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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Moms Are Not Allowed to Get Sick

I've had quite a week. I had such a piercing headache Tuesday night/Wednesday morning that woke me up at 1:30 and would not let me go back to sleep. I spent the entire night tossing and turning and thinking I was dying or at least going to end up in the hospital. I even told God I was ready to die and asked Him to take care of my family and please hurry it up so the pain would stop.  At least my brain was working enough to think through a lot of things. Thanks Mom for pointing that out.  Wouldn't you know it, Wednesday is my doctor's day off.   Well, I did see someone else at his first available appointment. I had to see his PA student first who totally missed my history of a brain injury and was going to dismiss me with no follow up.  Not really his fault because I sort of forgot to mention my TBI.  I suppose that is sort of important to mention when you come in with a headache.  I guess I didn't think about it because I'm so used to my doc knowing my history.  Fortunately, the PA I saw knows my history and scheduled me for an MRI (just to make sure there is a brain in there J ).

I had the MRI and wasn't nearly as freaked out as I worried I might be.  Apparently I had to be sedated to remain calm enough for an MRI after the accident.  I had prepared myself for it to be worse than it was. Of course, I was all prayed up so I’m sure God prepared me to stay calm until the procedure was over. Thanks to all of you for praying.  If you are claustrophobic, close your eyes before they shut you in and slide you into the tube. Then, leave your eyes closed. Easier said than done, I know. I wanted to spend the time in prayer and listening to God, but they kept talking to me and the machine was so loud. So, I ended up writing songs in my head to the beat of the machine. It kept me busy anyway.  :)  I don’t get the results until mid-week, so the waiting is going to be worse than the MRI, I think. .

Today is the first day I’ve felt human since Tuesday night. Granted the sharp headache that made me think I was dying and kept me up since 1:30 am was dulled by the time my alarm went off for the morning, but I had an annoying dull ache and was exhausted and all worn out for the rest of the week.

Moms, however, are not really allowed to get sick. Kiddos still have to get to and from school. Meals still have to be planned and prepared. Laundry still has to be done. We do have to eat and wear clothes, you know.  I did manage to get an extra nap or two into my week. J The day after my headache that kept me up all night thinking I was dying, I even managed to go work out before I saw the doctor. There was time between getting the kiddos to school and the clinic opened for the day so why not? J Besides, routines are my friends and are what keeps me sane and feeling like a human.

So, all you moms out there, how do you manage your household when you get sick?
And, for all of you with TBI, how do you remember to tell you doctor about it?

Friday, January 20, 2012

"Dophin Tale" Movie Review

I’m dying to write a movie report about Dolphin Tale. Before we watched it, I knew it was a true story based on a dolphin who lost her tail and was fitted with a prosthetic. However, I had no idea it would be so thought provoking when it comes to disability in general and how people look at the disabled and their quality of life. It was inspiring that the kiddos in charge of her care would not give up on her. When adults in their life were ready to end her life because her disability did not make life worth living, they would not give up. What a testimony about how your spirit can overcome any physical disability and no one should ever give up on you.

This movie impacted me so much, I looked up a bunch of movie reviews.  Not very many of them talked about how impactful this could be for the disability community.  Maybe it was just me, but that is what I took away from this movie.  I don't believe we are defined by our bodies and what they can or can't do.  We are defined by our spirit, which will live eternally.  Besides, there is so much technology out there to compensate for a bodies limitations.  My limitations don't stop me from accomplishing what is most important in life.  They just cause me to slow down and prioritize what exactly is important in this life and will impact eternity.

We watched it last night as a family and I absolutely loved it.  It made me cry and definitely is more of a thinking movie than a mind-numbing comedy, but I thought it was great.  In fact, if I were teaching students who would one day work with the disabled population, I would use this movie as a teaching tool.

Go out there and watch this movie and let me know your thoughts.  I realize every person's life experiences color their reaction to everything around them.  How have your life experiences colored your reaction to this movie? 

If you're not in the mood to cry or really think about life, watch a comedy instead.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

It's COLD Outside

Today is COLD!!! The thermostat said 25 this morning, but real feel temp was only -8 degrees. No wonder I am freezing. I hate the cold and want summer to return. I’ve even promised not to complain about 110 degree weather. J Cold is one of the things that I’ve become much more sensitive to after my TBI. I read somewhere that having a traumatic brain injury can cause cold flashes in much the same way menopausal women get hot flashes. I wonder if that means my body temperature will even itself out when I am menopausal. If that's the case . . .Bring on menopause!!!

There are days no matter how many blankets I pile on my body, I just can’t warm up. This tends to be a problem when I live with someone who sometimes can’t cool down. Today, I had something happen that has never happened before. I sometimes have leg spasms randomly or if I’ve exercised too much. Well, this morning, my leg with having spasms all the way to school and back home. I’m almost positive it was in response to the cold. BRRRRRR! I keep reminding myself it is January after all and supposed to be cold, but that doesn’t help. Come on summer!!!

Any great ideas out there for keeping myself warm and not over heating the rest of the family?

I'd love to hear from all of you.  I'm appreciating comments on my facebook page, but would love some here.  I changed my comment options a little today to hopefully make it easier for all of you.  Try it out.  Can't wait to hear from you.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Who says I have to be an "adult.'?

