Merry Christmas to you and a very Happy New Year. This has been the most emotional New Year I have ever had. Thinking back over the year and remembering that in March I thought I was living out my last days, possibly not making it to my 49th birthday and now welcoming in 2011. As Gary and I watched the countdown to January the 1st 2011 I told him this was very emotional for me. I made it until 2011 and I am here on earth and not in Heaven yet. I called my Mom and Dad to say Happy New Year and I said I made it, I am still here. My Mom responded back with a very jubilent, PRAISE THE LORD!! That I am doing continuously.

As we all anticipate what is in store for us in this New Year let us make sure we are also ready for our Eternal destination. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 3:16, 17, 18

2010 Email Updates

Saturday, September 2nd - Hello and Good Afternoon - "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefuts." Psalm 103:1 & 2 I started this message out with Praise the Lord, cuz' I feel like I can't Praise Him enough for where he has taken me in 7 weeks. The blood analyst has literally saved my life and I feel alive again. I have decreased my blood pressure medication 2 times already, my blood sugars are more normal now and I have lots and lots of energy. I weeded my front yard for the first time all year yesterday (in shifts), but I got it done. That felt awesome. I sleep much better at night at night and feel amazing. Thanking the Lord every day for putting Darrell Wright into my life, cuz' what a difference. Anyway I feel alive again, I feel amazing, I feel awesome, well I think you get the picture. So hey the new spunky Barb is back and around Lord willing to harass and give everybody a hard time. Hee, hee, hee!!! I am so thankful for the amazing husband I have who has supported me through everything that has taken place this year and has never doubted me, but stood by my side and wanted something better for me, so that we could continue enjoying our live together in future years. Take care and God Bless - Barbara (-: (-: (-: (-:

Tuesday, October 19th - Greetings - It has been awhile since I have sent updates, so here it goes. Not interested please delete. I also know I am sending this to several people who have been updated. Again please feel free to delete. I have a centerpiece on my kitchen table that I put together celebrating Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving message on it is, "GIVE THANKS" - Unto the Lord we offer now our Praise, for bounties never ceasing, and goodness all our days. Underneath that - Faith, Family, Friends, for these we give thanks. This Thanksgiving represented so much more to me I believe than any other year this holiday has been celebrated. As I look back over the year and what God has allowed to take place in my life. I can only say Thank you for all I have been through as it has definitely defined my relationship with my Savior and brought me to a better understanding of who He is. I believe anything that draws me closer to the Lord and ends up glorifying His name is worth all the struggle. It has probably been the toughest year in my 49 years of my life. One new health issue after another and the challenges continue. On Sept. 22nd, Gary took me to emergency once again this year. I had been experiencing extreme pain on the left side of my chest and in my left arm. The most severe out of those six days I had an overwhelming sense of passing out; pain that was all the way around my chest and back like a band was being tightened causing me shortness of breath. My hand even went numb, but I still continued day after day kind of thinking that one day it would just go away. Anyway it was getting more uncomfortable to lie down and even to sit with my back against the furniture, taking anywhere from 3-5 hours to even pass. Okay so finally I thought maybe it was time to go to emergency and have this checked out. When you go to emergency presenting with chest pain they immediately take you into a room and treat you as if you were possibly having a heart attack. They talked me into staying for the night in emerg., and not really willingly I reluctanltly stayed after some encouragement from my amazing husband. The doctor also said we don't want to send you home if it is possible you are experiencing some heart complications and he would feel better if I could talk to the Cardiologist in the morning. So the pain seemed to pass over night and didn't start back up until dinnertime. I told the nurse about it, but told her I didn't want any medication for it. She immediately called the doctor that had been attending to me the night before and together with the Cardiologist they were down in my room within 5 minutes. Dr. Orvold explained in easy to understand words that he suspected I was experiencing Gastro Esophigial Reflux Disease. This is basicly a very extreme case of Acid Reflux. I have dealt with acid reflux most of my adult life and treated it with things you can buy off the shelf. The symptoms changed and I had no idea that this was coming from that. He explained that he looked over all the test results of tests that had been taken over the past year and felt very confident in concluding that I did not have coronary artery disease and that my heart was very good. That was a load off my mind and Gary and I were both very relieved. He wrote me a prescription for GERD and said that I may still have to tolerate pain for at least 4-6 weeks. I was definitely okay with that, knowing that the pain was not coming from my heart. He also said that the symptoms I was feeling are very symptomatic of heart disease that many people experience and are diagnosed with GERD. Both Gary and I thanked him greatly and were very impressed with the way he handled my situation. One of the most amazing doctors we have encountered along this this journey of mine. Anyway it has been 4 weeks since I started the medication and the pain still comes and goes, but has not become as severe as before the pills. In the meantime I also went to see Darrell Wright, my blood analyst and he has started me on a natural product to help control the acid levels in my stomach. Last week for the first time since this has all started back on Jan. 14th, I swept and washed all my floors in 2 shifts. As I was cleaning my floors I was thanking the Lord that I could do that again and feel a little more like the person I once was. I was able to start waling ouside yesterday, just around the block, but it felt amazing. I go around the block several times which turns into a 20 minute walk. I just can't stop praising the Lord for what He has taken me through. The year isn't quite up so the challenges could continue. But I know the Lord is with me through each one and is my strength especially when I am at my weakest. There are so many verses and passages from the Bible that come to my mind as I am so grateful and thankful for all my experiences. The verses that I am going to share at this point may don't express direct thanks, but they represent to me why those tough times come. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:2,3,4 & 12 May all the thanksgiving celebrations represent something truly amazing to each of you. God's richest blessing and He can get us through anything. God Bless - Love - Barbara (-:

