#the closest was when we went to the emergency room over abdominal pain thanks to the ibs and they gave us a shot of something for the pain

[dualumina]

What sucks: having IBS

What doesn't suck: your prescription dicyclomine pills give a really pleasant high 🫠👍

[hxxgxx]

Picking Up The Pieces - Chapter 38

Mingyu x Reader

Chapter 38

Warnings: mentions of blood

It was a long, silent ride to the hospital and Mingyu just held your hand as tight as he could as he watched the paramedics work on stabilizing you. The panic he was feeling stayed bottled inside, he had to keep it together until he knew you would be okay. He looked over you once again, taking in the blood soaked clothing that was being cut away by the paramedics, revealing the deep bruising all over your body. 

Everyone froze momentarily seeing the vast extent of the bruises, not one inch of regular coloured skin visible. The paramedics quickly exchanged a concerned look and glanced towards Mingyu who’s eyes were tracing over each bruise. 

“Stay calm, okay? We’ll fix her up, just breath,” one of them said, sensing the anger that was rising in your boyfriend. Mingyu looked up and nodded, wincing as he saw your body jolt under the touch of the medic. 

“Please save her....she’s all I’ve got,” he pleaded, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Just then the ambulance pulled into the hospital and a flurry of camera flashes erupted as soon as the doors were opened, stunning the medics. They quickly covered you with a blanket and rushed inside, Mingyu never letting go of your hand, ignoring the bombardment of questions from the reporters. 

Once inside, the medics quickly ushered you into the emergency room and Mingyu finally had to let go.

“We’ll come right back once the doctor gives us an update, just wait here,” a medic said over his shoulder as the doors to the emergency room shut behind him. Flashes surrounded Mingyu as hospital security tried their best to push reporters away from the door. He looked down at his hands. They were covered in your blood and began to tremble. Mingyu could feel himself crumbling and sank to the floor. 

The rest of the boys were racing to the hospital and pushed through the crowd, ignoring all of the flashes. They could see Mingyu slumped on the floor and pushed forward, needing to comfort their brother. 

“How did they find out?” Hoshi yelled, pushing a reporter away from his face.

Finally, they broke free and got into the hospital, slowing as they got closer to Mingyu. They gingerly walked towards him, noticing his trembling, blood-soaked hands. 

“Mingyu, she’ll be okay,” Seungcheol whispered gently, sitting down beside him. 

Mingyu couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to sob uncontrollably. Seungcheol quickly pulled him in for a hug, trying his best to comfort him. The boys’ hearts all breaking seeing how hurt and worried Mingyu was. 

Seungkwan and Vernon were doing their best to hold back their tears, but you were one of their best friends. They knew how much you meant to Mingyu and how much he was hurting, but they were in just as much pain. Soon they sat down beside Mingyu, soft sobs coming from each of them. 

“Seungcheol, can I talk to you,” their manager said as he arrived. Seungcheol nodded and got up quietly, Wonwoo taking his place pulling Mingyu into a tight hug. 

Jihoon sat down in a chair, looking out towards the flashing lights outside the hospital. He sighed, rubbing his temples, “How did they know where we’d be? How did they find out!?”

“Can’t they just have an ounce of respect...someone is hurt and all they care about is getting their damn pictures...” Minghao said angrily. 

Joshua had been silent, scrolling through his phone. “They’re already writing articles...” he said quietly.

That was the final straw for Jeonghan. He couldn’t believe that they were being so insensitive and he stormed towards the doors. When they opened he yelled, causing everyone to stop and look at him.

“STOP IT! Our friend is hurt and fighting for her life and all you care about is your damn pictures! How could you be so heartless!?! Think about if this was your friend, your sister, your family member! Would you want someone shoving a camera in your face as you are hurting! GIVE US SOME FUCKING PRIVACY!”

Silence fell across the crowd of reporters and Jeonghan stormed back inside, but not a single flash went off. The boys watched, wide-eyed as he walked back in, the strong act crumbling with each step he took before he collapsed into a chair crying. 

