2014 in Review

Wow. I can't believe it's already two days into the New Year! 2014 was certainly quite a year to remember, so many things happened both good and bad and all of them had an impact on my life.  I've fallen in love, been scared out of my mind, seen how fragile life really is, and learned more about myself, the people I love, and life than I ever dreamed possible. Usually I'm not one to write these kinds of posts, but this has been a year of great change. So, let's take a look back at 2014.

January- The New Year was fresh and I was starting my first full year as a Charge Nurse in 2014. Unfortunately, the past month or so had involved a lot of seizures. I was sent home a couple of times from work due to seizures, sent to the ER a few times, and was generally scaring the crap out of my co-workers who had recently only begun to see and understand my seizures and how to care for me during them. On January 13, 2014 I began to seize at work and did not stop for hours. There were only a few minutes of reprieve from each seizure, and my body was in general exhausted. My co-workers were very concerned because these were not my normal seizures. They called my Grandma and Grandpa who agreed that something was not right and they requested the ambulance be called so I could be sent to the Emergency Room in my former hometown. At that time I was still doctoring there and was not familiar with the doctors here in Jackson. The ambulance came to take me, and to this day I really only remember bits and pieces of this night. I know that the sherif arrived before the rig and were doing their best to care for me also. Once they loaded me up in the rig, they were originally going to go to my hometown but I began seizing again so they turned around and headed back to Jackson to the hospital there. At that point it was decided that things were too critical to prolong a hospital visit. There, I met my current primary care provider, who did the very best he could to care for me, ordered a head CT scan, gave me Ativan (It was a lot, probably about 8mg. To give you an idea, I take 1 mg of Ativan nightly.) Unfortunately, the seizures did not stop. My labs were concerning, I was down to 93 pounds and my body had basically shown that it had it. My doctor made the decision to put me in a medically induced coma to give my body a break and airlift me to Sioux Falls. There, I was basically told that my seizures were a conversion reaction to stress (which I still do not really believe to this day) and that there was no possibility of me having a Mitochondrial disorder. It was a very difficult time, I woke up in the ICU not knowing where I was and doctors were basically telling me that they didn't see my symptoms as concerning. After three days in the hospital, I was discharged and still largely unsure of where to go from there.

On to February. This was another crazy month. It was a month of great change at work, because we were starting our transition to Electronic Medical Records which required a lot of training for the nurses. We had to go through hours of online classes, learn all of the new software and even start putting our resident's medications into the computer. It was a time of great learning and change and overall it was a good transition. However, the demands of my schedule and the extra time of online learning in addition to my RN year were taking a huge toll on my body. While the seizures had slowed down some, the extra stress was causing them to ramp up again. During one of my learning sessions, the seizures started to act up again. So, my fellow nurses did what they could to get me to the Emergency Room, and it was there that I started to develop a relationship with my current PCP and made the decision to switch doctors. Ultimately, this was the best possible decision for me. Later in the month, I celebrated my 23rd birthday with friends and family. Even later, I ended up in the Emergency Room yet again. This time, I was having seizures, but I was also having severe pain in my abdomen. The first night I was in the Emergency Room, my good friend Karin (also known as Sidekick) was by my side and helped make sure I got back to work OK (I ended up getting snowed in, I should mention it was a brutal winter here in Minnesota). The next morning, I was unable to move without major pain, I called and made sure I could get into the clinic, walked across the street, and a doctor I work with immediately sent me to the Emergency Room. More tests were done and it was found that I had a 3 mm kidney stone stuck in my right ureter (the tube between the kidney and bladder) that was causing swelling in my right kidney. I was sent home with pain meds and a strainer. Through the rest of the weekend, I tried to pass that kidney stone in vain. Finally, on Monday I got in with my PCP who was astounded that the stone had not yet passed and did what he could to get me in for surgery the next day. I was admitted the next day at Mayo Clinic Health System about an hour from my former hometown and taken into surgery that afternoon. A stent was placed in my ureter to attempt to get the stone to pass. This was a good idea, but....my stone did not pass after three days. I was in major pain so finally the fourth night I ended up going in for a Lithotripsy procedure and stent replacement. I was then discharged and recovered with some bumps in the road. Further complicating the kidney stone issue is my already advanced Interstitial Cystitis.

