Don't Give in to the Enemy's Lies

I’m ugly.             I’m dumb.    I have no friends.    Nobody would care if I died.      I’ll never have a girlfriend that loves me.      I’ll never have a boyfriend that loves me.             I’ll never find the perfect person for me.   I don’t deserve to be happy. I need a boyfriend and then I’ll be happy.       I need a girlfriend, and then I’ll be happy.       My parents don’t love me.                  My parents don’t even care about me.   My parents would be better off without me.             Everyone --  is prettier –better looking –has more friends than me.      Nothing that I ever do will matter.    I am a loser.     What’s the point?     Everything would be better if life were just over.

Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies………

The worst, most harmful lies are not the ones that others tell about you. The most harmful, destructive lies are the ones that Satan whispers in our ears about ourselves, and/or those that love us and that we love the most.

These lies only do damage when we allow them to. If we do what the Word says when one of these lies is whispered, we would reject it. Replace it with the truth.

Sometimes the hardest part is recognizing the lies for what they are. It seems that it’s always easier to believe the lies. I have a theory for this.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

When we believe the lies, it leads to feelings of defeat, which leads us to behave in a defeated manner. We give up. We throw in the towel. “It’s not worth it anymore. Nothing I do will make a difference anyway.” It’s the path of least resistance.

When we refute the lies, it requires action. We are required to exert energy-- mental, emotional, and physical. 2 Cor. 10:4 starts out with “the weapons of our warfare…”. This is war!  Truth is the one offensive weapon in our arsenal. The Word of God is Truth. (For more about our weapons, see Ephesians 6:10-20.)

Believing the lie leads to defeat. 

Believing the truth is a call to action.

Satan’s most powerful and effective weapon is lies. He is the father of all lies and enemy of your soul. He desires for each of us (You and Me) to turn away from God and live miserable, lonely lives. His purpose is to destroy God’s plan, which is stated in Jeremiah 29:11.

 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The longer that we listen to these lies, the more we repeat them to ourselves. Before long, we believe that the lies are the truth.  

We convince ourselves that we are not good enough, nobody cares about us, nobody understands how we feel or what we are going through. Nobody has ever felt this way or had this problem. I’ll never be happy again. This is just the way it has to be. I’m going to be miserable no matter what I do. There is no hope. My marriage can’t be fixed. I’ll never love my husband/wife again. This relationship will never be restored, so there is no point in trying. I’m just going to settle for life like this. My children are going to do what they are going to do no matter what I say or do, so what’s the point. I give up.

When our thoughts are so deeply entrenched in these lies, we can’t even see the light of the Truth through the darkness of deception.

What are some consequences of believing the lies?

*feelings of loneliness

*isolation

*seeking relief of the despair through

            -alcohol

            -drugs

            -unhealthy relationships

            -eating disorders

            -gambling

            -destructive behavior to oneself or others

            -reckless behavior

*strained relationships

*broken relationships

*disconnection

*separation from God

*loss of hope

One, if the not most far reaching consequences is when one so gives into the lies that they completely lose all hope and take their own life. Suicide is always a result of believing Satan’s lies.

****PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are EVER having thoughts of ending it all, REACH OUT to someone. A friend, teacher, parent of a friend, pastor, hotline, counselor, SOMEBODY!!! 

You are loved. Ending your life is not a solution. It is a life of pain and suffering for those who know and love you.

Satan wants you to die in bondage. 

Christ wants you to live in freedom.

So what do I do?

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Know the Truth. Read the Word. When you know the Truth, it will be easier to recognize the lies.

Philippians 4:8

Amplified Bible (AMP)

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Refute the lies of the enemy with most powerful antidote- the TRUTH.

God loves you with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you. 

God formed you in your mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

God has a plan for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

You are a co-heir with Christ.

Romans 8:17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Jesus loves you and gave His life for you.

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us.

You are more than a conqueror.

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Jesus wants you to receive His peace and life everlasting.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.


So... take up your weapons and fight the battle in front of you. 

Freedom, peace, hope and eternity are worth the effort!!!!!