Dino wiped his own tears away and quickly sat down beside his friend. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. That was amazing. Shhhhh shhhh,” he whispered, trying to comfort Jeonghan. 

Silence fell and the only sounds that were heard were soft sobs coming from the boys. Seungcheol and their manager returned and Jihoon, who was trying to keep himself together, got up to talk to them. 

“What do we do now?” he questioned.

“Well...Jeonghan’s outburst has already made its way online, but the fans are supporting him and calling the reports disgusting. The company has already put out a statement explaining the situation and is asking for privacy. You’re schedules for the next while are all cancelled. They realise how hard this is for all of you and don’t want to force you to keep going. The fans were already asking for that and trending it as soon as the first picture of the ambulance hit the internet.”

Jihoon nodded, not being able to really say anything more. He returned to his seat with Seungcheol following and the waiting game began. 

It had been hours and the boys had had no update on your condition. Dino had fallen asleep using Jeonghan’s lap as a pillow and Mingyu had blocked everyone out, sitting like a shell on the floor. Seungkwan was pacing around worriedly, while Vernon just sat with his head in his hands. Dokyeom and Jun had mustered up the energy to go and get food for everyone. Wonwoo still sat right beside Mingyu, arm around his shoulder for support, but said nothing. Hoshi kept talking to himself, panicking and Minghao was trying to calm him down. Jihoon and Seungcheol kept monitoring the internet alongside their manager, making sure that nothing was being spread that shouldn’t be. Joshua had been tasked with calling your family and had spent hours on the phone with your mom, promising to update her as soon as they knew anything. Each of the boy’s was doing their best to keep it together in their own ways, but all of them couldn’t help but worry. 

After six hours of sitting and waiting, a doctor finally emerged and the boys all jumped up with pleading eyes, waiting for an update. 

The doctor sighed taking in the looks of worry on each of the boys’ faces. “I assume you are here for Miss Y/n?”

“H...how...is she?” Mingyu stuttered, fear filling his voice. 

“She’s finally stable. However, she has lost a lot of blood and had extensive internal and external damage. Externally, Y/n had numerous broken bones including ribs, collar bone as well as fractured bones in her face. Internally, there was a lot of damage. Due to abdominal trauma, Y/n has a ruptured spleen and required surgery to repair it. She also suffered from a punctured lung due to the broken rib. We were able to repair these injuries, but she will have a long road to recovery. I have to be honest and say that the extent of her injuries are vast. She is very lucky she was rescued when she was as I do not know how much longer she could have continued on.”

“Can...we see her?” Wonwoo questioned.

“At the moment she is in a medically induced coma to help her recoup from the initial surgery and is unconscious. I am only allowed to let relatives in to visit her,” the doctor replied. 

Mingyu spoke up, “She does not have blood relatives here. We are her family....please sir...”

The doctor looked around before Joshua added, “She’s from America sir, her mother is on her way to the airport, but won’t be here for another 24 hours. She can’t be alone, can perhaps a few of us sit with her...so she’s not alone?”

“Only 3 people may go in, okay?”

“Thank you....thank you so much,” Vernon replied. 

“She’s currently in the ICU, room 4,” the doctor said. “She’s got a long road ahead, but she’s a fighter...stay strong for her, okay?”

“Yes sir, thank you,” Seungcheol said as Mingyu was already making his way to the elevators.

Seungkwan and Vernon quickly following behind them. 

“Just let them go,” their manager said as a few of the boys began to follow. “Those three are the closest with Y/n...you will all get a chance to see her, but let them go for now...”

There was a big sigh of relief that washed over the remaining members, knowing that you were going to be okay was enough. 

“I’ve booked out guest suites in the hotel across the road...why don’t you all go get some rest? I’ve had a call from the police and tomorrow they will want to get a statement from all of you about the situation, okay?”