On to March. Another month of lots of changes. First of all, I decided I needed to move to Jackson. The winter had been very rough and trying to commute as well as getting snowed in for days really took a toll on me. It took a lot of time to find an apartment, and I didn't move in until the end of the month. Overall, the apartment was crap and it was a very character building time for me, humbling to say the least. I was forced to live in a crappy place with loud neighbors and a less than attentive landlord. Also, my Great Grandpa Don was quite ill and it looked like he was on his way Home to heaven very shortly. I was able to make it just a day before he died, asking my family to involve hospice in order to give him some comfort in his last days. However, being that I am a nurse and deal with death often (I work at a nursing home, so death is a natural part of my job.) I knew in my heart that Grandpa would not make it through the night. I called to check up on him throughout the night at work, drove back home (I had been snowed in the night before and woke up early to get over to the nursing home that morning). My dad called me to let me know that Grandpa was only taking a couple of breaths per minute. I knew that no one would make it in time, but drove to the nursing home (half an hour from where I lived, I had not yet moved to Jackson). Everyone made it too late, my Grandpa Strauser passed away at 4 AM. He had a long battle with Parkinson's disease and Dementia had started to set in. We all waited to come in and tell Grandma (she lives at the same nursing home after having a stroke which permanently paralyzed her right side). There was a bedside memorial service with the chaplain and later that week, a funeral. However, some happy news besides my move to Jackson did happen. On March 27, I met the love of my life for the very first time. Justin and I had lunch together and realized how much we enjoyed each other's company. I had no idea what would later transpire.

April was a crazy-exciting month. Two of my best friends welcomed their little girl into the world. I became the proud aunt of Miss Lilliana Marie. It was love at first sight, and has been a wonderful experience ever since. Also, I celebrated my grandparents' birthdays as well as my sister's 21st birthday. In more sad news, my Dad moved away to take a job as an active duty Staff Sargent in West Virginia. We had a going away party for him and he has adjusted to living away from home as well as can be expected, I think.

On to May. I walked through the pinning ceremony and graduation after a very tumultuous year working toward my RN degree. Justin went with me to the festivities, met my family, and celebrated right along with all of us. However, my RN was not to be this year. I was incredibly close, less than 10 points away from passing in two classes. This was hard for me to take, and I felt absolutely horrible about it. But there is always a reason for the way life works.

On to June. What an exciting month this was! For starters, I was talking to Justin every day via Skype or phone. I realized I didn't want to go a day without talking to him, and that I was falling in love with him. We both had to do a lot of thinking about this, as well as praying. Eventually, on June 17th, he asked me to share this life with him. Justin and I both consider dating to be more of a courtship type of thing, more serious than most people think, so it was not something either of us took lightly. A few days later, we both served at Northern Pines Christian youth camp. I worked as both the camp nurse and a counselor, and Justin was a counselor. Though we kept our relationship under wraps to the campers and most people at camp (Camp is about God and working with the campers, and we did not want to take away from that), I also realized how wonderful Justin was with the youth and how he would make a great father someday. Having children has always been a huge goal of mine, and I always saw the right person as someone who would be a good parent. Also, I was thrilled to be able to return to Northern Pines. I was a camper there in my Junior and Senior year of High School. Justin and I are looking forward to returning in 2015.

July was an exciting month! Justin and I were growing closer as a couple and beginning to talk about marriage. But, we also headed to Illinois to meet his family and celebrate his and his brother Ryan's birthdays. I met Justin, his parents, his siblings and their spouses, and of course his niece Lilliana Marie, who was just months older than my niece Lilly. Later in the month, Justin took his youth group on a mission trip to Kansas and during that week he celebrated his 27th birthday.

August was another crazy month. After suffering through a long, hot Minnesota summer in an upstairs apartment without air conditioning, trying to deal with noisy and disruptive neighbors, and being about ready to pull my hair out with this landlord, I finally made the decision to move. I looked at a house and began the process of getting a home loan.

Now for September. I finally moved into my new house and out of the Shack! Justin, my best friends Sarah and Barry, and my grandpa helped me move and we moved almost everything in one day. This was one of the most exciting months yet, but the best was yet to come.

October. One of the best months of this year. I was called into my administrator's office on October 27, and had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. For starters, I was absolutely furious because I didn't know what I was in trouble for. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.

In the office, was this beautiful setup, and Justin. The administrator was nowhere to be found. Justin told me how much we had been through, how he couldn't imagine going through this life without me, and got down on one knee, asking me to make him the happiest man in the world and be his wife. At first, I didn't know whether to kill him or say yes, but I did finally say yes.

On to November, one of the more difficult months of the year. It is always a difficult time for me, as the anniversaries of the deaths of my sweet friend Aleia and my Papa fall during this month. 2014 marked 4 years without either of them. Thanksgiving was a higher point in the month, but honestly, I was glad to see the month end.

Now to December. The holidays brought a lot of joy to Justin and I, as well as our families. However, my car broke down and we were forced to look at getting me to an appointment in Georgia to see Dr. Kendall. We worked on finding a different car and some wedding details.

There you have it. 2014 in review. What a crazy year! I am beyond excited to see where this year brings us. God has blessed Justin and I richly, with each other, family and friends, and great experiences. Just a couple of things we are looking forward to this year:
January 8 I will see Dr. Kendall in Georgia. We are hoping and praying that this appointment brings answers that I have been seeking for over 12 years now.
February I celebrate my 24th birthday.
April is the big day! Justin and I will start our life together as a married couple!
June will bring Northern Pines again. How fun!
That's just what we know about. Who knows what else God will bring our way? Bring it on!

May God bless each of you in 2015 with good health, love, and peace.