Category Archives: Update

Germany… Here We Come!

July 8, 2016 11:05 pm , 2 Comments ,

Once again, it has been a while since my last post here for many reasons.  There have been some really, crazy hard days and nights filled with much pain, we are pressing through the hard times and savoring the good times.  We had Lucy’s 11th birthday as well as Cory’s birthday yesterday, took a spontaneous camping trip for one night at a local lake and enjoyed the Independence Day with family and friends after starting it off with a full morning of being at the dentist.  We have fought fiercely for good days…  we need them more than I can express right now after having such a rough couple weeks.

Along with some of the fun activities we have had, we have also done TONS of research, asked so many questions of doctors, and have settled on a course of action that will take our entire family as well as my parents to Germany on August 5th.  Cory and I will check into the St. George Klinik in Bad Ailbing, Germany on August 7th through at least the 21st.  My parents will be taking care of our kiddos while we are in the hospital receiving treatment to irradiate the Lyme Bacteria from our bodies.  This hospital is the only place in the world that offers this specific Extreme Hyperthermia treatment and they only treat Lyme Disease and Cancer patients there, both with great success.  We will also be undergoing extensive detoxing treatments, testing, and other things that are yet to be decided until our arrival.  Though we are very, very hopeful that this treatment will get here and be over with so that we can move onto the post treatment protocol and be one giant step closer to being able to do all the things we dream of doing as a family… I am filled with nerves, worries of the unknowns, and all the travel logistics for our family.  I am of course nervous of being put under general anesthesia for seven hours two times for each of Cory and myself while our bodies will be heated up internally to such high temperatures that it will kill the disease causing bacteria in our bodies.  We know that this treatment is what we are supposed to do, but doing it is still filled with unknowns and fears.

Please pray for our family in this soon- coming journey, Please pray for peace, wisdom, safety, and many, many, many good days ahead! Please pray for finances to be in place, please pray for our kiddos to feel safe and secure as their parents are starting to have daily doctors appointments and that is unsettling to them.  Please pray for overall healing in all five of our bodies and strength and health for the five of us and my parents as well.

I know that where He leads us, He will be with us.

I will be journaling here on my blog this 30 day count down until treatment starts next month, so please read along, share and pray when you think of us.

Sincerely, Dani

 

 

Posted in: Family, God, Health, hubs, Life, Live IT Out!, Lyme Disease, Prayer, Update

Lyme Disease Hi-jacked our night, but God Hi-jacked their hearts!

May 16, 2016 11:03 pm , Leave a Comment ,

 

These days are tough…  but the nights are even more so.  Last night was yet another one that this disease hi-jacked.  The pain overtakes me, the convulsions begin, I lose the ability to hold my head up, my arms go limp, and my legs can bear no weight, tears start to flow involuntarily, I pass out half a dozen times from the sheer pain, and utter fear sets in.

Thankfully, last night I was able to get Grey all tucked in moments before all the pain started.  Cory was outside having an airsoft war in the dark with Hayden and Lucy was on the couch, also nursing a migraine when all I could do was hit the couch and focus on breathing through the intense pain that hit like a brick wall.

Moments later Cory and the two bigs were by my side talking me through my breathing, offering iced tea, rubbing oils on my feet and head, rubbing my neck and back, and most importantly; praying… asking God to take it all away.

As I sit here today writing about last night, I’m reminded of two things:  First, I made it through those awful moments last night when I doubted it was possible.  He saw me through… gave me strength, and I know my Great God carried me through those moments that were too much for me in my own strength to get through.  Secondly, in these horrendous times when it grieves my heart sooooo much that my kiddos have to know so much hurt, pain, and fearful times in this life.  I see how strong they are each becoming, How much they rely on their Savior to get them through each minute, and I can truly say that in listening to my son beg God to heal his momma most recently last night… we are raising Mighty Warriors for the Lord!  This is not a battle for the weak at heart, it takes courage, faith and trust in God’s promises.  He promises a HOPE, and a FUTURE, when we call upon Him, seek Him, and press in.  I have recently found my kids together in one of their rooms reading the Bible, explaining how it applies to their lives, how faith is so important to each of them, and I am stopped in my tracks to listen from outside and stand in awe of how only God can take such ashes and turn it into such glorifying beauty for Him!

