Bye Bye Cell Phone

In order to cut back on expendetures that really are there for conveinience rather then need. We have decided to get rid of our cell phones that cost $100.00 a month and go with a lower bill of $2.95 a month for Skype phone service. The cool thing with this is that it is all over the intrenet. So no more long distance fee's or going over minutes. We have our new number and it works really good to my surprise. Another cool feature is that if you have a Skype phone or Iphone/Ipod touch. You can access your skype telphone service via WiFi. Meaning if you are at a Wifi location anywhere. You can use your phone with no roaming charges. This is very cool and a cheap way to go. So we are doing it and we'll be giving out our new number soon.

You can check out the plans here...SKYPE PHONE SERVICE

A Medical Mystery?

Today we decided to skip our next appointment with the Neurologist being that he was going to refer us to another Doctor anyway. We figured he would charge us another $217.00 just so he could point us to another doctor. We called and had the appointment cancelled and asked just for a referral. However the Neurologist called back and stated he had never seen symptom's like Ashley's before and would like to run tests. Normally I'd be all for this, but I know someone who was treated by this Neurologist in the past. They ran tests and fed medication to her. After a long while of her symptoms not improving they wanted to perform brain surgery on her. Her parents took her to Spokane for a second opinion and found her symptoms were caused from anxiety. After finding ways to calm the anxiety her problems went away.

We have decided not to let this particular doctor perform any tests on Ashley. We are probably going to have to seek help in Seattle because all the Doctors here seem to be stumped. This is going to be difficult being we are on one income and insurance is a joke. Also our car has died today and I wouldn't drive it to Missoula in fear it would die a quarter of the way there. So we are currently looking for a new reliable vehicle that we can afford. With all of this happening I am not stressed because all of this is out of my control. I rely fully on God and now this will all work out. I must say I am truly blessed by all of your prayers, and all of you who have spoken words of comfort and have given us a helping hand. I will never be able to repay your love and kindness, but I know God will bless you all greatly.

Very Expensive Breath Mints

Ashley has been taking a placebo pill to see if she would get better. The Placebo we ended up giving Ashley were little blue sugar free breath mints. They didn't cure her by any means even though they were doctor perscribed and in a perscription bottle. I take that back they really did a number on a condition called hallatosis. In plain english hallatosis is known as bad breath and these pills worked beautifuly! We received the bill for this perscription and it came to $217.00. I have never in my life payed that much for container of tic tacs before!

Now I know that there is a first time for everything. So now we are on to the next doctor to see if this doctor knows what is going on. In all of this I have learned that stressing is not going to help matters and money is just paper. What matters is that we get down to the bottom of what is causing Ashley to have these symptoms. We are all doing well and Ashley is doing great and isn't letting this get her down. She is so strong that it brings a smile to my face. Thursday we are going to dedicate to prayer and fasting for those of you who want to join us in that. We will be praying for answers and healing for Ashley.

I will try to keep you posted as much as possible here. Thank you all for your support and prayers. You all truly make this time easier with your words of comfort and encouragement. We are so blessed to have you all in our lives. Well I suppose I should go find a nice picture of a breath mint for this post. Thanks for reading it!

Very Hungry!

I am very hungry!

My Breaking Heart

Today is the first day of Ashley taking here placebo pills. We ended up buying these small blue mints and having the pharmacy make up a mock prescription bottle for Ashley. She is to take two of them by mouth daily. I know she is not creating her condition for attention, yet we have to rule it out as a possibility. This has proven harder then I ever thought.

Today when I arrived home from work. I noticed Ashley was still having her spasms with no change. I figured this would be the case. She asked Stacey when she could take her next pill because she didn't feel she was getting any better. Hearing this come from her mouth absolutely crushed me. I don't know if I can do this for a full week. I know that Ashley is placing great hope that this medicine she is taking will help her symptoms go away. It kills me to know that I am giving her false hope in something that isn't going to work.

To build my little girls hope up in something I know won't work is almost more then I can bare. I just have to keep telling myself it is part of the process of elimination and will help the doctors make educated guesses as to why she is having problems. I have never thought I'd feel this way but I feel as if I am betraying her trust. I hope that she doesn't get too discouraged when the little mint flavored pills don't work. I will be fighting hard to remain up beat this week, but it is going to be very hard.

PLACEBO

Placebo - a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine.


We went to the Neurologist today with all the kids. One point during the appointment the doctor asked Stacey or I to take all of the kids into the waiting room while he discussed what was going on with the parent that chose to stay. I volunteered to take the kids being that Stacey remembers things much better then I. So I took all three kids into the waiting room. While sitting there knowing that this is not good. I prayed for strength and courage in whatever news was coming my way. I realized that if he didn't want the kids to hear what he had to say, it couldn't be good. I felt dizzy like I was on the precipice of something horrible. I looked at Ashley and realized I had to remain strong for her so she wouldn't be scared. So I joked with the kids for a bit as we were waiting.

Stacey came out and I scanned her face for any trace of crying and there was nothing. I couldn't read her face for a hint of what was said in the examination room. So I was on the edge of my seat until she showed me the prescription that read. "Please make up a bottle of placebo pills for Ashley." So there was much relief in that. So after a couple weeks of stress and a lot of prayer we came to the day where we thought we'd get some answers concerning Ashley.

However what we found is we are in the same spot of uncertainty that we were in before. So in order to rule out any mental disorder or nervous habbit. We will give Ashley her placebo pills. I pray that that the doctor perscribed tic tacs will be the magic pill that makes her symptoms go away. I'd rather deal with that then something like a tumor or terrets syndom. We are still waiting on the blood test results. We haven't heard anything back yet on them so I think we are safe. They say no news is good news.

Skull Chruch Message

The Religious Trial :: The Bloody Death of Jesus Christ (Part 2) from fresh life church on Vimeo.

Blood Test

We took Ashley into experience how it feels to get blood drawn. Surprisingly she watch the whole thing from needle entry to needle extraction. I however had to turn away when the needle pierced her. I felt dizzy are ready to pass out right there on the examination room floor. So in the scheme of things Ashley is a little warrior. She hasn't shown a bit of nervousness or fear. This has brought me great comfort seeing her strength in all of this. Today I found it extremely difficult to concentrate at work and hard to smile and joke. I have been worried sick and I think knowing that test results are at hand makes me even more so. There are all the what if's going through my mind. I try to pray often to keep my mind off of it and it brings me comfort, however that fear sneaks in and turns my stomach. In the midst of this trial I have found comfort in this verse and I try to keep that on my heart through out the day.

Phl 4:6-7; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I can't tell you how much prayer has helped through all of this. When you have faith in a God who can do anything and you can come to him for comfort and peace beyond comprehension, how AWESOME is that. Jesus once told his disciples that if they had the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can tell a mountain to move from here to there and it would be so(Matthew 17:20). I think of all the things I would seek comfort in if I didn't have the Lord. All of which would do no good but make matters worse. How amazing is it that if you have just a little bit of faith you can get through trials in life that seem like impassible mountains!