^{Philippians 3:14} 

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My Letter to Providence Hospital

Shanna L. Pyzer

April 28, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

Hello, I had a scheduled procedure done at Providence, Everett on February 23, 2012. I have very little experience being a patient, basically just childbirth twice. In 2009, I developed an ongoing excruciating headache on the right side of my head and face. After many doctor’s visits, trips to the ER, and imaging appointments I was diagnosed with an Internal Right Carotid Artery Dissection. I had never experienced any kind of health issues for myself before. It was a pretty traumatic time for me.

Two things have spurred me to write this letter.  About a month ago, I received my Explanation of Benefits for this procedure. My share is $3,000.00. I had been thinking of sharing my experience with the hospital and that definitely spurred me on. Then, a couple weeks ago, I was driving to work and heard a spot on the radio station that I listen to. They wanted people to call in and tell what about their job was a blessing to them. One of the callers was an employee of Providence Everett. She just gushed about what a great Christian organization it is and that it is a blessing to be a part of the ministry that Providence does. The radio host had had an experience with Providence when his wife had a heart attack last year. He also gushed about what a great experience he had at Providence and how he felt God’s presence the whole time he and his wife were there.

I caught myself thinking, “That was not at all the experience that I had there.”

I would like to share my experience.

The procedure that I had was a cerebral angiogram. I had met with the doctor in December and we got the procedure scheduled. She wanted to get a definitive answer as to whether or not I have an aneurysm on the left, rear side of my brain. She did not think that the test would show that it was one, she was hoping to rule it out.

I was not at all nervous about the procedure. This had been a long road (summer 2009-Feb 2012). I just wanted to know for sure what was going on in my head. I have been at the hospital with my grandpa and grandma numerous times for them to have cardiac angiograms and angioplasty, as well as open-heart surgeries. I have seen the videos of the arteries and the blockages and spoke with the cardiologist. I basically understood the procedure, I thought.

I received a letter in the mail about when to arrive at the hospital. I wasn’t given any instructions as to whether or not I could eat or drink, or any preparations I should make. Two nights before my procedure I got a call from a very nice nurse. She went over my instructions and reminded me to arrive at 9:30 am and told me exactly where to go. I followed these instructions exactly.

My mom and I arrived and checked in at 9:30 on the scheduled day. The front-office staff was not welcoming, nor very friendly. They were rushed and seemed scattered and were “bickering” a bit back and forth between them. I was asked to wait in the waiting area to be called back. We waited for 10-15 minutes and got called back. When I was taken into my room, the nurse informed me that I was supposed to have been all prepped and ready for the procedure by 9:30, not arrive at 9:30. Taken back a bit, I explained about the letter and the phone call that I had received. She commented that the doctors do not understand how to do the scheduling. She was very short with me. Being the easy-going person that I am, I kind of brushed it off, but made mental notes to myself. Maybe she was having a bad day and was super busy and stressed.

I got undressed and into the gown and bed. My husband showed up a bit after that. I was talking to him about how the morning had gone and little chit chat while the nurse was doing things around the room, getting things set up and all. I was in the middle of a word as she put the stethoscope on my chest and firmly said me to, “BE QUIET, I cannot hear your heartbeat when you are talking.”  She then continued to rattle on about I don’t know what because I was appalled and irritated and was thinking, “then be quiet because you surely can’t hear it while you are talking either!” I looked over at my mom and husband and they were clearly shocked as well.
She finished getting things ready and was in and out of the room.

The doctor came in and talked to me a bit about the procedure. She was very friendly and professional. They way she was talking it seemed like I was going to be going in very soon to have the angiogram done. My mom and husband grabbed all of their stuff and were waiting for me to be taken out of the room, as they were going to the waiting area. They stood for a while and waited and waited. I very nicely, asked the nurse if she knew when I was going to be taken back. She basically snapped at me that I would be taken back when it was time to be taken back. I told her that I was just asking so that my mom and husband could sit down if it was going to be a while and that the doctor made it seem like it would be soon. She then went on and on about how the doctors are not in charge of when the patients get taken and she was displaying some bitterness and resentment toward doctors. This was quite disturbing, as I am a patient, putting my health and potentially my life in this doctor’s hands. It was also quite unprofessional. So my guests sat back down and waited for me to be taken back to the angio suite.

