~Living Again January 2013

Thankfully~ 

Our Lives have been amazingly better over the last year. (My health is a whole different story.) A lot has happened since my last post in February 2012. From January 2012 to August 2012 I was seeing a Therapist/Counselor, that was helping Jeff & I mend our marriage. 

{{Which is going great these days }} 

In August 2012 I had my hearing in front of a judge for SSDI. Again I was denied. Our lawyer withdrew from the case, which was a good thing, we were gonna fire her anyway. She did not do a good job presenting my case, nor my daily struggles/disabilities. Nor did she present my cognitive decline that I now struggle with after 8 brain surgeries. It took us until late September to find a lawyer who will take the case over at this point. But we found a lawyer out of Chicago, Il who has a satellite office in Munster, In. We presented the case to him, and he took my case without hesitation! He has filed the appeal, and we had 30 days to submit any new information. I had a bunch more tests done, some duplicates of past tests to prove NO improvement of the difficulties I have with my two brain diseases, and other aliments.  

Unfortunately, as we all know, it is very difficult to get into a new Dr in 30 days, then to have tests scheduled, performed, results read and interpreted within 30 days. So now I sit waiting for results of tests I had done in December, and in early January. 

Needless to say the 30 days has now past. 

The process now is for another judge to review the case as it was presented at the August 2012 hearing, to see if the judge did in fact make the right decision. That will take another year I'm sure. We will give the lawyer the new test results when I get them to see if he can still submit them. The good thing is that this new lawyer is excellent at these types of situations. And while calling around to find a lawyer to take my case, I was referred to him by several offices!

{{ Nail Biting Situation }}

My long term disability I currently have from my last job, is now up for a 2 year review. Being denied SSDI, they are trying to determine whether or not I will continue to get LTD with my current status. I have not heard from them yet... 

Still seeing the Psychiatrist I have been seeing since last year, I am also seeing a Neuro Psychologist for Neuropsychological testing, and a Psychologist for therapy. The neuropsych testing will be compared to the neuropsych testing I had done before any brain surgeries.  

{{ That ought to be interesting! }} 

Already he is very concerned with my memory issues. (that have not improved yet from October 2011 brain surgery) All tests are done, now we wait on our appointments in February & March for the results. He even did an additional memory test that insurance does not pay for, at no charge to me, he wanted to confirm that I have severe deficits with my memory. My previous Dr did all the tests in one 8 hour day. This new Dr spread it out in 3 visits! The tests are just too grueling for someone who has had 16 surgeries, to do it all in one day.

{{ ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SUBJECT }} 

Tiffany, my almost 18 year old beautiful daughter, graduates high school this year! AND has been accepted into the nursing program at Valparaiso University. A not so easy school to get into, not to mention an almost impossible nursing program to get accepted into! She has nearly been a straight A student for all of high school. Jeff & I, are incredibly proud of her! She is thinking about a Nurse Anesthetists career, but still has her sights on Pre-Med. 

My relationship with Tiffany was very strained in 2011. I am happy to report that we are about 98% of our old {{mean girls}} selves! She is a very distinguished young lady who has made her dad and I so proud... Today we made a purchase for her graduation gift. I cannot say what it is, as she will see this post. But she will be more than elated! And it will be very hard to NOT give it to her early! Something I have a bad habit of doing!

Jeff is doing well in his apprenticeship program with the Boilermaker's. He is more than half way through, and well on his way to making the scale wage he truly deserves! He has been a very talented welder for about 18 years, and I couldn't be prouder of him for making this difficult career change when he did.

{{ Jeff & Tiffany are my whole world, and I don't know where I'd be without them! I Love you guys! }}

~BELIEVING

If you've read my journey to date, you are aware that I had a very rough end to 2010.  And a not so great 2011.  9 surgeries between the two years and a lot of antidepressant drugs to keep from falling too far into depression.  My disease finally took my job away from me, and that was a ROUGH pill to swallow.  I had enjoyed working ever since I was 16.  To not work is a whole new ballgame to me...

