Family Uncaged

Update on Julia :)

51 Comments 20 October 2012

I’m overjoyed to report that Julia is constantly improving. We’re hoping she can go back to school on Monday. Pray she won’t feel too overwhelmed at the volume of work. (She’s working on it at home).

She walks normally.

No more vertigo.

What is residual: headaches. But they’re less frequent and less severe. We’ll be following up with a pain management person soon. Massage seemed to help as well.

To answer your questions:

  1. No, we don’t have a diagnosis.
  2. No, she wasn’t poisoned.
  3. No, she doesn’t have Lyme Disease (no tick bites, clear tests)
  4. No, she didn’t have meningitis.
  5. No, she tested negative for West Nile.
  6. No to bullying.
  7. No to hypostatic something or other.

Which is all good. Her bloodwork was stellar, no nutritional deficits (she eats very healthy). No indication of viruses. No nothng.

On the one hand this is a huge blessing, on the other, I’m not much for living in mystery. But sometimes that’s what life is. Sometimes we never know what happened. I have mysteries aplenty in my life, as I’m sure you do too. All we can do is find joy in the now, thank God for what we do know, and take the next step.

I’ll get all weepy if I think about how MUCH you prayed for our family this past, crazy week. I can’t form the words of thanks adequately. You were there. You emailed, shared our request, and prayed like the dickens. Thank YOU. THANK you.

Our Life Group at church deserves heroic status. Rides, cars, food, gifts, prayers in person, crying alongside, shouldering, visiting. You’ve been our oxygen. Thank you.

Thanks to sweet family members who sent cards and gifts and well wishes.

And thanks to Jesus who helped us walk through it. There were times when I truly, fully LOST IT. In those time I felt entirely needy and small. And sometimes I felt ashamed for being so darn weak. I realized just how frail and tentative my faith can be, how dependent I am on Jesus and not my own small strength. At one point, Julia and I were both crying. As I held her, I felt the deepest peace, even in the weeping. He broke through. He hangs out in hospital rooms. I’m grateful.

I hope I never have to report back on Julia’s health. But I’m grateful for the painful journey. We grew exasperated yet closer as a family. And now we’re basking in some much needed rest.

THANK YOU.

By the way, I really needed to be reminded of this prayer from Everything. I’m pasting it here in hopes that it blesses your socks off. (Are you barefooted now?) Feel free to share it with a friend facing a difficult situation.

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  • Leslie

    So glad to hear that Julia is improving. We will continue to pray for healing/correction of whatever caused the headaches in the first place. Also, praying for you and the rest of your family…peace & blessings!

  • Shonda

    I’m glad to know Julia is doing better. Praise God! I can only believe that our God, Jehovah Rapha, heard all the petitions lifted up on your behalf and healed her. I also cant help but wonder if it wasn’t just a flat out spiritual attack as there’s no diagnosis and it coincided with the book launch. Blessings!

  • http://www.sowingseedsofgrace.wordpress.com/ Sherrey Meyer

    So glad to read the good news! The mystery will either be taken away or unravel into a Attachrevealing of itself, but only by His power and will.

  • Kathy Faberge

    So happy to hear this news! Praise God!

  • Diane Yuhas

    Praise God, Mary. May He grant your family the rest, peace, and quiet you all need. I’m glad you were able to lean on Him and not your own understanding.

  • http://www.facebook.com/AngieTolpin Angie Tolpin

    So glad to hear such a great update! May God continue to keep healing her body! We are praying; for your book launch also. This may be one of those times when you will be able to say- the Lord did it all- because you can’t- He will be Glorified! He will take care of the book… and your faith will be stronger… Praising Him with you Mary!

  • http://amybayliss.com Amy Bayliss

    Hey, Mary! I am just reading about this. Have they tested Julia for strep throat? I know that may sound whacky considering her symptoms but a month or so ago I had horrible headaches, fainting, severe body aches, and a slew of other symptoms that made no sense. I honestly thought I was dying. It was that bad.