God's Grace is Sufficient

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." II Corinthians 12:7-10 "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

Yes it is August 30th and I am finally getting back to updating my story. I posted this photo of Gary and I because it speaks volumes to me after everything we have been through the past year. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, or in our case 19 years of wedded bliss.

Let me go back to March 2nd - 13th where I was hospitalized for high blood pressure. After sorting out my medications I was able to be discharged from the hospital. It seemed like life was much the same at home the months following my discharge. Alot of patience waiting for my health to improve, others coming and cleaning, cooking and taking care of laundry and groceries, while Gary went to work. I am so thankful and grateful for my mother and her continued sacrifice of herself to look after us and our household duties. There were still plenty of doctor appointments, medication adjustments and me trying to figure things out. Little by little I was getting stronger and able to cook a meal here and there and even go downststairs to do a load of laundry. Eventually I was able to keep up with most of the household chores at my pace, and that wasn't very speedy. Washing floors, dusting and cleaning bathrooms required alot more strength and energy than I had, so I still had others doing that for me.

July started off a whirlwind of summer events that tested my strength, perseverance and confidence level in myself. Instead of our yearly summer Amendt family hottub party we tried a new adventure and headed out to Pike Lake. We had reserved cabins and campsites early in January for a three day weekend in July. Packing food, clothes, bedding and all the things needed for camping was only the beginning of the challenges for me. Starting to organize and pack well ahead of time helped to keep me from becoming overwhelmed with the whole camping process. Once to the lake I wanted to challenge myself with as much walking as I could do, which wasn't very much, but knew it would help with the healing process. Again success on so many levels. Up early and visiting late into the evening, going for small walks with the nieces and nephews, and sisters, helping out a little with meals and even packing all up again when we headed home. It turned out to be an awesome week for the Amendt family camping trip and looking forward to the Pike Lake adventure again next summer.

The 2 weeks prior to Pike Lake I was able to go on IV antibiotics for my lungs again, which in turn gave me an extra added boost to enjoy our time at the lake. Ten days was as many days as I could tolerate this time round with the meds. We had to go three times to emergency in ten days to get my IV restarted, so after ten days I pulled the last needle out and called it a done deal. My arms and hands were sore and bruised from IV's that failed within minutes of being tried and from the many tubes of blood that had to be taken from me on at least 4 different days in the ten day period. Finally enough is enough. It did help somewhat, but not as much as I was used to in the past.