2011 started out rough with  2 failed surgeries in Nov. & Dec. 2010.  The ventricles in my brain failing to support my brain shunt any further.  Reverting back to [another] Lumbar Shunt. Surgery after surgery in 2011.  I sometimes joked about being an Anesthesia "junkie" it seemed I was having more surgeries than not... I had actually became a familiar face to the preoperative holding area.  People new my name.  It was a joke after a while.

I fell to some hard times with some family members.  I slipped further into depression.  My family doctor had prescribed more & more antidepressants, one on top of the other.  From January to April he (my Dr) had added one a month, to end it in April with Ambien thrown into the mix.

Jeff had quit his job of 11 years, to work for the Boilermakers.  That was stressful on all of us.  I was in the middle of 9 surgeries and we switched insurances.  But Jeff didn't get insurance right away, like all new jobs, there was a 90 day waiting period... We had to pay for COBRA, and with my 2 brain diseases, it was not cheap. ~STRESSFUL~

In October 2011, I had what IHope was my FINAL Brain Surgery.  Dr Turner in Indianapolis, Indiana was my new Neuro Surgeon.  He was very optimistic to restoring my brain shunt function... He even gave me a programmable CODMAN Brain Shunt so I wouldn't have to endure any more surgeries or spinal taps!  I remember bits and pieces of the long drive to Indianapolis the day of surgery.  I remember bits and pieces of checking into the hospital, and being taken to the pre-op area. That was it for it for exactly 5 weeks.

Memory loss was expected for about 7 to 10 days after surgery.  NO~ I had exactly 5 weeks of complete memory loss after surgery.  During that time I had been admitted into Porter Stark for 5 days, and wanted a divorce from Jeff.  When I got out of Porter Stark I lived with my parents for quite a few days before leaving for Texas. I was in Texas for nearly 2 weeks before "waking up" on Friday November 18, 2011.

My dad had surgery earlier that week, and was not doing well.  Jeff finally got ahold of me and arranged for me to fly home.  I had no drivers license, no ID, no money. I was completely out of my mind to leave Indiana without any ID... I talked to Jeff on the phone for several hours that Friday, about where I was, and what I was doing there.  He told me that my dad was not well, and if I wanted to see him alive, I needed to come home now.  He arranged for me to pick up my ticket at the airport, and to speak to TSA so I could get on the flight with no identification.  That Saturday I flew home.  Jeff took me straight to the hospital to see my dad. During the drive I had mentioned that I couldn't wait to see my dog Shadow.  I had missed him so much.  That he would still love me regardless of my mistakes... We had our dog of 12 years, put to sleep in August 2011. I didn't remember that, and had to relive that all over again. (And that was WEEKS before my brain surgery in October.)

When I first came home~ I again, was living with my mom.  A week had gone by, and Jeff & I finally agreed upon me coming to live at home again.  I have been home ever since.  It has not been easy.  I Love Jeff & Tiffany with all my heart!  I cannot believe all that has happened. I nearly lost my life... I did lose a best friend, sad to say... that is one relationship that will never be mended.

I started seeing a therapist in January. And I am seeing a Psychiatrist in a few weeks.  I'm waiting on an appointment with his office.  Hope to get some answers from him, about my crazy behavior and the memory loss BEFORE the October 2011 surgery. Was it the combination of medications I was taking that had me all screwed up. Or was it something completely different.  We are all very interested to know what the heck happened to me.  Hell~ It happened to me, and I couldn't even begin to tell you what I think happened...

I am very grateful to Jeff & Tiffany for not giving up on me, and for BELIEVING in me...  Believing that there was something more wrong with me, and there surely was.  I'm grateful for the friends who were here for me to lean on despite all that had happened and the lies that were told... The one's who hugged me and said they were glad I was home safely.  Those are TRUE FRIENDS!

To this day I still struggle with my memory, granted it's not as bad as it was in November & December.  But I still have to write things down more frequently and have to refer back to notes, and conversations.  I am on a LONG road to recovery, it has not been easy! I feel like I lost a whole year of my life. I've waited so long to turn 40... LOL, I know~ most people dread that very day... BUT my 30's were just one surgery after another. Almost 20 surgeries in one decade is more than anyone should have to endure... There is more to this story (obviously) but it's not for public knowledge. I made some really bad mistakes, but with a little help from the prescription drugs I was prescribed...

