Praise Report: Test Results From Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Test April 9, 2013

(This is the email I sent to my family but you have become my blog family so I wanted to share with you.)

” Hello dear ones, some of you know that I finally got tested for Vascular Ehlers-Danlos a couple months ago. VEDS is the disease that killed Daddy. It’s hereditary and doesn’t always show symptoms. Many people don’t know they have it until they’re dead. I’ve had chronic inflammation and pain since after I had Michael. It’s gotten worse each year and I haven’t known the cause. I have Endometriosis which brought about the anemia ( I am no longer anemic but still on iron pills until I get to normal levels). Along with scoliosis and other things that came about in my early 20’s I’ve been clueless to the cause and VEDS was the only possible answer I had. Either way it was important for me to know. I’m not sure if EDS skips generations but I will be checking. I wanted to know if I could’ve passed this on to Michael. I’ve been fighting for years to get tested.

So I am very happy to announce that the clinic called and I DON’T have Vascular Ehlers-Danlos. There isn’t a test for the other types but I’ve been told that I’d have to have the same type as Daddy to have it. And he had Vascular. I will be checking to see if VEDS can skip a generation and I pray it doesn’t.

So I am relieved of course that I don’t have a deadly disease (esp the one that made Dad suffer so much). I am a bit confused to why I have dealt with certain health issues at such a young age. I’ve never been in a major car accident or broken major bones. One of my Buddy’s suggested hormones and I need to investigate that because the Endometriosis really messes me up. If hormones are causing inflammation then I’m not surprised. I am trying to eat better but that’s an ongoing struggle.

The doc doesn’t seem too concerned with my health problems. He says that I may have to live with the mystery of it because other autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia etc aren’t understood completely by the med. profession. He said he didn’t want this to be my life mission. Well, it’s not….living for Christ and ministering to my family is my life mission. I just want to knock out this pain so I can live my mission better. And I want to do it naturally by getting to the cause. So I think my next step is dealing with the Endometriosis. They can’t laser it out because of where it’s at. Traditional meds seem worse than the problem itself. So I need to get serious about some natural remedies and when we get the money have the natural doctor (the one that found out I was severely anemic way back when) do a hormone test over the course of a month.

I was relatively healthy before I got pregnant. Seriously, the Endometriosis, scoliosis, inflammation in my joints and chest etc…all started after I gave birth. So maybe my hormones got completely screwed up in the process? If this all has a simple fix I’m going to be ticked at all the years I suffered and doctors gave me no answers. But of course happy if there is a simple fix because pain stinks.

Okay, I said all that to say thank you for your prayers and to keep praying. My pain didn’t go away because I wasn’t diagnosed with something. I still physically feel the same but now I can move on and have hope for dealing with my health issues. I think I’d be jumping for joy more if my back pain etc  vanished when I got the call. I am happiest for my family that doesn’t have to worry about VEDS anymore.  I’ll be even happier if I find that there’s no possible way EDS could skip to Michael. Pray for me as I continue in this journey to be a healthier person.

Love to you all and thank you for your support!”

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks!Sunday: My mini bucketlist~Medieval times & the Ga Aquarium February 19, 2012

(My son and I doing “chemistry”)

Hello friends and welcome to My Family Rocks! Sunday :). We had a busy weekend and I want to share our experiences with you guys. First off, I want to say how truly inspired I am by people with illnesses who just get out there and travel. I love it when people fulfill something on their bucket list. I am really inspired by my friend Sheri (http://imsorryforcursing.blogspot.com/) who has colon cancer. She’s going to Cambodia with her family in March. Also there’s Xavier (I posted his blog earlier today) who went to Italy for his Make-A-Wish.

For those of you with illness, you know traveling is different when your body has so many limits. I’ve dealt with chronic illness for several years now but I’m just starting to learn I have limits (that healthy humans don’t deal with). It really hit home when we stayed at the beach in October. I wasn’t able to walk very far before I had to sit down (pain & exhaustion). Eventually I curled up in a chair & just watched my hubby and son move around.  Ehlers-Danlos (or whatever this is) (*Update: It’s not Ehlers-Danlos, praise God!) is very random so I have good days and bad. I’m learning to always locate the bathrooms wherever I’m at. Also there must be lots of places to sit and rest. I must have salty food with me just in case my blood pressure drops and I can’t expose myself to the cold very long or different things inflame. Also, Endometriosis causes major issues once a month. Other than that it’s not so bad. I’ve yet to encounter what some of my friends deal with while traveling etc. So I applaud you guys…you are brave.

