"Impressive Recovery, Difficult to Explain"

"Impressive Recovery, Difficult to Explain". Those are the words my Nephrologist wrote in my medical chart after seeing me on Friday the 10th. To me those are beautiful, amazing words! Praise be to God!!

Let me explain.... The last three weeks I have been feeling so much better between dialysis sessions. Throughout this time I have noticed several positive changes physically as well. One was that I was having very little to no visible swelling (due to kidney failure, fluid will build up in between dialysis treatments causing visible swelling usually in the feet, hands, etc). The second is that my body was producing urine like it used to before my kidneys failed (One of the functions of your kidneys is to produce urine and the worse your kidney function, the less urine your body produces). I started wondering if my kidney function was getting better so I called my Doctors office last week and requested a test to see what my current kidney function is. When the results came in I went to see my Doctor. He said to me "well, your kidney function is better. But the question is why is it better? I don't understand why its better." I couldn't help myself, I told him I knew why! "God is healing me!" I must say it was an uncomfortable silence after I uttered those words. His expression didn't change and my heart dropped a little. But we moved on in the conversation and he told me he wants me to stay on dialysis (although I am going from 3 sessions to two a week) and do another test in two weeks to see how my kidneys are functioning then.  
One month ago my Creatnine was 5.70, as of Tuesday of last week my Creatnine was 3.47 (which takes me from stage 5 to stage 4)! Before I started dialysis my GFR (glomerular filtration rate) was a 9 (anything under 15 is considered renal failure). Mine is now 28 (normal is 60)!!
I am giving the praise to God but we are also praying that God will continue to heal me. I'm not out of the woods health wise as stage 4 is still considered critical but I feel that just having these last 3 weeks where I have been feeling better is a miracle itself and I am thankful for that!

And if you are wondering how I know what was written in my medical chart... well... it is my medical chart and all you have to do is ask the right person. :)

Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

If you're like me, you've read a lot of books in your lifetime. To me thats a great thing, at least until all the story lines start to run together. Theres nothing more dissapointing than picking up a book to read only to find that you've read one or two others just like it. However, I didn't feel that way at all about the Short-Straw Bride! It was a new and intriguing story line and I enjoyed the read. Karen Witemeyer is a great story teller and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

This is what the publisher has to say about the story:
No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a long-standing debt compels her to take the risk.
Years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer comes across a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt prompt him to attempt to rescue her once again.
Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she vows to stand by his side. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her as merely a short-straw bride?"

Are you intrigued yet? I was! This is a great, quick read. Be sure to check it out on Amazon or Christianbooks.com!

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented herein are my own.}