Life and Health Update 2024

My family is incredibly blessed to have so many people who care deeply for us and pray continually for us. We are truly grateful to the Lord for His kindness in letting our paths cross with so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who have rejoiced with us and wept with us over the years (Romans 12:15). However, I am finding it difficult to keep you, my dear friends and family, up to date with all that is happening in the Knutson family. So, here is my attempt to do that.

The Short Version

My health has continued to decline, making daily tasks difficult and keeping me in bed most of the day. My husband lost his job a few weeks ago and is currently trying to find employment that would allow us to stay in Idaho, although we know he might need to start looking out of state if something doesn’t open up soon.

The Longer Version Regarding My Health

I have struggled with health issues much of my adult life but in 2023 my health declined significantly. I had a stroke in July 2023 and, by the grace of God, recovered very quickly. The doctors believed that my stroke was caused by a hole in my heart (PFO) and recommended that I have a PFO closure to reduce the risk of another stroke in the future.

This procedure took place in September of 2023. The cardiologist who performed the procedure and the hospital staff who cared for me before and after the procedure were excellent. It was a fairly quick procedure that placed a device in my heart by going through a vein in my leg. However, my body did not respond well to recovery. A few hours after the procedure, my blood pressure and heart rate plummeted, I felt like I was going to pass out, and I had a tingling sensation and some numbness down the left side of my body. The rapid response team was called in and many tests were run but doctors were never able to determine what happened.

A year later, I am still struggling to do simple daily tasks without feeling light-headed, having pain in my heart, and experiencing tingling and numbness on my left side, among many other symptoms. Any stress on my body (even good stress like chatting with my dearest friends) seems to set me back. I get fatigued just from listening to podcasts or reading a book in bed let alone walking around my house.

During this past year, I have experienced seasons of slow but steady improvement in my health only to have a huge setback when tackling a small project or taking a family vacation.

I have seen almost every specialist in the medical field including those in traditional medicine and in more holistic/functional medicine. The common theme from every doctor visit has been, “We’ve never seen anything like this before”. My husband new I was a unique, one-of-a-kind lady when he married me…now all the doctors agree. Ha!

Doctors are currently looking into a possible allergy to the metal in the device they used to close the hole in my heart. It’s called a Gore Cardioform Septal Occluder. There don’t seem to be any know cases of an allergy to this device but if I am having an allergic reaction to the device, open-heart surgery to cut the device out is a possibility.

We are also looking into other possible reasons for my declining health and the chronic fatigue I am experiencing. We are praying that the Lord would give us wisdom on which doctors to pursue and which ones to decline, as medical appointments and treatment are expensive and time-consuming.

But we aren’t without hope!

While we earnestly pray for my improved health, we are also content with whatever the Lord has for us in this life (Philippians 4:11-13). The sufferings that we are going through are a much-needed reminder that this world is not our home (Hebrews 11:16 & 13:14).

No matter what trials I face in this life, I can always rejoice in my salvation. For while I was a sinner, Christ died for me (Romans 5:6,8). What I deserve, apart from Christ, is eternal punishment and suffering in hell (Romans 3:23, John 3:36, Romans 2:5-6). Yet God rescued me from the domain of darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14). How can I not rejoice, even in my trials, when I, a wretched sinner, have been granted eternal life through Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23).

As one of my pastors said in a recent sermon on Colossians, “Gratefulness produces a joyful heart that recognizes that every blessing that we get is too great for us. And every evil, every calamity, that is leveled against us is too small compared to the calamity from which God has delivered us, which we deserved.”

Even in my suffering, I can rejoice.

This echoes what Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-6, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us, for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

And there is even more to rejoice about! God didn’t just rescue me from my sin and grant me eternal life. He has also promised to walk with me through these trials (Psalm 23:4, 2 Corinthians 12: 9) and to use everything for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28-29, James 1:2-4).

Therefore, I do not lose hope! As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Whether my health improves or not; whether my husband finds a good job or not; whether the Lord allows more trials to come our way or not, I can say, like Job, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b)