I'm not perfect, never claimed to be... But I do admit to my mistakes! And I am getting the help I need!

Hello Brain

Hello,

I'm glad to see that you are awake! This is your brain talking. I had to find some way to communicate with you. I feel like I barely survived WWIII and am still not quite all in one piece. That's why I need you. I need you to take care of me.

As time passes and you and I feel better and better, people, even doctors, will tell you that we are fine, "it's time to get on with life." That sounds good to me and probably even better to you. But before you go rushing back out into that big wide world, I need you to listen to me, really listen. Don't shut me out. Don't tune me out. When I'm getting into trouble I'll need your help more than I ever have before.

I know that you want to believe that we are going to be the same. I'll do my best to make that happen. The problem is that too many people in our situation get impatient and try to rush the healing process; or when their brains can't fully recover they deny it and, instead of adapting, they force their brains to function in ways they are no longer able too. Some people even push their brains until they seize, and worse... I'm scared. I'm afraid that you will do that to me. If you don't accept me I am lost. We both will be lost.

How can I tell you how much I need you now? I need you to accept me as I am today... not for what I used to be, or what I might be in the future. So many people are so busy looking at what their brains used to do, as if past accomplishments were a magical yardstick to measure present success or failures, that they fail to see how far their brains have come. It's as if here is shame, or guilt, in being injured. Silly, huh?

Please don't be embarrassed or feel guilt, or shame, because of me. We are okay. We have made it this far. If you work with me we can make it even further. I can't say how far. I won't make any false promises. I can only promise you this, that I will do my best.

What I need you to do is this: because neither of us knows how badly I've been hurt (things are still a little foggy for me), or how much I will recover, or how quickly, please go s-l-o-w-l-y when you start back trying to resume your life. If I give you a headache, or make you sick to your stomach, or make you unusually irritable, or confused, or disoriented, or afraid, or make you feel that you are overdoing it, I'm trying to get your attention in the only way I can. Stop and listen to me.

I get exhausted easily since being hurt, and cannot succeed when overworked. I want to succeed as much as you do. I want to be as well as I can be, but I need to do it at a different pace than I could before I got hurt. Help me to help us by paying attention and heeding the messages I send to you.

I will do my part to do my very best to get us back on our feet. I am a little worried though that if I am not exactly the same... you will reject me and may even want to kill us. Other people have wanted to kill their brains, and some people have succeeded. I don't want to die, and I don't want you to die.

I want us to live, and breath and be, even if being is not the same as it was. Different may be better. It may be harder too, but I don't want you to give up. Don't give up on me. Don't give up on yourself. Our time here isn't through yet. There are things that I want to do and I want to try, even if trying has to be done in a different way. It isn't easy. I have to work very hard, much harder, and I know that you do too. I see people scoff, and misunderstand. I don't care. What I do care about is that you understand how hard I am working and how much I want to be as good as I can be, but I need you to take good care of us, as well as you can do that.

Don't be ashamed of me. We are alive. We are still here. I want the chance to try to show you what we are made of. I want to show you the things that are really important in life. We have been given another chance to be better, to learn what is really important. When it is finally time for our final exit I would like to look back and feel good about what we made of us and out of everything that made up our life, including this injury. I cannot do it without you. I cannot do it if you hate me for the way being injured has affected me and our life together. Please try not to be bitter in grief. That would crush me.

Please don't reject me. There is little I can do without you, without your determination to not give up. Take good care of us and of yourself. I need you very much, especially now.

Love,

your wounded brain

©1996 Stephanie St. Claire

May be reprinted for personal, not for profit use.

