Here I Go Again!

I had a major scare Saturday night while watching my youngest son play soccer.  He was playing in a tournament and the game started at 8:30 p.m.  Around 9:30 I got the worst pain in my head that I have ever gotten.  I'm used to headaches and migraines, but this was different.  It felt like someone had stuck a knife in the top front left side of my brain and decided to twist it and leave it there.

As you all know, getting strange pains is a normal part of our lives.  This pain was different! The lights and noise were unbearable, meanwhile I'm trying to keep my happy face on for my son who is still playing.  Finally around 9:45 the game was over and we got in the car for the 30 minute drive home.  I didn't want to scare my hubby or my 10 year old, so I just closed my eyes and pushed my head into the headrest to try and ease the pain.

Once we arrived home I decided to check my blood pressure and it was 167/111.  I finally let my hubby know what was happening and told him it was time for the ER.  I called my parents and asked them to meet us there so they could take Shane to their house.  My mom stayed with us, while my dad took Shane home.

We were at the ER from 11:00 to 3:30 the next morning.  They started me off on IV Toradol and something to help with the nausea I had developed.  After a couple of hours, my blood pressure had gone down just a tad, but the pain was still pretty bad.  They then added morphine and codeine to my IV and took me for a CT scan.  Finally the pain started to subside, and my blood pressure went back to semi-normal.  The CT came back fine (of course, because they always do), and they gave me a prescription for the Toradol and Tylenol with codeine and sent me on my merry way.  

The pain was back by 7:00 and the blood pressure was up again (though only 149/100).  I spent all of Sunday in bed under the blanket in praying that the meds would start working.  Finally on Monday my blood pressure was back to normal (110/76) and the pain was finally heading to being a regular every day type of headache.

While in the ER waiting for my parents, I could see how scared my little guy was, and all I could do was think about what would happen to him if I stroked out or had a heart attack.  So I made a decision that I was going to lose all the weight I have gained over the last few years, because I can't imagine leaving my husband, children and family.  I can't do that to them, and I can't do that to me.

So I've started a new weight loss program, and have already lost 5 pounds this week (mostly water weight).  I will be down to a healthier weight by the summer and I will get out there and play soccer with my son.  I want to be able to walk, run, and go places with my family.  Hopefully the weight loss will help with the Fibro pain (people are always telling me if I lose weight things will get better), but regardless of the Fibro I want to live a healthier life for my family (pain be damned)!

Gentle Hugs,

Bonnie

15 Days of Rest!

I am finally off for our winter break.  I don't have to go back to work until January 6th! Going to spend the next 2 weeks enjoying time with my boys and my hubby. I will not stress over the holidays like I did for Thanksgiving and end up in a major flare.

My hubby and my youngest went out and bought a monster tree for Christmas (13ft. Noble Fir).  It's finally up and the tree and house are decorated.  My hubby decorated the house yesterday during his day off so I wouldn't have to do it.  We all decorated the tree Thursday night.

I've decided that we will go to Christmas Eve service and then to my cousin's house for her annual Christmas Eve party.  Christmas Day will be spent at home with my guys.  I've invited my parents to come over and join us for breakfast and the opening of the gifts.  My mom is upset with me because I don't want to have a bigger family gathering and has said she will not be coming over.  She tried to give me guilt by saying "it's time to start your own family traditions."

I refused to be guilted into doing something I don't feel up to doing and told her the invitation was still on the table for her and my dad.  I also told my dad.  Whether they show up or not is entirely up to them.

 I'm going to enjoy my Christmas Break and rest up for the second half of the school year.  The second half is always the craziest because of statewide testing.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I SURVIVED! Sort of!

I SURVIVED!

After a horrible weekend due to the cold front, I felt really good on Monday.  I decided to take my little man Shane to the movies, then I had to go to a church council meeting, and finally I decided to go shopping.  I got home around 9:00 p.m. and was exhausted.

Tuesday I got up and cooked 2 turkeys, and made a double batch of my broccoli, rice and cheese casserole for our big family Thanksgiving/Family Reunion on Thursday.  I also did about 7 loads of laundry.  I still felt good, but my shoulders were a little sore.

Wednesday morning I went and picked up my mom around 8:15 so that we could go see the spine doctor (we both had appointments).  Doctor wants me to get an MRI and said I could go back to the chiropractor for now (yay me).  After our appointments my mom wanted to go to the mall to return some boots she had bought the day before.  We ended up getting makeovers (I got some makeup courtesy of my mom) and going to a late lunch.  After I dropped her off I headed to my nail appointment.  While I was there, my hubby called me and asked me to stop at the store and pick up some things we still needed for Thanksgiving.  I ended up getting home around 7:00 p.m. I was exhausted, a little more sore, but still moving.

