I'm back!

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted I've been a bad blogger recently. The reason for this is there really hasn't been all that much to report my life has been pretty uneventful lately and that is a good thing. My health has finally stabilized after all those months and I feel better than ever ready to take on the world, okay maybe not that good but it is a lot better than I have felt along time. that's not to say there isn't anything medical going on right now. Last Friday I had an appointment at gastroenterology at UC Davis Hospital to have my feeding tube replaced, this is usually a very routine procedure that is done every three months or so to keep the tract going into my stomach healthy and clean. Usually it is pulled straight out after a special balloon holding it in place as deflated bur, I do not have a tube with a balloon I have an old-fashioned kind with a simple rubber stopper at the end so it cannot be simply pulled out like the other tube without causing severe damage to the tract and tremendous pain. In my case the doctor decided putting a scope down my throat into my stomach to remove the rubber stopper would be the best way to take it out with minimal discomfort. Last Friday I was all set to have my tube replaced but since the doctor discovered I had a different type of tube as I described it had to be put off until this Friday so they could get everything ready for the procedure. I will be sedated with a drug called versed so it won't be at all uncomfortable and I should have no recollection of what happened. This really is a routine procedure that should not cause any damage that needs to heal and I will not have to stay in the hospital after the procedure I can go home the same day which is a big relief to me because I hate hospitals! this is just a minor bump in the road that I have to get over and move on, It's just part of the life of living with muscular dystrophy, I can expect many more procedures in my lifetime and I just have to deal with them as they come. Thanks for reading it really brings me joy to know that people actually care about my little life. I never thought I would have as big of a following as I do, I even have movie producers for IMAX commenting me, what a small and wonderful world!

I went deep sea diving

Or at least that's what my mind, eyes, and ears had me believing monday as I sat in front of the monsterous screen at the Sacramento Esquire IMAX theater. Monday was a blistery, windy, wet, and cold day so I decided to spend my afternoon catching a 3D movie at the IMAX. I decided to see two movies that day since the movies were only 45 minutes each, I saw Under The Sea 3D and Deep Sea 3D. As you probably already know I'm a big nature freak and love anything to do with the beautiful creatures of this planet so these sea life documentaries were the perfect fit for me. You may be thinking booooooooorrrrring but you'd be gravely mistaken as these documentaries put you right in the action in glorious 3D...It literally feels like you can reach out and touch the magnificant creatures as they appear to swim right into your lap! It really is a surreal experience that you have to see to believe. Thanks to technology even someone as disabled as me can go diving.

Lynelle having fun with her buddies

Here are a few pictures of Linnell having fun with her best friends jersey and windy about a month ago. They belong to the women who raised her from a puppy. Lynelle is the one with the red collar in case you were wondering.

Snow Day

This afternoon my trusty sidekick Lynelle and I took yet another impromptu trip to the snow. The night before there had been low snow falling all over the foothills and Sierra and it was a winter wonderland up there with trees weighed down with snow as far as the eye could see. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen I had never seen so much snow in my entire life! Yes I know I'm crazy about snow, when I see snow in brings up the little boy in me and I get giddy as a schoolgirl lol. This time we had to drive just an hour to see snow which ended up being just above Apple Hill which is about 50 minutes from our house. We ended up at campground called sly park. There we stopped at a beautiful lake surrounded by snow covered trees with the beautiful sunset coming down. We let Lynelle run around a bit and she just went hog wild running around like a greyhound I've never seen her move so fast, where she gets the energy I do not know because at home she lays around most of the day snoring. As soon as she saw that snow she perked right up! I've never seen a dog that loves snow as much as her. It was truly a wonderful day that I will not soon forget. Below are some pictures capturing the joyous event. Enjoy!

strike!

