Books I've Read

Friday, January 27, 2012

Spring?? In Jan???

This is not your imagination. This is not a photo taken last spring. This photo was taken this week in my garden! YES it is snow drops in JAN!!! Hooray for global warming! We have had a very mild winter here in England and I can't help but brag a bit! hehe!! Not only snow drops but on closer examination of my garden I have yellow crocus's that are blooming, and the beginning of daffodils, tulips, allium, and hyacinths! Not to mention that my summer yellow rose has not stopped blooming as of yet! It is making it harder to be patient though as I want to start planting NOW! But there is still risk of frost SO must wait a bit longer before I get my garden well and truly going!

I am getting stronger and apart from a cold that I am now battling I think that things are improving. Next week I think that I am going to start to slowly go back to work. The Dr. is recommending a "phased return to work" SO  we will see how that goes. Other than that we are just taking it one day at a time. Thank you for all your well wishes, thoughts and prayers they have been much appreciated. We are still waiting to hear back from the Neuro Dr about when we get to go and see them to find out more about what is going on with me.

I have added a "Follow me by email" gadget to my blog. If you wish you can put your email in there and then when I post (I know few and far between) you will get an email with the post in the email as well as a link to the actual blog. This should make it easier for you to keep on top of my updates as we all know that they are irregular. You should not receive any other advertising email as a result of following me.


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Dr. House comes to life

So a few of you have contacted me regarding a small comment I tried to sneak in the last post....my hospital visit before Christmas. Well I've been in hospital again and have unwittingly became the patient of a Dr. House episode. They are having a hard time figuring out what is wrong with me....I know many of you could offer loads of ideas on the front :) however this was for real. All my tests kept coming back as normal.

However I was and am in a fair bit of pain. Chronic headache, with leftsided tingling in my face. Bloods.....normal, ct head nothing obvious, head MRI results pending. For a while we had a bit of hope that they had figured it out as initial results from a lumbar puncture showed "organisms" but further testing on the sample showed that those bugs were merely a contaminant in the sample. So after a week in hospital I am back home. My head still hurts, the tingling is still there. The Neuro Dr I saw (and am now under) thinks it may be "atypical nerve pain" and has placed me on a Neuro pain drug to see it that will help at all. But that will take 4-6 weeks for it to reach the right level in my head.

So that is the story. I'm sure many of you will be concerned at this news. Mark and I appreciate your thoughts, prayers and well wishes. But we don't know more than what I have shared now with you all. I have a follow up apt in 4-6 weeks with my Neuro Dr.

Now all of that to say the following, home has never been so good. After eating hospital food for a week meals at home are beyond delicious! Being a patient in a hospital when you don't have a diagnosis is not fun. No one really knows what to do with you or how to assess you. Which can be frustrating. Family and close friends are beyond valuable as they give you the strength to keep fighting for the next test, the right Dr, the right treatment. I had a few great nurses (mainly the night ones) who listened and cared! The value of a good nurse is what patients say...there are no words for how much it means. To have a hand held, to take a few minutes to listen...invaluable to your patient who is on isolation, in pain, scared and who has no diagnosis! Thank you to all of you who do that to us your patients. We are grateful, calmer, and respect you for all you do.

I am ok...sort of. I tire very easily and am slowly getting the strength and stamina back to hold my head upright; side effect of suffering for day and a half with CSF leak before Neuro was able to come see me and we figured out I then had two sources of pain instead of one. I am off work for the next while and waiting and hoping that new drug I started does the trick. So keep us close in your hearts and minds.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Wedding pictures

Missing a sister :(

 
The girls of the family
   
Doing me up....Thanks Mom...you are the best
The mess!!!
 
Under my dress is Rachel...again....some more :P


and again...

Thanks Jude for being unofficially the official maid of honor 
Sisters!!!









The Entourage




Writing a poem...prejitters

15th Century Hall


I grew a tail...yup..That is Rachel under there trying to fix my bustle.
Bouquet that Mom, Jude and Rachel made from flowers from my and Sue's Garden

The Kiss!


Signing
The Ring!








My Groom!



Mark and his Mum (Sue)















Off to Married Life!!