Thursday 36 people (including my family) were crowded into my house for our first ever family reunion.  We hadn't all been together in over 13 years (see pictures on left sidebar).  My mom (the oldest sibling) called her other 3 siblings and told them that they needed to get all of their children and grandchildren to come down for Thanksgiving.  She didn't ask, she demanded!  My 89 year old grandfather was recently diagnosed with stage 4 skin cancer, and has decided he isn't going to get any treatments for it.  So my mom let everyone know that we may not have many more holidays with him.  So all 32 family members joined the 4 of us at my house for a wonderful day of love, laughter, and lots of memories.  I'm glad my body was still cooperating!

Friday and today I AM IN PAIN!!! My feet burn, my back is killing me, my shoulders feel like someone is stabbing me, and I have a monster headache!  The pain is worth the week I had.  I'm using the weekend to recuperate so that I'm work ready on Monday!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I know I did!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Get Up and Go has Got Up and Went!

This is definitely me!

My body has been in flare up mode ever since the rainy week we had.  It's been almost 3 weeks and the pain seems to be getting worse not better.  I feel bad because I'm conserving what energy I have to make it to work everyday.  Anyone who teaches can tell you that it is not a sit around and relax kind of job.  I get home so exhausted and in so much pain that I just change into my jammies and climb into bed.

Luckily for me I have the best hubby in the world.  He knows I'm hurting and he takes care of me and the boys.  I know it hard for him sometimes having to be the one that takes care of everything, and I feel guilty that I have to rely on him so much. 

The problem is, that I don't have the energy to do anything with him or the boys on weekends.  My feet, back, shoulders, and head hurt so much that I just want to sleep my weekends away.  My parents don't understand what I'm feeling.  My mother is constantly at me to just get up and deal with the pain.  My dad thinks the solution is to just get on the treadmill and everything will be alright! I know my boys wish I could do more with them, but they know how much I hurt.

I have an appointment to see my rheumatologist in 2 weeks, and I'm going to ask him to refer me to a local physical therapy place that deals with fibro.  They have aqua therapy, massage therapy, plus exercises and yoga.  I'm hoping that they will help with some of my pain issues.  It might also be time to adjust or change my medications.  I have hydrocodone for when the pain gets to the unbearable stage, but I try not to use it that often.  I have an addictive personality, and the last thing I need is to become addicted to pain killers.

So for now I will rest and recover and ignore my parents (I know they love me and mean well).  I will continue to lean on my best friend and hope that I don't end up pushing him to his breaking point.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Grown Up Time!

I'm feeling good this weekend, only have a few aches and pains, and the hubby and I are going out tonight!  It's my aunts birthday this week, and we are celebrating by going out to dinner and then to the local comedy club with her and her hubby and my parents.  It's so nice having an 18 year old who can take care of his 9 year old brother so we can have a night out.  This is one good reason for having children so far apart in age. 

I'm going to spend the day relaxing and resting.  I don't want to do anything that is going to prevent me from going out tonight.  I have been looking forward to this all week.  I know my aunt is going to be resting also since she is a fellow fibro warrior.  I know she's been hurting a lot lately because of our crazy weather.

On a totally different note, I developed a new symptom yesterday.  We were having professional development in the gym (which is really hot and humid because of the swamp coolers), and my principal decided to be nice by bringing in fans to cool us down.  Well he set up one of the fans right behind me which felt great at first.  About 30 minutes later, my shoulder really started to ache.  Thirty minutes after that it really started to hurt.  I've never had pain due to temperature changes.  I hope this isn't something that is going to start affecting me all the time.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Oh What Fun it's Been! NOT!

The last several months have not been pleasant! School was fine, but very stressful, and I couldn't wait for Spring Break to arrive.  I was looking forward to some family time and a dose rest and relaxation!  Spring Break was great! We went up to the mountains and rented a cabin.  Just the 4 of us enjoying time away from everything. We went walking around the small town, we rode the go carts, we played board games, and we just enjoyed time being a family.  THEN WE CAME HOME!

We came home late Saturday afternoon (March 23), unpacked, ate some dinner, then chilled until bedtime.  I woke up the next morning to get ready for church and realized I was short of breath every time I walked from one place to another.  I went to church and continued with the shortness of breath. I decided to go to an Urgent Care Clinic close to our house since it was Sunday, and after an x-ray they said I had pneumonia.  Gave me a couple of shots, some antibiotics, and said I could probably return to work by Wednesday.  I returned to work on Wednesday, and by lunch time I knew I wasn't going to make it through the rest of the week.  My doctor was out of town and couldn't see me until Monday.  By Sunday I started getting chest pains, and returned to the Urgent Care Clinic.  They took more x-rays and did an EKG. They determined the pneumonia was still there, but they were worried about my EKG and sent me to the emergency room.

