Thursday, February 23, 2012

So Far So good.......

My days for the last week and a half have been good. I have had fewer attacks as I call them. Today was one of them. It was a little embarrassing because it started at my sons doctor appointment. This time it was just a little weakness, clumsiness and it made me a little slow thought process wise. So I am up for another MRI to be scheduled in April as well as more visits to the Neurosurgeon. Last I saw him it was like a lesson in brain anatomy and physiology. Very interesting and made me feel better having all of this explained to me. My appointment was about 2 hours long. He walked me through my last MRI films and told me what he thought. Very interesting I must say. Knowledge is power.
I have also started working out regularly which has really helped. I am not as bad as I was with my anxiety and balance problems despite the attacks I get every now and then.
I have noticed that my bunting tutorial has had a number of views. Feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have.
One thing I have been looking forward to is going to see Nickelback again. So excited and this time it will be close to a big birthday for me. Yes this is a picture of me at the concert in '09, on the screen at a Nickelback concert and that one was awesome. Cannot wait for this years tour. I am gonna rock the rail again.

As for now I will work on getting better. Hope everyone has an awesome weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzx4BF-NXtI&feature=related

Allison

Monday, February 13, 2012

Today is ok......

So today we have come back from visiting the kids at my in laws. They are doing well but I was surprised that my son didn't really want much to do with me when I got there. I guess I can't really blame him for anything. He is only 22 months. Never the less my feelings where hurt. My daughter seems to be enjoying her vacation because she gets away with more there than she does at home. Oh well. Mommy needs to get better and I cannot take the kids to doctors appointments. The next two are neurosurgeon and another EEG. It will be a sleep deprived EEG. Whoopee. NOT.
The last week has been very good till today. I started getting dizzy again this morning with another head ache. So far not much of my research has led me to credible medically qualified results. There is not much at all about pineal cysts except negatively depressing questions to medical sites that are a little questionable. Most of the information about any growth or anything on the pineal cyst is about tumors or cancers etc. Depress much. If anyone out there has some credible information that makes sense and is not written by someone who calls them selves a doctor please pass it along. I am mostly looking for medical information entailing anything about pineal cysts on the pineal gland in the brain. Something that can explain my symptoms, ways to cope, treatment and diagnosis etc.
On a happier not I get to watch my favorite little babies this week. All twelve of them. I have been pet sitting for just over two years and it is awesome. This home in particular is one of my first ones and remains a constant. I love the family and have grown to be an adopted member.
Sammy is one of my elderly guys. I believe he is around 15 or so. There are two others who are around the same age and I have made it a point to give them extra attention because they all seemed more distant than the younger ones. The exception would be the two that are completely anti social for what reason I am not sure.
This guy is Owen very mischievous and is a sweetie when he wants. He and his partner in crime James are the antagonists and like to cause me grief some times. However I do enjoy them because they keep me on my toes.
Since I am sharing pictures of animals this post I want to share this one. This is a picture of our sweet Abby. I wanted to sneak a picture of her in because she is the best dog ever. She was our first kid. Well she was my husbands dog for a couple of years before that but she is still our first. She has been awesome through two babies taking family trips and guarding the yard. Even though she has plates in her leg from an unfortunate jump from a moving truck. Nothing stops her. No I did not intentionally place my dog the bed of a moving truck nor do I advocate that. I won't delve into that story. It would be a book. Ha ha. She is now sleeping on the floor having her dogie dreams, I am sure about chasing birds.

I love comments. Feel free to make some. Song of the Day.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5oE0ijhKg


Allison








Wednesday, February 8, 2012

How its going.............

