Look what they did to my head!
And here's a look from the back.
And here's a look from the back.
And check out my cool new utility belt.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Health Update
Hello again. Some of you are probably wondering how things are going. Well, we are still in midst of testing chaos. I just wish I knew how to feel normal again. I can safely say that things aren't getting worse anymore, though the level I'm at is not a good one right now. I still have a constant headache that sometimes blows up into a really bad headache. I am still having periods of "lost time" or "blackouts", if you prefer. The worst part is being tired all the time.
Last night I had a sleep study test done. They plugged me into all these electrodes and stuff and then said "sleep like normal". Now explain to me how I'm supposed to sleep in a strange place, in a different bed, without my wife, with wires sticking out of my head, and sleep like 'normal'. I didn't understand the purpose of the test, honestly, but the doctor ordered it. After about 2 hours of this, they decided I wasn't breathing right, so they put this nose plug thing on that forces air into my nose and told me to sleep with my mouth shut. So now am I not only in a weird place, with wires sticking out of me, but now I'm being forced to constantly inhale and I have to keep my mouth shut in my sleep. Is there any sense to this? How can they possibly tell what "normal" is for me when all this "abnormal" stuff is going on? But, that's what the doctor wanted.
Today I go in to have more electrodes put on me for a "24 hour eeg". They are going to watch my brain patterns for a full 24 hours to see if I have anything abnormal, like mini-seizures going on or something. Great. I hate having them, and I don't have them every day, but now we want one to happen so they can see it. Whatever they are.
Tomorrow I have an MRA, which is similar to an MRI, but it measures blood flow and things like that.
Are these tests getting us anywhere? Are the meds I'm taking really doing anything? I think the meds are at least stabilizing me, but I just want to feel normal again. And even if this is my "new normal", fine, then let me get on with my life - find me a job I can do or put me on disability or whatever.
Last night I had a sleep study test done. They plugged me into all these electrodes and stuff and then said "sleep like normal". Now explain to me how I'm supposed to sleep in a strange place, in a different bed, without my wife, with wires sticking out of my head, and sleep like 'normal'. I didn't understand the purpose of the test, honestly, but the doctor ordered it. After about 2 hours of this, they decided I wasn't breathing right, so they put this nose plug thing on that forces air into my nose and told me to sleep with my mouth shut. So now am I not only in a weird place, with wires sticking out of me, but now I'm being forced to constantly inhale and I have to keep my mouth shut in my sleep. Is there any sense to this? How can they possibly tell what "normal" is for me when all this "abnormal" stuff is going on? But, that's what the doctor wanted.
Today I go in to have more electrodes put on me for a "24 hour eeg". They are going to watch my brain patterns for a full 24 hours to see if I have anything abnormal, like mini-seizures going on or something. Great. I hate having them, and I don't have them every day, but now we want one to happen so they can see it. Whatever they are.
Tomorrow I have an MRA, which is similar to an MRI, but it measures blood flow and things like that.
Are these tests getting us anywhere? Are the meds I'm taking really doing anything? I think the meds are at least stabilizing me, but I just want to feel normal again. And even if this is my "new normal", fine, then let me get on with my life - find me a job I can do or put me on disability or whatever.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Mr. Handsome
Here's our favorite little guy all dressed up for church! Hard to believe he's almost a year old already. He's not quite walking yet, but really close. Which is good, because he's getting too heavy to carry!
Just too much
Still dealing.....
It's been a long time, I know. Basically, since the last time I posted, we've found out a few things that have really changed the direction of our lives. We don't know yet how bad things are going to be, but even if it's just a bump in the road, it has definately put us on a different path.
Those of you we've spoken to personally already know, but for everyone else, basically, in a nutshell, I'm sick. It would take way too much time to explain everything, but basically, I've started having "blackouts" - periods of lost time and severe headaches. Early tests didn't turn up anything noteworthy, but an MRI has shown some "abnormalities" in my brain. We don't know exactly what that means, they showed us the notes from the specialist who viewed the pictures and we couldn't understand any of it. We're waiting to hear back from my primary doctor, but in the meantime we looked up some of those notes (the danger of free information on the Internet) and any way you look at it it could be very serious. Or, maybe worse, it might be nothing and we're still looking at trying to figure out exactly what IS wrong. Either way, something is broken, I can't work, and most times I can't function, even to the point of having trouble walking.
Praise the Lord and pass the tax rebate...
A huge blessing is that even though I can't work, have used up all my PTO time and will miss at least one paycheck, it's tax time. Between our state and federal returns, we have enough to get us by for a couple of months at least. Plus I have all this wasted brain space full of computer stuff, so maybe I can start doing some freelance web design or programming again. Anna has taken on a job to make ends meet. The cool part is, she's the new church secratary, so I can go with her and she can keep an eye on me (since I can't be left alone). I don't know what we're going to do long term, but that's in the hands of God and our doctors right now.
And now for something completely different....
The snaves were flarking among the fluge. The grages were ranking with the shoove. All was crage in the land of Blarge, until the dargen stroved.
But then Martha Stewart came off probation and killed them all with bordem on her daytime television show.
The end.
It's been a long time, I know. Basically, since the last time I posted, we've found out a few things that have really changed the direction of our lives. We don't know yet how bad things are going to be, but even if it's just a bump in the road, it has definately put us on a different path.
Those of you we've spoken to personally already know, but for everyone else, basically, in a nutshell, I'm sick. It would take way too much time to explain everything, but basically, I've started having "blackouts" - periods of lost time and severe headaches. Early tests didn't turn up anything noteworthy, but an MRI has shown some "abnormalities" in my brain. We don't know exactly what that means, they showed us the notes from the specialist who viewed the pictures and we couldn't understand any of it. We're waiting to hear back from my primary doctor, but in the meantime we looked up some of those notes (the danger of free information on the Internet) and any way you look at it it could be very serious. Or, maybe worse, it might be nothing and we're still looking at trying to figure out exactly what IS wrong. Either way, something is broken, I can't work, and most times I can't function, even to the point of having trouble walking.
Praise the Lord and pass the tax rebate...
A huge blessing is that even though I can't work, have used up all my PTO time and will miss at least one paycheck, it's tax time. Between our state and federal returns, we have enough to get us by for a couple of months at least. Plus I have all this wasted brain space full of computer stuff, so maybe I can start doing some freelance web design or programming again. Anna has taken on a job to make ends meet. The cool part is, she's the new church secratary, so I can go with her and she can keep an eye on me (since I can't be left alone). I don't know what we're going to do long term, but that's in the hands of God and our doctors right now.
And now for something completely different....
The snaves were flarking among the fluge. The grages were ranking with the shoove. All was crage in the land of Blarge, until the dargen stroved.
But then Martha Stewart came off probation and killed them all with bordem on her daytime television show.
The end.
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