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The Auditory Symptoms of Intracranial Hypertension
Did you know that the first sign I experienced of something being wrong was hearing trouble? I was two days post-blood patch from my CSF leak when my hearing became completely muffled. It felt as if they were stopped up entirely. And I only grew increasingly frustrated with having to constantly hear my own breathing and heartbeat louder than the sounds around me. This pressure was only relieved by lowering my head, which obviously I couldn’t do in casual conversation. This symptom seemed to come on in the morning, shortly after waking and starting my day. It would then typically disappear on its own around lunchtime. Meanwhile, work phone calls…
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The Truth About Medical Trauma
⊗ Trigger Warning: The following post discusses Medical PTSD & Trauma. Please proceed with caution. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank There are many reasons I write. Outside of it being my calling, writing can be incredibly therapeutic. Like seeing a therapist, it brings clarity to the situations in my life. Oftentimes, it can feel as if bees are swarming around in my mind. I can’t think straight, and speaking is almost completely out of the question. But writing allows for these “bees” to fly out one at a time and land on each page accordingly. It allows…
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Have You Tried…
We’ve all heard it. You don’t even have to have a chronic illness to have been asked this question in regards to all your problems. “Have you tried…” Have you tried losing weight? Have you tried this diet? Have you tried yoga? Have you tried essential oils? It didn’t take me long to realize how tiresome this question can be. For many who do suffer with a chronic illness, this question can almost seem like an insult. Because in truth, they have likely tried everything you can name. Personally, this question has never bothered me because I look at it as a way to research more into both what works…
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By His Stripes, I Am Healed
To say it was a Sunday like any other would be a lie. In truth, I should have realized something was different early on. Though my husband made no comment to me, he didn’t even want to go to church that morning. Even I lacked the usual energy and excitement that I usually had in going to my place of freedom. The music didn’t reach me the same. I barely sang, and I could only manage a sway while everyone danced and clapped around me. I still had no idea of what was to come. Though my body was only a few feet from the alter, my mind was elsewhere.…
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Could You Wait One Hour?
When Jesus said He was coming back soon, more than likely His disciples and followers took that literally. They had seen Jesus. They had seen Him live and die and rise again. They had seen Him return, and they lived expecting that He could return again at any moment. Soon. He said soon. And they made sure to live as blameless as possible because His return could be any minute. But time went on. And how impatient did the church get through time! How tired of waiting did we get! Since the time of Jesus’ departure, we’ve only grown more and more lax in our Christian walk because maybe “soon”…
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What We Wish You Knew
Not everything is easy to say – especially for someone who battles sickness and pain on a daily basis. But there are many things that we wish you knew. I ask that you take the time today to read through what so many of us with chronic illnesses struggle with on a daily basis. Help us break that silence. I cannot speak for everyone, but I do believe this can speak for many: 1.) Sometimes we don’t want to take medicine. You’ve seen the commercials. We don’t need to tell you the side effects that can come with the medications we take. Some of us can barely even keep track…
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Repair the Breach
There once was a rich man, who though interestingly was never named, lived a life of absolute luxury. And at his gate every day, laid a beggar named Lazarus, who only sought for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. While the rich man dressed in the finest attire, Lazarus was dressed in wounds and sores that were licked by dogs. These two men obviously lived completely different lives. But neither was spared from death. When the day came that both Lazarus and the rich man died, angels brought Lazarus up to Abraham’s side. The rich man however, ended up in hell. When the rich man looked up…
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My Shunt Surgery – Healing
Apparently when my neurosurgery team told me, “If you feel anything at all, let us know.” They meant, “It can take even eight weeks before your body adjusts to the shunt.” So by three weeks post-surgery, I was back at the hospital once again begging for relief. As I stood hunched against the corner of the elevator trying to stretch out the pressure, who do you think was to enter the elevator that Friday morning but my neurologist – my God-sent angel – the only one who could ever convince my neurosurgeons to help me. And despite ridiculous feuds with my neurosurgery team that day, my shunt was adjusted and…
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My Shunt Surgery – Recovery
I remember the moment I woke up in recovery and was told I just had shunt surgery. Part of me felt like I was still in and out of consciousness in the ER. Part of me thought I had passed out from the pain, and they had performed an emergency shunt surgery. Within a few minutes though, my husband and his sister were at my side, and I began to remember that it was all planned. Nurses came by to take bedside X-rays, and I rested, soaking in the new information that was now a part of my life: I had a shunt. I had a medical device inside of…
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Living with Intracranial Hypertension
Have you been battling Intracranial Hypertension and the life-altering symptoms it causes? Don’t fight it alone. Let us be there for you. Which topic has been eating away at your mind? Are you struggling in your marriage? Are you having trouble working yet can’t afford to stay home? Are you wondering how to function and communicate while staying in the hospital? Have you even fully accepted yet what happened to you? Pick a topic and read away. Know you are not alone in this battle and that there is a purpose behind your pain. We are here for you. Relationships Parenting Working A Day in the Life Coping with an…