~ August 31st New Neurosurgeon Appointment

Aug 31, 2011
I have an appointment with a new neuro surgeon, Dr. Michael Turner MD at Methodist, an Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis Indiana. He's a Dr that another very close, local IH friend see's. She has had great results with him, he's a SHUNT GURU! I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

My records were all sent down before my appointment and he had reviewed them beforehand. When I got there and checked in for the appointment, right away the receptionist took the CD of my latest MRI and uploaded it to the computer. Having never been there before, we were 45 minutes early. We waited a bit, but they took me right back to a room. I had already been told what to expect with this Dr. He's very fast and to the point. Had I not known things about this Dr beforehand I might of thought he was VERY cocky... He introduces himself, and asks why I'm here. I told him a tidbit of my story, most recent surgeries with brain shunt and new lumbar shunt. He had already looked over records and MRI, and says to me, " I can restore for you a working programmable brain shunt! And you have Chiari... WHY do you have a lumbar shunt?"

He said that there is a newer procedure that a handful of neuro surgeons are doing for people with Slit Ventricle Syndrome, and he is one of those surgeons. They place the tubing in the back of the brain near the brain stem instead of in the already collapsed ventricle where it's at right now. Scary thought~ near my brain stem... But I'm desperate to get this lumbar shunt out of me. It has caused me more problems than I can even tell you... (That's a whole different post!) I love the idea of a  "Programmable" brain shunt. That way I wont have to have surgery just to have it adjusted!

Dr Turner wants me to get x-rays, they do them right in his office. He wants to see the shunts and the tubing that goes along with them. He comes back into the room after I had them done. He wants to examine my abdomen. I get up on the table and I had him feel my lumbar shunt that sits right above my left hip. It's VERY superficial, and VERY uncomfortable. You can feel it through the skin. He agrees to take that shunt out, and it's tubing. He says I need to see what's going on over here, and is pointing to my drain that co-insides with my brain shunt. He feels around it & says I think you have a mass around the draining tube... It appears I have developed a pseudomeningocele at the draining port of my brain shunt. I told him that I had just talked to my neurologist about it and she wanted me to get a CT scan to see whats going on there. He said that's great! Get the CT scan and I want the CD on the day of surgery so he knows what he's looking at. I also have a ton of scar tissue in my abdomen from all the previous surgeries.

So we then talk about the actual surgery. He's going to put in a Codman Programmable brain shunt. The last programmable shunt I had was a lumbar shunt. A programmable brain shunt can sit/rest on the skull, and not move... A programmable lumbar shunt has nothing to sit/rest on, therefore moving, twisting, or flipping over in my case, causing all kinds of problems. He will use the same incision, same access whole, same site as my current brain shunt. Which is just great news! The tubing will just travel to the brain stem instead of through the collapsed ventricle where is currently resides. While he's got my third ventricle opened up, to remove current shunt tubing, he will take a closer at the Colloid Cyst that's blocking the ventricle. And decide if it is what's causing my ventricles to collapse... He's going to remove my NEW lumbar shunt and tie off the tubing that goes to my spine. He will be leaving the actual tubes in my spine, he said it's too risky to remove either one of them, unless one of them causes a problem. But he will be removing the tubing from BOTH lumbar shunts from my abdominal cavity. And he will be opening up the tube from my brain shunt that drains in my abdomen to fix whatever is going there.

As of right now this is scheduled October 13th for an inpatient one night stay. But depending on the severity of the abdominal scar tissue and tubing issues, it might turn into a two night stay.

~ July 2011 MRI & NS Appointment ~ Blessing in Disguise

On June 28th
I had another MRI of my brain to try and figure out just what in the world is going on in this head of mine... I had been having horrible "pulling" in the back of my head, my dizziness is debilitating and not to mention the pain! Horrible head pain, mostly around the brain shunt and in the area I was decompressed. As you know, I had surgery on June 6th to change the Lumbar Shunt valve from a fixed 1.5 to 1.0. With me having Chiari~ I wont go any lower than a 1.0 since my lumbar drain is the reason I acquired a Chiari Malformation in the first place. I technically shouldn't even have a lumbar drain, but my neuro surgeon is done trying to work on my collapsed ventricles in my brain...

