A Hospital Stay

As most of you know I was admitted to an inpatient head pain clinic here in Michigan on Tuesday of last week.  I've been going through different procedures and trying different medications to get a handle on my everyday migraines.

So far I've had an MRI/MRV which determined that the vascular malformation in my brainstem in not an issue.  It does not cause the headaches nor does it limit me in any way.  In fact, they think it might be shrinking.  

On Thursday and Friday I had occipital nerve blocks.  These are basically 6 injections in the neck to a) numb the back of the head and b) decrease inflammation in the head.  Results usually aren't felt for 4-6 days so we'll see.

This afternoon they put in my 7th IV of the week.  Later this afternoon they installed a PICC line - basically a tube through my vein into my heart area that allows the medication in without the pain of an IV.  They are also able to do blood draws from here.  The doctor had a hard time getting it in because my veins are sneaky.  But the third try was successful.

We've discovered that my headaches get better when I lay down.  The current theory is that I might have a small leak of spinal fluid that would cause the headaches.  When I lay down the pressure eases.  When I work out (and get a really bad headache after) then I am increasing the pressure on the leak.  I did a Trendelenberg test this morning.  Basically they tilted my bed 6 degrees with my head down and my headache eased.  They did a lumbar puncture this afternoon to check the fluid and the level of the pressure.  My pressure is good, 15 in and 10 out - well within the normal range.  If there is a leak there are a few ways to treat it, first to try medications.  Second they can do a blood patch (basically injecting blood into the spinal column to seal the leak).  They didn't explain the third option so I can't share that with you.  

Tomorrow or Wednesday they are going to try facet nerve blocks.  These are blocks that are a little deeper in the neck.  I'll actually be sedated for these, thank God.  

My boys came to visit me on Saturday for Luke's birthday and I was so happy to see them.  I've also been watching videos of their Christmas program on YouTube videos that Mark has posted.  They all seem to be doing well and I know they are in good hands.  

I'm hoping to be released Friday or Saturday so I can be home for Luke and Jonah's party on Sunday.  We are doing a combined birthday party with all of their friends from school and church.  

On the road again...

So we are off to the Creation Museum today!  It's an exciting thing to be able to take 7-12th graders to see that not everything they learn in school is correct - and to be able to show them a Christian worldview as opposed to a worldview where information is based on supposed "truths".  
The boys are excited about Grandma and Papa coming today.  I have to leave in an hour to pick up Luke from school but I think I have both Jonah and Seth sleeping in the living room.  It's way too quiet.
I've had a headache both afternoons in the past couple of days.  But it's not been unmanageable.
The cat dug up one of my plants by the sink today.  You could see her dirty footprints from the sink all the way across the counter where she jumped off.  Needless to say, my plants got moved!  She just recently learned to jump onto the counters and she doesn't do it that often.  
I miss my sister a lot.  She's back in the ROTC program at U of IL and seems happy for now.  That's all I can ask for - her happiness.  I wish I could go see her more often.  
Have a great weekend!

Time Flies...

Again, it's been awhile since I've blogged.  Life has been crazy here with school starting.  Luke is enjoying first grade.  Jonah loves preschool and Seth is potty trained and going to school twice a week.  He wants to go every morning like his brothers so we might look into the 5-day program in a month or so.
I saw my neurologist last Thursday.  They switched up my medicine a little more as they usually do.  But the new topical cream they have me on has been working great.  I put it on my trigger points in my shoulders and I think it is really helping with the headaches.  It's called Voltaren Cream.  It's an anti-inflammatory.  Otherwise they refilled my Vicodin and gave me Compazine and Diamox otherwise.  I took the Compazine and Vicodin together the other day and it made me very restless and tired.  I don't think I'll do that again.
I've been trying to work out 4-5 times a week.  It's been frustrating that I haven't lost much at all.  My neurologist wants me to see a medical weight loss program to get the weight off sooner rather than later.  The exertion of the exercise gives me migraines so until I can relax a little I'm going to keep having them.  I know we can't afford anything insurance won't pay so I'm putting it off for the moment.  Still exercising, still migraining.  :)
The headaches have been better though.  I'm down to one every other day at the moment so I can't complain.  It's way better than everyday.
We have a new member of our family.  We adopted the cutest black kitten almost 2 weeks ago.  She came to our house for the night and never left.  She loves to cuddle and I love to oblige.  My allergies have abated since the first few days and Jonah has shown no reaction at all.  
No word on Seth's x-rays as of yet.  I took him in last week for x-rays of his head.  He has a line from his ear up the side of his head where you can see that the bones haven't fused all the way.  It seems to have sealed but he might be more susceptible to head injury in the future. I'll post something as soon as I find out.  