I am very hopeful that cause of my dizziness will be uncovered. Yesterday I spent 4 and a half hours in the neurologist office doing exams and testing. He looked at my MRI films and would like to have a neuro surgeon look at them further to tell him what he thinks. The MRI does show a cyst in my pineal gland. The pineal gland can grow these types of cysts but most cases never cause problems. Pineal cysts are found mostly by accident because of and MRI or CAT scan for other reasons. The pineal gland is located in a part of the brain where spinal fluid flows through the brain. This is right in the middle of the brain. My doc however wants to further explore mine. Blood test where also ordered to detect other problems that are causing my dizziness.
For now I remain hipper sensitive to sound and sometimes light. My head aches are there but not severe as they are every now and then. The doc explained to me that my brain is trying to deal with the dizziness there for the hipper sensitivity is a byproduct. This leaves me uncomfortable most days with the dizziness there as well. I am so happy to have a doctor that cared to do as much as he did yesterday and not blow me off like my GP and my ENT. Both gave me the feeling that they believed I was making my symptoms up.
The goal for this week is to take it easy and not put myself in any position that might exacerbate my on going issues. Sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, light and any issues that cause stress which will again make my spinning and head aches worse.
This is a color example of where the pineal gland is located.


In my research so far I have read that they can cause head aches which I have but have not seen anything on dizziness. This is puzzling however anything is possible. Some cases I have read about in which the cyst grows or is a tumor can cause epilepsy, vomiting, visual disturbances and coma. This is why I will be undergoing a few more MRI's to determine if it is growing. So far this is the plan. However where is the dizziness coming from. This is what is so frustrating. I guess the line of thinking is simply that anything is possible because there aren't limits to cause and effect when it comes to illnesses we face. Medicine is not always a consistent and predictable thing. This is why I am pushing for continued research into cause and effect for my situation. Lets push for an answer because I am a very stubborn person that strives to know why. I am rarely satisfied with it is the way it is. I want to know all aspects and I want to know cause and effect of those aspects.
I may not be completely cured but I want answers.
If there is another explanation such as thyroid or another gland that may give of this imbalance I want to know this as well. So in the next few days I will be calling my neurologist to see what those blood tests say.
This is what is going on right now. However I will continue to sew and share more picture of what I have been up to.
I am trying my hand a quilting. This piece will hopefully be a bag. The fabric is a cloth napkin from the 50's or 60's. I am hoping to put in a zipper at the top with pockets inside and out for storage of the little peoples things while at church. These things include crayons and wipes but are not limited to. As all moms know pockets are a must. After this bag I hope to get started on my T-Shirt project using old concert T's. The same principles to this piece will be applied because t-shirts a flimsy.
And last but not least is my find of the week. Since I like to share my awesome deals I wanted to start with this one. This is a cast iron bicentennial souvenir. All original paint and was appraised at $150 by a local collector.  My purchase price was only 50 cents. This will be going up on ebay in the near future. I also have another one that has no paint which was appraised at $100. That one will also be going up shortly.


Have a great Wednesday. Another song that I have been listening to and singing along with in great anticipation for the concert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57XAD9T6Tl4&feature=fvsr

Allison




Friday, February 3, 2012

I am Still Alive.......

Well in the last month it has been a roller coaster of all kinds. My computer died, my husband quit his terrible job with the green machine and went to training in California for three weeks and I have been battling dizzy spells. Wow, its been crazy. Just wanted to drop a quick note on a borrowed computer.

I have a few projects I would like to share as well as some pictures. Right now I am quilting a little on some of my vintage table linens. It looks great and when I am finished I would like to put those pieces together to make a bag.

Everyone makes new years resolutions I know but I have a new one this year. I want to get things done that I have been wanting to do for months or years. For instance I am cleaning out my closet to sell and donate. This is a long time coming. Nothing like a show called "Hoarders" to get me motivated. That show has inspired me to get my butt in gear. Another part of my resolution is to get out there and make more friends, join a group and lose some weight. Hey I want to look good for my big birthday in June. Fat and blobby is out. During this exciting years I have planned for myself I would like to share with you my experiences. By doing this I would like to in turn inspire others to get up and do as I am calling it. Then the hope is that I will have more comments from your guys out there who would like to share your experiences or just comment on mine. I love every comment and read each one.

So when I get my computer back (hopefully by next week) you will be seeing more posts.

Have a good weekend everyone. I would also like to leave you with a video for a song I have been singing for weeks. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg&ob=av2e

Allison