In the months leading up until July I was getting stronger little baby steps at a time, but I started noticing I couldn't eat as much as I should be, because I felt full all the time. Eventually going to the bathroom was becoming more and more difficult. It seemed that I was feeling more pressure in my abdomen over time and then my clothes around my waist weren't fitting properly. Oh sure at first thought it sounds like I was just gaining weight, but I felt more like something was growing inside of me. Before you all start thinking wierd things let me clear your thoughts - No Chance of Pregnancy - didn't even cross my mind. Throughout the month of July it seemed like the pressure was getting worse and it seemed like I couldn't go to the bathroom anymore. Gary did not like the fact that I wasn't eating anything, or at least as good as nothing. My mom had given me the name of a blood analyst about a month earlier, so after alot of encouragement from my husband I finally agreed to call and set up an appointment with him. July 22nd I met with Mr. Darrell Wright who works with natural products and colon/liver cleansing here in Saskatoon. Thank the Lord for sending me to a man with his ability. After Gary and I felt the doctors had done all they could and were going to do I was basicly on my way to dieing. I thought I would never see my 49th birthday. A very hopeless, skeptical Barbara entered an office, but left with hope and a chance at living again.

Perseverance Under Trial

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the man who perseverses under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised." James 1:2-4,12 (NIV)
Sorry I have fallen behind on the updates here on my blog, so lets try to catch up. Leaving off with feeling like the doctors are finally getting behind the high blood pressure, things take a more serious turn for the worse. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday bring the spiking blood pressures again and I call Gary at work to come home and take me to Royal University Hospital emergency. I am rushed in ahead of others to see a doctor and again test after test is done and something very small shows up in the blood work. The emergency doctor tells me my sodium is low and would highly recommend that I be admitted to hospital. When the doctor that does the admitting comes to see me the many monitors that I am hooked up to are signalling high blood pressure and very fast heart rate. So no questions asked I was immediately admitted to hospital that evening of March 2nd. A room came available to me around 12:30 am and I was promptly moved up to the ward.
My first night was shared with 3 elderly men who could not get out of there beds, couldn't feed themselves, and shared special sounds like snoring and, well you get the picture. I think I may have had my first experience of what it would be like in a nursing home. Fortunately that would be short lived and I was moved to a private room that afternoon - Yah!! So more tests, lots of blood work, Heparin shots twice a day to keep me from blood clots, because I was not moving around much. A heart stress test was done on Thursday which had not been properly explained to me, which I later found out should have never been done. Gary was with me at the hospital, but was not allowed to come in when the test was administered. So I was injected with a drug that brings on the stress of the heart which is normally done by exercising on a treadmill. It basicly makes you feel like a billion tons is lying on your chest, you can't breath and your entire body seems extremely heavy. Anyway that is done and I tell Gary he can go back to work that day I should be fine. He was barely gone for an hour and my sister called him back because things had gone from bad to worse again. This time I felt like I was going blind and experiencing a severe heart attack. He got to the hospital and things seemed very hazy at this point for me. As I recall the series of events following that attack nothing seems to make sense. The thing that stands out to me is Gary giving me a big hug when he got to my room and then proceeding to tear a strip off the doctor. The doctor tried to help us understand what may have happened and puts the responsibility in another doctors hands. The was the beginning of blaming others and many different opinions by many different doctors, which made things very confusing for both Gary and I.
After that eventful afternoon with my heart and my vision the doctors had me moved to the observation room. I felt like I was being demoted and a sense of hopelessness came over me. By now I am finding it very hard to get around on my own, so I am being wheeled around to the bathroom and to the shower. Of course blood pressure medication was started the day I was admitted to hospital and the meds are starting to have some positive impact. I am taking 4 blood pressure medications plus on the nitro patch to help keep my heart rate down. I have also been placed on a heart monitor, so that the doctors could stay on top of when my heart rate would go up. So that in turn brought on many ECG's that always showed all was okay. Being on so much medication to bring my pressure down, now I am starting to struggle with low blood pressure. Convincing the doctors of this seemed to be quite a challenge until I started having nightmares. An adjustment was made to reduce some meds and change a few. I also started taking a sleeping pill so that I could get some proper sleep. Everyday I would ask if I could move back to a private room hoping things were improving with my health. I ended up being in observation for about 5 days and then happy to be back in a private room. I still needed help getting to the bathroom and to the shower. Someone from the family was always around, so they were able to help me and I didn't have to bother the nurses.