My heart in sharing all of this is to encourage you… in each trial… do NOT lose heart.  You have a God who is bigger, much bigger than all of it!  He has these incredible plans for you, your family, He is going to use you and your trial if you submit it to Him.  He will take your family through the fire and refine your kids, your marriage, your whole self.  It will be hard, trying, and you’ll have your doubts for sure.  But trust in the ONE who created you, HE CREATED YOU…  just think about that.  You may not know what He is doing… but He does!  You may not know what His plans for your family are… but He does!  I am hanging onto Him at every turn, in each tear that falls, in every twitch, every heart issue, every time I cannot form words and the discouragement doubles up…  I choose to hang onto His plans, His will, His ultimate peace which passes all my understanding!

Hang in there dear friends!

Sincerely, dani

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9-10 NIV

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3 John 1:4 KJV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

whocanstandagainstus

Posted in: Family, God, Health, hubs, Life, Lyme Disease, Prayer, Update

My Refuge… My Rock

April 17, 2016 12:01 pm , 2 Comments ,

I know… I know… another delay in posts about treatment and life in general 🙁  I’m still here, but man oh man, each day throws new things my way.  I am sitting here in bed, not able to make it to church with my family today…I have been very, very, very nauseous in the mornings and most often begin my day with throwing up several times.  Various mornings have started with one or more of these super strange symptoms:  no hearing in my left ear, my right arm hung limp yet I could move all of my fingers (odd), my knee had no feeling, or another day had such severe pain that I couldn’t not put any weight on it, I could not focus one eye for most of one day last week…  I have started to call these crazy symptoms “the thing of the day”.  They seem to usually pass by about noon or so, and my afternoons from 1-5ish are what I am calling my “normal” for now.

Afternoons are spent mostly resting, trying to soak up the sunshine, being as present as I can be with my kiddos, and hoping to get at least one house chore accomplished for the day (this hasn’t been possible these last two weeks though!).  I have had a migraine that won’t subside for over 3 weeks now, and am usually so fatigued and nauseous off and on most of the day that being productive hasn’t been a reality… argh!

With the approach of each evening, I start getting worse again and we have had some scary times.  I had an intense peak of pain one night that left me shaking, involuntarily crying and curled up in the fetal position moaning… I honestly think that I blacked out for a bit of it, as Cory and the kids remember more of it than I do.  This brings me to the hardest part for me these days… knowing how frightened my family is about the way I am feeling.  My oldest went upstairs crying, praying, and saying “Mom was dying”.  Cory feels so helpless not knowing how to comfort, or care for me.  These are very scary times causing sleepless nights, nights full of tears, thoughts full of fears for all five of us.

We are looking for a great LLMD, or LLND (lyme literate doctors) to find someone who lives and breathes treatment for my specific conditions.  I spend hours and hours each day and night researching treatment options, finding ways to protect my organs in this process, working on new ways to detox, etc…  these are all things that a lyme specialist would be up on and know how to direct me.  Neurologically, I am battling so hard right now and then to add onto that struggle I am trying to retain any information I read about… and let’s just say:  I NEED help!

Prayers requests:

relief of symptoms

eradication of spirochetes

effective detoxing

strength for my body

emotional strength

strength and comfort for Cory and our kiddos

wisdom and direction to find THE right doctor and treatment protocol

finances for treatment

and of course complete healing for my body

Praises:

I am sleeping much, much better

Kiddos have been happier this last week than the week before

 

I am beyond thankful that though we are soooooo very weary of this mess; I know that my God is bigger, He is here and He is my life and breath, and I am choosing daily to put my trust in HIM!

2 Samuel 22:2-4

2 He said:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3     my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.

Taking refuge in Him today…

Sincerely, dani

standing on rock

Posted in: God, Health, Life, Prayer, Update , Tagged: , , ,

We all need a LITTLE bit of encouragement sometimes…

March 14, 2016 11:40 pm , Leave a Comment ,

I’ve been having some rough days since my last post and though I have wanted to share another post… I realized today that my heart simply needed some encouragement!  So, I wanted to share this sweet and powerful saying with all of you in hopes that it would encourage you like it does me every time I walk past it in my home!  I loved it so much, I bought it last year from one of my favorite little shops House of Belonging!

His GRACE is sufficient… I so often add up where I have let my kiddos down, what I wasn’t able to get done in my day, or that I couldn’t get off the couch to make dinner tonight…  but His Grace… it’s always here for me!  I can drop everything I worry about, feel ashamed about, or have doubts about at His feet and let it all go…

2 Corinthians 12:9 says this:  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Stay tuned… I am going to share my treatment plan soon, as well as lots of the reasons behind why I have chosen each piece of the protocol!