Nodding the ten boys, tiredly dragged themselves over to the hotel. The remaining group of reporters watching, but not documenting. Jihoon was stopped by a little girl who tugged on his sweater. Her eyes wide as he knelt down beside her. The rest of the boys stopped and watched curiously.

“Is your friend okay?” she asked quietly. Jihoon smiled tiredly at her and nodded, causing her eyes to light up. “That makes me happy. I made her a card to hope she feels better, can you give it to her?”

Jihoon looked down at the card the little girl held out for him, raising his eyes to find her mother, who looked at him kindly. 

“Thank you sweetheart. I will make sure she gets this, it will make her feel much better.” 

“Thank you,” she squealed as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck in a hug. Jihoon was shocked at first, but slowly wrapped his arms around the little girl, finally feeling more at peace after the chaos of the day. 

Once again he whispered a quiet thank-you to her and she ran back to her mother waiting. The boys were all speechless and each took a turn looking at the card from the little girl. 

“She’s going to be okay,” they all thought and made their way inside the hotel. 

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Masterlist

[swaymarkhugs]

Happy Rare Disease Day!

Today is incredibly important to me, as it gives me (and others with rare diseases) visibility, and reminds me that while I may be rare, I am not alone. 

To celebrate, I want to share a bit about my condition; specifically, how a rash led to my rare diagnosis. This is a long story, but I would appreciate if you took the time to read, as it speaks volumes about what rare disease patients go through in order to get to a diagnosis.

In October of 2016, I developed a severe, blistering rash on my face. For many people, going to the doctor and taking allergy medicine would be an easy fix for this. However, I had a feeling this was only a surface problem.

For a bit of a backstory, I have been sick for my entire life. I have had chronic ear infections, sinus infections, recurring pneumonia, and other conditions. Whenever I would complain of not feeling well, or when my parents would observe me to be behaving abnormally, my pediatricians always told my parents that I was hyperactive, that I had anxiety and behavioral problems, that I would grow out of the severe, constant pain I seemed to be in. I was labeled as a hypochondriac, my parents were told that they were overreacting, and we were always sent home. If I was put on medication, it always seemed to be the wrong thing, and my symptoms would inevitably return and/or get worse. This went on for almost 21 years, until 2016.

When the rash broke out on my face, I went to see my primary care physician when I was home from college on a break. Concerned, he put me on a course of steroids, and had me take round-the-clock Benadryl. When this failed to reduce the blistering and swelling, he put me on a course of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the rash became antibiotic resistant, and began to spread down my neck and arms. Realizing that he was out of his element, and worrying about something more serious, my doctor recommended that I go to the emergency room at a hospital in Boston of my choosing. Something in my gut told me to go to Mass General, so I did.

The Emergency Room doctor saw how severe my rash was, and immediately put in an urgent referral to send me to dermatology, who offered to see me less than 24 hours later. My dermatologist took a detailed history, and looked at my rash under a specialized light. He then told me that this rash had nothing to do with my skin...something was gravely wrong with my immune system. Based on my other symptoms (specifically, severe abdominal pain, nausea/vomiting, and fluctuating weight), he sent me to Mass General's GI department, also giving me a strong medication to essentially burn my rash off (it worked).

That's where I met Dr. Michael Dougan. Dr. Dougan spent hours with me going over my life history--something no other doctor had done. He ran every blood test he could think of, sent me for a CT scan and MRI of my abdomen, and performed several GI scoping procedures (I'll spare the details of those). It was a long, grueling process, one that left me frustrated and getting no better. I was at my wit's end, and I didn't want to fight anymore, after years of being sick. When Dr. Dougan told me that he was concerned I was going to die, I was conflicted: I didn't want to fight anymore, but I didn't want to let whatever was taking over my body win. So, I kept going with the diagnostic process, trusting Dr. Dougan above all else.