Time Away...

So it's been a while since I've written.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I've been busy although I can't really argue that given how much I've done otherwise.
Luke started school this past week.  I was really looking forward to having some quiet around the house but I really do miss him during the day.  Jonah's preschool open house was this morning so he got to play.  He's really comfortable there since it's the class he was in last year.  We haven't made much progress with Seth and potty training.  He's wearing underwear but he still has accidents.  This is a new thing for us since the older two never had accidents.  Poop is really gross to clean up, I must say.
I've had this vague pressure at the back of my head the past couple of weeks.  It's not a migraine per se but it's not comfortable either.  I've been taking Baclofen (muscle relaxer) to see if it can ward it off but it hasn't really done a sufficient job either.  I've tried botox before but I get a really, really bad headache the day after from the injections.  So I'm not really ready to try that again any time soon.  I've noticed that I tend to be a little "fogged out" when I have this pressure.  It takes more concentration to focus on anything.  I see my neurologist again on September 8th.
I have been surprisingly consistant in working out lately.  I did 4 days last week and have done the past 2 this week.  I'm shooting for 5 days this week.  I was really frustrated when I weighed on Monday though.  Instead of losing like I hoped I had actually gained.  How do I gain when I eat 1200 calories and work out?  It doesn't make sense to me unless I'm just gaining muscle.  Mark argued that I should follow "no pain, no gain" except that I have both.  :)  Here's to losing this week.
Please keep my sister in your prayers.  She is dealing with a lot with starting college and we've talked almost everyday.  She's looking for guidance and I try but I always end up redirecting her to God.  I sound like the stereo-typical Christian and I hate that feeling but the advice is what she needs right now.  

Thus begins...

And thus begins a crazy week...
This week begins Vacation Bible School at church.  I'm super excited to bring this message to the kids.  We are using curriculum from Answers in Genesis this year and it's good stuff.  I'm co-running it and while I'm not nervous, it's still stressfull.
My parents and sister are coming this week!  Super excited about that!  My sister is on her way to the University of IL for NROTC and her freshman year in nuclear engineering.  It's amazing how different we are and yet so close.  Engineering is way too much math for me.  But hey, more power to her.
Well, I'm off to get stuff done.  Wish me luck this week.

Into a new month

Hello blogging world!
It's been a few days unfortunately.  I set for myself the goal of blogging everyday but I knew that I wouldn't be able to do every single day.  And I'm okay with that.  Perfection is not obtainable for a human being and I'm okay with that.  :)
I did work out today.  I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill.  I maintained the mostly running for the first mile as I have been.  I did wind up with a headache from it but I have been maintaining most of the day at only a slight pain.  I might go to bed early tonight with an ice pack but only so that I don't have to take another Vicodin.  
The boys have been pretty exuberent all day.  I'm ready for the older two to go back to school.  I think Luke needs the mental stimulation that his brothers just can't provide.  I'm having problems talking him into doing his "homework" - his workbook that keeps him going through the summer.  I'm really excited to see what first grade brings.  I think it's going to be a change for him.  He's been fascinated with "Shark Week" this month.
Seth has gone completely backward in potty training.  We are now back in diapers.  We were doing so well in pull-ups.  We even did a few days in underwear.  He never did #2 in the potty but we had #1 down.  Now he just doesn't care.  He doesn't care about going to school at the end of the month.  He says he doesn't want to.
Jonah has been Jonah.  He's excited about going back to school.  He tries so hard to be like Luke academically.  He wants to know the same things that Luke knows.  
I was sore the past couple of days, not from anything in particular.  That's just how the FMS works sometimes.  We walked around the fair on Tuesday night but nothing strenuous.  I think the medication that I'm on has been making me really sleepy during the day.  I'm hoping to eventually get off most of them but that comes after the weight loss when I can focus more on the headaches.  
Now that this blog is really long, I promise one day to update with a picture.  My boys are growing so fast.  

