Christmas... Heart Update... CHD Awareness, etc.

Hello Everyone!

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated. I hope all is well, praying and thinking of so many in my amazing CHD community!

Christmas:

My first Christmas without family wasn’t easy, but it was still a very nice day. Chris (my boyfriend) and I had a nice quiet time. We missed our families, but made the best of the day. Chris and I decided to make a no-sew blanket together on Christmas. It didn’t turn out perfect as it was both of ours first time doing one, but we made it together and it turned out nice. It’s great to have such a special memory of making it together on Christmas.

Here is a picture of the finished blanket; I think we did pretty good for first timers:

The rest of Christmas day we just relaxed, watched TV and played some games. It was a wonderful Christmas we will always remember even though we weren't with family. The Sunday after Christmas we went and saw the movie “Little Fockers”. I thought it was really good, I already liked the other two movies. Definitely not a movie for young kids, but for teenagers and adults it’s a funny movie.

Heart Update: In other news, I’ve been getting on and off weird/random/double heart beats. So, I called my Cardiologist’s office this week and they called back yesterday. My Cardiologist is a bit concerned if I really am having these and so I will be getting a Holter Monitor (I’ve had them before, this is the first one in 7yrs though… it’s just a portable EKG machine basically). Thing is I’m all the way in California still and my Cardiologist is back home in Michigan. My Cardio’s nurse practitioner said that the monitor department said they can’t send one to me as it would be gone to long, so I’m getting official documents via mail that I need a Holter Monitor ASAP. With those documents I’m suppose to find a hospital here willing to put one on me and fax over the results to my cardiologist. I’ve called a hospital and they don’t even know if they can do it as I have Michigan Health Insurance and sill a Michigan resident not a California resident so even though the documents are from Michigan my insurance will probably not cover it and it’s like a few hundred dollars out of pocket and I don’t have that kind of money. So, I’m calling back my Cardio’s office on Monday and going to talk to them again, might even talk to the monitor department and just say bill my insurance and send me a monitor as I need one. Ugh, hate getting the run around. Prayers that it will all work out would be great.

CHD Awareness News:

I was on a new radio show about CHD Awareness a few nights ago. It was the first episode and I think it turned out well. I got 3 facts wrong (I was nervous), but that’s ok, I still think I did well. Here is the link if you’d like to listen to it (just copy and paste).

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jirvin/2011/01/07/chd-awareness

I know CHD Awareness week is coming up Feburary 7-14, but CHD Awareness shouldn’t be just a week in the year, it should be all the time. I’m thinking on something small I can do. I will let you know what I come up with. With college and other personal things it can be hard for me to keep up with my blog and other things, but I’m trying my best. If any of you have any ideas of what you’d like to see, please let me know!

Lastly, here is a link to order FREE CHD Awareness brochures for CHD Awareness week! Order soon as they are only available for so long. I already have some for myself and thinking on where I can put them so people will see them.

http://tchin.org/pins/index.htm

Sending hugs and prayers to so many!

Ending with a recent picture my sister in law uploaded of my niece, Lily. She is almost 15 months old already! I miss her and my whole family so much!

With Lots of Hope, Love, and Faith,

♥

Not So Great Christmas...

...SO... my Christmas and semester break hasn't been going so well. Around 10pm on Christmas Eve, after enjoying my family get together, I got food posioning either from the Panera Bread food or Starbucks smoothie I had earlier that day. I was in and out of the bathroom all night... threw up alot and it was the first time I had thrown up in about 9yrs... so yea that wasn't fun. I couldn't go with my boyfriend to his family get together. I spend 99% of Christmas Day in bed and feeling ill. I do feel blessed to have had my mom to attend to me as well as my boyfriend who was up all night with me when I was throwning up. They are both awesome! I felt blessed! I did get alot of nice things for Christmas and I'm very thankful. I'm still recovering from the food posioning though, but doing better.

I have other things on my mind. I wrote a note to my cardiologist about some GI issues that came up with me again today, so I could use some prayers as I'm trying not to freak out. See, back in July I got food posioning so bad I went to the ER... I was bleeding alot from my behind. It all stopped and nothing else came up and my cardio wasn't concerned. My cardio did give me a number to a GI doctor just in case something did come up... I called the GI office in Oct because even though nothing had come up I thought I'd get checked anyways. The office said I couldn't get in till Feb of 2010, so I e-mailed my cardio... long stoy short I let the whole thing go because I don't have money to pay for another medical bill, I'm already behind because I have NO MONEY! BUT today I saw two spots of blood, thus I e-mailed my cardio and I'm trying not to freak out. I'm thanking God it is not bleeding bleeding like in July. Please, prayers would be nice. Thank you SO much!

I also thought I had a OB/GYN appointment for the yearly women check and blood draw for my cardio on Wed... guess I don't because I got a letter last month that I didn't read all the way through saying I have to reschedule. I wish they would have called, Ugh! Added on to that, I got a bill from my Health Insurance saying I need to pay for next month, but I already paid. Looks like I'm going to have to call them tomorrow, Ugh!

