Power of Prayer

I am a strong believer in the power of prayer. I asked for many prayers to Andrew a dear friend's brother in law. He did heal and made miracles happen. I am now asking for people who read this blog, near and far, religious or not to again reach out and pray for a friend Tasha Beason Berls. She is currently fighting a battle with cancer that I believe is located in several spots of her body. I met Tasha in college and was friends with her very best friend. Therefore Tasha and I became close. Close drinking buddie!! We did have a lot of fun thanks to Krambeck for making that connection.

Tasha sent me a message the other day that said I was an inspiration to her. I stopped and thought "nah". But I guess what I have been through is miraculous. I just forget that I literally still around because of the gifts I have been given. I pray that she gets to feel the same joys and successes I have over the last 13 months. This blog has helped me cope, and helped me communicate with people all over the country. I pray for Tasha, and I hope that you can help with prayer as well.

Tasha, I offer you prayers and wish you only the best success in your fight!! So now another person is in need of thoughts and best wishes! I hope that the Megan Sharpe Transplants Adventure can offer success with prayer and well wishes!!

http://www.tashasfight.blogspot.com/ - please follow her journey as well. People with all types of illness look to a much higher power to help with out success. Thank you for all of your prayers for me and my family. I know that my journey will be lifelong with both ups and downs. But now I feel blessed with so much support, I wanted to help my friend with as much support as possible.



Thanks and I have been out of the hospital for a while and am really feeling better. I am getting around well the Wound Vac. Its my little partner and I continue to have it changed every Mon, Wed, and Fri. I like the nurses, so that does help with the horrible pain, but i just love to hear them say "everything looks great". I like goals/deadlines, so my goal is to have a closed gut by CWS in mid June. I will see the docs again in the beginning of April. I sure hope I can get a release to work. Any income at this point is going to be great for me and my sanity.

Kidney Klassic - Hanky Panky Style! Please email my sister or FB her Patti Sharpe Shanahan or email at pshanahan4@cox.net she can sign up your golf team or answer any questions you may have!! Again, I am blessed with so much support. Everyone has been amazing, and for that I continue to be grateful.

Talk soon -- Sharpe

End Scene... Til next time!

I guess it shouldn't suprise too many people that I had a lot of fun today. I was out with great friends that live far west, but were amazing enough to come down and hang out with me. It worked out so well... I mean our favorite D Chi, Jeff Bailey came down to say "hi". What a great guy! Well, he was on a bus, but at least he made sure it was stopping by the Marylebone. Ha!

I love when Lolly makes an appearance in the bar scene. She has always loved coming to the 'bone because that is where 2 of her favorite daughters like to work and play. She is such a trooper and I know that she would do anything for me. She has done so much over the last year, everyone deserves a Lolly. She is so supportive, giving, loving, and will go non stop. Most times I have to force her to leave and rest. I need her more then she knows.

The friends that came from East Lincoln all the way to the 'Bone are great friends too. I don't know why there isn't one of me and Cara, but god, we always have had a lot of great memories on March 17... a vacation or two that is reminesed every year. Same with Keri Baker... Chicago about four years ago was awesome!! She loves St. Pat's so very much!! We used to get so dumb and take cabs from here to there and everywhere in between! Melanie is another great St. Pat's Partner in Crime!! These three ladies have been to see me at the hospital every time I was in. They have been supportive and great listeners. I have a lot of friends and family that support me, but it is really nice to have them ask questions and listen to the answers. I wanted to thank Melanie for being such a huge support. There have been a lot of times when I was hitting rock bottom, and she would just say the right thing to make me fight harder and keep going. I know a lot of people have read my blog, followed my story, but not everything is on here. I do give too many details from time to time, but its nice to know she knows everything and cares about how I feel and how it will effect my recovery. Melanie is a great person, and I am so very thankful to have her in my circle of family/friends.