Today was a day of reflection for me.  I rested much of the day, sore from the past workouts.  My older two boys decided that they wanted to go to church tonight instead of yesterday morning, which is generally fine with me.  (Daddy lets them help with offering on Monday nights.)
My husband often does more of a bible study format sermon on Monday nights, slightly less formal than Sunday mornings.  Tonight we talked about Isaiah 55 and how often we spend our energies on things in life that, ultimately, do not make us happy.  
                  Why spend money on what is not bread, 
                             and your labor on what does not satisfy? (Isaiah 55:2)

C.S. Lewis says it like this: “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something, other than God, which will make him happy.”  How true and how sad.

How often do we focus on things that don't matter in the long run?  And how often do we brush aside issues, such as eternal life, that do matter?  Can we look at our lives and honestly say that we live each day in God's word?

It's amazing how that can apply to so much more in our lives than our church attendance.  How often do we crave the unfulfilling calories of that slice of cheesecake?  How often do we covet that bigger house or the nicer car?  In the long run, those things just don't matter.  Your family, your health, your relationship with God - those are the things that matter.  

2nd Day Out

So I came to a decision today.  After discussing it with my husband (who fully supports it) I am ready to implement.  I've been thinking about this for a while but I think it's just fully come to realization, mine in reality and in my head.  Between my health history and my weight I can't fully enjoy life the way my boys have given me the opportunity to do.  I want to change that.  For years, my headaches have held me back.  As I said yesterday, one of my triggers is exertion.  How do I work out knowing I'm going to have a killer headache afterwards that might last days?  Then it dawns on me...I have a headache everyday as it is.  So maybe I need to just let the headaches be what they will and focus on my health otherwise???  Please understand that I know that this will put more on Mark - waking up at night to grab medicine or getting up with the boys in the mornings.  He and I talked about this and he is ready to step in as needed.  (How did I get such a great husband?  I know he just wants me to be healthy too.)  So tonight's workout was the first step...
Ok, did I make my goal from yesterday?  Why yes, yes I did.  I ran/walked 30 minutes tonight on the treadmill.  It was almost an experiment to see if I had another headache in the middle of the night.  So we'll see and I'll let you know tomorrow...
Goodnight world!  
P.S.  I get to see my sister in 7 or 8 days!  I can't wait!

My first ever post

Hello blogging world!  I was awaken at 5am this morning with a pounding headache.  It took the next two hours (and 2 Vicodin) to dull enough so I could doze again.  During these 2 hours I decided to find a outlet for my thoughts - thoughts about what, I honestly wasn't sure of.  I think I'd just like a spot to compile my thoughts on a daily basis.  So here goes for today.


I managed to doze for the next few hours while Mark lovingly got up with the boys.  It's his one morning to sleep in and it's usually him getting up with the boys.  And they don't sleep late. 


Oh, and the reason for my headache, you ask?  Yeah, it was my workout last night.  I took 30 minutes last night to run/walk on my treadmill.  Of course, this causes the blood to pound in my head like a good workout should. Now I know that this is one of my migraine triggers.  So why do I do it?  Because like seemingly everyone else in the world, I suffer from a lack of health.  I've been trying to lose some weight and lately I've been doing pretty good.  But if I can't work out, how do I reach my goals?  A conundrum to be sure.  


The headache abated after sleeping much of the morning but just the threat of one kept me inside away from the heat and sun.  Luke asked me last night if I could go out and play baseball with the four of them.  It breaks my heart everytime I have to tell him no.  Sometimes I really debate whether I should just take the headache...is it worth it?  Time with my kids SHOULD be, right?  


At the end of each post, I'd like to set a goal for the next day.  Big or small - it needs to be something I can accomplish.  I'm going with the idea that I can do way more than I think I can.  So my goal for tomorrow is to get back on the treadmill for 30 minutes.