Family (Justin) Update

Hi guys, it’s been a little bit since I posted here but as you know, I’m still reeling from the loss of my very best friend and to be honest I just haven’t had it in me to blog. I have been crafting though and I have some layouts and process videos to share with you in another post, but for now I wanted to post a little family update.

I can’t believe it’s September already! It feels like if I blink it will be Christmas! Tyler started his new high school last week and seems to like it.  He is recovering from a pretty bad skateboarding injury with lots of road rash but he took it like a trooper and of course, still wants to skateboard.

Justin is doing well, still looking for a job. He’s just had three teeth surgically removed (damaged from the drug abuse) and he was given percocet (opiate); which you know was his drug of choice when he was using. I, of course, spent a few days worrying that once he had that drug in his system, he may start craving it again or that it would push him “off the wagon” so to speak.  I did a lot of praying and thank God, he finished the pills on time, didn’t abuse them and is still clean. He even said to me that he didn’t like the way they made him feel.

I’m not sure if I’ve shared this or not before but it may help others dealing with opiate addiction so I will share it now.  Justin drinks an herbal tea (Kratom) to help with his drug cravings. The tea is disgusting and makes you nauseated if you drink too much but it’s been used in Asia for years for opiate addiction, among other things. The kratom is natural and is MUCH less expensive than the suboxone that he was on the first year after he got out of rehab. You can only get it on the internet but he has chosen this as a tool to help him stay clean and while I worry about the side effects (long term use has side effects), I realize that it is keeping him clean and alive so I just go with the flow and pray that God will lead him down the right paths to where he is intended to go.

Other than that, life is just going on as normal, mom is doing well and is in multiple therapies to help her strength, speech, etc. For those of you who are new to my blog, my mom is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. She is in a wheelchair full time now but seems to be doing well. The thing that bothers her most other than not being able to walk is not being able to speak loud enough so that we can hear her. Her speech therapist suggested a little microphone that she can wear that goes into a speaker that she can put on the table next to her chair or bed so when she talks we can all hear her. She talks fine, just very low volumne. My step-dad is an angel and cares for her 24/7. He is truly a gift to our family and I don’t know what we would do without him. 🙂 Oh the blessings. 🙂

I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately.  I have many friends who seem to be going through such rough times right now, one friend lost a baby, another is paralyzed from the waist down from a fall/surgery, another is dealing with losing her mom slowly due to advanced Parkinsons, one of my besties may need a third neck surgery and is in such pain that she is in tears 24/7.  And I’m mourning my best friend still.  I just try to focus on the good things and the blessings we all have even through these losses and trials, it’s not easy right now but I’m sure it’s all part of God’s plan for us all.  I’m contemplating having weight loss surgery because for those of you who know me, you know how much weight I’ve gained over the past few years because of my illnesses, medications and physical limitations.  I’m terrified because you know I have a phobia about throwing up (emetophobia) and most people get sick after the surgery so I’m taking my time before making such a huge decision.  I am going to a class tomorrow night to learn more and will keep you updated if I decide to go through with it.  Your good thoughts/prayers are much appreciated not only for me but for my friends who are suffering right now.

For those of you who follow my family updates, thank you for caring enough to follow us and for your sweet comments.  I always enjoy hearing from you all.  I hope you and yours are well and happy!  I’ll be back later this week with some layouts and process videos to share with you.