Surgery went well

This is Julie for Rachelle. Rachelle went down to get prepped for surgery at 5:30 this morning after having 3hrs of sleep last night. They started surgery at 7:43 and it took about 2 hrs. The surgery went well and Rachelle is back in the room recovering. Movements are making her nauseous, causing her to throw up blood, but hopefully after resting a bit her body will settle. Her oxygen levels are dropping any time she tries to go to sleep and she has to take 8 breaths to get her oxygen back up. Her forehead feels numb from the surgery. Thank you for your prayers through the surgery. Please continue praying as she recovers, specifically that the throwing up blood would stop and that she could get some rest without her oxygen levels dropping as well as relief from the pain. Rachelle is so thankful for Julie being here and all the love and support from all of you. Trusting in her mighty savior that He will be faithful to help her through.

Sinus Surgery Tomorrow and Summer Update

Hey all! I know it’s been a bit but the last month has been crazy. We left on July 23rd driving to AZ for a friend’s wedding I was in. Anna is like a sister and we’ve known her family for years and it was so sweet to celebrate her, meet her husband, and see her so happy and see the answer to prayers. Jord didn’t have a ton of vacation time so we made the drive in 2 days….a choice, Lord willing, I don’t ever want to make again lol. We stayed with dear friends in Denton, TX, just outside of Dallas as our overnight point each way. One of their daughters was a flower girl in our wedding so it’s crazy seeing her at 24 now! They were so gracious to host us overnight and fed us well. It’s an 11 hour day one day and 15 1/2 the other and let me tell you, it was brutal and exhausting. Jord did all but 20 minutes on the way there and an hour on the way back as I was still recovering from my surgery and got sore pretty quickly still at that point.

We stayed with my brother in Tucson and got to see my family and some friends while we were there, even though it was a whirlwind, especially with the bachelorette day, rehearsal, and wedding, plus trying to see people all crammed into 5 days after an exhausting drive. Here’s a few pics:

After the wedding, we picked up my dear friend, Candy, in Phoenix, and all headed up to Prescott to stay with Jeremy and Jenn and their kiddos for a couple days before heading home. We went to the cute downtown that’s been in a Hallmark movie and saw a nearby lake one day, but mostly just ate, talked, played some Mariokart in person and ate some more.

Then it was the LONG drive home. With just two weeks before my surgery, we hit the ground running getting back into the groove of things and having some ministry things come up and here we are the day before sinus surgery.

It’s been a rough week physically and emotionally leading up to it. Menopause hormones are no joke and I’ve been battling being easily irritated and then crying over what seems like no reason. Hot flashes have been increasing and I also ended up going to my PCP last minute yesterday as I was getting a lot of pain in my bladder over the weekend and have a UTI…I think it’s been there for a little while as I’ve been having symptoms but with my high pain tolerance and still healing from the female surgery, it was masked, or I didn’t put it together until it got really bad yesterday and by really bad it was debilitating and I was in tears and in bed trying not to move most of the day. Thankfully it subsided in the evening and I was able to get some sleep and started antibiotics for it this morning.

I just heard from my ENT and surgery is at 7 tomorrow. I’m supposed to be admitted today, but beds are tight so it could be late this evening or I show up at 5 for surgery tomorrow and then will be admitted afterwards. Please pray that I get a bed today so I can get settled in before surgery tomorrow. Thankful that we can bring all these things to the Throne of Grace to find mercy and help in time of need and we can trust His perfect timing and plan. His ways are higher than ours and He is my Abba Father and I can rest in Him. Thankful for the army of prayer warriors God has blessed me with—please remember Jord in your prayers too as it’s hard to watch me suffer and hold down the fort at home while I’m hospitalized. Thankful again and again for our precious church family and His provision and for Julie and Monica sacrificing time to come stay with me and for all the ways God provides “exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine” through the body of Christ—He is SO good to us and all of your prayers mean so very much and are felt! I will do my best to keep you all updated after surgery!

In His Mighty Grip,

Rachelle

PS—edited to say they said I will have a bed tonight and Julie is graciously taking me down and staying tonight as well as tomorrow night since surgery is so early tomorrow…we just don’t know a time yet, but so thankful!

Yahweh is my Shepherd

Hey all! I’ve overall been healing well. Saturday I did a bit much and was really hurting yesterday—my longer incision went back to hurting with certain movement and every time I coughed. Our Pastor did the second sermon on Psalm 23 and it was so encouraging. God is so faithful as our Shepherd, no matter what’s happening in our lives. We also had a baptism service last night and as they always are, was also immensely encouraging. It was pushing it a bit to go last night but it was worth it to be encouraged spiritually and enjoy some fellowship afterwards. I got a lot of deep sleep last night and woke up not hurting as much this morning so I was very thankful for that.