Patience of Job

"A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." Proverbs 14:29 "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22, 23 (All verses from NIV)
Patience is a virtue - I've heard it said all my life. Definitely one of the fruits of the spirit I lack greatly. During the waiting process of this journey I have been described as having the Patience of Job. I can only say, I have never met anyone with the Patience of Job and cannot imagine I will ever grow in patience to the level of Job.
Let me recap as I have I had a little time from my last entry. On January 14th my life changed dramatically from the day before. Calling 911 and being whisked away to emergency with a blood pressure of 190 over 130, I had no idea what was happening to me. No answers, so home to see what happens next. A couple of days later another call to 911 and the anxiety chatter begins, even though my blood pressure seems to be extremely elevated. Gary and I go to the clinic where my doctor works out of to have my blood pressure checked. The panic attack diagnosis is the end result even though again my blood pressure is extremely elevated. Upon visiting my doctor several days later, after my pressure has not gone back down to normal I am still being told that the anxiety has to be taken care of first. Well you know the rest of that story. After medication has been given to me the process is slow and steady, still not feeling like I am being taken seriously. Another emergency visit with my pressure through the roof, I am finally being taken more serious and the tests begin. Off to a blood pressure specialist who adds medication to help stabilize my pressure and again the waiting continues. In the meantime my lungs are tightening and I am finding it a bit more difficult to take deep breaths. I was able to get on the home IV program and start antibiotics to help alleviate the pressure on my lungs. The test of patience does not end there, as I endure 8 needle pokes and 6 successful IV sites to run my medication through in a 14 day stretch. I also had to adjust the speed of injecting the meds because they were wearing out my veins and causing me some pain. After 2 weeks of IV antibiotics I can tell things are better with my lungs. I went in to the hospital to have my last IV taken out and then I went to do a breathing test, to see how much my lungs improved. Well I was nicely surprised to see that my test resulted in a 62 percent lung function. Approximately 4 months ago I was sitting at 48 percent, so I was quite pleased.
Upon visiting the blood pressure specialist I was told there would be an appointment set up for me to have a renal Doppler ultrasound on the artery connected to my right kidney. Again the waiting game begins. I call within the first week after hearing nothing and am told yes the letter has been sent, so you should hear something soon. I waited 'patiently' as another week passed with no word. I called again and was told the same information, but that she would check and make sure they got the letter. Later that afternoon I had an appointment with my family doctor just to check on the blood pressure progression. I mentioned it to her that I haven't heard anything yet and was wondering why it hadn't happened yet. Prior to our conversation the nurse had checked my pressure and it was high. The doctor said she would find out what was going on with the ultrasound and get back to me. Not happy with my pressure she upped the dosage of one of my meds and I again was feeling like my situation was being taken more serious. So home we go and, you got it, the waiting game begins again. Excellent you are all catching on quickly! (-:
The next day I get the mail and WOW there is a letter with an appointment date for my renal Doppler ultrasound. Needless to say I was surprised. Amazing what doctors can really do once 'they' actually believe there is really something wrong with you. At times it feels like it has only taken 6 weeks for doctors to believe that I am not making my blood pressure go up, but that there is legitimately something happening that is out of my control.

