Finally Done With My First Class

I am officially finished with my first class with the online Keystone School, Art & Music Appreciation. I finished the course with 98.35% average, and have about 4 credits left until I graduate. I plan on taking Environmental Science next. I started the class in September, and finished two semesters worth of work. Given all that I am, and have been going through I am just happy that I am still wanting to get my high school diploma. I have had some people tell me, that if they were in the situation I am in, that they would not worry about it and deal with the stress. For me, school is fun, and I have always had a love and passion for learning, and despite the physical difficulties I am dealing with, keeping my mind stimulated is very important to me.

Another reason why getting my diploma is so important to me, is because it gives me a goal to work to work toward and accomplish. Because I spend a great deal of time at home, doing my schoolwork gives me something productive to do, and allows me to be able to continue to exercise my mind. Even though there maybe a week where I don't work on my class due to it being filled with appointments, or not feeling well, I still continue to work toward my goal and graduate from high school. Even though I am only taking one class at a time, I am continuing to work until I achieve my goal.


I have support from my friends, family, and church community, who are all cheering me on. My faith in the Lord also continues to encourage me in working toward this goal. Whenever I get frustrated or feel as though I wont ever graduate, or I'm 21 so what is the point, I turn to scripture. The Lord reminds me that He would not have put the dream in my heart, if He did not give the ability to achieve it, and that helps me to not get discouraged.


I still have a ways to go until I graduate, but I know that have all the support and encouragement I need to achieve this goal. And I am now one step farther.




Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta

MRI And A Trip To The ER

This past week was quite busy for me and my family. On Tuesday I got to have lunch with my god sister who I haven't seen since Christmas break, and is going back to college for summer school and then working as a camp counselor for an overnight camp, so it was great to be able to get to see her before she left. That same afternoon,    I had an appointment with my pain management doctor for my monthly appointment. So when I got home that afternoon I was pretty exhausted. I stayed home from Bible study on Tuesday and went to bed really early, because I had to get up at dark thirty in the morning on Wednesday, because I had to be at Dell Children's Day Surgery Center at 5:45 AM for an MRI of my TMJ. Dr. Carrasco wants to make sure everything looks good with my jaw, and that it is not a factor contributing to my swallowing issues. I have to be put under general anesthesia when I have an MRI, due to the muscle tremors I have from my muscle disease, the "sedation" used at the ARA center's around Austin aren't enough, so they are done at the hospital by an anesthesiologist.

Since I was just at the Dell Surgery Center a month ago, and have had countless procedures there, we know all the nurses, and have had pretty much every anesthesiologist there. The nurses all say to each other, our friend is here, and when I left said we'll see you next time, which you don't usually/don't want to hear from the staff at Surgery Center's. It is still nice to have a good relationship with everyone there, and that they all know me.


The procedure went well, and went home around 11:30, with my grandfather being a doll and stopping to get me a sausage biscuit from McDonalds (since I had nothing to eat since 9:00 the night before. We went home, and I was feeling OK, and around 1:30/1:45 I had some cereal. At around 3:30 I started getting a headache, but it wasn't really bad, and I thought I would just sleep and have some sips of ginger ale, and would feel better. At 4:15 I started vomiting, and I took my heavy duty anti-nausea medicine (phenegrin), and continued to vomit, even after two different versions of it. Finally at around 6:00 after vomiting four times and not being able to keep anything down, and having a killer headache, my grandmother made an executive decision to take me to the ER. She was concerned not only because of dehydration, but of aspiration pneumonia due to my severe swallowing issues.



So we headed to the Dell Children's ER, since my procedure was done at Dell. I have never had problems with anesthesia, but in January when I had my joint injections (which I've had numerous times) I had this problem. We/the doctors and I determined that it was a reaction from my oral chemo (the Cell-Cept) and the anesthesia. So when I had my MRI a month ago I stopped the Cell-Cept a day or two days before the procedure, and they gave me IV zophran (anti-nausea med) and decahedron (IV steroid that helps with nausea) and I had no problem. But I realized on Wednesday while waiting for the procedure, that even though I hadn't taken my Cell-Cept that morning I took it the night/day before the procedure. But since they were giving me IV zophran and decahedron like last time, everything would be fine, but it wasn't. Even though I'm 21 and am an adult, because I got my procedure at Dell and Dr. Carrasco's at Dell, they had no problem treating me. While I was waiting they gave me oral zophran to try and help hold me over, but twenty minutes later I was still vomiting. My mom came to the ER after she finished teaching class at Huston-Tillotson University. She could tell I was extremely dehydrated, and so did the doctor. We told them when this type of reaction happens I just need IV benadryl, phenegrin, and dillotid (a pain medication), and fluids, to help me sleep through it. They gave me the IV phenegrin and Benadryl, which helped a lot. I still had a bit of a headache though, and they usually don't use dillotid on kids, but since I was an adult it was a different situation. They gave me IV toridol (which is an NSAID in the motrin family) which helped tremendously. They sent me home at midnight and I slept until 1:00 PM and woke up feeling a lot better yet exhausted.


As you can see, Wednesday was a very tough day for me. I felt absolutely miserable, and besides begging my family and the doctors for relief, I kept just saying please help me God, please help me. As I reflect on that experience, I think back to some discussions we have had in my Tuesday Bible Study about Jesus healing people. There are various stories about Jesus miraculous healings, from the woman with blood being healed from just touching his cloak, healing Simon's mother in-law from a fever and then she got up and served them. I thought about how God used modern medicines, and the doctors and nurses to heal me from this reaction I had. I think that the Lord uses various ways to bring healing to others, and they may not all be miraculous like the ones in the Bible are. 1 Corinthians 12:9 says, "To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;..." I love this verse, because it makes me think about how the Lord gives doctors the ability to heal people, through education and prescribing medications. Not all may use these gifts, but many are true healers. I believe that the Lord answered my prayers to help me, by having the doctors and nurses give me medications that helped me feel better.