    They tested me for meningitis, mono, cancer, thyroid, diabetes, you name it. All fine. Ultrasounds and cat scans all fine. Then on a whim my doctor did a strep test. It was positive. Oh, and I had no fever at all and my throat felt fine. I was given antibiotics but it still took, from start to finish, almost six weeks for me to feel better again. After searching for strep throat symptoms I found that others have had these symptoms too.

    Anyway, may not be what she has but it is worth a shot to see. I pray she feels better soon. I know how hard it is when your babies are sick.

  • Kim Cordes

    Praising God with you and continuing to seek His protection over your family and ministry, Mary. Thanks for ‘everything’ that you do! ;-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/amanda.chance.58 Amanda Chance

    Thankyou for the awesome update on Julia, I pray her health continues to improve rapidly.

  • http://www.sundijo.com Sundi Jo Graham

    So glad she’s recovering. Sounds like something similar that I went through back in 2008. I got severe vertigo and vestibular migraines. Mysterious diagnosis are horrible, but don’t they draw us closer to God?

  • http://www.freedom-connection.org Tammy Bunk

    Rejoicing with you, Mary, in the improvements. I continue to pray for full recovery.
    Yes, the mystery. It is not a place of comfort for most of us, but what I love is that we can trust God in and through the mystery. I love the prayer you posted…

  • http://twitter.com/abbysnews Abby Van Wormer

    I’m so glad to hear Julia is doing better! Praise God! Thanks for the update. Will keep praying for her. :)

  • Linda Chontos

    So thankful for this great update Mary. Praying she will continue to improve and will never experience this again.

  • http://annkroeker.com Ann Kroeker

    Sometimes we live in mystery.

    Wow, at the big philosophical/theological level, I’ll be thinking about this tonight. At the practical level, though, I’m sorry for that mystery of not knowing the cause of her symptoms, but delighted to hear of improvements!

  • http://www.redemptionsbeauty.com/ Shelly Miller

    Thanking God with you and continuing to pray. So grateful she is better.

  • Gina

    Hallelujah!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/bridgitbs Bridgit Boeve Smith

    Whoot! Whoot!! So, great to read Julia continues to improve. Still using our 10/10 Vision! :-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/ShifferDiane Diane Shiffer

    What a blessing and relief to hear that she is improving. Praise the Lord. Honestly, her bout sounds a wee bit like something I experienced a couple of years ago. One morning (while reading the Bible ironically) I felt a sort of crackle in my ear and suddenly was struck down with a bout of vertigo so severe I was basically unconscious for a week. When the dust cleared I was profoundly deaf in my left ear. They never were able to determine what happened and diagnosed me with “Sudden Hearing Loss” which I actually find rather humorous. Thankfully your girlie doesn’t have any lasting effects as I do, but I can very much relate to the onset, severity and lack of real diagnosis. Praying that Julia’s road to full recovery is swift and uneventful ((hugs))

  • http://www.facebook.com/cathy.kendall1 Cathy Kendall

    I’m so relieved to hear Julia is better. God is good! I love how prayer knits the Body of Christ together, even those of us who have never met. Some day I will meet you in Heaven and we’ll talk about this. May God bless you and keep you in His perfect peace, and give Julia strength as she returns to school.

  • http://twitter.com/Vaderalman Mark Allman

    Great to hear!!

  • annepeterson

    Thank you Lord, for answering prayers. Thank you for the strength you have given this family. For the encouragement they received. Give Julia the strength to do the things she you want her to do. And peace is letting go of the rest. In Jesus’ name. Amen

  • Lynn Mosher

    Hallelujah! So glad to know Julia is improving! /

  • Glenda Childers

    Such good news.

  • http://juliesunne.com/ Julie Sunne

    Woohoo–Praise and thanksgiving!

  • http://twitter.com/lesrowe Leslie Rowe

    big sigh of relief from one mama to another. I don’t know you and you don’t know me but MAN I hurt for you and prayed when I remembered…

  • http://erinulrich.com/ Erin Ulrich

    Mary, I am so thankful to hear this good report! I have been praying since you first shared the situation with Julia. I’m continuing to pray for complete healing and rest for you all! Blessings to you! :)

  • Shelly Wildman

    Rejoicing with you, Mary!

