The latest issues..

Hi, friends,

It’s been a few weeks since I last checked in—I just wanted to post an update this evening because I’m so grateful for your continued prayers. ❤️

I did end up seeing the dermatologist at OHSU. That one incision has thankfully closed up, but it is leaving a big scar. 😕  Speaking of scars, I have a section of deep scar tissue from the loop drain the surgeons had to tunnel underneath the skin…it is very tender, so I’ve been trying to massage/rub it a lot to break up the hard rope-like scarring in my abdomen. Right next to my j-tube, there is a section of skin that the dermatologists are a little concerned about. It’s hard to explain, but it doesn’t look like healthy tissue. 😣  They prescribed a topical immunosuppressive medication and want to keep monitoring it so that it doesn’t turn into a serious skin condition that they wrote about in their chart notes. It can happen after an injury or trauma (like the abscess and bedside surgery I had). They didn’t tell me about this condition in person—I’m wondering if it’s because they don’t want to scare me? 😟 Could you please pray that this area near my j-tube will heal and not worsen?

Another issue going on is that I’ve been reacting terribly to my PICC line dressing site. My skin has a painful rash not just from the adhesive dressing but also from the cotton gauze and the PICC line itself (it’s never been this bad before). 😔  Random rashes/hives also pop up on my skin elsewhere. My port hasn’t been re-accessed yet—I’m scared the same thing will happen like before where the port site will develop a rash/welts and I’ll need a PICC again. 🥺  I have an appointment with my immunology specialist this coming Wednesday to talk about other treatments for my mast cell activation disorder (which is what’s causing me to have an allergic reaction to so many different things)..

Lastly, I’ve been experiencing a pounding heart beat, more fatigue, an increase in headaches, and really bad aching and burning pain in my legs. I don’t sleep well during the night because my legs hurt so much, and I also feel my heart beat pound in my ears. My labs show that my ferritin level has dropped significantly. I have to get more IV iron, even though I already had several infusions 8 months ago. I don’t usually need it this frequently. 😥

This has been a rough year with something new always popping up, but I’m so grateful for God’s sustaining grace. He truly supplies me with the exact amount of strength that I need for the challenges that come each day. 🩵