Last week I was able to do a sewing class at church and made a bible cover, which was super fun. I’ve been able to take Blue on short walks near the house but she’s definitely a little bored.

I just wanted to give you guys a quick update…I’m doing well, but definitely still a ways to go to get back to 100%. Here’s a picture of my Bible cover—I love birds cause it always makes me think of Matthew 6 when Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.”

Have a great week!

Rachelle

Sunrise and Sunset

Thank you for all your prayers for my family yesterday, especially my sister. She called me early in the morning, crying, laying on Dreamer’s back like we’ve done so many times together on our horses over the years. God gave her a beautiful sunrise. When it was time, she said it was peaceful and she was actually relieved, knowing she’s not in pain anymore. She didn’t realize how much she had been worrying about her.

I talked to her a couple times and my Mom and was sobbing and Blue kept licking my tears and then I’d stop and then start again and she’d come back and at one point she actually howled at me as if to say, “Mom! Licking your tears usually works!” 😂 I got this hilarious picture of her long tongue though lol

I’m so thankful for animals and the incredible gifts they are—yesterday was heavy and hard because of the love of a horse I’ve been blessed to experience. I wouldn’t change it for one moment because there’s a million moments of joy and laughter I’ve enjoyed because of Dreamer. Yesterday my sister took one last ride on her—she hasn’t been able to lope her, let alone run her in 5 years because of the ligament disease, so she let her go and Dreamer made us all laugh cause she tried to buck multiple times and didn’t want to slow down.

Last night God colored the skies here in Huntsville with an incredible sunset that would rival AZ sunsets. Today the verses I texted were from Revelation 21 talking about the new heaven and the new earth where there will be no more tears or death for those hid in Christ—until that Day we experience death and sadness and grief and loss because of sin, but praise the Lord, Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death forever!

As a quick footnote, my lungs continue to be junky and not be very happy, but I was also able to go for a short walk with Blue yesterday morning. It was just near my house later in the morning when I was certain there wouldn’t be any other dogs around to get her excited and she listened well and walked at my extra slow pace—it’s crazy how she didn’t pull wanting to walk faster like we normally do do. Surgery wise, I’m still ouchy, but also feeling a little stronger everyday. And now it’s nap time! 💖

Dreamer and Promise…the end of an Era

If you know me at all, you know how important horses have been in my life. Mom held me on a horse the day I came home from the hospital at 9 days old and I don’t remember not knowing how to ride. My first gymkhana (barrel race) I was 5. Before I came to Christ at 16, horses were my god. I would rather go clean my horses pen than do anything in the kitchen lol—I’m a country girl through and through. God blessed me with my horse, Buddy, that I got when I was 13 and he was 3 and I trained him from the ground up and was blessed to have him for 24 years. We had to put him down 2 weeks before we moved to Huntsville. Mom and Dad kept him and took care of him for me at her house since we couldn’t afford his care or have a place for him, except for a short time when we moved him to MT with me. I had known he wasn’t doing well before we moved, but hadn’t wanted to pray that God would take him, but God knows the desires of our hearts, and I’m so thankful that I was able to be with him to the end of his journey. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done…and I’m asking for prayers for my family, especially my sister tomorrow, as she’s had to make that devastating decision to put her horse, Dreamer, down. 😭😭😭

Dreamer is younger but has a degenerative ligament disease and last week when my brother in law, Kyle, was trimming her feet she fell and that was the final straw for Jenny. Back in December, my Mom had to make the same choice for Promise, Dreamer’s half sister, because of the same ligament disease. I’m going home later this month for a wedding and it was already going to be emotional without Promise there for the first time, as she’s who I always rode when I visited. Now Dreamer will be gone too and it truly feels like the end of an era for me as they were the last two horses that I really have a bond with and spent a lot of time with while we still lived in AZ.

Death is so hard and always a stark reminder of the consequences of sin—death is here because of sin and all of creation “has been subjected to futility” but thankfully there IS a Day coming when Jesus will come back to set everything aright and death will be no more! O for That Day!