Yesterday was an interesting day. I went bowling with my disabled teen ministry Walk On Water or WOW. I know you must be thinking "how does someone with hardly any use of their arms bowl?" well it's actually pretty simple the bowling alley has a special ramp made of wood that you can place the ball on and have someone roll it down once it is pushed into position by the person in the wheelchair by gently nudging it until lying to with the pins you want to hit.in my case I did pretty well considering that the ramps can be pretty inaccurate. It may be challenging but it is a lot of fun, anything is possible if you put your mind to it and things that seem impossible become possible when you've put yourself out there and try.

Success!

My surgery today was a huge success, it went better than I could have ever imagined and I am thrilled. It only lasted about 15 minutes instead of the estimated hour and a half and afterwords I felt no pain at all! this is how it went down. I was rudely awoken at the ungodly hour of 6:30 AM and I arrived at the hospital at 9 AM to check in and get everything settled. Around 11:30a.m. I was brought up from the preop station to the OR waiting area where I was transferred from my wheelchair to a bed, given an IV for the anesthesia which let me tell you wasn't easy, you see I am a very hard stick and it always takes several attempts before getting a good line. That was the worst part of the whole surgery was getting that darn I V. I swear it took longer to get an IV in than the whole surgery itself! Around 12:30pm or so I was wheeled into the OR where they gave me an awesome drug that made me feel like I was in seventh heaven floating on air it was really good stuff! During the surgery I was completely unaware of what was happening to me although my eyes were open and I was semi-aware of where I was but I was so out of it that can barely remember what happened. The surgery was over in what seemed like a heartbeat and no problems occurred. What a big success I was worried for nothing!

surgery tomorrow

Hi everyone Mitch here how are you all doing? That's right tomorrow I'm having surgery, brain surgery just kidding it's nothing as dramatic as that is just a simple surgery where a little bit of scar tissue will be removed from my stoma or hole in my throat where the trach is inserted. this is a very routine surgery and the risks are extremely minimal so I really have nothing to be nervous about. surgery is surgery however so I do have the normal butterfly sensation in my stomach about it. I will only be hospitalized for one day and I will be back on my wheels in no time.

Today I'm just relaxing and enjoying my time out of the hospital, I'm catching up with friends, surfing the web, and is trying not to think about tomorrow.

say your prayers!

Yesterday was quite the exciting day for me, I had to say a prayer in front of my entire church congregation. I have never been one to get up in front of people and talk, in school I used to hate getting those oral reports and presentations and I would get so nervous that I would make myself sick. These days things are a little bit different for me I have more confidence in myself and public speaking is not nearly as nerve-racking as it was back then. It still isn't easy however but this was an opportunity I couldn't miss, stepping out of my comfort zone and talking to all those people was a real opportunity for me to grow as a person. It's how I got into this was a disabled youth ministry that I am a team leader of put on the service which was about disabilities and why God allows bad things can happen. I was confront confronted by the leader of the group to do the prayer. At first I was reluctant but he reassured me that things would go okay and that I definitely could do it and that this was a way for me to grow in my relationship with Christ. So yesterday I did just that. Another leader of the group held the microphone and I began to pray. It was a very powerful experience and it made me feel closer to God than I have been in a while. I know God chose me for this for a reason that reason being getting closer to my loving God. I thank God and the prayer for the wonderful group that touches so many lives and gives hope to many disabled children and young adults.

This group I am part of is called walk on water or WOW for short. It is a ministry for children and teens with disabilities to get together and play games, sports, eat snacks and most importantly make long-lasting meaningful relationships with the leaders and other kids that make them feel accepted and important. WOW is a place where they will not be judged for their disability and they can feel like normal kids which is something that doesn't happen in very many places for them. I feel very privileged to be a part of this ministry, nothing makes me happier than the smile on the kids faces and the love I feel from all the wonderful volunteers that make this group possible. It has brought me closer to God than I have ever been and I am forever thankful to him for bringing this group into my life. Helping start that group was one of the best things I've ever done and it makes me feel very proud that I can make so many lives better.