Why does the world assume I don’t want to read anything that is not classified in the adult section of the library?
Why am I sometimes more excited by DVDs and curriculum created for teens than that created for adults? I have been asked why and I’m still working out the answer to that. The easiest answer has been “We work with teens. My husband is a youth pastor and I need to stay current with teen culture.” I did go from being a youth to a youth worker and it was expected I would immerse myself in youth culture. That was an easy answer, until my husband stopped being a youth pastor and I still find myself drawn to young adult culture. My daughter and I read some of the same book series and equally love them. Perhaps the easy answer now would be to stay connected to my children and immerse myself in their culture. But, that does not answer the question, really, Because I am sure I will still enjoy youth culture even when my children are adults themselves. The real answer is because it’s good. Just because the target audience is younger than my chronological age, doesn’t mean it’s not well done and worth my time. Besides, sometimes there are “adult” topics that I don’t want to deal with and for the most part I don’t find them in material created for the youth culture. I will always be a kid at heart.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Routines keep me sane

I have decided the three-day weekend is a person with TBI's worst nightmare. I know the kiddos loved a day off from school. I, however, can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it is now Tuesday. First day of school for the week should make it Monday, right? It doesn’t help that my routines are all thrown out of whack this week. Routines are the only thing that keep me sane and my household running semi-smoothly.  Boy Scouts happens to be tonight. They are always on Monday, so again I’m really confused. I hope I don’t forget anything tonight. There is school until 3:20, tennis from 4:30-5:30, Scouts at 6. AAAUUUGGGHHH!!! Where exactly does supper fit in there? I pride myself in being able to manage to get a healthy (mostly home-cooked) meal on the table every night. That is not always easy, so it’s quite an accomplishment for me. I didn’t want to become the mom who depends on fast food drive thrus to get through the day. I have pretty much decided that is what is going to have to happen tonight. What about tomorrow with school, tennis, and church? CRAZY!!!

Who knew the craziness of life would start when my kids were in grade school? I was prepared for CRAZINESS in Jr. High/High School, but not yet. This is why they are limited to three activities at a time--Scouts, Church, and one other. It’s just nuts when the sports practice is not once a week for several weeks, but several days in a row. Oh well, next week will be back to normal routines. I only have to make it through this week without forgetting something important.  Hopefully, the kiddos won’t let me forget their activities.

This is just an example of how important routines are to my life functioning at all.  I totally depend on routines and reminders like my cell phone alarm, calendar, days of the week towels, and control journal.  Generally, these thing help life move along smoothly enough that I will get to thinking I no longer need them.  Well, the minute I stop using them I realize just how much I do need them and people in my life to help keep me on track.  This week I will definitely be depending on people and reminders like my cell phone organizer to get me through the week.  What are some other ideas you all have for keeping life running smoothly?  I'd love to hear comments.

My son is already asking when baseball starts.  Good thing I have a few months to get ready.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

Today is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday observed. The kiddos and I watched his famous “I have a Dream” speech online last night. Having to explain the idea of racial prejudice and why Martin Luther King, Jr. is important has been an interesting proposition. I am glad that the kids don’t automatically know what prejudice is and why “coloreds” were not treated equally. I am thrilled that is not something they deal with every day. They have had friends that are considered black since they were young and cannot imagine their friends not being accepted for the color of their skin. In fact, my son always tells me “We’re all brown” and in a way he is right--we’re just varying shades. So, it has been quite an adventure to discuss the history of blacks in America and how they did not always have the freedoms we whites have. I have never seen the Martin Luther King, Jr. speech in its entirety before. I found myself getting emotionally caught up and agreeing with much of what was said. I agree that we should be “judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.”  Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for your courage during such a volatile moment in American history.  May we all judge people by their character alone OR better yet, not judge at all and leave the judging to the Ultimate Judge.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Old OR Traumatic Brain Injury

This week I've gotten to hear a lot of "You might be old if ..." jokes.  Some of those are just plain funny, mostly because they're true.  When I was listening to them, I kept thinking, "Hey, I don't consider myself old, but these sure ring true to me."  I decided, maybe traumatic brain injury just makes your brain work like it's older than it is.  I attended a lunch and learn once on dementia and learned that I will have no way to determine when/if dementia starts because the warning signs are things I already have with my traumatic brain injury.  So, I think that might mean if dementia hits, no one will notice any difference. :)

I've begun to wonder, did this accident age me by several years?  Am I really 20-30 years older than my chronological age?  No one really knows the answer to that, so we'll just have to see how life pans out over the next few years.  I'll just deal with whatever comes.

Anyway, I've been thinking about age and "You might be old if . . ." jokes.  So, I googled them and here are a few I found a http://www.geezer.org/  and http://www.joke-archives.com/.  Enjoy and tell me which is your favorite.

You might be old if . . . OR You might have a traumatic brain injury if . . .
  • When you're on vacation and your energy runs out before your money does
  • It takes longer to rest than it did to get tired.
  • Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer
  • Your address book has mostly names that start with Dr
  • You look for your glasses for half an hour and they were on your head the whole time.
  • You give up all your bad habits and still don't feel good
  • You get to the check-out line, see how long it is, and decide what you have in your buggy isn't worth the wait
  • You can't finish a conversation, because you don't remember what you were talking about
  • Your top three favorite pastimes involve sleep
  • You often repeat things...You often repeat things... You often repeat things...
  • You discover the meaning of life, but forgot to write it down.