Hello Everyone, my name is Georgieanna Harp and I am an everyday person who is trying to live my life to the fullest that God has for me and be the best mom, wife, daughter, friend and Christ follower I can be. I have created this blog site to be a transparent witness for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as He carries me THROUGH this journey of trial and test with my health. I am a mother of two, and have an awesome husband and a great family and I am so blessed.
Then one day my life all of the sudden drastically took a change in another direction last Summer 2011. I started to feel pain and tingling beginning in my hands, I attributed it to the push mowing I was doing so frequently. A little while later it was my feet which eventually started to swell beyond recognition. I progressively just didn't feel myself although I exercised, ate right and catered to my body and its physical well being. As time went by I saw a Podiatrist thinking that would help, and it did as far as the pain/swelling in my feet. My arches had started to fall and my achilles needed some help.
Later down the road I started to experience worsening pain and swelling little by little in my hands, painful joints all over, and my muscles and nerves felt like they had been shortened and range of motion in moving started to get a little more limited. Things steadily over time got worse and I thought that the tiredness was from a thyroid disorder. Everyday became a chore to get up and each day my body would be a little more sore perhaps in a different location. My skin started to feel tighter, and my hands had a slight curve. After years of retraining my mind and body to be healthier and having lost alot of weight and dedicating my life to my Temple, my body; I went to put on the wedding ring I had just gotten after my husband and I renewed our vows a few months before, and the horrible feeling of it not fitting engulfed my heart. I didn't understand what was happening at all. I dropped to my feet and asked God what was happening to me. My fingers had gone up a whole ring size due to swelling. Days would come and go when second by second was all I could do to make it, putting on a happy face in front of others, when at home I was questioning whether or not I was going to make it. My life had been impacted to the point of barely getting out of bed, being able to write, open various things , and getting up off the floor was a challenge (I am only 42). I will never forget the day when I was on the floor and could not get up because the fingers on my hands would not bend, I sat there and cried and prayed, and cried some more just asking the Lord to help me get up. This wasn't so long ago, and I still can recount the tears, this is something I still go through. I have had days where my husband has had to push me literally out of the bed because I am so stiff.
The day came when I was to have my yearly physical and blood work. The next morning I received a call from the nurse and she said "write what I am to tell you down and go straight to the emergency room, don't drive or do anything else, go now". The nurse had informed me of some Red Blood Cell numbers: Hemoglobin 6.5, Hematocrit 23.2, Iron 10. I left the house immediately with my parents and kids for the hospital. I went from the Emergency Room to being admitted into a hospital room and receiving a battery of tests, numerous puzzled doctor's, x-rays, and two bags of blood. The feeling of confusion was there, however "I knew and felt the presence of Jesus the whole time as God put people in my path to help me as well as those to pray for and minister too. The hospital experience was one of great gratification knowing God was being glorified the whole time. The biggest shocker of all time came when the Rheumatologist informed me of his diagnosis being "Systemic Scleroderma", a connective tissue disorder where your body produces too much collagen and it attacks itself at times and other organs internally. WOW! I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but I held onto the hope that diagnosis' can be wrong and that I serve a God that is ready, willing, and able to heal me. This is a trial for His service. Some people think I am crazy because I say "I am not receiving this"....meaning that I will not acknowledge something that the devil is trying to pull me down with, BUT I know God is going to use it for His Glory! When I got home the sudden flood of emotions and my future bombarded me, my kids, my husband, my parents, what was to happen to me, kind of questions. I had to remember, and continue unto this day to remind myself of what HE said to me..."be still and know that I AM, let me fight for you". What a comfort!
Recently I have had even more tests and blood work due to my low iron status that they call iron deficient anemia. I have had tests to see if there are any internal bleeders catering to low iron counts. Everywhere I go although not always easy, but an opportunity is taken to tell of my Jesus. Don't let me paint a pretty picture and you think my life is perfect, or hunky dory in all ways. Some days it is a living hell to feel like your skin is a straight jacket, hands that are curved hard and tight, every joint in excruciating pain, difficulty bending over or grabbing things. I HAVE TO KEEP REMINDING MYSELF THAT GOD GIVES MUSTARD SEED FAITH, AND A NEVER ENDING SUPPLY OF LOVE AND GRACE. My loving husband who has been such a rock of strength and support told me something I will never forget..." God sent His only Son Jesus to walk here on Earth and act out the most loving sacrifice there has ever been or will be on the cross; what would make us think we are immune to anything when Jesus wasn't". We are not better than Jesus, we are meant to consider these trials all joy, because He found us worthy to go THROUGH these allowing us the opportunity to win souls and give the KING of KINGS GLORY! Today I still await biopsy results, doctor's reports, and more tests and blood work....but I will do my best to serve the Lord with all my heart and thank Him for answering my prayer when I asked Him to please just use me to touch others. The best is yet to come, this is just the preparation. Today I choose life...I am making history and choose to impact the world while making my lemonade. Love to all of you...please pray for all of those who have been diagnosed with this type disease and that the Lord will give them strength to overcome; and me the strength to TESTify!
God Bless All of You!
SHOOT FOR VICTORY...BE A LEMONHEAD!