Posted in: God, Health, Life, Live IT Out!, Prayer, Update

I was written off by countless doctors… were you?

March 7, 2016 10:53 pm , 4 Comments ,

I’ve finally decided to jump on social media and share some very scary news with you that many doctors won’t.  Soooo many doctors will not acknowledge this awful disease, there is no acknowledgement for the severity and seriousness of the symptoms, and you may be labeled as crazy, written off as just another “chronic fatigue” case, or completely dismissed as I have been over and over for the last decade plus.

I decided to start off by sharing a list of my symptoms.  This list is extensive, and has been progressing over the last 24 years of my 33 years of life.  Although I have been struggling with this for soooo long; the majority of these have become much more intense and some seem to have onset with the birth of my first little one.

Please share this with anyone you know who is dealing with undiagnosed issues, or even those who may have a diagnosis yet still have so many frustrations and unknown answers… I will be sharing much more info very soon, but for now here is my way-too-long-list of symptoms:

Hang in there!

Sincerely, Dani

  • Dangerously LOW ferretin levels.
  • Headache
  • Stiff neck
  • Sore throat, swollen glands
  • Heightened allergic sensitivities
  • Twitching of facial/other muscles
  • Jaw pain/stiffness (like TMJ)
  • Change in smell, taste
  • Upset stomach (nausea, vomiting)
  • Unexplained weight gain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Night sweats or unexplained chills
  • Heart palpitations
  • Diminished exercise tolerance
  • Heart block, murmur
  • Chest pain or rib soreness
  • Mood swings, irritability, agitation
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Malaise
  • Overemotional reactions, crying easily
  • Disturbed sleep:  too little, difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Feeling as though you are losing your mind
  • Dementia
  • Forgetfulness, memory loss (short or long term)
  • Attention deficit problems, distractibility
  • Confusion, difficulty thinking
  • Difficulty with concentration, reading, spelling
  • Disorientation: getting or feeling lost
  • Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
  • Reproduction problems, miscarriage
  • Extreme PMS symptoms

 

  

  • Double or blurry vision, vision changes
  • Oversensitivity to light
  • Floaters/spots in the line of sight
  • Decreased hearing
  • Ringing or buzzing in ears
  • Sound sensitivity
  • Joint pain, swelling, or stiffness
  • Muscle pain or cramps
  • Poor muscle coordination, loss of reflexes
  • Loss of muscle tone, muscle weakness
  • Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
  • Burning/stabbing sensations in the body
  • Weakness or paralysis of limbs
  • Tremors or unexplained shaking
  • Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
  • Increased motion sickness, wooziness
  • Lightheadedness, fainting
  • Difficulty with multitasking
  • Difficulty with organization and planning
  • Auditory processing problems
  • Word finding problems
  • Slowed speed of processing
  • Decreased interest in play (children)
  • Extreme fatigue, tiredness, exhaustion
  • Symptoms seem to change, come and go
  • Dysfunction of the thyroid (under active thyroid glands)
  • Extreme hair loss
  • No new hair growth

 

Posted in: God, Health, Life, Prayer, Update

Live IT Out!

February 17, 2015 10:35 pm , 3 Comments ,

photo-1416339276121-ba1dfa199912“Living It Out” is going to be the theme of the Beautyfull Mess Blog for a while, or at least as long as I can see right now… We all live something out, and I am excited to share with you about the very things that have become my “IT”!

What is your “IT”?  I would LOVE to hear from y’all on what yours is… let’s make this a conversation and help each other live out these important things that make each of us tick.

For these last five + years I have constantly been telling our kiddos, my husband, and mostly myself these very words:  “LIVE IT OUT”!  It is these very words that speak my hearts’ cry, passion, and love.  These three words are powerful.  They have the ability if followed through on with a heart tethered to Jesus to speak life, hope, love, devotion, and commitment.  By living IT out… we can choose to:

Live out our faith in Christ.

Live out His love to our neighbors.

Live out our commitment in marriage.

Live out our devotion to raising our kiddos for the Lord.

Live out a passion.  (sports, music, etc…)

Live out convictions. (without legalism- extremely important)

You get it!  The “IT” does not only apply to Christianity.  This “IT” can be found in anyone by finding what makes you tick… we all have “IT”, we all need “IT”, sometimes we just have to find “IT”.  And I desperately pray that yours too will be sought after in our Savior.  The very One who made each of us and yearns for us to keep our mission deeply rooted in Him.

