Holding on to My Faith

Terrieanne E. Stott

Description

This memoir tells of the author’s struggles with autoimmune diseases and their physical, mental, and spiritual consequences and how she always kept her faith in spite of them.
Faith can be the cornerstone of one’s strength. While some may believe having faith means their lives will be free of conflict and loss, in reality, the opposite is often true.
Holding on to My Faith: Memoirs of an Unbroken Spirit is the story of author Terrieanne E. Stott’s medical, physical, mental, and spiritual struggles that resulted from the many autoimmune diseases she has. She’s coped with varied facets of her various illnesses, has been hospitalized on numerous occasions, and endured unbelievable pain. Stott has also been the victim of severe verbal, physical, and mental abuse stemming from her multiple failed marriages. Her life would be a trial for most of us.
But despite her circumstances, Stott’s faith has never waivered. It has resulted in, among other things, two children who have become successful adults. Although Holding on to My Faith: Memoirs of an Unbroken Spirit depicts many difficult, even terrible situations, it is a story of victory and an unbroken spirit. You’ll see how even though faith will not stop bad things from happening, it will show you how to get through those situations and thrive.

Sujets

• Relationships
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Relationship
• Religion
• Faith
• Family

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 28 juillet 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781496912923
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HOLDING ON TO MY FAITH
MEMOIRS OF AN UNBROKEN SPIRIT
TERRIEANNE E. STOTT


AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
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© 2014 Terrieanne E. Stott. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 07/23/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-4969-1293-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4969-1292-3 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913187
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
 
