Monday, December 29, 2014

Late December 2014

A recap of recent days:

A week ago Friday I had a 2-hour interview with three sweet ladies from my hospital's publicity group, an hour of that on film with two big light and two cameras just a couple feet away from my face. That night I went out to hubby work Christmas party. I love playing dress up, though it does take a lot out of me.
Last Monday, two of those ladies met me at my new gym to film my water exercise class (had been on a two week trial membership there, with last Monday being the first day of the official new membership my in laws blessed me with for Christmas - what a way to make an entry, showing up with a film crew on my first day as a member! LOL). That afternoon my parents took us across town for an emergency orthodontic repair for our daughter.
Sunday was our 15-year-old's birthday. After dinner that night, I went out into the cold and learned about muscle "spasticity" on a whole new level. My hubby steadied me and helped me hobble to the car, thankfully avoiding the piggy-back-ride we actually considered.
The weekend through Wednesday morning found me madly cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, wrapping gifts (quite a trick with clumsy hands that can only master gift bagging but not tape scissors or wrap, or a long-enough term memory to even know what is in the bag I just packed before I get it half way from our bedroom to the tree - I only made one major blunder in forgetting my brother-in-laws gift at all, but I got to be as surprised as our kids were on Christmas morning as they unwrapped their gifts) and packing.
Tuesday night we attended a Christmas Eve-Eve service and I wore ear plugs (to help me be able to tolerate the neuro stimulation of the music. Even though I already have much hearing loss, what I do hear, I do not process correctly, thus cannot tolerate loud sounds without nausea and confusion and physical pain.) and Signed (because I could not hear myself sing) all the Christmas carols.
Early Wednesday afternoon (24th) we were all loaded in the car and headed to my in-laws' farm about an hour away.

Thursday, we spent with 11 family members and two bathrooms, later in the day, joined by an adopted sister and her friend as well. I was in bed around 8pm, both Wednesday and Thursday nights!
Friday was a rest and family games day. The 27th marked exactly 20 years since I learned my body not only disliked the idea of GETTING pregnant but that CARRYING a baby was to be equally as challenging. I'm still trying to unwrap all the emotions of miscarriage when mixed with a mother's earthly grief, longing and loneliness and the wonder my own near death experience and transformed understanding of Noel's Heavenly reality.
Saturday, we came home to piles and PILES of clean laundry to be sorted then all those Christmas blessings to get put into new homes. I also took my first shower since Wednesday one I had access to a shower chair and hand rails again.
Sunday was church, then roast left overs with in-laws and more games. About 4 more hours working on that clean laundry yesterday afternoon!
Today has been water therapy, my parents went and adopted a cat. And now to get dinner started.
Tomorrow night we are getting together with some dear friends, visiting back here from out of state. Their son was our 15-year-old's best buddy when they were 4 years old! Kathy is coming to help me un-decorate my tree tomorrow!
Insurance and some family medical testing feel like a yo-yo ride too. Not even planning to work on my book anymore until kids go back to school Jan. 8. I still haven't finished all that laundry putting away yet.
This past week, we did confirm my decision that I am going to cut a few inches off my hair. Not that I don't love the length it has finally reached, but because I cannot manage this length alone now. I want it to still brush my shoulders or come a little bit past, but I've got to be able to get a brush through it myself, something that I haven't been able to do in at least 6 or 8 weeks now since the length has become unmanageable.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Please Help Name My Domain?


I am looking to purchase a domain name. I need something people can remember, spell, is "catchy" and/or speaks to the topics of my books (infertility, loss, fruit of the Spirit, hope, motherhood, illness, heartache, grace, various Biblical heroes like Hannah, Job, Paul). Any suggestions or ideas? I like jennifer.saake but wonder if the spelling of our last name will become an issue? Most domains of my actual book titles are already taken (like the StrokeOfGrace domain, though I could still use these words with hyphenation between them or adding on the word "book" at the end like I did with HannahsHopeBook.com), plus you need a new one for each project and I'm looking for something I could list all books, blogs and any future affiliated projects and ministries under. Maybe something with my used-around-the-internet handle of InfertilityMom, but will that be confusing for people that don't know my background? I've used Jenni's Journal for several projects over the years, so something along those lines might work. I was thinking maybe something alone the lines of ChronicallyTrustingChrist but that is LONG for a domain name. I also love roses, and themes of harvest, gardening and growth. Someone suggested something butterfly related (cocoon, chrysalis (<---- already="" and="" anything="" but="" can="" etc="" find="" flight="" give="" go.="" hard="" i="" ideas="" like="" me="" not="" ready.="" really="" short="" simple="" soaring="" span="" spell="" t="" taken="" takes="" that="" to="" transformation="" wing="" wings="" word="" your="">


Saturday, December 13, 2014

Please SHARE!!!

 My Chiropractic Stroke Survival Story

I am a chiropractic stroke survivor. They tell me I should not be alive today. My doctor knew what happened. He didn't carry any insurance (common in the industry) and left the country, leaving us and our personal medical insurance (thankful for that!) to deal with my $1.5 million in anticipated medical expenses.




Medicine will tell you chiropractic stroke is a "rare" event. I submit to you that it is only considered rare because there are no accurate statistical reporting mechanisms in place! I think if anyone realized how often this happens, they would be shocked. Instead, individual records get buried under privacy laws and no one has access to the real numbers. 

Please help us pass a mandatory reporting law, where individual information stays private but a hospital is simply asked to report if they see a stroke patient who has recently received a cervical neck manipulation. That's it, just raw numbers! Chiropractic stroke - not rare, just dreadfully UNDER-REPORTED! Please help us prove that! 


Please sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/jim-davis-bill-proposal-mandatory-reporting-of-chiropractic-stroke-vad-cad and share this with 5 friends!





Wednesday, December 10, 2014

December 10,2014

Our first daughter (now in Heaven) was conceived exactly 20 years ago. (When you are facing infertility, with all the cycle charting and medical invasion into your private life, you tend to know these things!) December 10 cannot pass without me thinking of this date as a "Noel Day". (Her name is Noel Alexis, our "Christmas Minister of Needs," who finally blessed us to become parents.)

We have also lived in this house exactly 10 years today!

My husband and I went and had our wills drawn up today. Hopefully it will be another 10 or 20 (or more) years before they are ever put into action, but it seemed fitting that the lawyer offered us this date to take our next big "grown up" step in life.

Just feeling reflective tonight...


Monday, December 1, 2014

To Parents With Genetic Special Needs

I found this article today. Knowing that I have MANY special needs Mommy friends, I wanted to pass it along. A Letter to The "Before Me" (for those new to diagnosis or still in the investigation stage).


"I know about the day when you open your computer and first Google a condition you’ve never heard of. I know that you’ll sit there for hours upon hours, reading, making notes, crying, watching videos, not believing that those moments are really happening.
Not yet realizing that the before is no longer. This is the nether-time. Time suspended. Over the next few days, you will live through the most trying days of your life – days that will forever split your life into two parts.
So before you enter the after, I’d like to offer some advice..."