Finally, in January of 2017, after 21 years of feeling miserable, a gastric emptying study (along with a bowel obstruction following a smart pill study) confirmed my doctor's suspicions. I had Idiopathic Gastroparesis. He explained that this condition is rare (he was aware of fewer than 500 patients in the US with this condition), genetic, progressive, and going after my immune system. He laid out my 2 medication options, and we came up with a game plan to tackle this disease head on. He told me that there is no cure, but if we can mitigate the worst of my symptoms, my quality of life would improve immensely. Dr. Dougan's only requirement for me: that I never give up. I promised him I wouldn't, and he promised to never give up on me.

2 years later, and I'm still here. I'm still fighting. It hasn't been easy, by any means. I have more good days than I used to, but my bad days are still terrible. But my doctors (especially Dr. Dougan) have been behind me 100%. My parents have been behind me 100%. My closest friends have been behind me 100%. And now, I have the most amazing fiancée, who isn't remotely afraid of loving someone with my condition, who supports me every step of the way. I am rare. But I am not alone. And I am so, so grateful to everyone who has stayed by my side and helped me get to where I am now.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm an open book.

[loveleaps-blog]

Immanuel

We are blessed to have our own wonderful stories to share to people around us. Some of us have been changed through our story.

This is my story - and sometimes I call it as one my greatest battle against human notion.

Few years ago, my doctor told me that I was very lucky to have given my husband a child. Having that belief didn’t bother me at all, I’m happy and content, but suddenly, it changed when God gave us another blessing to our family. It was such a miracle for me to become pregnant again that I had a new hope. We were very excited.

However, it turned out like a roller-coaster journey.

On my first visit, the doctor said it’s an ectopic pregnancy which meant that the egg had attached itself at the side of the womb rather than in the center and I needed to end the pregnancy as it would pose great risk to my health - for as the baby grows the uterus could rupture. It was heart-breaking and I felt like my world fell apart. All I could say to the doctor was to give me one month to think about the option which was abortion. As I went out, I couldn’t look at my husband and my daughter. In my mind, I wanted to tell them “I’m sorry”! I felt exhausted, so down, empty, and helpless. While we were in the bus, going home, I kept on telling to God, “Lord, tell me, the doctor was wrong. Tell me I can keep this baby alive.”

When my husband finally knew, we decided not to tell anyone. What’s the point when we couldn’t keep the pregnancy? But, we were still hopeful. We knew that God will do something.

It turned out so hard not to share your even your family and the closest people in your life. Our minds were troubled and we were anxious. And so, finally we told them. One Sunday, everyone in the church knew about my condition. I requested my Lifegroup friends to always include me in their prayers and I made close connection with my Lifegroup leader for spiritual guidance. I felt encouraged and somehow, it lightened my heart. I felt much love and prayers from my family and friends.

One month had passed and I went back to the hospital for a check. The doctor said the same thing and this time, they said that keeping the pregnancy could kill me. I asked them if there’s any chance that the baby would move like to a normal position, they said IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. They said they had to do the operation as soon as possible, but then, I asked them again if they could give me 2 more weeks - I told them I had to settle myself first, and the fact that I didn’t feel anything strange in my body, it felt just normal, no morning sickness, no crazy abdominal pain, no bleeding, no severe headaches, NOTHING, I just wanted to SPEAK TO GOD. I still believed that the pregnancy is okay. I knew the doctors thought I’m insane.

Two weeks and it should be my last check prior to scheduling the operation, I was surprised when one doctor handed me a big envelope with CD and documents in it. They referred me to the biggest hospital in the city and was told to go there after a week to be examined by 3 specialists that they have contacted.

Each day, our home’s atmosphere became gloomy, I knew my husband was hurting, I remember the night before our scheduled visit to the hospital, he told me he can let go of the baby for my safety.

Many friends have been so nice to us in this country, and we have one of those few that I trusted most. The day before my visit to that hospital, we had lunch with my Lifegroup leader. In the middle of our conversation, she asked me, “What did God tell you?”. I told her, “Everyday, I always ask God to talk to me and enlighten me. Everyday, I cry and pray to Jesus to give me an enduring body, peace in my heart, and strength to accept everything. God is faithful, He keeps telling me to not to worry, that everything’s gonna be alright. I know He’s there. I feel it.”

