Thrive that if it took either my discomfort levels or swelling down 2 points on the number scale we would consider it a success. We both feel these results after just one week are not only a success, but a miracle.

 

 

Weight= 167lbs unwavering. ( throughout the day it will dip lower, so I chose the highest number that it never goes above)

Waist at most swollen part right under belly button= 41"

Thigh= 23"

 



General improvements noticed within the first 3 days that have just kept getting better!

1.  Sleeping through the night, falling asleep quickly, and if woken by the baby fall back to sleep quickly. (Before Thrive I wouldn't be able to fall asleep until 3-4 am, which makes for a grouchy mama bear).

2. Energy at a high 8-10 daily compared to my previous 2-4. Now I can give my foster kids a run for their money, no tired mama here!

3. Mental clarity- my eyes do not tire easily anymore while reading. I can plan meals, organize ideas and think through chapters for the book I'm writing, keep paperwork organized and stay on top of what needs to get done when ( This is especially critical as we have started our ADOPTION paperwork!!)

4. Confidence! I can't tell you how much more confident I feel when I get up in the morning. I feel like superwoman again, like back in my high school days! Today I'm going to change the world! And I'm doing just that, service that I've wanted to do for friends, teach my foster kids important lessons, plan ways to participate in my community, run errands, make healthy dinners- there is life changing power in healthy dinners!

5. Not grumpy! I have so much more patience with my kids, I get less annoyed over little things and take moments that can be annoying and turn them into teaching opportunities. I think a lot of that has to do with actually resting well!

6. Not needing a nap when my kids go down for a nap. THIS IS HUGE! This started on day one taking Thrive and it threw me for a loop, I got so much done in those 2 hours where I normally need to nap to keep up with my family!

7. Fit into smaller clothes. I don't need my maternity shirts anymore, I wear a size Large now at Target! Awesome!!

8. Able to stand, walk, run multiple errands and still keep my discomfort levels below a 4!!

9. My stomach works! I'm not craving carbs and sugars, but healthy foods, and I'm not going back for seconds and thirds. I'm getting the right kinds of foods and nutrition needed and don't need to snack all day long or find carbs to feel full.

10. My body is reacting less severely to things. It's difficult to explain, but I feel amped and ready for any challenge, and my body feels calm and ready to face stressful things that may come up during the day.

 

I love Thrive, it's changed my life, and I can't wait to see the results Ken has after his gets here!! This is life changing and I'm so grateful to my friends Denise and Dexter who weren't afraid to help me find it!

 



 

Life of Miracles

Ken and I have had many trials in our short little lives, but we have also had amazing miracles. They are very special to us, so I keep them recorded in a miracle journal, but I wanted to share a few simple ones that mean the world to us. And add some happiness to your Sunday!!

Today I was called to be Primary Chorister in our ward. In our religion no one gets paid, it's all volunteer and we are asked by our Bishop if we would like to serve in a specific calling or capacity. Like leading the music in Primary. Primary is where the children 3-11 come and learn about our Savior and I get the privilege to teach them amazing and beautiful songs!

Right now we are working on a song that talks about how we know our Savior lives and loves us. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I love music, and love being able to work with these amazing and sweet children. I pray about how I want to teach the songs, and I work with an amazing pianist and other primary leader to make sure things go great. We sing fun songs, songs that are peaceful, do activities, and most importantly I try to help the Children know how much Heavenly Father loves them.

I say this calling is a miracle because it is. It takes a lot of prep work during the week, and is very tiring to do each Sunday. But I feel so wonderful and at peace while I'm teaching, and feel the Spirit so strongly, which is wonderful. Also Heavenly Father has made it so my body doesn't poop out in the middle of my time teaching. We have been very blessed.

And the new supplements I'm taking from Thrive have been helping calm my inflammation and discomfort levels at an amazing rate, and I'm able to think and focus much better not being so uncomfortable in my own body, which is also a miracle!

Another miracle is that things with the adoption agency and paper work and timing of the progress of our current foster children are all falling into place. We are so blessed and know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and helping us. The children are reaching their milestones and doing very well. Ken and I are so happy with our decision to foster and adopt.