As today was winding down, I was tired, I was ready to go home, and I was so glad I was there. As this recovery continues, I am sure I will continue to be thankful, but as a friend from Chicago said, "I miss laughing with the old Megan". It made me remember how blunt I am. How forward I am. How direct I can be. Both a blessing and a curse!! I think as I start to feel better, I will be that dick again, and I hope that everyone is ready! Meggie Moo Moo is coming around - a year later, a lot of gifts, a lot of prayers!! So thankful and so happy. Sorry Arkfeld, still too damn thankful. UGH!

Here it is...

I know that I report the same thing often. I talk about the importance of St. Patrick's Day and how much I love it. Tonight I talked to my mom, "I have to get my hair did at 10, will be there by 11, and hopefully stick around to see Pipes and Drums at 1pm. Should I wear my Tye-Dye shirt from our reunion?" Me -- Well mom I don't know what to tell you. If you can find it, that would be cool. Maybe Patti and I can wear ours as well. "Well Megan, I am not really sure where it is, but I can start to look for it." Me -- Mom it isn't that big of a deal, I don't want you worrying about it all night. "True, my other green shirt shows my 'shamrocks' much better." What an awesome mom. Every year she puts 2 shamrock stickers on her cleavage to get people to laugh. Now I know why I love making people laugh as well because I love my teacher!

So tomorrow will be a great day and a sad day. I will be missing all the friends that I have been with over the years. I will miss my dad as he loved listening to the Pipes and Drums roar playing some of his favorite Irish Hymns. I will miss Vanessa, our belly up to the bar day. I will miss the "hot cops" in Savannah GA. But you know what I won't miss? The feeling of being weak. Being depressed and unsure of what my future might hold. But that is in the past, and I am learning to look only in the future as I know that is where the rest of my life is heading.

I look forward to tomorrow. The Omaha gals are getting together... Melanie, Cara, Keri Baker, and Tammi Cisler. I mean come on, that is St. Patrick's history and future in its prime... Baker and I -- Chicago. Cara, Melanie and I -- Hilton Head, Savannah. I really am a very blessed person to be loved by so many. I know everyone has loved ones in their lives, but during my experience, I have really seen it and believed it. I have tears of joy and excitment to know that my St. Patrick's Day 2011 is how I imagined it... me alive and being with the people I love the most. Done and done!!



where ever you are tomorrow, what ever you may be doing. Take a moment and remember those dumb things you did when you were young. The classes you skipped. The people you spoke with. The people you met. The memories that YOU have made. Vanessa mentioned that her and I need to belly-up like we did over 10 years ago. I smiled and said to myself, "my poor friend doesn't realize, I WILL MAKE THAT HAPPEN". Now, I look forward to planning how me and my KC girls will get a bar and a place to belly up in the near future. Uh Oh, V -- what have you started!?!!? :)



To end, a song in memory of my dad. When Irish eyes are smiling, the whole world smiles with you... Katie, how about this one is for Ursula as well??? As she was as Irish as they come!! May she and Ray rest in peace together!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsduCQ7ByE

Talk soon....

Peace Out!

Welll the plan is for me to leave the hospital today. All we are waiting on is for the portable wound vac to be delivered. I will be going back to the Schracks as I move around a lot more when there. My plan is to start my 10 minute walks and get everything in proper order. I am really really happy that I am feeling better so that St. Patrick's Day 2011 can and really will happen. Like I have said so many times, it isn't about the drinking, as I won't be drinking, it is about people watching and traditon me and my family has made.

I will be going to get my wound cleaned 3x a week at 9am. I will be getting bloodwork every Monday and Friday. I take that as a good sign that everything is working in the correct direction. I already feel so much better and ready to get my getting on! ha ha.

There are photos attached to the right side of the blog that actually show what the wound looks like with no dressing on it. I know that people were grossed out, especially my brother Kevin. He hated it. I laughed. Wishing everyone a great week and thanks again for everyone who visited, called, text, etc... your thoughts and prayers were felt near and far.