Anywho, I made a bucket list because I hope to experience many adventures before I meet Jesus face to face. Also, I want to take my family along for these adventures. I’m the planner in my family so usually I organize all our outings. My hubby could sit at home watching youtube videos all day & be happy lol (I love you honey!). So I have to kind of nudge him out the door. My little guy, Michael, is very much like me when I had energy. He would travel every day if he could. He’s like the energizer bunny. I guess I’m in the middle. I push myself (usually despite pain) because I know none of us know when we will take our last breath. We must make every moment count.

Moving on…. A bucket list is a list of things to do before you die. My mini bucket list is things I can do in the next year or so. My major bucket list is things I may not be able to do for awhile (because of health, finances, time etc…). Here is my mini bucket list and two I have checked off this weekend:

1. Visit Helen Ga (Go tubing?)

2. Finish my book and publish it

3. Visit Cumberland Island (photograph a wild horse)

4.Visit Aspen, CO (stay in a cabin…see snow)

5. Visit New York City ( See Belvedere castle in Central park)

6. Visit Forks, WA

7. See the River Fires in Rhode Island

8. Atlanta~ Medieval times, Aquarium (sleep over in the aquarium), and the Varsity(again)

9. Biblical Antiquities

10. Treetop excursion (climb to the top. Sleep in a tree?)

Here’s my major or “Extreme” bucket list just for the heck of it:

1. Visit Israel & walk where Jesus walked

2. Visit the Black Forest in Germany (see Castles, woods, and clock making shops) (This one should be at the top)

3. Visit Ireland (see ruins)

4. Drive up the coast into Canada (making stops on the way) and stay on Prince Edward Island. Experience Anne of Green Gables

5. Visit Hawaii- take a cruise?

Anywho, I may expand my list in the future. I’ve had longer ones but they were rather far fetched…..like own a coffee shop….sprout wings etc etc…… I don’t even like drinking coffee. I just love to smell the beans.  As you can see from my pictures we enjoyed the Ga Aquarium & Medieval times this weekend. We also ate at the Varsity which is all about experience…..not taste. Gotta love the greasy goodness…

I really enjoyed Medieval Times because I was able to sit, eat, and be entertained. The aquarium was interesting…..just alot of walking and a huge crowd. But my guys had a blast & that’s all that matters. Enjoy the pics 🙂

My lil man was a court Jester. I made the felt hat he wore 🙂

We ate with our hands. I felt like such a glutton. They just kept piling on the food.

The show was great! I love sword fights and jousting. If you’ve read many of my posts you know I’d sprout wings & be a fairy princess if I could. I love the time of chivalry. I would miss my computer though….and indoor plumbing.

Oh to be a Medieval Princess…..sigh…….

We were told to cheer for the Green Knight….the only evil knight. He was nice in person lol. Go green!

A kiss by the roaring fire 😉 Lil man is quite the photographer…

The Aquarium was neat. I do not recommend going on the weekend. It was SO packed! Maybe one day we can stay the night and have the place almost to ourselves…..

Woohoo! Penguins!

how cool it would be to swim with a dolphin….

We took alot of pictures but there’s too many to post. Do you have a bucket list? If so please leave me a comment with the top five on your list. Have you checked off most of your list? If you don’t have a bucket list I hope you make one. Maybe you could start out small and local…..like take a painting class…..go see a play. Then you could expand it to other states and countries. I’m finding there is so much to do locally if you research.

I really enjoy Lesley Carter’s blog: http://lesleycarter.wordpress.com/author/lesleycarter/

She blogs about her bucket list experiences and also hosts other bloggers. I enjoy living vicariously through her 🙂

God bless and Remember The High King Lives!~Amber Dover

From Sorrow to Peace~You can get there! January 18, 2012

Hi all 🙂 I begin this post with a story I was forwarded today (and a pic of my Second Life Avatar just for fun):

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
~author unknown~
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible -Psalms 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Ricky was excited about the task – but he just couldn’t remember the Psalms. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalms 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly,
“The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”

Now to the hard truth: Suffering stinks. Pain isn’t fun. Depression is not joyful. It’s worse than stinky cheese.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest.

So why in the world would God tell us to rejoice in our trials? (James 1:2-3)

Seriously, he already knows we’re made of dust. (Psalm 103:14)

Well, most of you know the Sunday school answer. We gain character through suffering. We become stronger. But I guarantee  many of you who suffer with chronic illness do NOT feel strong. When I say I understand….I really understand. The last several years have been rough on me. I buried my Dad at the tender age of 46. I saw him in pain day after day many years before his death. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is not a joke. It’s one of those invisible illnesses. Aren’t they annoying? You look so young & healthy on the outside yet you’re dying on the inside. Older people think you’re crazy when you can relate to their pain……cause seriously you’re a spring chicken….how could you be in pain? I definitely get it. I’ve been dealing with random psychotic symptoms that seem like E.D.S. for awhile now. I saw my Dad suffer with it and now I feel it’s reared it’s ugly head with me. Do I feel strong through all this? Heck no! I feel weak & useless.

