Monday Night Brief

Monday, October 20, 2008

Another short entry. My last attack was Thursday night and it took me 3 days to recover to the point where I could walk "normally" with a cane. Funny how I forget how it feels to have an attack after going a number of days without one, but then remember all too clearly in the moment it hits. Tomorrow is PT and I'm looking forward to it. I'm BEYOND frustrated with my body size and have got to come up with a simple, effective plan to drop some of this weight. I have NO desire to see a mirror, anywhere. I'm planning on eating far less carbs than I have been and continuing to stay very, very low on the sodium. I still have daily full body sweats that necessitate changing my clothes afterwards, but, aside from understanding that the sweating is an outward indication of my body's inward dump of potassium, I have no other clues, and neither do the Kaiser staff. it wasn't even a doctor or endocrinologist or nephrologist who alerted me to it being a potassium dump; it was a visiting nurse who's speciality happen to be HKPP, an absolute answer to my prayers for help. God provided answers through her, thankfully. Anyway, we'll see how my change in diet will, again, affect me.

I'm through 1 Samuel and now am part way in to 2 Samuel. It never ceases to amaze me how relevant scripture is to today and my life in specific. Just mind-blowing. I feel enriched from my reading and I also feel empowered to vote my perspective, having been encouraged by God's word to me. I must say that I am greatly troubled by this election and am very concerned that no matter WHO is elected, that it's only going to get worse and then, once again, everyone will blame whoever is holding the reigns, regardless of who was in office when the problems actually started. I don't know why this particular election grieves me as much as it does, except that I have been more immersed in scripture in the last number of weeks and some fundamental issues are on the table politically, as well as future judges who will "steer" the laws in whatever direction their politics or pocketbooks direct, and those issues and concerns cry out to me. I will vote.

I have to figure out how to be on my oxygen more during the days; I have slacked on that and I believe that is a significant reason for my tiredness and exhaustion. I have very long tubing, so perhaps I will simply have to get used to trailing a tube around with me and "get over it", so one might say. I don't want to be sick. I don't want this disease. I don't want to get worse. I don't want to be on oxygen. Things that remind me of my brokenness are things I don't want to see or look at, I realize that, but, "Oh well...Get over it." Yeah, yeah...I know, I know. I guess it will just continue to take time.

Okay. Time for some TV then sleep.
Back pain, shoulder pain, eye pain, jaw pain and abdomen pain are the ingredients of tonight's bedtime...