My Most Recent Health Update - As Seen On My GoFundMe Campaign

Here is my most recent update. If you would like to contribute, and oh my goodness will it help, here's the link for the campaign: www.gofundme.com/healingwithheather

"Today I got my third nerve block!  The doctors STILL have no idea what's causing my constant pain, but this has so far been the only treatment that helps lessen it.  Of course it's not a perfect solution; its kind of like plugging a leak in a boat, but really needing to get back to shore.....but for now, I'll take whatever keeps me from drowning.  Plus, a nerve block is the only thing that has allowed me to eat food, and after not eating for two and a half months, I assure you that food is the greatest of all things :)

The included photo is me before the procedure, the IV, me after the procedure, and an example of the amazing food that I can now eat. 

Also I went to mention a little bit about invisible illnesses.  My before picture looks Facebook-profile worthy, but what you don't see is how much effort it took to shower this morning, when every part of me was almost too sore and pained to just get out of bed.  So just because I look like myself and "healthy," that doesn't mean that I am.  That's what an invisible illness is. 

Even directly after the procedure, when I was still loopy from the anesthesia, a woman angrily forced me to give up my seat for her, assuming that I didn't have my own health problems simply because of the way that I look.  I was too tired and weak to fight with her, and gave up my seat, and then she told me that I should smile....... Clearly not everyone is very educated on or open to others' struggles, so if you glean anything from this update, I hope it's considering the pain you can't see, and to value and respect it as much as you would more obvious injuries, such as someone with crutches or with a cast. 

But of course this won't me a stretch for you; you are the good ones, as you've already gone of your way to help me, showing that you understand.

The procedure was $30, and then I spent $70 on medicine, and that's $100 I didn't have without your help. Thank you again. You all have made my healing possible. I really couldn't have done this without you."

Little Post on Nerve Blocks

So I ended 2015 with a nerve block, which is a symbolically humorous.

Let’s explore: the nerve block essentially tricks my brain into not understanding the bad of what I am feeling.  And 2015 could have been bad.  Of course.  I had health issues that left me feeling out of control of my finances, my housing, and even my body itself.  This could cause anyone to feel a bit of a crisis, and sure I faced that, but with my own emotional nerve-block-squad in the hospital, facing the confusion at my side.  Virtually, physically, in the form of stuffed animals…. I have felt so supported and loved, that you all really have been my emotional-bad-barrier, helping me stay positive and like my pain-free self.

Which brings us to the next phase of nerve blocks: when they fade, and we have to face reality.

The nerve block can last anywhere from twenty-four hours to two months, and it seems three days was my happy buffer.  I got to have three dinners, three lunches, and many happy snacks.  I found a new gratitude in being hungry and being able to eat.  And to be honest, every time that I have to stop eating again it gets harder emotionally.  Because I remember the ease, and the taste and how normal my life felt for just a quick glimpse of a moment.  And that fades, too.

So I’m looking at day 3 of 2016 with a different set of eyes and a different level of pain, but am still hopeful.  I’m back to not having any answers, but I still have my emotional-squad, so I’m holding tightly onto that and onto my stuffed animals as I squirm in bed, waiting for the pain to pass.

So here’s to a little more Ensure and pudding, and hoping that through the clarity of a block-less 2016, I begin to see real change.