Together again with my husband and daughter, we went to the hospital. I didn’t realize it was over half a day - from blood samples, series of tests, ultrasounds, I didn’t feel hungry, I was just praying to God to keep me strong. I was thinking that these doctors will soon gonna tell us about the procedures we’re going to take in removing the little one inside my body. But, I was WRONG! They said the baby is in NORMAL POSITION and it’s GROWING HEALTHY. I couldn’t stop my tears as I went out and thrilled to tell my husband about it. Wow! God is incredibly amazing! He gave me a MIRACLE in my life. God MOVED it, I knew it was HIM!

Later in my pregnancy, on its 18th week, the doctor told me that my baby is not growing normally. It’s extremely small than its age and probably he won’t survive. How come? I felt normal, I felt it moving inside, it’s like when I had the same times with my daughter before. The doctor said I had to terminate the pregnancy for my own health and that it’s better to do it earlier to avoid complications. I remember him saying, “Please go home, tell your husband, and let us know your decision.”

When I told my husband about it, he said, “God gave us the chance, let’s not give up and instead trust that the baby will survive.”

So, I went back to the doctor who was expecting us to agree with the abortion and told him, “Doctor, I don’t know if you believe in God, but my God is telling me that the baby will live. I just would like to ask you to do whatever you can to keep this baby alive, and I will do my part as well”.

The doctor respected our decision and I had to go to the hospital frequently. On its 20th week, he told me that the baby was getting weaker. Until the doctor advised to stay in the hospital for them to closely monitor me and the baby. On its 24th week, the baby’s heart suddenly stopped and they had to perform an emergency caesarean operation. While I prayed for the baby, I prayed also for the people inside the operating room. I knew that Jesus was there, He was the light in the whole room. I still remained optimistic and held God’s promise that He will never leave nor forsake me. When I saw that the baby was alive - that’s the time I noticed my tears and told myself - “You are an awesome God. I thank you Jesus that I knew you!”.

The baby was only 314 grams - a weight at which doctors in most countries have said it would be impossible to save. He’s one of the smallest in the world, and probably the second to the smallest in the hospital’s history.

Looking at the baby made me adore God more! My fist was bigger than his head, his tiny legs and arms were just as my finger’s size, I can almost see his heart beating, his blood veins, his delicate skin was like a red jelly, he was just as tall as my daughter’s barbie doll. We knew it wouldn’t be easy and my family was ready to accept whatever the baby’s condition will be because he’s so special and GOD’S GIFT.

Two weeks had passed the baby’s heart and lungs became weak. His right lung got a large hole which prevented the doctors to perform heart surgery. We were told to wait 24 hours to see if the baby will survive. Doctors encouraged us to talk to the baby, to tell him to be strong, and to pray for miracle. Eventually, his lung was healed naturally. Everyone in the NICU was amazed with how he had fought his life. They even tagged him as “Baby Sugoi”.

Being with the baby on his toughest days made our relationship to God even closer and stronger. The baby had a lot of things to conquer and had to fight all by his self. All we could do was to pray, to keep our faith and never get discouraged.

This journey had taught me to trust GOD all the time, to be more hopeful, and to never cease on praying. This life had taught me that in either joy or hardship, GOD IS WITH US, HIS PLANS ARE PERFECT, and HIS LOVE IS UNFAILING.

Our baby was born when he was 24 week-old and stayed in the hospital with the care of the best doctors and nurses in Japan for 5 months. Fairly every day we got to visit him and tell him to fight, that we love him, and everyone is praying for him.

This is our baby now and he always reminds me of our FAITHFUL GOD. 

This is IMMANUEL.

Two years ago, my little family left our beloved home country to temporarily live in Japan. It’s completely a strange place to us - the language, the people, the lifestyle, and everything.

Nonetheless, it’s where our beautiful story was created.