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
PROLOGUE
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from which cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord; Psalm 121: 1-2. Throughout my life’s experiences of ups and downs, with many more downs than ups, I have had to put all of my trust in the Lord, that he would help me to survive; without Him, I do not know where I would be. I thank God everyday for sparing my life thus far, and also allowing me to continue to do the things that I enjoy doing, while exhibiting the proper attitude to accept my illnesses with grace and fortitude.
I have been a victim of a weakened Auto-Immune System that has caused me to physically suffer from many different Auto-Immune Diseases that have been attacking my body since my childhood. These Auto-Immune Diseases have caused me unimaginable pain, horrific agony. Through many of life’s failures; God’s word says that; if He leads you to it, He will bring you through it.
My story is one of survival, through many storms of physical afflictions; failed marriages, accidents, and sorrows of lost loved ones. I have always tried to live a normal life; under terribly abnormal circumstances. Striving to maintain a shield; of protection for my children, never acknowledging or; burdening them with the severity of the real truth. My story is one of rock solid determination; one of the many triumphs that I have achieved; while experiencing severe medical trials, and tribulations, that continually plagued my body. Through it all, I remain steadfast for I am “HOLDING ON TO MY FAITH.”
This book is dedicated to the memories of my beloved mother; Bessie Brown Cooper, my dad; John L. Brown II, my brother; Donald A. Brown, my grandparents; William and Nancy Irene Aaron, and my nephew; J. LeRoy Brown IV.
Through it all; through it all; I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all; through it all; I’ve learned to depend upon His word!!!
CHAPTER 1
It was 4:15 AM on Monday morning I was scheduled to report to work by 9:00 AM. I had not been asleep at all, although I had taken both of my prescribed sleeping medications at midnight. I was so sleepy, but I could not lie down because both sides of my nostrils were totally blocked. After taking a couple of Nasal Decongestant pills, I had sat on the side of my bed for hours switching between spraying nose sprays, and suctioning out my nose with the Suction Machine. The Suction Machine, of which I insert a 12 inch tubing as far up into my nostrils as possible, and turn on the machine which extracts the mucus into a 16 ounce plastic container. I got the idea of the Suction Machine while observing my dentist using a similar machine during a dental cleaning. I quickly investigated to find out if such a machine existed for personal use. The Respiratory company that provided my CPAP sleep machine, for *Central Sleep Apnea; also supplied the Suction Machine. I was blessed to find out that my Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance paid 80% of the machine with a doctor’s prescription. I made an appointment to see my Primary Care Physician, and asked that he write a prescription for the Suction Machine after suffering unbelievable misery with a *Deviated or Perforated Septum. The perforated septum is actually a large hole in the right side of my nasal passage, which constantly clogs with mucus, if left untreated with saline, or oily solutions; the mucus dries and hardens, and virtually forming a airtight seal. Because of the severity of the perforation, I can no longer blow my nose. If I could blow my nose like most people, I probably would not have this problem. The perforation (hole) prevents me from being able to blow my nose; it is akin to trying to blow up a balloon that has a hole in it. At one time I was scheduled to have a “septal button” inserted via surgery by my Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. When I went for my pre-op examination, my blood pressure was extremely elevated; prior to this time my blood pressure was usually low. Since I had never had problems with high blood pressure, I thought that it was because I was a little stressed.
The surgery was cancelled until I visited my Primary Care Physician, who diagnosed me with *Hypertension. I was placed on a medication for the Hypertension and then scheduled me to see a Cardiologist. I was so upset and disappointed, both of my parents had been diagnosed with Hypertension and I was determined not to get it. I used very little salt in my food as it cooked, and never sprinkled additional salt or pepper on my food at the table. I never smoked or drank, ate very little pork or red meat. I did everything to eliminate the possible risk factors, and I still had it. I was informed that Hypertension’s biggest risk factor is heredity, and there was nothing that I cod do to change that. I had to take a battery of tests including Stress Tests, Ultrasounds, and Heart CT Scans. I was finally stable enough to return to the ENT to reschedule the surgery. The ENT Physician informed me that the deviation had expanded to the point that there was no “septal button” large enough to close the hole in my nose; the largest button was simply too small now! The ENT said that he had never seen a hole that large in a nasal passage and suggested that I use a Saline solution to keep it moist. It was so irritating all day, every day with the dryness and the mucus that developed, I’d have the urge to try to clean my nose out, but I would always wait until I was finally at home and in private, and then I would use tweezers. Using small tweezers I was able to pull out the mucus as long as it was moistened with the Saline solution. If l had neglected to spray the saline solution a few times a day, the dried mucus would build and harden thus; simultaneously blocking the airway of my sinuses. Because of the severity of the disease *Sarcoidosis, in my lungs and sinus passages, I had not been able to blow my constantly clogged nose for several years. In my research to find relief, I discovered the electronic Suction Machine; which was most commonly used to extract fluids from the bodies of Cystic Fibrosis patients.
I used the Suction Machine every night before I went to bed to be sure that I was able to breathe well enough to sleep, because of the tremendous amount of mucus that constantly developed in my sinuses. On the more difficult nights, I would wake up and suction out my sinuses for a while, and then go back to sleep. On that particular night, my sinuses were so blocked; I couldn’t get to sleep to begin with.
Just as my sinuses finally began to feel a little less swollen and congested, I somehow pushed the tubing too far into my nostril and started bleeding profusely from my nose. The blood shot out like someone had threw a ripened tomato against a brick wall. I left a bloodstained trail as I rushed to the bathroom, and let the blood run into the sink. The blood was coming out so fast that I could not lift my head far enough away from the sink to get a towel, I felt like I was drowning! I finally called Ted who was sleeping through my entire bloody episode, and asked him to help me. When he saw all of the blood in the sink, he instantly freaked out, “Oh my God, hold your head back, you’re bleeding the death,” he yelled! Ted said that he was calling for medical assistance; but I flatly refused to let him call 911.
Ted nearly drowned me with the soggy wet towels that he held on my forehead while pinning my head back against the bathroom toilet. After a couple of hours, the bleeding finally subsided, I could breathe better, but I was too afraid to lie down. Around 7:30 AM, and without one minute of sleep, I took a sponge bath, brushed my teeth, and got ready for work.
Because of Ted’s nervousness about my