I’m thankful for the memories and for God’s gift of horses—they are incredible majestic animals that He didn’t have to give us to enjoy. I’m thankful that I was privileged enough to grow up in a family that was able to own them and experience all that I experienced with them—they are a large part of who I am today. There were times I was so sick and was in a wheelchair and couldn’t walk well due to vertigo but Buddy gave me wings. My sister had enough time to get some “goodbye” pictures taken and the one that wrecked me the most is one of my nephew Hunter hugging on her with my sister looking at him…it’s so similar to a memory emblazoned in my brain from the night we put Buddy down. Hunter was only 6 at the time and he had his arms wrapped around Buddy’s front leg bawling and Kyle had to pull him away as it was time, and he says, “I’ll never forget you.” 😭😭😭 Life is so hard sometimes and I have shed many tears lately for different reasons and I came across a verse in Psalm 116:8 that I had never noticed before that says, “He rescues my soul from death, my eyes from tears…”. God is so gracious to rescue our souls from death but then just that picture of rescuing my eyes from tears—One Day I will cry my last tear and see my Savior face to face and never have to think of death again—so grateful I have that hope to cling to because of Christ in these moments. Until that Day, we press on!

Thank you for praying—my sister and I were talking the other day and she said through tears, “I’m counting my blessings because a friend just lost their 13 year old in an accident and a client of mine’s 3 year old daughter came home on hospice needing a heart and lung transplant. As hard as it will be to say goodbye to that golden palomino out there, she’s not a kid and I have 3 beautiful healthy boys.” Dreamer isn’t human, but she’s impacted our family in so many ways and will be missed. I video chatted my goodbye earlier and we bawled together….here are some pics of me saying my goodbyes to Promise and Dreamer and some pics of me and my sis riding Buddy and Dreamer. Thank you Lord, that You entrusted us with these incredibly special horses and gave such sweet memories—they are truly gifts that You didn’t have to give!

UAB Day and God’s Great Love for Us!

Today was a very long day—I had 3 appointments at UAB and because my lungs still aren’t doing that great, they extended my IV antibiotics for a week last minute so my nurse had to come change out my needle at 6:30 this morning. My friend, Fathom, drove me today, so we were on the road by 7:15 and didn’t get home until around 5 tonight. We got there and went to the desk to request a wheelchair and they had one sitting there that was just the wire base with no padding on it so she offered to get a couple blankets but it was officially the most uncomfortable wheelchair I have sat in, but I was still thankful to not have to walk all over the hospital and to another building for my appointments.

The first was just a normal appointment with psychiatry since I am on meds for sleep. It’s always interesting to try to summarize life for them because without Christ, I would be so lost and I don’t know how people do life without Jesus. I’m so thankful to be in a place in my life where we are members of an incredibly healthy church and have a wonderful support system as the body truly strives to live out the “one another’s” that Christ calls us to. Having gone through psychosis due to medication reactions and then having seasons of depression and seeing the world’s response to those things and their answers and attempts to help, it draws me closer to Jesus and makes me thankful for the Bible and the body of Christ and the means of grace He provides for life’s difficulties. Although on this side of heaven I will struggle with this weak and broken body and the flesh that clings so closely, I can trust that God knows every single neuron and nerve and cell not just in my brain, but in my entire body—and there IS a Day coming when I will be changed in the twinkling of an eye and will be made like Him in the presence of my Savior and I will think perfectly for all eternity! Oh what grace that is and the hope it gives me to keep running the race He has set before me….but I digress…long story not so short, the doctor was glad I am plugged into my support system and that I’m doing so well, all things considered.

Next was my post-op appointment with the OBGYN. We talked about random things and then he checked my incisions and said that looked great and that I was good to go unless I wanted to do hormones, which with all my medication sensitivities, I’m going to see what I can do alternatively first. Thankfully the night sweats and hot flashes haven’t been horrible—they were more consistent right after surgery but this last week I haven’t noticed them as much, which is a huge praise!

Finally, it was ENT to talk about sinus surgery, which I scheduled for August 20th. While I was there, he took a culture of my sinuses to see what the pseudomonas there is sensitive to, since it can be different than my lungs. He also cleaned me out which hurt pretty bad, but it made me forget about my abs for a bit lol.

Then, for your laugh, Fathom was pushing me down a hill in the hallway and started running and saying, “We’re just escaping from the psych ward!” 😂😂😂 I pointed out that she was in fact headed back towards it lol…amidst the appointments, we had a good lunch and fellowship and good conversation, pointing each other to Christ, loving each other and being so thankful for friendship in the Lord—it truly is a precious gift—and best of all, it’s eternal!! We were both tired on the way home, so we listened to a Grace to You podcast and this opening statement struck both of us, “If God didn’t love His enemies, there would be no Christians.” WOW. Praise the Lord that “God demonstrates His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8 Much to be thankful for!