And another miracle, it will be a year in a few weeks that I lost my first baby. And I'm ok. I am ok knowing that I can't have children, and I am looking forward to adoption, and not fearing it. I know and have seen the Lord guide us to people, place friends in our path, get us on the right track of information to be ready, and the fear of the unknown with adoption is all but a little flicker of nervousness. I know our children that are meant for us will come to us at the right time, the Lord's time.

I have been so blessed with an amazing and supportive husband who believes in me. I have been blessed with Friends Denise and Dexter who have changed my health and wellness forever, and I have been so blessed by our Heavenly Father to have so many miracles, tender mercies and incredible experiences. I love knowing that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. I love the opportunity I now have to teach beautiful special children just how special they really are and how much Heavenly Father loves them. I can't wait to see and experience the miracles that are sure to come this year as Ken and I try our best to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and make the best choices we can.

Don't be afraid to recognize and live a life of miracles!!

Holy Cow THRIVE!!!

So I'm conducting an experiment to see if I can get my body feeling at it's best. I started the Thrive 8 week challenge TODAY. It's a nutraceutical product full of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and all natural ingredients. I wanted to try it to help mainly with my overall inflammation and immune support. And boy am I HAPPY with it!


 My friends Denise Dexter introduced it to me because they know about the different health and wellness issues I've struggled with. My body has constant inflammation which causes severe discomfort and swelling. I have trouble focusing when reading for long periods of time which gives me headaches, I don't sleep well at night and I have busy days trying to take care of foster kids so I can't afford not to feel my best.

I called to say thank you to Denise and Dexter, told them about how amazing I'm feeling already, and was asked to share the incredible change in my body in just this first day! I'm going to share how Thrive has made a difference on a thrive experience call.

I would really love it if you would listen in and support me as I offer support and my experience to others! It's Wednesday the 18th at 7:30pm MST. The phone number is 605-562-3140 with access code 559464#  you will be on mute and get to hear me! ahh I'm so excited and nervous!!

Here's me Thriving! It's so easy and I can't even begin to tell you how great I feel. I'm going to take detailed notes on the amazing changes I see in my body. It works differently for everyone and is for anyone at any health level. I'm so excited to see "The Places I'll Go!"

Merry Christmas Love the Suttons!!!

Hello Everyone!!
Merry Christmas! We can't show you pictures of our foster kiddos but we can tell you about the whopper of a year we've had!

We had the twins we fostered go to a distant relative, and are now getting adopted by that amazing relative!!! We were so heartbroken to lose them, but are so happy they have a forever family!!!


Then we got 3 new foster kids, all siblings! They are very cute and very fun!! We aren't allowed to show their faces but maybe you can see their cuteness from the blurred photos!!!

 

 

 

 

This is for the baby's first birthday!

 

 

Here the baby is with cousins and auntie Carrie! Thank goodness I'm sometimes blurry with taking pictures because I can post this!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had 2 pregnancies which ended in miscarriages. Our baby would be due any day now, and I'm surprised that the grief has returned. I guess once you experience grief it can become a constant silent companion. But with the help of the Lord we can get through it.

 



Here I am excited at Easter knowing our baby would be coming around Christmas. Only a few days later our dreams were crushed.

 

But life of course goes on, and we have tried to press forward, figure out how to fix my endometriosis, and are trying to get the paper work ready to adopt!

 

We started a charity called Sutton Station! People donate gently used toys and clothes and then foster families come and get what they need! Check out our facebook page!!! If you have toys or clothes you'd like to donate, just let me know!!!!

                              Ken and I have grown closer together through this very trying year.

I had surgery to remove my endometriosis and try and find the cause to our infertility.

We can't have children, so like I said, we are trying to adopt!

 

This year Temples have been especially huge blessings in our lives. We go there for guidance, comfort, and to serve.

Our new phoenix temple!!!

The Gilbert temple where our friends got sealed!

A trip to serve in the Phoenix temple!!

 

Ken and Me with the oldest at the Phoenix open house. Sorry you can't see her cute face!!!

 

Ken and I serving at the Phoenix open house!

 

Our 2 year wedding anniversary! Here we are getting married in our Superman Shirts!!!

 

Our 1st year Sealing anniversary!!!!

 

 

Up next for us! Trying to adopt- taking forever. Fostering- tiring, frustrating, and the best job in the world. Our dog Rylee is doing amazing. Our Christmas tree is decorated with paper ornaments colored by the foster kids!!