  • Ro elliott

    Praises…these battles are sometimes in the unseen world…your trip…your book…but God is God overall…and I will continue to pray for complete healing and peace an strength only He can give. may you breath a little deeper and with ease this weekend~

  • Angela

    So glad to hear that she is doing better, Mary. Praying…

  • Anette Acker

    Wonderful news, Mary! Will keep praying for a full recovery and that the symptoms never return.

  • Cindy Schuerr

    This is the best news today. I know there was a lesson to be learned for you and your family and all of us who prayed and worried right beside you. Jesus, please make it clear to us.

  • http://www.janiscox.com/ Janis Cox

    Awesome news Mary. I just about jumped out of my chair when I read your tweet. Thanks for keeping us with you through this journey. God is Everything. Waiting for your book to arrive.

  • http://randomlychad.com Chad Jones

    Wonderful news! Praise God! Thank-you for inviting us in to share in this rough season, Mary.

  • http://www.tammyhelfrich.com/ Tammy Helfrich

    So glad to hear!!

  • http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/ Barbie

    I am so grateful!

  • ambermcginty

    Oh, Thank You, Jesus!

  • http://www.facebook.com/marcia.francois Marcia Francois

    I’m so pleased to hear that she’s better!

    Love that worrywart prayer – I haven’t got there yet… :)

  • http://profiles.google.com/nicoleodell6 Nicole O’Dell

    So glad for this update!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/dana.mcneely.5 Dana McNeely

    So glad and thankful to hear this positive update, Mary. I feel for you and Julia as you must continue to live with the mystery of not knowing the source of the problem.

  • Mandy

    Praising God for all of this! Continued prayers, too.

  • Tina Hunt

    Lifting prayers of thanks and praise.

  • Mark Randall

    We’ll keep praying for a full recovery! God’s favor on you, Mark

  • Terry Lange

    Mary, thanks for the updates, I know how hard it can be to see your child suffer and the experts have no answers. We were in the DFW area last week when all of this was going on, wanted to help but unsure of what we could have done to help. We did pray and glad to hear that Julia is doing better.

  • http://twitter.com/RachelWojo Rachel Wojnarowski

    So happy to hear this!

  • http://www.facebook.com/charlene.mccauley3 Charlene McCauley

    The only answer is… Jesus healed Julia by all the prayers. This is why NO is the answer to all the possible diagnoses. Also, I have leaned when Jesus heals that one thing in our body that caused the sickness it takes a little while for our body to catch up and heal. Julia has been healed I do believe that is the YES answer to her diagnoses:-)

  • Mollie Lyon

    Oh, she came around and will get her diploma.

  • Mollie Lyon

    Last week felt like such an attack on my family, too,. My senior girl just hated school, wanted to get her GED and live in LA. She was so defiant. And so unlike her. Satan will go after our children any way he can. But our God is greater and though we feel small and weak, our God isn’t. Just keep the faith. Jesus is on the move.

  • Elizabeth

    Praise galore. Hope her symptoms continue to diminish and completely disappears. What glorious news. This is a community of Christ at its finest. Loving, praying, and coming alongside to hold up.

  • http://www.gettingdownwithjesus.com/ dukeslee

    What wonderful news! We will continue to uphold you in prayer here at the Lee house. Mysteries are hard, yes.

    You are one blessed lady … surrounded and loved and cared for by many, above all of them, your Father.

    And this: ” … I’m grateful for the painful journey.” Those are words that can only come from the heart of someone who knows her Savior. What an inspiration you are.

  • Del Marie Riley

    Oh His magnificent grace. I’m so happy to hear Julia is doing better.

  • http://www.kellyjyoungblood.com/ Kelly J Youngblood

    So glad she is doing so much better and may go back to school on Monday. As I had said in my email, she had similar symptoms to my dad, who was not diagnosed with anything either. It makes me wonder how many other similar cases are happening around the country and baffling people.

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