One year ago...

On April 16th, 2010 I was hospitilized in Edison, New Jersey. I was about 88lbs, wheel chair confined, slept all day due to the fatigue, in extreme pain and unable to dress, groom or prepare meals. The most simple task such as cutting your nails or combing your hair, I was unable to do. I had left Ohio on the 9th of April, and went to NJ so that my family could help me. The following three weeks of my life I will never forget. I will never forget what my family did for me and what they went through. I will never forget all the prayers, concerns and love that I received from all over the world. I will always remember the community of families and friends in Ohio and New Jersey who came to visit me in the hospital, who sent cards and flowers and especially their prayers. 

I was in the ER for 11 hours when they finally admitted me. I was not taking any medications at the time. I had a severe Lupus exacerbation. They admitted me to a cardiac unit in which a friend of mine was working on. It was always nice to see her smile when times were difficult. My blood test showed that my RBC were a level 7 (normal level 12-16). My inflammation levels were through the roof. My liver and pancreas enzymes were abnormal.

I had to have three blood transfusion at this time. It was 6 days into my admission when a nurse came in the room, looking all concerned and ask me how did I feel. I remember saying I felt good. At that time they had put me on Hydrocortisol and for a little while my joint pain had some relief. She said, " Well your heart rate has been below 50s and it looks like you are showing that you are having secondary AV block. (Second-degree AV block is a disease of the electrical conduction system of the heart. It refers to a conduction between the atria and ventricles.) So they rushed me to the ICU. They decided to transfer me to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, which is known to be one of the best cardiac hospitals in the country. I was in RWJH ICU for 4 days with my heart having PVC, and my blood pressure was all over the place. They had mentioned that they might have to put a pace maker in but because I was young and asymptomatic the cardiologists wanted to hold off for a couple of days just to observe. My heart eventually started to improve  but then I ended up with severe pain in my abdomen in which caused me to scream in agony. They did multiple CAT scans and noticed that my pancreas and liver were inflamed, and that I had fluid in my abdomen. I ended up having a paracentesis done, and having about 300cc of fluid drawn.(this is when they stick a large needle in your abdomen to extract the fluid) I remember half the time I was drugged up with dilaudid. Also, my veins were so small so it was so difficult for them to put an IV or do blood draws that I ended up being poked 10-13 times a day. While in the ICU, I decided to finally accept in putting a PICC line. (It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access)  I was so overwhelmed. I had so many tests done, about 8 physician specialists, and so many things happening to my body. My body was shutting down, and I was shocked.

During this whole entire time, I never feared about dying. Death never crossed my mind. I felt an enormous amount of love from my family. They were with me around the clock. I was never alone. I have two brothers and one sister. I also have a sister-in law. My husband eventually came a week later for a couple of days. Each one of them including my parents did rotating shifts. I will always be forever grateful for them. They held my hand as I was getting needles poked numerous times a day, was there at night when I needed to go to the bathroom and was there cleaning my body. I can not thank them enough.

I was in the hospital for two weeks and I can still remember like if it was yesterday. Now I am working full time, preparing to have children, going to Alaska in May and loving my life to the best of my abilities. I was put on prednisone and plaquinil. I have been off the medications since February and I feel better than ever. The medication probably saved my life at that time but I never saw it as my way to recover from Lupus. When I was on the medication, I gained a lot of weight (which for me I needed to gain weight but I gained a little more than I wanted to), had mood changes, difficulty making decisions, and was confused. I said to myself, I will only take the medication until my immune system was under control. It took me 9 months to be able to get off the medications. I would probably still be on the medication if I did not change my diet, and my thoughts. I think diet plays an extreme factor to your recovery. I noticed when I ate a cookie or ate spaghetti with tomato sauce, that the next day I would be in pain, even with the medications. That is when I bought a book called "Arthritis-Fight It with the Blood Type Diet" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. I try to follow the guidelines to the best of my ability and it has worked for me. I eat a gluten free, and I eat for a Type O blood type. I stay away from processed foods, sugar foods and fast food. I believe this has helped me tremendously.

There are also many other things but the first step is to put in your body the right types of food. We have that control and it is important if you want to get better to start with that basic idea.

My story of recovery is long so I will end it with this note; Don't be scared to try everything. If you want to live, like I did when I was in the hospital, You will Live. There are so many people out there that have incredible testimonies of surviving cancers, diseases, and much more. If they can do it, why can't we?

My next post will be about some of the things I am using everyday to assist in my healing and curing of Lupus.

This is a special note to the ones that were with me during my difficult times. I love you all and I will never forget. You are what keeps me alive everyday and what makes me want to become an amazing women.
My Husband
Derflinger Family
Masuda Family
Choi Family
Kitaguchi Family
Bair Family
And to the community in Ohio and New Jersey