Does it ever end?!?!? I'm abit stressed, but doing alright.

GOOD NEWS: I have an awesome family family and boyfriend. I'm on break from school. I will be speaking at a new CHD organization near me called "It's My Heart" on Tuesday night. I'm feeling better! Looking at the positive!

Anyways, I have a lot of kiddos/adults on my mind like I always do, but one is going to be on my mind alot this week and that's Logan. Logan is going to have a risky heart cath this Wednesday... this heart cath could by him time before his next heart surgery or make is come faster. Please pray for his parents, Stef and Ryan, as well as precious Logan. Here is there blog if you want to leave them messages of support. www.whenlifehandsyouabrokenheart.blogspot.com

Thank You for ALL the wonderful messages of support and prayers! They always mean alot to me! ♥

Well, I'm going to watch some TV and then a movie when my boyfriend comes back from blockbuster... need to get my mind off of things and realize that I'm going to be ok. God is watching over me and I have lots of support from loved ones including you guys! I'll get through whatever comes me way! =D

With LOTS of Hope, Love, and Faith,
♥

P.S.: Still needing pictures and info for my 3rd CHD Montage... please send them to:
Sweeetie 2516 (at) Aol (dot) com (you can look at the previous post to see what I need). Thank You! =D

Tag Award and Before Christmas Update!!!

I have a bunch of stuff to say, but first off I recieved the "Tag" Award from Stephanie at With a Hopeful Heart and Jessica at Ethin's Heart Still Beats. I'm suppose to share 7 things that you may not know about me, which will be hard as I share alot. Then, I'm suppose to "Tag" some people. Here it goes...

1.) I have an anxiety disorder which can keep me on the negative side of things some days along with stressing me out... you may not know that because I don't let most people know and I try my hardest to stay on the postive side of things.

2.) My parents got a divorce 4yrs. ago and they are each in a relationship with someone which took me a bit of time to get use to, but I like Judy (my dad's gf, my bf's aunt) and Jeff (my mom's bf).

3.) I love to wear crazy looking knee socks in the winter time... not only are they cute, but they keep my legs warm.

4.) My mom went to college to be a dietichen, which came in handy when I was born and diagnosised with a complex CHD.

5.) My wonderful little brother and I are 11yrs. apart... it was a big ajustment to going from baby of the family to semi-middle (I don't really consider myself the middle child as we are so far apart in age). I love my little brother, Aaron, so much that it was worth loosing my baby spot in the family.

6.) I was 19 when I got my drivers liscence because I was scared of driving, still kind of am. I don't have my own car so I usually don't drive much.

7.) I got 6 stiches in my bottom right lip when I was 7yrs. old from getting hit by a swing... someone was on the swing, I wasn't paying attention (or listening to my dad) and got to close... I was bleeding ALOT because I'm on blood thinners. With my mom and dad's help I got to a nearby hospital and got a plastic surgeon to do some stiches and I got antibiotics... they didn't have time to numb my mouth for the stiches, so I felt all the pain... I was NOT HAPPY!

Here are the people I "Tag":

-Cain's Mommy at Clinkscale's Family Blogspot
-Sydnie's Mommy, Sundie at Sydnie's Sweet Heart
-Trista's Mommy, Amanda at Trista Faith Blogspot
-Casey's Mommy, Gina at Family Talk


**Update on Me**

I've been doing well, getting over a small cold. The past week and a half I had been studying like crazy and doing finals. Monday at 2pm it was all over and I was SO relieved! I've been trying to relax for the past couple of days, but with Christmas two days away I've still been busy... such is life. I have to do some more shopping today with money I don't have, but the small gifts I give to me family are special either way. I feel behind in so many things like this blog, spending time with my bf, bills, etc. Luckly, I have almost a month break before next semester to get some things done and also relax. I can't believe the year is almost over, where did time go? This year has been a busy and crazy one for me... having a serious boyfriend, family, my 1st ER visit in a long time, my dad losing his job, me having to pay for me own health insurance for the 1st time, hard semesters in college, etc. BUT I've had a very blessed year to and for that I'm grateful! =D
That's about all I've got right now.
I hope you ALL have a VERY MERRY AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!! I know I will!!

Sending LOTS of **Heart Hugs** and LOVE!!! Keeping LOTS of kiddos/adults in my prayers especially Logan and Derrick!!

With LOTS of Hope, Love, and Faith,
♥


***CHD Awareness Montage #3***

-If you'd like you or you CHDer in my Montage please send: pictures (hospital and happy), name, CHD, date of birth, when diagnosised, and angel date if passed to my e-mail:
Sweeetie 2516 (at) Aol (dot) com OR lceleskey 87 (at) gmail (dot) com

Thank You!!! =D