Today:

1. Bryan and I have our first red-line meeting on our house this evening! This is where we sit down and pick out the exact layout and floor plan for our home. We are really excited!
2. My parents celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary yesterday. That is wonderful and commendable!
3. So, it didn't realize that I could actually make the nerve problem worse by doing things that hurt me. That may sound really dumb, but I just thought pain was pain and I could push through it for a little bit. Right? Wrong. Turns out that I kind of over-did it during moving weekend and I have aggravated and inflamed my pudendal nerve. So, I'm taking steroids now.
4. Last night, I told Bryan that I felt that God had called me to share this experience with others so that I could be an encouragement to someone going through a similar challenge. With that in mind, I woke up this morning and didn't feel I had the strength to get out of bed. I told Bryan I was 'out of juice" and had just pushed too hard. When I read my devotional this morning, it was as though God was speaking directly to me. Here are some excerpts from my Lifetime Daily Devotional today: "It is alright to get so tired that you feel like you can't put one foot in front of the other. It's not bad to cry when your emotions soar to the pinnacle because of grief, pain or loneliness. We are human and Jesus understands because He was once human... This is one of the most precious truths he has given us: 'I understand.' "
5. Lastly, I consider myself to be largely apolitical. I care very much about social injustice, but I find ways to be involved in those causes outside of the political arena. With all the debates and campaigning going on, we're all saturated in politics ad nauseum. I saw this clip online and realized: this is what politics sound like to me. Enjoy!

What I Know Today

1. I am sitting on my couch in our new apartment. 'Cause we leased our house. And we're building a new one. 
2. It is challenging to reduce the size of your living space by half and not lose your cool when organizing your closet.
3. I have a renewed appreciation for Mazzio's Pizza. I like their sauce.
4. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I've been in an unrelenting pain flare since my nerve block in August. I'm trying a different medication for nerve pain because the first one (Cymbalta) didn't seem to do anything but make me sweat a lot and crave sweets like a crazy person. Kind of a gross combination. One week, I had a chocolate frozen yogurt and Heath Bar mix from Braum's four nights in a row. So far, Lyrica isn't causing any severe side effects.
5. I've learned that even though He hasn't answered my most desperate prayers for healing and mercy from this nightmare, I have no doubt that God loves me. I don't know why He is allowing this to happen to me, but I know He hurts right along with me.
6. I think October is probably my favorite month of the year. 

The last two weeks have been quite eventful! At my last checkup with my urogynecologist, he made the assessment that the pelvic nerve causing me so much trouble is the pudendal nerve. He also decided to perform a pudendal nerve block that very day. The procedure was painful, but afterwards, I had two blessed days of numbness on my left side. After the numbness wore off, the pain roared back with a vengeance. That tells the doctors that we are on the right track, but will need several more injections in the upcoming months to see if they provide some relief.

I also officially requested disability accommodations at work, so for the next couple of months, I will get to work from home in the afternoons. That is a major blessing and I'm hoping that it helps with the chronic pain.

Happy September!