(Update: Praise God, I don’t have EDS! I’m still looking into what’s causing my symptoms. August 2014)

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

This verse makes the whole idea easier to swallow:

Passage 2 Corinthians 12:9:
⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When we are weak….HE is shown strong. There’s no way we can do this journey on our own. We can’t move mountains. We can’t hold the fibers of our body together. We can’t bring the dead back to life. Ah….but we know someone who can.

Passage John 15:5:
⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

Okay, everyone knows I love fantasy. I’m writing a fictional tale that has bits of allegory. My main character Emmanuel lives in a miserable world in need of redemption. There are scary man-eating beasts and just really mean people. But most fairy tales are set in a harsh world think of “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo couldn’t even afford shoes ;). They didn’t have air conditioning or the internet. Why do people read/watch these things? Would we even survive one day in Middle Earth? How about the traditional fairy tales we all love? Most of them are based on the very real Black Forest in Germany. Talk about scary. Hansel & Gretal can walk….I’ll take a car thank you.

(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)

Speaking of fantasy. Here’s a quote from “The Lord of the Rings” that  answers my question:

“Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are.

It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were.

And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.

Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?

But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun

shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were

too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of

chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”

~The Lord of the Rings: The two towers

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     It’s all about the QUEST. We don’t read fairy tales because everyone’s sad and dying. We read them because we know they’re gonna get better. Eventually the Prince will find his Princess, someone will slay the dragon, and all will be right in the world. Sigh…. 🙂  So do we honestly think the greatest story teller of all time is going to allow our real world and our real lives to stink forever? No way! We may suffer. We may cry and we may even curse at our circumstances. But it doesn’t end here. There is hope. Our sorrow can become peace. Our suffering can become joy. When we make it to our destination we will be different people because of the journey. All the hardship and pain will have shaped us into the likeness of Christ himself….why? Because it is Christ who got us through this mess. It is Christ who moved our mountains. It is Christ who will give us a new body. It is Christ who gives us Joy when we’d rather be depressed. It all points to him, folks. We just need to trust Jesus and hang on for the ride.  And when you see glimpses of beauty & joy keep them in your heart and hold them there for when the darkness comes. You’ll make it through.

      I leave you with a section from my favorite allegory “Hinds’ Feet on High Places”

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This is a scene with the Shepherd (Jesus) and Much-Afraid (a believer that struggles with fear)

“They are good teachers; indeed, I have few better. As for their names, I will tell them in your own language, and later you will learn what they are called in their own tongue. This,” said He, motioning toward the first of the silent figures, “is named Sorrow. And the other is her twin sister, Suffering.”

Poor Much-Afraid! Her cheeks blanched and she began to tremble from head to foot. She felt so like fainting that she clung to the Shepherd for support.

“I can’t go with them,” she gasped. “I can’t! I can’t! O my Lord Shepherd, why do You do this to me? How can I travel in their company? It is more than I can bear. You tell me that the mountain way itself is so steep and difficult that I cannot climb it alone. Then why, oh why, must You make Sorrow and Suffering my companions? Couldn’t you have given Joy and Peace to go with me, to strengthen me and encourage me and help me on the difficult way? I never thought You would do this to me!” And she burst into tears.

217 pages later…..Much-Afraid has made it to the High places and is now Grace and Glory….

“Who are you?” asked Grace and Glory softly. “Will you tell me your names?”

Instead of answering they looked at one another and smiled, then held out their hands as though to take hers in their own. At that familiar gesture, Grace and Glory knew them and cried out with a joy which was almost more than she could bear.

“Why! You are Suffering and Sorrow. Oh, welcome, welcome! I was longing to find you again.” (You know she’s in Heaven to be able to say that honestly!)

They shook their heads. “Oh, no!” they laughed, “We are no more Suffering and Sorrow than you are Much-Afraid. Don’t you know that everything that comes to the High Places is transformed? Since you brought us here with you, we are turned into Joy and Peace.”

“Brought you here!” gasped Grace and Glory. “What an extraordinary way to express it! Why, from the first to last you dragged me here.”

Again they shook their heads and smiled as they answered, “No, we could never have come here alone, Grace and Glory. Suffering and Sorrow may not enter the Kingdom of Love, but each time you accepted us and put your hands back in ours we began to change. Had you turned back or rejected us, we never could have come here.”

~Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard (pgs 69-70 & pgs 287-288)

Have a blessed day everyone and remember “The High King Lives!”

~Amber Dover