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As some of you know I have been out of the shooting sports for almost a year.  After taking my second Tactical Lady National Champion, in 2010, some medical issues started to arise.  I tried to ignore it, and blow it off as nothing.  I couldn’t decide if I was hot or cold; and not my moods.  I was getting tired more often.  Then the nausea, lack of appetite and headaches started (and no, I am not, and was not pregnant ).  I missed both handgun nationals that I worked so hard to get into, since I didn’t do as well as I would have liked the year before.  And as I was laying in bed getting text messages from my friends; Jessie Abbate and Julie Goloski Golob; I knew something was wrong with me….but I didn’t know what.

A week later my husband, Mark, came home.  As I was laying on the couch in pain, he looked puzzled as to how or what he could do.  I called my doctor and made an appt, with instructions that if the pain and nausea didn’t get better I was to go to the Emergency Room.  A couple of hours later, that’s exactly what we did.  And what they found……A big fat NOTHING.

Mark left town, as he does for work, and came back a couple of days later.  Mark was going to run our son, Daniel, to Jui Jitsu, so I went to hang out with my mom.  I was still in a ton of pain and losing weight; I couldn’t eat.  I had no energy, and spent a lot of time in bed or on the couch (yep, even when it was just me with the kids).  I knew whatever was going on, wasnt going away….  I took my pills and went to lay down.  30 mins later I crawled up my moms stairs crying hysterically, whatever was wrong, was getting worse and radiating into my back.  Mom called Mark and ran me into the Emergency Room once again.  This was 10 days after the first visit.  They couldn’t control the pain, they ran a ton of tests….walked into my room and said “you have a severe kidney infection, I don’t know how we didn’t catch it before with as bad as it is.”  Next thing I know I have an Internal doctor admitting me into the hospital for emergent surgery the next day.

That was just the beginning of my “fun”, and break from the shooting and show season. 

So what was wrong?  My ureter tube connection at my bladder was closed.  They had to stick a thin wire in to bust it open, so they could stick the smallest stent possible in to allow the infection to get out of my body.  I was already feeling better, but still not normal.  2 more stents in and out later, and we realized there was more of a problem than we thought….

After having one of my stents out, they sent me to do a renal nuclear scan to see how much damage was done to my right kidney.  Turns out, I have 65% function on my left side, and 35% on my right….it’s suppose to be 50/50.  During that scan, they found out my right kidney also wasn’t getting the nuclear dye out of my kidney, it wasn’t filtering…  My ureter tube had closed again.

After all that fun, we thought we were finally done in March of this year.  Last stent in and out, time to start shooting again.  I went to Superstition in pain, nausea; but ready to start making a come back.  My poor team and husband and to keep helping me up at the end of the courses, grabbing my guns and gears as fast as they could so I could go sit.  I was in a ton of pain, and didn’t know why.  All I could think of is Not Again!  The RO’s, Match staff and shooters were amazing and very helpful.  The 3 Gun Nation guys knew I wasn’t up to my par, but I would do anything to help them out.  So I put on my smiling face, and did the best I could.  After taking 3rd Tactical Lady by only 17 points, I knew I hadn’t lost too much.  Then, Katie Harris drew my name to be in the first 3 Gun Nation Lady Jr shoot off.  And with our hard work and determination, Katie, my teammate Dianna, and myself won the very first shoot off!

After the match I found out I had a UTI.  This is not good, I should be done with this.  I spoke to my urologist and he was worried.  I had to go speak to my OB/GYN as well.  In May of this year, a week and a half after Mark and my 5 year anniversary, I had my ureter cut and reimplanted into my bladder, and a total hysterectomy (except one ovary).  So folks.  Now you know why I have been MIA, sounding sad and so excited to be coming back.  It has been 8 weeks today!!!!!  I am feeling better than I have in over a year!  I am walking 3.5 miles 3 days a week, and wanting to run.  I get tired easy, but don’t have near the pain, no nausea….no worries! 

So to end a very long blog, and answer everyones questions; YES, I’m back.  I will be at Industry Masters this weekend, hanging with my amazing team and others in the industry.  Right after that is Rocky Mt 3 Gun!  Now I may not have all my strength and energy, but I will give it my all as I always do.  Thank you everyone for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.  Your friendships have meant the world to me, and have made me stronger in the interim!

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