Talk to everyone soon!! Megan

Morning Surgery

Hello! I just wanted to follow up with how the surgery went this weekend. Well, the wound was "opened" and will remain so for a few weeks/months. I have a sponge and a large large plastic cover to protect it. The reason they have to leave it "open" is so that the bacteria and infection can be drained from it. I believe that this completely helped my hip pain. I do and will have some soreness due to being opened up again, but the pain I was feeling prior is all gone!! whew!! I was mostly worried about being opened and the pain never going away.

I have attached a photo. I know that everyone knows that I am not thin, so I have no real issue showing you this picture. As you can see the wound has been opened. The black is a sponge that is soaking up blood and fluid. The tube, as you can see will drain everything into a bag. The bag and area will be cleaned 2x a week by a visiting nurse. The nurse will take care of cleaning wound, changing bandage, and making sure everything is healing as planned. Morris said that healing the wound from the inside out will help it to heal even better. He said that everything looks good and should heal properly.

Hopefully I will be out in the next day or two. Just waiting for everyone to give me the all clear and the go ahead. I am really really feeling good. I think that Thursday will still be happening... I know that a lot of people may be questioning me and my decision, but if Dr. Morris says, "you can use the drain vac bag to his people on St. Patrick's Day!"... so that gives me the all clear to go out and play. Not drink, but to have fun!! YAY!

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and support!! My friend from KC even came up to surprise me after her daughter's meet. It was good to see her and her family. Like we all know, we make the best of friends in college, and I was fortunate to meet all of my very best friends in those 4.5 years!

So here is to getting out, getting better, getting a job, and getting on my own!! Hank and Kace are doing really really well and the doctor feels very optimistic. My infection wasn't abnormal but was just scary non the less.

BTW... Kidney Klassic Part II... Doing it Hanky Panky style. Saturday June 4 @ Shoreline with dinner at the Marylebone!! PLEASE email my sister -- pshanahan4@cox.net to sign up your team. It was so much fun once, we are going to keep the tradition going. Next year, all proceeds will go to UNMC and help out other families who have been going through the same ups and downs as I have.

Love to you and all of yours!! Again I am very thankful and gracious for all my friends, family, and support system. I couldn't have done all of this without the assistance of so many people.

well... plans have really changed!

Well, well, well... I am back at Clarkson Tower. As everyone knows I have been having a lot of pain in my right side. Not so much in my incision area, but lower, more like my hip. So yesterday the pain was intolerable. I called the nurse and then she set up an appointment for me with Dr. Morris. When he came into the room, I wasn't able to hold my composure and just let loose. Let him know that it was horrible, and I couldn't take it anymore. why was there no relief? Will it ever get better?? ugh!! So another Doctor asked if I wanted to get admitted today or wait until Monday. As tears are streaming down my face I beg them to decide. "Whatever I say, I will question and wonder if it was right". So Morris and Vargus say that they want to admit me today.

I don't know too much, because like I had mentioned, I was very emotional and wasn't able to really "listen and comprehend" what they were saying. From what I understand tomorrow I will go to surgery where they will reopen my incision and remove some bacteria and look at possible nerve damage. So other then that I am not really sure what they will be doing. The doctor did remind me that the pain will continue to be there. I look at him with my big crocodile tears and ask, "will it ever go away?" and he responded that this should help. For those that really know me, today was a mental breakdown. I usually can handle it. I usually can deal with whatever i am dealt. Today was a different story.

So now the plan is that I will be in surgery tomorrow and hopefully feeling better in a few more days. In a perfect world, I would be up and at em by Thursday... but I am preparing myself for healing and getting rid of this pain that hasn't let up in over 3 weeks.

No one really knows that I am here, so I thought rather then just FB post some random statement, I would explain everything... I am not nervous or worried, I am just ready to feel relief. PS -- THIS IS NOT PANCREAS REJECTION... they are not worried about Hank, just the pain I have had for this whole recovery.

OK.... Talk in a few! M

know any diabetics??