Perseverance

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:2, 3, 4, 12, 17 (NIV)
A night in the ER brought about more appointments, suspicions and more medication. I was able to talk to the head of the ER who gave me a prescription for the same pill that brought my blood pressure down when we had arrived at the University Hospital Emergency. It was only to be used if the top number of my blood pressure went up to 190 or higher. Fortunately the fluid pill that I had started the day before seemed to be working quickly and my pressure did not spike up over 175 again. I was also set up with an appointment to see the blood pressure specialist the following week. As the week passed it was uneventful as I continued to relax on the couch and family and friends stopped by to visit and help out with cleaning and meals.
There were suspicions of kidney artery narrowing after I had been examined at emergency, so my appointment with the blood pressure specialist encouraged other future appointments. Another medication was added to continue to bring my pressure down. The specialist felt that would be beneficial as my body continues to find some sort of stability. She also wants to have a look at my heart after examining me, so she told me there would be an ultra sound set up for both my heart and my kidney.
So the count is 3 blood pressure medications and one waiting in the wings only for emergency. More waiting, teaches more patience as I wait for the phone to ring with appointment dates. I have taught myself how to keep my blood sugars under control without the use of insulin. I have been eating smaller portions at mealtime, eating snacks in between and trying to keep everything on the same time schedule. As the next week passes I am starting to have more hours where I feel better than not so good, but still not really being able to do much more than resting on the couch. Resting is probably a good thing as my body is working so hard to stay afloat, but that brings a little complication with my lungs. No movement is causing my lungs to feel heavier and tighter, so it is time to treat me with IV antibiotics. On Feb. 10th, Wednesday afternoon Gary took me in to get me started on on my first med. At this point I have been on the 3rd blood pressure medication for a week and I have already seen positive results. I have a cuff to check my own pressure with at home and could see the numbers were staying down more regularly.

Tears Of Relief

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:13,19 (NIV) On Friday January 22nd I had an appointment with my CF doctor and talked to him about what was happening to me. As my illness at this point is a continuous mystery, he does conclude it is not CF related and that being treated for high blood pressure is a great start. He sets up a phone call with my family physician to encourage her to refer me to a blood pressure specialist, who might be able to tweak the medication to fit my individual needs. More issues seem to be revealing themselves as I find myself struggling to keep my sugar levels up along with an imbalance with my cycle. My doctor wanted me back in her office Monday to check on my blood pressure to see if things were becoming more stable. Deciding that I could use a little more help with the situation she puts me on a fluid pill hoping to see a better outcome.

Tuesday morning Gary is off to work and I am heading back to what has become my favourite spot lately, the couch. Resting, resting and more resting. At this point I am starting to feel tired of resting, but there was nothing else I could do, so no point in complaining about it. Approximately 1:45 that afternoon things get a little out of hand. I am feeling very light headed, dizzy and my heart rate is going up. I wait it out for about 15 minutes and it is definitely not getting better. Finally talking myself into calling Gary at work he comes home checks my blood pressure and it is 205 over 107. An hour since these symptoms start we are in the car driving to University Hospital Emergency. That seemed like an extremely long ride and my blood pressure continued to spike encouraging my heart to race.

Extreme pressure in my head made it almost impossible for me to walk so Gary dropped me off right at the door and I plopped myself into a wheelchair. Upon registering my blood pressure was sitting at 195 over 98, so I was feeling a slight bit of relief in my head. We were told it could be awhile before I would be able to see a doctor and that was pretty obvious as the emergency waiting room was spilling out into the hallway. I decided to call my doctor and let her know we were in emergency due to a spike in my blood pressure and she steered back to the anxiety story, so I politely said okay, thank you and good bye. It was getting time for me to eat so as not to have to deal with low sugars right then. We asked the registration nurse if there would be time for us to get a bite to eat and she suggested we go get our lunch and bring it back to emergency to eat. Once in the food court we decided to eat there which gave us some time to think the situation through. Discouragement set in as we discussed how long we would be sitting waiting to see a doctor and felt no one would do anything anyway. We made up our minds to go back to emergency and tell the nurse we were just going to go home. A miracle on the horizon as we travelled back to the registration desk. Approaching with our decision made, the nurse sees us coming and asks if I am Barbara Ginther. I say yes and she proceeds to tell me there is a room for me and pulls my name out from the bottom of the pill. Wow, that was definitely the amazing power of prayer and God's hand directly at work. Of course we were surprised at that news and immediately followed the nurse to the room filled with a little more hope. Lieing on the bed my blood pressure was taken and it was 215 over 107, to which the doctor said immediate action needed to be taken to bring that pressure down. As he left the room to get the proper medication for me a sense of relief came over me and I started to cry quietly. Noticing that I was a bit emotional Gary responds to me by saying, it's okay, don't worry, everything will be okay. I replied back and said, oh these are not tears of worry, these are tears of relief.

Things started happening very fast from there. I was given a pill to help bring my pressure down and within approximately 30 minutes there was improvement.