One year anniversary for the pursuit of a cure

One year ago, right at this moment, Mark and I were seated on a Southwest Airline flight to Baltimore. He was snoozing peacefully at my side, while I stared out the window, full of anxiety, asking God if we were doing the right thing and pleading that He would give us answers. I know that at that moment, I wasn't asking for a miracle. I was pleading that I would just be diagnosed so that I would know that there was a physical reason for what I had experienced.

So, we were on a plane to Baltimore with the purpose of an all-day appointment at Johns Hopkins Hospital first thing Monday morning. Mark had insisted that we go a day early so that he could get my mind off of the stress, and since he knows me better than I do, I went along with it. We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed Baltimore, despite the cold. Then Monday came. And the miracle began. Every test, every poke, every prod....they all said the same thing. I had Superior Canal Dehiscence (SCD), a condition that had only been diagnosed in 150 people in the world since it was first discovered in 1998 by Dr. Lloyd Minor, the same Dr. Minor who stood before me on December 1, 2008, telling me that I suffered from a lack of bone in my skull around the balance and hearing organs. He told me that there was a treatment for the illness, but the treatment required a dangerous intracranial surgery.

Illness. Odd that I used that word this morning. I went an entire year prohibiting the use of the words "illness" or "sick" when describing SCD. During the few episodes that I was truly angry with Mark or with this stupid condition, it was usually because he or someone else had insinuated that I was sick or had unintentionally made me feel like an invalid. I had determined that I was not sick, that I simply had a lack of bone in my skull, something that could be fixed with a little skull-spackle.

Oh what a year can teach us and how it can change our lives. The winter came and went, and with it came healing. Following a brutal surgery, the symptoms vanished. My body recovered quickly, leaving me with only a few lingering side effects. I went back to work a few months early (one month and a day post-op). When I returned to work, I couldn't read very well. I only told one friend (thanks, Angie) because I needed there to be someone I could talk to through the frustration. Praise God, I slowly regained my ability to read and understand. I was left with only pain at the incision site, headaches/migraines, and fatigue.

Recovery from these symptoms was slow. I had a constant mild migraine for many months, which finally ended about a month ago. The pain at the incision site only comes when I am very tired or during severe temperature fluctuations. The fatigue is nearly gone. God is good.

I think the message I'd like you to remember today is that God can restore you. I truly can't remember last Thanksgiving. Mark tells me that we only stayed at family gatherings for short periods of time, and that I spent a lot of the day in our bedroom, where I'm sure that more than one tear was shed. A year later, we had an AMAZING Thanksgiving. We spent the day with family and friends and I enjoyed every second of it. He has restored my life over the past year, even in bigger ways than in healing my body. He has taught me to rely on His strength, to always know that there is a purpose, and to have reassurance that the worst of circumstances will be used for good. No matter what is going on in your life, remember that. Know that he restores. I am thankful for that today.