As I sit here today on our back porch, the bees are buzzing a little louder. The birds are singing joyfully. The sky is bluer. The sound of a lawn mower makes me smile. I can’t fully explain why. It just does. Maybe it’s because the feeling of spring is here to stay or because I love the smell of fresh-cut grass? Everything is more beautiful today, and I do know why.
Do you remember back at the end of February, I did a column called Put Your Hope in God? I shared the song “When I Fall” by Katy Nicole. I talked about being in a hospital bed but didn’t get into details. Well, today was my three-month follow-up from that hospital visit, and it was a test I was dreading but looking forward to at the same time.
Most of you who know me, know I have fought with health issues for the past two and a half years. I won’t get into tons of details because we would be ten columns deep into it all, but it all started with me being diagnosed with PCOS when I struggled to hit 70-pound weightloss no matter how hard I tried.
I tracked/weighed my food. I exercised. I made serious changes in my life and couldn’t get over sixty-four pounds.
So, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with PCOS in January of 2023. (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) It’s a real pain in the butt, let me tell ya. Well, my doctor put me on a medicine called Metformin to help adjust my hormones, and my body did not take it well. AT ALL. This was the beginning of over a two-year health battle for me. I won’t get into all the gross details, but after three months of being on it, I ended up in the hospital for over a week. It was a whole thing. Then, because of how sick I was and just about septic, they pushed tons of antibiotics and medications into me. Then, months later, in July, I ended up getting C-Diff. The medicine to help fix the C-diff then got me sick AGAIN. It was the nightmare of just one thing leading to another.
That following January, I continued to feel miserable and was on another medication called Mesalamine. I was to have a hysterectomy that month. Here, I was so sick again that they had to cancel my surgery. I was devastated. I had these large fibroids sitting on top of an inflamed colon, and the two things together made me feel miserable every day.
I finally had my surgery in March and, by summer, was feeling a little better, but my insides still weren’t 100%.
In October, they put me on a medicine called Humaria for my ‘so-called’ Ulcerative Colitis that I truly don’t think I had to begin with! I’m already getting into more details than I wanted, but let me say that this is the very short side of this story. There is so much more than this.
Long story short, I was on Humaria for three months and ended up getting an EKG in January because, during my THIRD colonoscopy in less than two years, they found something on the heart monitor they didn’t like. On this EKG, they discovered I had an ejection fraction of 30, which meant I was in heart failure. Plus, I also found out I have a left branch bundle block. It was so scary, but it made no sense. How do I all of a sudden have a heart problem!? Are you kidding me?
I ended up in the hospital and was put on lots of heart meds. I had to patiently wait until April 24th to get my next EKG to see if the meds were helping. April 24 was today. A day I was dreading but looking forward to all at once. This heart stuff sure is an eye-opener in life. I was organizing, getting rid of things, and leaving notes in holiday totes, thinking I was a goner! But today, I got the good news that my ejection fraction is now 45-50, and I couldn’t be happier! The normal range is, I believe, around 65, but the 50-75 range is good.
I know this is probably so much to take in, and I wasn’t ever going to share because it’s been a lot. You all are like family to me, and honestly, my life is an open book. This is just skimming the top of what I have been through. But guys — health is wealth.
If you have your health, you have everything.
My relationship with God has gotten closer because of this hard time. My house is even more organized than what it was, and I am a pretty clean/organized person. My perspective on life is even greater than what it was. We seriously can’t sweat the small things. I wish everyone had a chance to go through something like this because it truly is an eye-opener! Three months ago, I felt like I was dying, and now today, I can’t feel any more alive! Life is funny, isn’t it? Please just be thankful every day.
And folks, please, PLEASE, advocate for yourself. I was so sick for the past two and half years because of medication. “Most” doctors told me I was crazy, thinking it was the meds. No one believed me until my family doctor stepped in and got things done! Guess what? I’m on ZERO meds for my colon, and that baby is in tip-top shape! *enter cheesy smile here* (Nothing like writing about your colon. Good grief. We are like family! Haha!) For the first time in over two years, I feel like myself again. You can’t tell me otherwise that I was sick for over two years because of medication. It’s crazy. But I am getting my life back and feeling the best I have in a long time. I turn 40 in August and want to make it my best year yet! Health is wealth. God is good. AMEN!
Orecchiette with Peas, Chicken & Bacon in Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
• 1 pound package of Orecchiette
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped and fried
• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to your taste
Directions:
Cook pasta according to the package; set aside.
In a large saucepan, cook bacon and set aside. In the same saucepan, add olive oil and garlic to the pan.
Cook up chicken until fully cooked.
Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3 minutes.
Slowly add the heavy cream and pasta. Let simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens.
(If you have to add a little roux to thicken, go for it!)
Add bacon and peas and serve immediately.
Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
