Saturday, August 15, 2009

My Latest Layout For James' Scrapbook

Here is a layout that I was able to finish yesterday. This is of James on 10-30-05 right after he turned 2 years old. This picture was taken of him at naptime.



Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Well, It Has Been A While....

since I have posted, but there is a good reason....I have been focusing on getting better. It has been a very difficult time for me the last few months because I have been so sick. I am so not used to this. I am used to being in some pain everyday, but not this. Not being able to breathe without hurting or not being able to take a decent breath. I am having to use an inhaler just about everyday to help me to breathe. I go to the lung specialist on August 18 to get a lung function test done. That is a test that tells me how far my asthma as progressed since the last time that I had the test done, back in 2007, and will also confirm or dismiss the diagnosis of COPD-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, this includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Now, back in 2007 when I was having some problems breathing, the doctors told me about the asthma, but I was unaware of the possible COPD diagnosis, reason: nobody told me. So, I have been going about my day unaware that I may have something really serious wrong with me.

I have also been having problems with some terrible headaches. The pain would start in my neck on the right side right at the base of my skull and make its way all around the right part of my head and it would pound hard. I know from documenting that I had a headache daily from July 1-July 20. On July 1, I went to the neurologist to get checked out and had a pounding headache then. She wanted to do a MRI of my neck to see what may or may not be going on. So I had the MRI done on about the 18th of the month and went back to the doctor on the 20th and still had a pounding headache. So the doctor told me that the results of the MRI show that I have some bulging disks from C3-C7 in my neck on the left and that I have pinched nerve on the right side of my neck and that my neck also curves forward some. Ok, now what....off to see a spine surgeon to see if I need surgery. But not before she gives me a shot of steriods to see if that would get rid of my pounding headache. And it did. About 1 hour later my head is not pounding as bad.

Well, my hubby calls the surgeon in town where we live to see if we could come in, they said they have an appt today. Great, so we eat lunch real fast and head over to the orthopedic surgeon and see the nurse practitioner who looks over my MRI and checks me out and says that there is still spinal fluid around the bulging disks, so we are not going to do surgery "yet." Great, so now what do I do about the headaches....she suggests epidural shots. Ok, I can get those at my pain doctor. She calls my pain doctor for me and explains that I need to get something done ASAP, and they get me set up for the next day to get epidural shots in my neck.

So off I go to the town that is about 30 min from me to get my epidural shots. Now, I have gotten them before and they make me sick. So I have to have phenergren also so that I do not get sick right after the epidural. Well, they do the epidural and they also have an IV in me for sedation-or the calming meds. So she also puts the phenergren in the IV spot on my right hand. Oops....she did not dilute the phenergren and it made a nasty vein burn on the vein that it went in, a few veins around the site and up my arm about half-way to my elbow. Talk about hurting....this did. And that epidural shot was done on July 22 and to today it is still bruised and hurts. So needless to say I am not getting a phenergren shot again at the doctors office to be on the safe side. I will just take a tablet of phenergren right before I get to the office just to be on the safe side.

Well fast forward to this past Friday. It was about 6 pm and my head starting hurting around my neck. Great it is starting again. And it did. My head was pounding about 1 hour later. So I go to bed and wake up a little early so that I can see my primary doctor so that he can give me a steriod shot so that I can get rid of this headache. Well, he does not want to give me the steriod shot...he says I am drug seeking....yeah right. I have a pounding headache and I have asked for just a steriod shot and no pain meds and you say that I am drug seeking....ok. Well he finally gives me the shot and I leave and I am mad. I have never been accused of being drug seeking. I take my meds as prescribed and sometimes less since I cannot afford to take them sometimes. I know that is not the best thing to do, but in times like this, you do what you got to do.

Well, this past Monday I made an appt with another doctor that I will see if I can start using. I go to see him on Aug 25. We will see how that goes.

I also have to get another round of epidural shots done, later today at lunch. I am hoping that this round of shots will work and stop my headaches from happening. How I need a break from the headaches.

Until next time...