I am being serious. I know how very expensive it can be to have Diabetes. I have NUMEROUS SEVERAL TONS of supplies that can be used. I have the little lancets that are used to "prick" your fingers. I have syringes for Insulin. Ultra One Test Strips. AND I even have a lot of Insulin, "Humalog"... please if you know anyone, I would love to elimanate some expenses. I have been there, and now more then ever I know how every little penny can count. I mean every little bit makes a difference, and now that I am literally out of money, I want to help someone else... as people have helped me.

If not, I will just put everything in the trash and that is money down the toilet. Thanks for looking!!

M

8 days

In 8 days St. Patrick's Day 2011 will be here. For some people that is a drunk day. Other people, it is amature night. For me, for me it is tradition. If you look back to my entry last year about this time I was majorly depressed. I was in denial. I didn't really know what was going on. All I knew is that I couldn't have the day off, and I had to do Dialysis for four long hours. Last year I did go to the bar, I did go to Dialysis, and I did go to work. This year, well, this year I have only one of those things to do. Go to the Marylebone!!! Hip hip hooray! I don't have a full time job bc I was medically terminated from the one I had last year. I still work at Blue, which I am extremely thankful for, but I still haven't been "cleared" to return to work. Last year after Dialysis I was weak, I wasn't in any mood to be there. I had two amazing friends come to say "hello". Melanie and Kelsie stopped by. They supported me and the 10 minutes I was there. Ran into the Rock/LoSole clan... it was all together sad and exciting. This year is a whole new excitement. I have been given that second chance I have talked about for the last 4 months. St. Patrick's isn't about the green beer or the corned beef, it is about the tradition I have made for me and my friends over the years. It is about hearing Bags and Pipes. Having Patti and Tammi work their butts off while I hang out and just watch. This year, I will have support in numbers. Melanie is going to hang all day... or as much as a mommy can!! She turned 30 last week and wants a day to celebrate the blessings we have both been given and the blessings that will continue coming our way!!

Love that everyday is getting easier. I still have pain in my hip, but I look at it as the "new normal" (At least until March 21... then I freak!!) Hope everyone is doing well and is loving those near and far from them. Friends and family are really the greatest gifts we all have. I am fortunate to have both!!

-M

Moving around...

Well it has been 15 days since Hank and I met. He is doing well and does the job he was asked to do. But during the recovery everything has been a lot harder. I keep thinking I will wake up and the pain will be gone, but day by day, it does get better. Today I actually left Patti's house. I went to Schrack's to get my tickets to Mama Mia, clean clothes, and a bra. LOL. That is fact, I haven't had a bra in over 2 weeks!! Who cares? I don't. It was nice to see the sun and get out on my own. Just some motion was good motion. I went to get my hair did and felt so great to get all done up. By done up I mean clean hair and a shampoo. I even put in my contacts!!! I did begin to get sore, so I knew to slow down and rest up. I know limits and don't over do it because I just can't.

Anyway, the pain is still there and the doctors remind me that this is a normal feeling and that Hank was placed on some of my bowels which makes everything a lot harder and longer to heal. It was just great to be up and moving... but with that comes the thoughts of all that has to go on next. Work, health insurance, and apartment. I know that my body is still healing, but people have to understand, a whole new life is and will be beginning any day now. I have had 2 amazing gifts given to me, so now I need to make everything a bit better!! I want to work harder, be friendlier, and make people feel more welcome. I am going to accept change and "roll with it"! Ha.

Goals for the next few weeks/month is to make sure that Hank is doing his job. Attempt to get type of income, whether that be Blue or find some full time work. Then I have to move out and get back on my own. I was teasing my friend Julie last week while she was visiting me and said that I know she has like 4 different kitchen sets... and that I would be doing some shopping at her place!! Thank goodness her husband is a fan of mine!

I hope that everyone is doing well, and with time, I too should be back on my feet and able to get on with everything that I seem to be stressing over. I will be checking in from time to time and in case anything changes with my newest additions.

Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers! Good ol' Megs will be back shortly, or so I hope.


M