Going into this procedure, I was not anxious about the actual procedure, but I had not considered the other aspects. I was not prepared to have my bikini area shaved, as I was told that the port goes into the upper leg. I was also not prepared to be stripped naked on the narrow table, only to be covered with very narrow sheets to cover the top and bottom parts and an even narrower cloth in my private area. Another expectation that I did have was that I would be given some type of sedative to relax me during the procedure. One of the nurses said that I would be given an “I-don’t-care-what-you-do-to-me” type of medication. I was never offered this. The very nice nurse that took me to the angio suite and stayed at my head the whole time was very helpful. She was very reassuring when I was close to jumping off the table when they were taking my gown off of me.

I got through the procedure, obviously. There was a very nice man named John, I believe he is an RN, but I’m not sure. He was very kind and helpful. He is the lucky one that got to put pressure on the site where the port was put in. We chatted a bit, and I was desperately trying not to think about how naked I was, while a strange man had his hand in my crotch area for 20 plus minutes. He was very professional, though, so that helped. I spoke to him a bit about how I was treated by the other nurse. He was very kind and apologized on her behalf. He was quite aware of how uncomfortable I was feeling.

When he took me back to my room there was another nurse there waiting for me to arrive. John was explaining the site to her and how to check it and what to check for and such. She did not make eye contact, or even look at him for that matter and just mumbled incomprehensibly and was acting like she just wanted him to leave. He and I looked at each other with what I took to be skepticism. He decided to check the site before he left and felt that he needed to apply more pressure, as there were some spots that seemed to be bumpy. I thanked him for staying and taking care of it himself (even though I am a terribly modest person and the thought of having someone touch me “there” was highly unnerving). He was very gracious. He left after he felt that the spot was ok and let the nurse know how often to check it.

I, in all seriousness and legitimacy, do not understand how this lady made it through nursing school. She was so awkward. She could barely look at a person and talk to them. Half of what she said was unintelligible. She seemed nervous and not at all confident. She was an RN, I made sure to look. While giving me the discharge instructions (when I still had to lie flat for 3 more hours), she would read the paper and try to explain it to me and failed miserably. At one point my mom followed another nurse out of my room to ask about the nurse that was caring for me. She was told that she is a traveling nurse. That was definitely understandable.

I know that a lot of thought, and probably prayer went into the designing of the new facilities. It is a beautiful place. It is apparent that details were very important. Attention to details and the “little things” can really make experiences and the lack of this attention can most assuredly break experiences. Honestly, I am an easy-going person. I pride myself as being low-maintenance. I don’t like to ask for help or require people to go out of their way, or be “put out” to do things for me. I am more the “suffer in silence” type. I do not like to complain and whine. I am friendly, as I was with each person that I came in contact with that day at the hospital. I did not feel welcome. I don’t feel that there was any attempt to make me feel at ease, as I was going into a potentially life-threatening procedure. I didn’t feel prepared for the “little” (they were huge to me) details regarding the procedure; like where the port was going, being stripped naked, not having any sedative offered to me. I was not even encouraged to use the restroom before the procedure as I was going to have to lie flat for 5 hours straight. I ended up HAVING to use a bedpan, and that was a whole other experience that I care not to go into.

In the end, I was told that I do, in fact, have a small aneurysm. And I need to be rechecked in a year. This was the extent of my follow-up. As a side note; I have had a couple root canals, and each time, my endodontist called to check up on me the next day.  I was a bit surprised at the lack of follow-up after having a cerebral angiogram.

There is really a lot more that I could write, but I think you have got the picture. I just really wanted to share my story. What would I like to see done? I would LOVE to have my portion of the bill written off. I also want you to be aware of my experience and hopefully it will enable you to make sure that others don’t experience the same in the future. If you have any questions, or clarification on anything, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,


Shanna Pyzer

You're Putting That WHERE????????