I am now back to my "sick normal" and am thankful to all the doctors and nurses at the Dell Day Surgery and Emergency departments. They helped me get through a very painful and uncomfortable situation. And thank you to all of you who continue to pray for my healing, the Lord is answering it in ways that are different then are expected. I hope everyone has a good weekend and a Happy Memorial Day!!!!




Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta

War Horse

Last Thursday my grandmother surprised me to tickets to the play War Horse at Bass Concert Hall. All week I was told that there would be a surprise on Thursday, and  that my grandmother and I would be going out just the two of us. All I knew beforehand was that I needed to make sure I took a good nap because we would be out late, and that I needed to dress up. When we were in the car on the way there, I was told what the surprise was. I was so excited, my grandmother and I have always loved going to the theatre, and something that we have enjoyed doing together. We have seen Phantom Of The Opera, Mamma Mia, Hairspay, Jesus Christ Super Star, A Chorus Line, and now War Horse. We haven't been able to go in a long time, and so now that I have my power chair its possible.

The play was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Even though it was late I didn't even fall asleep, that is how much I enjoyed it. The story takes place in England during WWII, and is about a boy named Albert who is 16 who has a horse named Joey, for money for the mortgage, Albert's father sells Joey to the British Army to aid in the war, the soldier who buys him, promises to take good care of him, and sends Albert a letter or two to Albert of sketches he has drawn of Joey. A letter comes informing Albert that the soldier has died, with no word on what happened to Joey. Albert runs away to join the army, pretending that he is 19, and tries to find Joey. The play goes back and forth between what has been happening to Joey. I wont give away the ending, but will tell you that it was a happy ending. It wasn't very sad or depressing, which I have known a few people who have said that they didn't think they could see it because of that. But it was truly a great show.


I had such a fun night with my grandmother at the theatre. We really enjoyed ourselves, and went home on cloud nine, which continued the next day. It was so nice that my grandmother and I were able to spend a night out just the two of us, and doing something other than going to doctors appointments, and having fun. We looked at the list of performances at Bass for 2015, and there are a few that we would like to try and go and see. It was a great night, seeing a great performance, with a great grandmother.




Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta

Happy Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, a day on which we celebrate and say thank you to our mothers, grandmother's, and mother figures in our lives such as aunts, step moms, and whoever else fills that role. And for those whose mother's are no longer with them, to remember them by. Mother's are such special and amazing woman, and play a part in who we become. They are the nurturers, who comfort us when we cry, tend to us when were sick, are there when we need someone to listen to us, know just how make us laugh and have fun, and will do anything to protect us. Whether its your biological mom, you are adopted, or have some other mother figure in your life, the role that they have in your life is one that is very unique and special. To be able to have a day where we show and tell them how much they mean to us (although we should do this everyday), is very important. Everyday life can be so chaotic, that we sometimes forget all that they do for us, and how being a mom is the hardest job that their is.

I'm very blessed to have two moms in my life: my mom and my grandmother. Both of them have done so much for me, that I could never thank them enough. My mom works so hard at her job, and worked incredibly hard to get her Masters as a single parent with a toddler, and then her PhD with a sick teenage. She was able to do that with the help of my grandmother, my second mom (and my grandfather). My grandparents let me live with them to help my mom out, and at thaw age of 71, while she is retired and having had major back surgery, my grandmother has taken care of me while I have been so sick. She took me to chemo every week for almost two years, and takes me to all my appointments, and does whatever necessary, in order to help me. The love for me that these two women have, and the sacrifices they have made, are a testament to the wonderful mothers that these two women are.

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." When I saw this scripture verse, I really felt that it described the values that my mom and grandmother have instilled to me, on what I should think about when making decisions for my life. Its such a blessing to have two women who have done such a wonderful job in raising me, as they have helped shaped me into the woman that I am. I am so happy to be able to say thank you, and how much they love and mean to me, tomorrow (and I will try to do that more each day). We are having a low key Mother's Day, my grandfather is grilling steak and salmon at my great great aunt's house. May she show our mothers, or those who are mother figures, how much they mean to us, both tomorrow and every day of the year. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!


Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta

Being At Peace

Learning how to be at peace is something that we all strive for, although that is easier said than done. It's something that I strive to have, especially in stressful or difficult circumstances. I find that the one thing that always helps me to be at peace is praying and/or reading scripture. But sometimes even after I do that, sometimes I still may not feel peaceful, and that is when I really have to trust and have faith in God. I can say, that the peace that I feel after surrendering it all to the Lord, is one that can't be found in anything or anyone else.


Sometimes it can feel like we didn't do the right thing, or were not sure if we made the right decision, and that can cause one to feel as though we are not at peace. But once that peace is finally achieved it is so calming and wonderful. Romans 16:20 says, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." I love this scripture verse, because it helps me to remember first, that our God is a God of peace, and that anything that Satan blows our way, no matter what the stress is He is more powerful and can overcome it.


When we learn to be at peace no matter what the circumstances, we can know that we are able to handle whatever comes are way. Because being at peace is more than just being "ok" or dealing with it. It is truly a state of being content, and any uneasiness or stress we may have is eased or goes away. I hope that we can all find a way to achieve/be in a perfect place of peace.




Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta