Week 2: The Great No Medicine Experiment

Well I'm 14 days into the Great No Medicine Experiment & still going strong! I'm completely off 2 meds, more than halfway off another, and still one to go. And so far really minimal side effects. I'm not feeling any better but I don't feel any worse which is a huge blessing!! The next 10 days are the most critical for me as I finish going off my fibro med. I started at 300mg and am today down to 75mg. Next Tuesday or Wednesday will be my last day taking it and within 48 hrs or so after that I will know how my body is reacting to it in terms of pain and withdraw symptoms. Please pray I notice NO difference at all. That would be a complete miracle as this is a very difficult medication to get off of.

I am so excited for the potential to really be off all my meds and the finish line seems close yet still so far away. Your prayers mean so much to me! There have been many nights when I'm fearful of doing this and how my body may react and I cannot tell you the comfort it brings to me to know there are so many people praying for me. So please keep them coming!

Specifically this week I need prayer to sleep through the night every night and experience no increase in pain or withdraw symptoms. I look forward to updating you all again next week!

Week 1: The Great No Medicine Experiment

Ok so I debated sharing this on here but decided I could use all the prayers I can I get! I have decided to go off all the medication I take-for sleep (except I'm still taking melatonin), stomach, bladder and my fibro nerve pain. It's something I've always wanted to do and tried before with not so great results but this time I'm taking it really slow and praying I can handle being off them. I'm 7 days in and so far am almost off my stomach med with some discomfort. And I'm completely off my sleeping med with almost no side effects at all. I already consider that a huge answer to prayer.

I decided to go off my medicines because it's got to the point where every time I've got another problem I'm given more and more medicine. I'm too the point where I don't know how much of my pain & fatigue is me and how much in a side effect from the meds. I'm obviously not putting down medcine at all or people that take meds everyday (hello I'm one of those people!) but for me personally I feel like I will never be a healed, healthy person while I'm taking so much medicine. That and financially it would benefit me to not take medications so all that brought me to this decision. My dr is supportive of the decision. She has no idea how my body will respond so it's definitely an experiment of sorts.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this on here because if it doesn't work and I can't do it I know how disappointed I will be. And disappointment is harder to deal with when you have an audience. But I consider all of you friends and since I've already shared so much of my life with all you as it relates to my pain it only made sense to share this journey too. In addition to the no meds I am also trying a natural product that shown benefit in other people with fibro and if it works for me I will definitely share that with all of you too!

So if you think of me over the next week I would love prayer that I am able to go off my meds without any side effects or increased pain and that this step would be my first step toward healing.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3:20

Season of Struggle

It's been a 6 week hiatus for me from blogging. While I love sharing with all of you and trying to be an encouragement and blessing I've had to be in survival mode lately. The last 9 weeks I have had one trial after another. From the stomach flu to a sinus infection to bronchitis to a bacterial infection in my colon (yes it's as gross as you imagine!). Somehow I dealt with all this sickness all the while trying to deal with increased fibromyalgia pain, work and mounting financial challenges. To be honest I feel very overwhelmed at times. And other than a few very close friends/family members I didn't feel much like sharing. It was hard to deal with day to day life much less find time to blog and quite honestly it's hard to share with others how to find purpose in the pain when you feel done trying to find purpose in the pain yourself and just want it to go away.

But in the midst of this season of struggle one beautiful thing emerged. Back in January after I went to LA I felt God for the first time ever in my 18 yr struggle with chronic pain impress upon my heart to pray for total healing of my fibromyalgia. Praying for total healing has been exciting, risky and hard. All of the physical stuff Ive been dealing with lately was used as quite an attack at times to try to doubt God's healing and provision for me but these attacks have made my resolve to pray that much stronger. I would love your prayers too!

So what has God taught me in this wilderness?

To seek Him- the last few weeks I've prayed and wondered often what to do about my health and finances. As I've prayed for God's wisdom and discernment I kept hearing 2 things.

Hope in the Lord and

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

When I checked the context of that verse in Matthew, Jesus said that right after he said not to worry about what you eat or drink, your clothes etc. That God knows what you need and will provide it. That's when I had my light bulb moment, so wait I'm not supposed to worry about these things at all and instead seek God and let Him take care of it?

I felt God clearly say to me yes Martha! And I totally got it. I've been running around worrying about my problems, trying to fix them and control circumstances that are largely out of my control and God just wants me to sit at His feet and seek Him!

What relief fell over me! I've been burning myself out trying to fix my problems and God just wants me to seek Him and trust Him. I finally for the first understand His yoke IS easy and His burden IS light.

So here I am trying to practically walk out the lessons God has taught me. The goal of my days are to seek Him, read my Bible, encourage whoever I can, and pray for those specific people he's told me to pray for. Have my problems gone away? No. Am I as consumed with worry by them? No. I mean I'm still me so yes sometimes I worry way more than I should but it's getting better. I can honestly say with all assurance I only want what God wants for my life and I trust him to show that to me. And as scary and risky as change is (I'm not a person that likes change too much!) I realize that for things to get better change has to happen and so I welcome it even if it stretches me more than ever before.

Thank you all immensely for your prayers, encouraging tweets and kind emails to me over the last 2 months. It has meant the world to me. I'm excited to see what God will do in my life and am excited to share the journey with all of you!

So what's God been teaching you lately?