The doctor's at the emergency room did a full work up (including a CT Scan) and couldn't find anything wrong with me.   They said they didn't find any pneumonia, and my heart seemed fine.  They did recommend that I go see a cardiologist since they couldn't explain the chest pain. This is where everything started going down hill.

I saw the cardiologist who then scheduled me for all sorts of tests and sent me to a pulmonary doctor.  Between the 2 doctors, I had every test known to man done on me.  I was poked, prodded, and scanned until I thought I would glow in the dark from all the radioactive material they kept putting into my body.  The only thing the 2 of them could agree on was that my oxygen levels dropped when I walked (I now have an oxygen tank I have to lug around), and a couple of my labs were elevated (probably due to the fibromyalgia).  By now it was the middle of June and we still didn't have a solution.  I convinced my cardiologist to refer me to the Mayo Clinic. They accepted and we headed off to Arizona on June 23rd!

Luckily for us, my brother and his family live about 20 miles away from the Clinic so we had a place to stay.  The 4 of us and my parents quickly settled in for our stay with my brother, sister-in-law, and 2 nieces.  We were a very cozy 10 people. Fortunately for us we are a very close family, which came in handy since we ended up staying for a whopping 16 days!  I spent every day (except weekends) getting poked, prodded, and scanned again!  I was bounced back and forth between the pulmonary doctor, the cardiologist, and the heart surgeon. 

Turns out I have a small hole in my heart (5 mm) that allows blood to go from the right upper chamber to the left upper chamber whenever I bear down, sneeze, cough, or hold my breath.  Apparently the blood is supposed to go into the right upper chamber, then out again and around to the lungs.  They aren't going to fix the hole, because  they say it would be more dangerous to go in than to leave it alone.  Besides, they said this wasn't the cause of my shortness of breath because I was born with this hole.  They did put me on aspirin so that I can keep from developing any clots.  So now anytime I sneeze, cough, or bear down I can picture the blood rushing to the left chamber. GOOD TIMES!

After 16 days, the only thing they could come up with was that I had asthma! Seriously! ASTHMA! My local doctors couldn't figure that out? Man they suck!  So it was time to head home! The good thing to come out of this trip was the fact that we spent a lot of time together.  We celebrated the 4th of July and my birthday while we were there, and spent a lot of time talking and laughing.

I'm back home now, and have been to the allergist.  They have done my allergy testing (I'm allergic to every tree and piece of grass in my town), and I am scheduled to begin my allergy shots next week.  I now have my inhaler, and the doctor thinks I should be able to walk without the oxygen sometime in the next 6 weeks.

Needless to say, by the time I go back to work next month my Spring Break will have lasted 5 months! I have definitely gotten my share of rest and relaxation.  Most of my teacher friends are dreading the summer coming to an end already, but I can't wait to go back to work. So happy this nightmare is finally coming to an end! 

Gentle Hugs!

Migraine!

I was having a good fibro week until Wednesday when I got a migraine! I  stayed home Thursday to rest up, and that seemed to help with the migraine portion of the headache.  I still have a headache and my neck hurts, but at least it's manageable pain and not "leave me alone" pain! Anyhow, I feel better and am up and moving around.

Going to a movie today with my babe, and a spaghetti dinner my church is hosting with my family! Tomorrow I'm going to a comedy club with the Parental Units and my aunt and uncle.

Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

He'll Be Dancing Soon Enough!

Brian had his left hip replaced last Tuesday morning and has been recovering quite quickly.  He stayed in the hospital 3 nights (I stayed with him on the most uncomfortable roll away bed ever made), and has been at the rehab facility since Friday (their pull out bed was a little more comfortable). 

I stayed with him until yesterday morning, then we decided it was time for me to come home.  I made sure that he could get in and out of bed by himself, take a shower and get dressed by himself, and walk to physical therapy without any support. 

I hated leaving him, but my boys were anxious to come home.  They love staying with my Parental Units, but they were missing the comforts of home.  Shaney especially missed his XBox. Plus I was really missing my boys.  They will going on vacation with the Units and my nieces for 2 weeks beginning July 8th (my birthday) to California and Las Vegas, so I needed to get my fix of them before they leave.

Anyway, Brian is doing so well at therapy they are letting him come home tomorrow.  They had him practice going up and down a set of stairs (don't know what we were thinking when we decided to buy a 2-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs), and he said it was a "piece of cake." 

So tomorrow Spencer and I are going shopping for a shower seat.  The facility is going to give him a walker (well they're going to charge the insurance for it anyway) and a raised toilet seat.  They have given him some other cool gadgets to help him get in and out of bed and put his socks and pants on without rotating his hip.  Apparently if he rotates his hip, it could dislocate and we would have to do this all over again!