There's No Place Like Home

We are home! Yippee Skippee!!!

And home it is. This little town has never felt more like home than it does at this moment. I am so awed and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we've received by friends, co-workers and our church family. Everyone has been so amazing.

And we needed it...not the money so much (although there is NO way we could have made the trip to Seattle and back without the love offerings we received), but more the reminder that God loves us. Oh we never really forgot that He loves us, but I for one was letting myself feel a little 'forgotten' by God. I feel ashamed admitting that after the incredible way the Thompson family have kept their faith through their recent trials, but I am just being honest. I used to have a full well of faith. I kept my faith while Shanna suffered all through our childhood and on into adulthood. I kept my faith through five miscarriages. I kept my faith through both girls being very ill at birth and spending time in NICU. I kept my faith through Lauren's open heart surgery and later through the finding of her brain tumor...

But when Shanna died, well I guess I started losing a little bit of my faith. I wasn't really angry with God. I was more hurt. Yes, that's the word. Hurt. My parents have always served God selflessly and raised us in Church. We always believed God could preform a miracle in Shanna's life and keep her here with us, allowing her to be a great witness of His awesome power.

Only He didn't heal her. She suffered her entire life and then died, leaving us (and her wonderful son Tre') to deal with her loss. I found myself starting to ask God why. Why didn't He heal her? Why did He let her suffer so long if He wasn't going to ultimately heal her? Why? Why? Why? When Lauren starting having these horrifying problems lately (problems that I haven't really covered on the blog out of respect for her wishes), I really started feeling abandoned. I wanted to have faith that God could heal Lauren, but I'd watched my sister suffer and then die...my well of faith was running close to empty.

Then the trip for Seattle came up and the people of Munday reminded me exactly how much God loves us. I felt His love through them and their many kindnesses. God does love us and He is in total control of this situation with Lauren. Through their love my well has been refilled. I will forever be grateful for that.

I know you are wondering how Lauren is doing and I'd have to say that overall she is doing very well. During her last test they gave her an injection of Corticotropin-releasing hormone (crh) to stimulate her pituitary tumor (or whatever is causing the ACTH/Cortisol to be so high) and then drew blood every fifteen minutes to see how she reacted. As soon as they gave her the injection she felt like a horse had kicked her in the chest. She felt like she couldn't breathe at all. That passed though and she seemed fine. Then she started turning bright red and got sick to her stomach. The trip home was no picnic for her (although she didn't complain much at all) but she got to know the bathrooms at the airport very well and still feels sick today (three days later). She is still a little red and this afternoon she started having a lot of trouble with her seizures. I have no idea if that is from the CRH or just a coincidence.

We won't know the official results from the test for two weeks when Dr. L calls. I've seen about half of the test results (I had them printed off in medical records again before we left) and so far she has seven test results that are indicative of Cushing's Disease (high cortisol and high ACTH). I can't wait to see the rest of the results and hear what Dr. L suggests we do next. He sent home several tests to do at home and while we wait we will start on those.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support!