ELLA

Thanksgiving coats my heart today as I think of those who have lifted our family in prayer to the throne of God!  I have been feeling so much better with only a few lagging symptoms and Ella has shown great signs of good-health as well.  Since having the swallow-study done several weeks ago and starting with thickened drinks, Ella's breathing problems have improved significantly.  She saw her pediatric cardiologist last week, who performed an EKG and reported that Ella's heart is doing well and that there are no signs of pulmonary hypertension that can typically go along with aspirating.  Praise Jesus!  We rejoice today for a God who is good and who cares about our deepest and even smallest needs!  Praise Him!  And thank you for your prayers!

Seems like I've been apologizing a lot for not keeping this blog up to date, but a lot has been going on.  Last Friday night, Calvin rushed me to the emergency room with an anaphylactic reaction to an antibiotic I was taking for my sinus infection.  My entire body swole up and broke out in hives while my eyes, nose, ears and lips grew several sizes larger as well.  My throat closed and caused a dramatic entry to the E.R. with me collapsing on the floor. I was rushed to a bed where they gave me a shot of epinephrin and a breathing treatment which brought the swelling down enough in my throat to breath effectively.  My body though, remained swollen and reacting more severely than what was normal.  I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for the night and into the next day.  I was later told how I narrowly avoided a tracheotomy and should be thankful for my life.  Over the course of the weekend, I experienced several strange reactions to other medications that they had me on, such