For me personally, finding most of my “IT” was simple… but as this world seems ensued in evil, violence, sexual immorality, divorce, lack of commitment to almost everything, and an overall weakening of all convictions where black and white are now blurred into a giant “gray-land”… my “IT” is all the more important!   Knowing what you stand for, believe in, and why is crucial.  It is not only vital for yourself, but for your children, grands, and others looking to you as a role model.

P.S.  The Pratt house is working on the best way to have these three words beautifully inscribed above our front door… I want each of us to look at them, think on them, tap them as we leave and live them out each and every day! 

Can’t wait to hear from you all soon!

~Sincerely, Dani

Posted in: Family, God, Life, Live IT Out!, Update

We’ve added a new member of our family & a Kua’aina Ranch update

January 27, 2015 11:40 pm , 3 Comments ,

I have been MIA for a really fun reason this last week. We have added a new member to Kua’aina Ranch!  My reason stands taller than me, has wayyyyy better hair than me and weighs about 1000 pounds more than me…  His name is Maxwell Kailua Pratt or “Max” as we call him.  We are in love… all of us!  This newest member is an 8 year old Quarter horse gelding, and he is a dream come true for our family, one we have been praying to find for a few years now.  We have been getting into a routine with him, trying to remember how to do the simple things like groom, saddle up, and where Max likes to be scratched best!  Most of this comes back like riding a bike… but not all.  I am super thankful for a mom that got me right back up on a horse, one that remembered how to tie up a cinch, etc…  I hadn’t been on a horse in about 18 years, and it is once again AMAZING!!!  I am hooked!  All three of my kiddos are taken by him, and my hunky hubby handles him better than all of us combined.

IMG_7529

We still need to get a full family photo with Max… but it was dark when I finally got him back home over the mountain! So, Cory snapped this quick pic! They were so surprised and thrilled!

I’ve been learning through having Max on the ranch just how therapeutic time with a horse can be.  He is always there in the paddock, stall or the pasture.  Max rarely has his own agenda, unless he’s super hungry, so he loves to just hang out.  My 9 year old starts her morning by throwing some boots on, grabbing her favorite book, and running down to feed a flake of hay and just spend time talking to Max.  She’s spending hours worth of time reading to him, sharing her heart with him, and building a beautiful relationship.  He is building trust in her, and she in him.  They yearn for time with each other, time to talk, listen, or just be silent together.  Sometimes I hear him crying for her when she’s out playing on the property… he whinnies for her attention and keeps an attentive eyes and poised ears towards her most of the time.  They have a special bond.  One worth tending to.  Investing in.  A bond worth fighting for.

IMG_6176

Lucy finally has her sweet horse! You can honestly watch their love for each other grow…

IMG_7250

She could do this for hours…

IMG_7004

Grooming

IMG_0537

Lucy’s first ride on Max!

I love this analogy of how a relationship with our Father in Heaven can be so very much the same as that between Lucy and Max.  Our God is always here for us desiring just this kind of a relationship with each of us.  He has a flexible schedule, but treasures each second with us.  He loves it when we talk to Him, not just at meals and bedtime with our littles… but when it’s our M.O. for any reason at all.  He wants us to read with Him and enjoy each handpicked story in His word.  He wants to hear our hearts and live in it.  He desires us to think on Him 24/7, and just like Max; He keeps His eyes on us always.  His ears are always ready to hear our worries and He promises to carry them too.  This bond with Jesus is the MOST precious relationship we can ever have and yet often times we don’t tend to it, invest in it or take time with it.

For me, having Max join us last week has been such a joy.  It has also been such a great reminder of the need to tend to my heart.  To invest in time with my Savior, to talk to Him as my very best friend, for He is just that.

IMG_8797

Hayden was actually just working out… but Grammy got him out there to work through some newness with Max! Instantly bonded!

IMG_7336

And now Hayden can’t get enough riding in… too bad someone has to be responsible and can’t take kiddos on rides all day long! 😉

IMG_0880

Hayden, Max and Me! Thanks for the pic Lu

IMG_7522

And then there was Grey… she had a little bareback ride and experienced a horse for the first time ever! The love was mutual!

 

We are going to continue loving on and investing in Max.  And I find myself intensely thankful for the simple, sweet, subtle, yet serious reminder to keep loving on Jesus, building a relationship with Him, investing time in Him, and keeping my eyes fixed on Him.

~Sincerely, Dani

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Family, God, Kua'aina Ranch, Life, Prayer, Update