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He is gorgeous!! He made me smile! I needed that today! 
Thankyou all so very much for your messages of encouragement and all your prayers, because I really needed those, as it keeps me going! Jane, thankyou so much for the Get Well Prayer! I have set it as my background/wallpaper so that I can read it each time I get discouraged!
I had a bit of good news. On Monday I went for a battery of blood tests. All the test results came back clear so it is a bit of a relief. I am seing a specialist again on Friday this week, so hopefully I will be able to get some answers.
Lots of hugs and love to you all!! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Ilze
It really means sooo much to me! I’m not one to complain, so I’ve been suffering in silence the past nearly 9 months. Every time I think that I’m getting better I have a setback again – I think the mental anguish I’ve been going through is what is getting me down the most. Gosh it slowly chips away at you and chips away at you until there’s nothing left of yourself to give.
Monday I reached a very low point and I felt that God has forsaken me, because it feels as if I’m never going to be healthy again. I know I have people around me who care for me and love me very much, but I felt so alone. Later that same day, I received an unexpected surprise parcel in the mail from a wonderful lady (she’s 70 years old) whom I’ve been communicating via email for the past 7 years. She sent me two most wonderful Bibles (the Woman of Faith Devotional Bible and the Living Faith Bible) as well as a gorgeous little mini bear angel (that she made herself) which se sent as she said I needed an angel. So just when I lost all hope, God restored my hope again and I realised that He is actually still right here next to me and never left my side for one single second. I’m still doing it really, really tough, but I have hope again.
What’s wrong with me? Well, the doctors don’t really know….all I know is that I’m in a lot of pain and discomfort and painkillers don’t do much for it. I’m jumping between GP’s and specialists on a weekly basis. It is very tiring and emotionally draining. It all started on the 4th of September last year. I got the sniffles and thought it was just a usual cold that will go away in a week or so. Three weeks later I was very sick and the doctor told me I had adult croup or laryngotracheobronchitis (acute Pharyngitis, larangitis, thracheitis and bronchitis all at the same time). This is very rare in adults, but apparently it is usually viral and it would have to go away by itself. After 6 weeks of this and still getting worse I had blood tests which confirmed that I had Mycoplasma pneumonia which is supposed to be the less dangerous of the types of pneumonia you get, but a bit more tricky to treat (and can apparently cause croup in adults). A 14 day course of antibiotics were supposed to fix it, but it didn’t. After another 14 day course of antibiotics I was still in agony, but blood tests and x-rays were fine. I slowly recovered and was able to resume my exercise routine for about 2 months and then on the 4th of March the terrible burning, pain and discomfort in my right bronchial tube came back with a vengeance. It has been 10 weeks exactly today and it has not left since. And the doctors cannot tell me if it is from the pneumonia or what ever else it is causing this. They are speculating that it is still inflammation left from after the pneumonia, but in the specialists own words “my best guess is….”. You always think that doctors would be able to help you, but when they throw their hands up in the air, and can’t tell you much is very disheartening. I’ve been on so many pills and nothing is working. I also suffer from post traumatic stress which is due to an abusive marriage I was in back in the late 80’s early 90’s and I also get panic attacks, so with this uncertainty of what is going on with me and the constant pain that is unbearable as it hurts with every breath I take, I lived in a constant state of panic all the time. It feels as if this is never going to end and that I’m slowly going insane. My heart goes out to all those people who suffer with constant pain and illness, because I KNOW how it feels. Oh, how I wish I could do something to help.
This whole ordeal has made me stop and reassess my life. I read in piece (not one of the bible verses) in the Woman of Faith Devotional Bible that reads:
“ We Live in a culture that is extremely “me” focused. Me first. My stuff. My life. My way. But life has a way of bringing us to our knees. When Life deals a hurting blow, we realize that we don’t know all the answers. But that’s a good thing. A weak man is never as strong as when he reaches up to God for help and healing. The end of yourself is where healing begins. The Saviour waits for you. Isn’t it interesting? In times of distress we find that it’s not at all about us. It’s all about Jesus. – by Babbie Mason”
This made me really think about things.
Oh Lynette, I am so sorry to hear that. My prayers are with you! :hug:
WOW, everyone's collections are amazing. My son collects action hero figures, but he does not even open the boxes and no one is even to touch it. (I hope he dusts the boxes every now and again though 
)
I have finally taken some pics of my collections. First on the list is my antique bells....these specific ones were all used as "carriage bells". The bells are hanging off pure silk ropes/cords. One stray little bell is tied to the other bells with an old shoe lace, which just happens to be the same colour as the silk cords. The bells also came with tags, which dates then back to the 1930's.
Second up is some of the oldies and artist bears in my collection: This is not my whole collection just bits of it.
Hubby calls it my duck invasion 
You're in my prayers! I hope you do get some relief soon! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I did a painting earlier last week, but it is SOOO not my style and now I'm not sure what I think about it. This painting is about 40 x 50 inches so it is large and does not make a lot of sense when you stand right in front of it, you have to view it from far away. (BTW, there's gold leafing in the iris of the big eye as well as the smaller one, so it is very shiny when the light hits it, you can't see that from the photo). What do you guys think of it?
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This is absolutely wonderful news! :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Great pictures.....they kinda made me homesick there for a minute (being ex-Capetonian an all)
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Oh, I know how difficult this must be for you! 2 of our cats passed away a month or so ago (they were both 18 years old) and my mum cried for days and days. My thoughts are with you. Sending you LOTS of warm fuzzies!!! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Awww, Twitch and Snitch are too cute for words!! I'm so glad that you were given the chance to save them and best of all, they will be growing up in the country!
Woohoo!! :dance: :dance: :dance:
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Brilliant!! I love her work!
I'm soooo glad to hear that you are getting better and that the pain went away. I am praying that your hearing will be restored completely and that it will be a speedy recovery!! :hug: :hug: :hug:
I like all of the bears, they are cute!
You are in my prayers! Sending you lots of warm fuzzies too!! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Congratulations!!! Oh WOW, your daughter looked so beautiful on her wedding day! She honestly did not need a headpiece, she looked perfect without it. The two little ones are gorgeous too!!
- Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
- When we don’t let go of resentment we only end up hurting ourselves the most.
- You did not fail you just found one way that doesn’t work.
- You’re only as old as you feel (my mum taught me that)
- God heals all wounds!
