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The Tapestry of Healing
I spent approximately seven months trying to find a doctor who would believe something was wrong with me. It took ten more months for me to no longer be questioned by the medical community, and still over another year to convince the federal government that I was sick enough to be disabled. After almost three years of fighting for my health, I was finally free to rest, recover, and heal. Except I couldn’t. Not fully at least. You spend almost three years trying to convince the world that something is wrong and see how easy it is to stop. My mind had become used to a constant repeat, reciting my…
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Count It All Joy
Earlier this month, I had my second brain surgery. I’ll save the details for another post, but overall it went very well. One might even go as far as to say it was successful – I haven’t had any high pressure symptoms since. The recovery process on the other hand was a different story. While on the surface, all is technically going well, there’s still so much more to recovery that never seems to be seen or heard. Take the post-surgery depression for example. In all honesty, I don’t even want to call it that because I know how much worse it could truly be. There is just no doubt…
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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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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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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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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…
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My Shunt Surgery
June 7, 2018 I laid on my side on the ER bed for the fifth time that year. My husband sat across from me. The anesthesiologist sat behind me. My pressure had once again been uncontrollable, and all medications had failed. It was time for yet another spinal tap. I honestly didn’t even care anymore. None of this was new, and nothing could possibly feel worse than what I was already feeling. I just wanted relief. As the physician inserted that 3 ½ inch needle, I did my best to breathe and pray, waiting for her to announce the opening pressure. Instead, she grabbed the extension. The next sound within…
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What is Intracranial Hypertension – Pseudotumor Cerebri?
(video below) Intracranial Hypertension is a rare neurological condition in which spinal fluid pressure increases around the brain and spinal cord, often times for no reason whatsoever. This condition also goes by the name pseudo-tumor cerebri, meaning “false brain tumor”, because the symptoms often mimic that of a brain tumor. Symptoms Include: Headache Fullness or pressure in head Nausea Vomiting Dizziness Balance Issues Back Pain Jaw Pain Neck stiffness & pain Whooshing noise in ears (Pulsatile Tinnitus) Auditory changes Ear Fullness Vision changes Pain when looking to the side Papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve) Vision loss What It Feels Like: Like thick caulk is filling up your head and…
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What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease is an infectious disease that can develop when a particular bacteria has invaded the human body. Causes There are many species of bacteria involved in Lyme Disease across the world, but the most common one is known as borrelia burgdorferi. When a tick infected with the Lyme bacteria bites a human, that bacteria can be transmitted into the bloodstream. Although more research is needed in terms of transmission, it is important to note that this bacteria has also been found in other insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, deer flies, spiders, and horse flies. Though Lyme Disease has not been proven to be contagious, it can be sexually transmitted…
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Eight Survival Tips for the Isolated, by the Isolated
I have to say, this time of quarantine has honestly not been so bad. Because for the most part, nothing for me has changed. February 2018, I became too sick to continue going to work. By March, I no longer even had a vehicle. It was just me and my baby home every day all day. And that’s how it’s been nearly every day for the past two years. Now given, I was often too sick to even get out of bed. And yes, many days I had someone there to help me. But it never changed the fact that we were always home and rarely venturing out. So when…