If you remember, back in the summer of 2009 I had an Right Internal Carotid Artery Dissection. I had several MRIs and CT scans, both, with and without dye :). In the images of these most wonderful and EXPEN$IVE scans was found what may be an aneurysm in the anterior left of my very beautiful and packed-full brain.
My neurologist was not totally convinced that it was an angiogram so I was referred to a brilliant neurosurgeon back in 2010. Well, when I got to that appointment the discs containing the imaging results of the CT and MRIs was completely blank. Grrrrrr...... Sooooo..... Jeremy and I got to sit an listen to this neurosurgeon tell us how brilliant and experienced he is..... s.n.o.r.e.......... He assured me that when he did receive the imaging he would call and discuss it with me. So, I waited .....and waited ...............................and waited....... And he never called. (Sounds like an orthopedic sports medicine doctor that also never called when he said he would.)
Anyway, In December I was referred to another neurosurgeon who also was not convinced that what they saw on the imaging was an aneurysm. Soooo...... she scheduled me for a cerebral angiogram. I am very familiar with cardio angiograms, as several family members have had them. I was pretty excited to get a definitive answer and figure out where to go once we knew for sure one way or the other.
I was not at all nervous about the procedure.

My motto is "When it is my time to go, I will go; no matter where I am and what I am doing."

I knew that the procedure involved having a catheter put in my upper leg so that a scope could be inserting and that it would go up to my neck, they would insert dye and get images of the veins in my neck and head. This being the case I wanted to make sure that I was adequately depilator-ied. I used my VEET awesomeness to remove unwanted hair in the general area of my upper legs and shave the lower portions. I didn't concern myself with my feet, thinking that I would wear socks the whole time. (HA!)

My mom and I got to the hospital, checked in, waited, got taken back to the room, I got COMPLETELY undressed (anyone that knows me knows how much I detest being naked and exposed), then one of the nurses said that I would have to be shaved in my bikini area for the catheter to be put in.......WHAT??????..... my "bikini" area (hahahahahahah....as if I would EVER wear a bikini) is NOT part of my upper leg!!!!!!! I assured her that I had already taken care of the area, so of course she had to check. Ugh! She approved. She, then, TAKES OFF MY SOCKS!!! NOOOOOO...... I didn't take off the peeling polish and make my toes pretty....... 

Note to self: do not go to the hospital without all of the proper preparations, no matter what you are going in to have done.

Then the doctor comes in to explain the procedure---never mentioning that I would receive any kind of sedative-type medication. I would be fully awake and participating. Oh Yay!

One of the nurses did say that I would receive a dose of I-Don't-Care-What-You-Are-Doing-To-Me-I'm-In-My-Happy-Place-Type medication. Whew! (I never got any of that. Just some lidocaine to numb the area.)

p.s. The nurses that I dealt with yesterday had a 50% chance of being nice nurses. There are some Doosies at Providence Colby, let me tell ya!

Finally, a very nice nurse came to wheel my bed into the "Angio Suite", assuring me that everything would be great. Entering the sweet I was greeted with some nice 70's disco music playing and lots of plasma screens, which would later televise my vitals. I met a lovely man, named John, who would later get to know me a little better than most.

WHAT I DID NOT ANTICIPATE..........

Once I scooted onto the table, I was completely DISROBED.....Um........ WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME LIE ON A TABLE WITH A ONLY VERY NARROW BLANKET???? OH.... a narrow blanket over the top 1/3 of me and the bottom 1/3 of me with a very narrower strip of gauze over the middle 1/3 of me........I AM FEELING VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.... oh and now I need to peeeeeeeeeeee.......... I remembered that the doctor had said it would take about an hour. Can I hold it that long???? Oh no...... after that I have to lie flat for 4 hours........ What am I going to do????? I can't ask to go to the bathroom now...I'm on a table naked. Ok..... please please please don't do anything that makes me pee uncontrollably......now is a very good time to practice my kagles..... 

The procedure was a little uncomfortable at times....the putting in of the catheter....the bursts of dye that made my head feel like it was on fire...one section at a time. But, no big deal....especially once I presumed that it was safe to say that there were no clots being pushed up to my brain, causing a stroke. (this was one of the risks)

When it was all said and done....however..... my good friend John (previously mentioned) got the job of putting pressure on my GROIN AREA (guess what......that is my "bikini" are in disguise!!!!!) for 20 minutes after the angiogram was done. Yah! I am laying practically fully exposed on a table and a strange man in holding his hand in my yoohooo area for 20 minutes. a.w.e.s.o.m.e. Of course, he was very apologetic and friendly and professional about it. BUT STILL. I just wanted to be covered up and my back was killing me and my right knee really needed to be bent. 20 minutes later, after a very nice bonding time with John, I got my gown put back on me and covered with nice warm blankies and rolled back to my room. Ahhhhhhhhh................

