A time for new

While in the hospital I’ve had so many new experiences, most of them good.

I learned how to play Pitch, and then successfully kicked everyone’s ….. at it.

I also learned how to play Axis&Allies… which is ridiculously long and I only got 4 turns in the 4 hours that we played, but I’m starting to get the hang of that too.

I’ve got my new book, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife

—I’m actually about to start reading that now.

I watched “The Hangover” last night, compliments of my wife. That was pretty hilarious and kept me in great spirits until I went to sleep.

Some of my not so fun new experiences have included:

-Rooming with a “crazy” patient. I don’t know what was wrong with her, maybe Dementia, but she shouted a lot of random things and didn’t really have the capacity to articulate what she wanted. She just screamed “Help me” and a bunch of random names. I felt bad, but what are you going to do, right? Luckily, she was discharged yesterday afternoon to go to a rehab facility.

-I was sleep deprived for an entire night, which I’ve done before for another EEG, but this time I had a nurse coming in every 3 minutes making sure I was awake… I’m a person who enjoys my recommended dose of sleep every day, and to have someone coming in every 3 minutes making sure that didn’t happen, started to piss me off around 2:30AM…. so I might have been just a wee bit bitchy toward that nurse. a wee bit…

-I’ve never before been yelled at for going to the bathroom by myself, but boy these people sure get their panties in a bunch if you don’t tell them you need to use the facilities and have them escort you the 15 feet.

-I’ve also never had people knocking on the door while I brush my teeth to tell me that my heart monitor is going off. Because apparently brushing my teeth just raises that heart rate right up.

All in all though, I’ve had wonderful company most of the time I’ve been here. My friends and family have made this much easier for me. So thanks, everyone!

(Side note: not ALL my grades are in yet for this semester, but I’m looking at straight A’s… there’s only one class I’m concerned I might have a B+, depending on if I got an A on the final or not…. but not bad considering how stressed I was a few weeks ago, huh?)

Frustrations

I have been to countless doctors and had countless tests to get a diagnosis for my seizures… with NO luck.

My GP thinks I’m nuts… My first neurologist was willing to try medication but he moved away and left me in the hands of another neurologist. THIS neurologist suggested I go to therapy. I beg your pardon, sir, but I’ve already got my shit together, thanks. I don’t need to pay someone to tell me how I’m feeling and why. I think I’ve got that under control far more than many of the other people in this world. Do you get some kind of a commission for referring people to therapists? jeeze.

My current neuro not only thought I should try therapy, but also that I should continue “dancing” (as I told him I like to dance for fun [ like to footloose!]).

I don’t have a problem with dancing, not at all, in fact, I was doing it today. And guess what… I had a SEIZURE.

Everyone who thinks it is caused by my excessive caffeine consumption… I haven’t had ANY caffeine in OVER two weeks, so…. I don’t think that’s it.

Today is the second day in a row during which I’ve had a seizure. I had one yesterday, too. And the past few times I’ve had them, it’s only been once per day rather than 5-7 times a day.

I guess that’s good, but god effing damned if I’m not frustrated as all hell.

I’m going to the hospital for 5 days in mid December for a Video EEG. I will be confined to my hospital room… hooray.

I’m just SO frustrated that it has been almost a YEAR since these things started and STILL no one can give me any answers.

And no, I can’t avoid the activites I’m doing when they happen… If I did that I would have to stop: Dancing, Showering, Looking at Calendars, Attending Class, Running Errands, Getting Juice, Entering my Kitchen and/or Bathroom.

Just not practical I tell you!

 

ughhhh….. sorry, needed to vent.

 

Prayers Requested

Hey everyone… if you’re someone who prays, I ask that you please pray for a few things for me

First, I ask that you pray for my Grandmother, who is currently suffering and in a great deal of pain. She has cancer and they stopped chemo in August. She has gone downhill dramatically since then and they don’t estimate that she will have much longer. I ask that you pray for her to find peace and comfort, not that you pray for her to get better. I’m not naive enough to think that will happen.

Second I ask that you pray that my 24hour EEG, which begins tomorrow at 1pm, yields some results to help get me treatment.

Finally, I just want to say thank you in advance to everyone who does take the time to say a quick prayer. It means a lot to me. Thank you.

(P.S. If you play the video I posted a few days ago while praying or thinking.. I find that it intensifies it… a lot. Maybe that’s just me, but it’s worth a try.)

Seasonal Seizures

I’m beginning to think that my seizure correlate with the seasons.

During the Spring and Summer I was basically seizure free. Now that it’s starting to get cold again, I’ve been having them, and when I do have them, I have several a day. I’ve had two today in a 5 hour span.  I believe I’ve had 7 in the past 3 weeks.

They started happening in December of last year… and they were pretty frequent up until Spring, when the weather started improving.

I don’t know but they’re really affecting my mood and energy levels now. I get either really upset, over emotional, irritable, or I get extremely lethargic. After the last seizure I had today, about an hour ago, I’ve been extremely tired with a dull yet persistent headache.

Want to know what sucks about having the seizures today? I’m scheduled for a 24hr EEG in exactly ONE week to try to catch one. Think I’ll have one then? Probably not.

I would REALLY, REALLY like to get these things under control because I’m so beyond frustrated at this point.

Sleep Deprivation

I had my MRI yesterday morning. I have no idea how it went, I just know that it was very loud.

This morning I have my EEG. I need to be sleep deprived for it, so I only slept for about 3 hours.

I tried to stay up all night. It was not possible, though it would have been if I were allowed to drink caffeine (which I am NOT until after the test.)

I’m also not allowed to put any product in my hair, so I look like Medusa. Excellent.

So anyway, I’m not a fan of sleep deprivation to the extent I took it to. I woke up and felt like I was going to throw up. Gross.

Please cross your fingers for me for any of the following reasons:

- That the test goes well (of course)

-That I do not fall asleep until after the test (which is still 3 hours away)

-That I do not have to meet anyone of great importance today (because I am loopy from no sleep and look frightening)

-That I do not make any important life decisions or sign any binding legal documents until after I take a nap. HA

New New New

Last night Motormouth had a wonderful and very sweet idea to create art for my aforementioned wife who was in the accident.

The pieces all came out very well and I’m delivering them to her in a few hours along with some other presents.

Thank you for you kind thoughts and prayers!

In other news, I had my Neuro appointment today. This doctor was VERY nice and didn’t treat my like a psycho, which was a bonus. Now I have all sorts of appointments in the upcomming week for MRI’s and EEG’s or whatever. I even got a presricption for Valium because I’m ridiculously chlaustrophopic and would most likely freak out in the MRI machine.

So it looks like progress is being made.

I also wrote a short story yesterday that I am pleased with. I wrote it in a style influenced by  Chuck Palahniuk (whose writing style is influenced by Amy Hemple).

So maybe I’ll share that some time. Maybe.

And finally, I have been getting an obnoxious amount of telemarketer calls today!