MISSING HER

Four years ago today my mother passed away. She was taken from us far too early, she was just turning 76. I have a picture of her sitting on the bottom shelf of the side table by the couch where I generally hang my butt(couch potato that I am), and every now and then (well every night really) I glance down and see her smiling face. Each and every time still to this day, I feel a sense of shock knowing I won't see that smile face to face anymore every time I glance down at that  photo. We weren't "close" but most days when I look down I wish she was here!

Miss you Mom.

Nothing But ICE!

We made the decision this past summer to take up the old pavement on the driveway because it was like driving over a logging road! After a multitude of boulders rising up and heaving, cracking the pavement and digging them out each time one appeared and filling with gravel and tar we decided enough of this.

So wonder of wonders, when I went out to go to work this morning in the pouring rain, the entire driveway was a sheet of ice! It's rather daunting to sit in your car looking out and staring down that sheet of ice you know you now have to drive over, on a decline at that!

I looked for a pathway that might have enough gravel showing to grip my tires on, but the only strip showing was upagainst a row of rocks (somehow I didn't think that was the smartest route to take?) so I put the car into the lowest gear I could, and inch by inch crawled to the end, finally letting out the breath I had been holding the whole way down! Good thing I didn't have much further to go or I might have blacked out! Also a good thing the road in front of me was clear pavement or I probably would have ended up in the neighbours front yard!

Hoping someone (not mentioning any names) goes out and breaks up some of that ice (especially since it is going to turn colder and snow, just saying! before I get home.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Big Guy, one year already!

We`ve come a long way (still a long way to go yet, still not sure who is going to win the battle) since we brought home this little bundle of ``attitude``!  Who would have known what a stubborn, tenatious, noisy, demanding, selfish, loveable,  the devil in disguise..... I could go on and on, but you get the drift.

Power Nap Required

I am so damn darned tired! I am sitting here in front of my computer (at work, don't tell anyone!) and I have that feeling like if I close my eyes for more than just a blink they won't open back up. I am sitting here staring at my computer screen, hands on the keyboard, having a Power Nap! If only there weren't open spaces that people can look in as they pass by my desk and see that I have my eyes closed. Can you actually sleep sitting up straight at your desk, I feel like I could, maybe if I rest my chin in my hands like I am in deep thought I could keep my eyes closed long enough to regain enough energy to finish my blog work.

Now this is what I need a "sleep pod"! I wonder if I could make a case for this:

Slowly but surely, the benefits of the classic, 20-minute power nap are getting more recognition, with big companies installing sleep pods at the office and more software applications like Pzizz helping to set the right power nap aural scene. Here's how to get the perfect nap from the author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life, and more on how and why power naps work.

The reason I  am so very tired this morning (more so than most mornings at work) is because someone kept me awake most of the night! Why are men so GD stupidly stubborn? Why is it so hard to ask "sweetie could you please go get me something for this headache, I'm a little dizzie"? BUT NO, instead it's so much better to stumble your way towards the bathroom and then fall "thump" onto the floor! I would soooo rather try and lift a 200lb man up while trying to keep the dog out of his face and then try to support him while stumbling back to bed instead!

(Tonight the Tylenol bottle and glass of water will be placed on the nightstand ready and waiting).

EMG/NCV - "WTF"?

Results from our visit to the Brain Clinic (Neurology)

Why is an EMG test done?

An EMG is often performed when patients have unexplained muscle weakness. The EMG helps to distinguish between muscle conditions in which the problem begins in the muscle and muscle weakness due to nerve disorders. The EMG can also be used to detect true weakness, as opposed to weakness from reduced use because of pain or lack of motivation. EMGs can also be used to isolate the level of nerve irritation or injury.

A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test is often done at the same time as an EMG. In this test, the nerve is electrically stimulated while a second electrode detects the electrical impulse 'down-stream' from the first. The NCV test can be used to detect true nerve disorders.

This is the next stage of our process through the Neurology clinic, now that we know hubby had had 2 very small mini strokes sometime in the past. The "very small" part was good to hear, the "sometime in the past" hmmmm? You would think with all of the technology (like the CT Scan) that they could pin point a little better than sometime in the past (6 months ago, a year ago, 2 yrs ago?). Well I guess that is better than recently- Right?

Does an EMG hurt?

Yes. There is some discomfort at the time the needle electrodes are inserted. They feel like shots (intramuscular injections), although nothing is injected during an EMG. Afterwards, the muscle may feel a little sore for up to a few days.
LOL- glad it's not me! Sorry  dear :)

These are the next steps that have resulted from our hospital visit yesterday.We are making progress!!

Watched them do some pretty normal looking testing like close your eyes and walk putting one foot in front of the other (like the cops would ask a suspected drunk person) with some pretty funny results! Or close your eyes and touch your nose, sounds pretty easy, but when you have sensory nerve damage (partly from the mini strokes, diabetes and depression) it isn't as easy as it sounds. Too bad I didn't have the foresight to record it!

Funny What a Little Pushing Will DO

It has been quite a while since I have done any blogging updates, a lot of troubling things going on and I just wasn't feeling up to filling anyone in on my situation. Things have not improved but I now have some background information to help me along on this new journey. The internet is a powereful tool, although sometimes I think too much information can be almost as bad as too little! I have so many questions not answered yet.

My husband has been dealing (well me too I guess you would say) have been dealing with his depression, and the on going battle of finding the right medication to assist him. During this battle we often were told that new or exaggerated symptoms we found were due to his depression. Although we didn't always feel this was correct, we really didn't have anywhere to turn, so we assumed the Dr's we spoke with were probably right.

Well in fact, we were the "right " ones, we should have fought a little harder to have proper testing done at the time we felt things were not right, but that's what "hindsight" is I guess!

Anyway after finally getting a neurosurgeon to agree to have a CT scan done to give us satisfacation that all was well with his brain, we come to find out that he had had 2 (yep 2!) TIA's (mini-strokes). We were also told at that time that he also had a Brain Aneurysm (but that we shouldn't worry about that so much- WTF!- it was only 10cm long and  no one would really look at until it reached 20 or more- yeah sure not to worry, easy for them to say!)

Our family Doctor then set us up to go to a "Brain Clinic". And guess what, a few days ago we get a call from the actual neurosurgeon who we will be seeing there to tell us that she had gone over the results and that in fact he did not have an aneurysm, but it was really a pool of blood. OK, yeah! A blood pool, now does that sound any better to you? It sure doesn't to me! She did say it was still of concern and we would discuss it once she got to see us after our initial visit to get all of the tests and such done.

So until then (Wednesday is our first visit at the BRAIN CLINIC- that sounds so funny) I will update after that visit and let you know if I feel any better informed or less!

Earl Came and Earl Went

Well we have once again survived the annual hurricane that we always seem to endure (although the predictions are usually for 4-5 per year). Generally by the time they hit our province they are downgraded to tropical storms.

This one, Earl, hit Nova Scotia at a category 1 (our last actual hurricane that hit 7 yrs ago was Juan a category 2). We didn't lose any trees this time (most went down with Juan), although we did lose power for about 8 hrs. Which I know is a drop in the bucket compared to what places like the Bahamas and Florida have to endure, but when you are not used to losing your power at all for most of the entire year, it tends to cause some "drama" (especially when you can't flush the toilet, the one draw back from living in the county rather than the city). And what to do to occupy your time(eek! no TV, no INTERNET what will we do!)

The only really unfortuneate part of Earl was the loss of one our friends who after helping out a friend in trouble with his boat and then making the decision to swim back to shore drowned in the rough waters.So sad that this kind of thing happens when performing a good deed.