Have I mentioned I was not allowed any food or liquid since midnight the night before? Oh and that I am clearly an addict of the drug caffeine????? Soooo.... the headache was hitting and the caffeine did not come quickly enough. But it did come, in the form of an iced latte with a straw that I had to drink lying flat with my head turned. Sweet Jeremy....Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Headache was progressing, pee urgency was progressing. I had 4 hours to lie flat. What was I going to do???????? While Jeremy was out getting my coffee, my good friend and I think we may be dating now, John came back to check the "site" and detected an embolism forming, so he needed to put pressure on for a bit longer. Oh goodie! John (and his wife) is from San Diego, loves Mexican food. He is outdoorsy, likes to hike. He highly recommends visiting New Mexico, as it is very eclectic in the area of art, and has the BEST mexican food. He also has a lovely sense of humor and a love for the veins and functions of the brain. :) On a side note: When John checked on me, he noticed the very WEIRD and AWKWARD nurse so he took the initiative to check me and pressurize me to save me from her having to do it... Thank you, John!!!!! I really did appreciate that!

After lying on my back, flat, for 2 hours or so, I couldn't take it anymore. I DESPISE relying on other people. A bit of independent pridefulness, I suppose. BUT......I had to pee, my head was killing me and I was thirsty. NOT a good combination. I gave in to the use of the bed pan. What? did she just say bed pan???? Yes she did. Guess what????? I might as well have just said, hey...how about I just lie here and pee in this here bed and then you take the top layer of sheets off and let's hope that the in-between layer is, in fact, waterproof. Because that is basically what happened. And waterproof it was! Thank you nurse, I am sorry I can't remember your name, but you were really nice and funny and sarcastic and I liked you a lot! And you provided me with my first ever bed pan experience.

Water please.....from a straw from the side of my head. Thank you, Chelsea!!!!!!! Oops next time, please don't drip water down my face. :)

My headache just kept getting worse then the nausea hit. I really don't want to puke lying flat on my back, waiting for a nice healing clot to form on my artery in my groin area. Can I please get some med for it? Yes I can! Whew....... I love Phenergan!!!!!!!! Insert into IV......good night!!!!! Two solid hours of  drug-induced sleep. Thank you!

From then on, it was uneventful. I sat up, got in a chair for a bit, got dressed, walked to (and used) the bathroom and back and got wheeled out to my car. 

The moral of the story. Anytime you have ANY procedure scheduled...... get rid of as much hair as possible.......make sure your toes are polished........sneak a little nip of coffee as early in the morning as possible to avoid the caffeine headache that is inevitable.   Maybe it is time to wean myself off of it.

(Oh...and... I do have a very small 1.9mm aneurysm. I will have another CT scan in a year.)

Thank you so much, mommy for taking care of me and being here for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Sweet Ride ---insert sarcastic smile---

Things I hate about the 1992 Ford Ranger:
1. The seat belt holder thing is WAY too high so it practically cuts across my chin.
2. The inside door handle on the passenger side is broken, so I have to put the truck in neutral, engage the E-brake and get out so that Benjamin can climb across to get out at school in the mornings. (Pretty annoying. You would understand this if you take your kids to school in the mornings.)
3. The E-brake doesn't just disengage when you pull the lever. You have to put your foot under the brake, pull the lever and use your foot to pull the brake all the way up.
4. I can't roll down the driver's side window. Very annoying.
5. I am not sure how much gas I can put on, because at some point it is too much and then I will have a leak.
6. Gagging on my pride. (Which includes praying against the green-eyed monster that rears its ugly head with every glimpse of a beautiful Volvo, GMC, Toyota, Honda........you get the idea.)

Things I like about the 1992 Ford Ranger:
1. No payments.
2. We can put money that would have gone to the car payment toward paying off the other car. (And we better, because if I am driving this beauty for no reason....... you get the idea.)
3. The heater works.
4. It doesn't look too bad.
5. The radio works. (And....helloooo there is a casette tape player!)
6. The seats are kind of comfy.
7. It is a super cab.
8. It runs.
9. It isn't super loud.
10. Jeremy took off the metal rack.