 

 Rachel is seeing an amazing physical therapist and making huge strides overcoming the issues her body has been dealing with. She's lost 42 pounds and is still going strong!! Getting off fertility medicine was the best thing! We think we have figured out why her body decides to be difficult, which is exciting, and we love herbal medicine!!

 

 

Ken is a stay at home dad and full time student! He is doing amazing in the pathway program and is now a BYU Idaho online student! He built an amazing swing set for the kids, built shelves for the charity so Rachel could organize, built a mudroom station as a nod to Rachel's love of the East coast, built shelves for food storage, learned more about happiness, morals and economics and ancient American history from his favorite books and speakers, and is the best dad and husband in the world. He mastered the art of homemade onion rings, and spiced ketchup.

 

 

We hope your year has been filled with Love and Peace and that you have an Amazing Christmas! Sorry we can't do a family photo!! Hopefully your trials and sorrows will be more light and the amazing gift of our Savior will light up your holiday season and throughout the year! Love to you all!

 





 

 

Surgery, Endometriosis, and Answers!!

Ok so if you don't want to know about my internal organs, check back for the next post!

So we did have surgery. Not a hysterectomy, because the doctor said my endometriosis is so aggressive it would still grow back. Weird that that can even happen. So instead he used this really cool robot called the da Vinci.

So our pelvic pain specialist is like the top specialist in the nation which is really cool! So he gave us a bunch of options which was really nice, and he treated me like I was his own daughter. It was wonderful and this kind of surgery is booked out 6 months! But we were the first patient early in the morning and late the previous afternoon they had someone cancel for the following Tuesday!

Off we went for surgery! With this cool robot it's a lot safer and the recovery time is much faster. I've had surgery for endometriosis before, but not like this. He cut out each and every endometrial implant, and sent them off to biopsy just to be sure there isn't anything else to be concerned about. He said actually cutting them out instead of burning them is more effective and we can wait longer before we have surgery again to do the same thing.

Last year we had surgery for this and it was at stage 2, and they only burned it out so it was already at a stage 2 a year later, even with 2 pregnancies ending in miscarriage. So basically my endo is crazy!

But he said there are better ways to manage it and that I'll only need this surgery about every 2 1/2 to 3 years and it will be much safer to leave most of my organs in!

That weird thing I'm holding is a mini heat pack. I'm wicked swollen from surgery but happy to go home!!!

This is about 24 hours after surgery and Ken is going to take me home. He's a little worried about me, but I did great!

 

 

Ken's mom stayed the night with me so he could get back to our foster kids, and a big THANK YOU to our amazing friend A.M. for watching them for a few hours for us so Ken could be there when I got out of surgery. I was really in and out, obviously, but when I saw Ken come to see me as I was waking up my heart monitor started going crazy!!

 

And a huge thank you to Ken's mom! She was amazing! She helped me get around and keep my spirits up! I'm so grateful she took the time off to stay with me and take amazing care of me! Thank you momma N!

 

And, probably the best thing that brought the most peace was the big ANSWER! I can't carry a baby past 6 weeks due to the lack of blood flow to my uterus. So I do have pelvic venous congestive syndrome but the Dr couldn't get to any of the varicose veins. They seem to be hiding where my upper thighs meet my pelvis. They injected some special dye to see where my blood flow was having issues. In a normal person the dye dissipates into the blood vessels in 20 seconds, after a minute and 30 seconds, I had almost all of the dye just sitting there!

 

Knowing what's actually wrong is very comforting. It brought us amazing peace and we finally felt really ready to just move on. We are trying to adopt through the foster system! I'm making tutu princess dresses to sell here on the blog for our adoption fund! When I get several made I'll post the page, so keep an eye out!!!

 

We have been so blessed by our Heavenly Father. Sometimes people with infertility get mad and bitter seeing other people who don't make the best choices able to have children at the drop of a hat. But Ken and I don't feel that way. We are so grateful for the mothers who decide to put their children up for adoption, and for the opportunity for us to adopt and bring a child into our eternal family!

 

We went to the gilbert temple to see our friends get married for time and all eternity!!!

We love being Mormons and we love having the Savior at the center of our lives!