MRI RESULTS:
I have unilateral SLIT VENTRICLE SYNDROME, My Pituitary Gland is completely compressed "FLAT" (as stated on MRI) a " a perplexing amount of CSF in the suprasellar cistern represents a Cyst with possibility of arachnoid adhesion's" A Colloid Cyst along the anterior recess of the third ventricle, it is more prominent than the 2009 MRI and is now LARGER and in a different location than on the prior study. NO CHANGES in the brain stem & Cerebellum.

But read below regarding the adhesion's.. It's VERY interesting. I had gone to Neuro Rehab during the month of June, and it barely helped with my dizziness. Then I read about Arachnoid Adhesions... It all made sense after that!


Needless to say I am my own advocate, HAVE TO BE! And I had the results of the MRI and the CD in my hands before my neurologist. I waited until after the 4th of July to call her about the results. I had left Dr DeLeo a couple of messages regarding the MRI results and that I had questions about it. It took quite some time to hear back from her, I thought it was because my neuro surgeon took a 2 week vacation, and she was wanting to talk to him about it before talking to me... She finally calls on July 15th and we spent a half hour on the phone. The Colloid Cyst was her biggest concern, it's blocking CSF flow to the third ventricle. And the fact that it has moved, and is now bigger. In 2009 the radiologist called it an Arachnoid Cyst, My neuro surgeon was not overly concerned about it said people get them all the time after brain surgery. Now it's bigger, and has moved... My theory is that it's responsible for my current brain shunt failing. The Colloid Cyst is blocking the third ventricle, and that's the ventricle where my brain shunt pulls fluid from... I don't know, I'm not a Dr but it seems like the logical reason, for after three years of a wonderfully functioning brain shunt to stop working...


July 19, 2011
Chicago Bound...

Post-op appointment with neuro surgeon. I know~ my surgery was June 6th but I had to cancel one appointment, then came the 4th of July week and after he went on vacation for two weeks. Typical post op appointment at first, we talked about how I was doing since the last shunt valve change. I proceeded to tell him that my SWOOSHING came back on July 28th... He just kinda threw his hands in the air, looked me in the eye, and said that there is NOTHING ELSE he can do for me. I tried talking to him about the MRI, handed him the report, he barely looked at it, and said, "I cannot help you any further! You need to go to Mayo or somewhere like that!" I was devastated, cried... BUT I knew that he was probably going to do this. He wouldn't even entertain the possibility that the Colloid Cyst was blocking CSF flow to my brain shunt. He had his mind made up, I think before he even came into the room... He has tried to dismiss me as a patient once before but he had to keep me a little longer to fix his screw up on my lumbar shunt tubing... I had already talked to my neurologist about a referral to Indy Dr, she said I just needed to talk to my Neuro surgeon about the cyst and we'll go from there, I tried to tell her this was coming, she didn't think he'd turn me away... BUT HE DID! When I got home from the NS appointment I called Dr DeLeo's office and left her a message that I needed the referral to Indianapolis and all my records sent to Dr Michael Turner, MD.


Blessing in disguise!

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  http://www.arachnoiditis.info/content/the_adhesive_arachnoiditis_syndrome/the_adhesive_arachnoiditis_syndrome_12.html
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~ June 2011 Dr appt., MRI & Lawyer

I went to see a Lawyer RE: filing an appeal for Social Security Disability Income. I have NEVER met with a lawyer ever... So needless to say I was scared to death! She asked a lot of question's and I told her what's been going on since 2003, and who my Dr's were... She agreed to do the case, we agreed to hire her! We were there for a few hours, due to the Appeal paperwork that needed to be filled out. She wanted answers to all the test I had done for the "new neuro dr" but I didn't have a followup appt with her until the next day to get those results. She said if I have "dizziness" that I would be golden for SSD, because neither one of my conditions are SSD approved... I told her I had a ton of tests done, but don't know the results... Jeff & I had mixed emotions when we left the office. Bitter Sweet. When I had the tests done, I prayed nothing else was wrong with me, now i'm praying there is something else wrong, to help this process go smoothly since IH & Chiari are not approved disabilities... The next day, we meet with my new neuro to get all the test results.

New Neurologist appointment, Dr DeLeo, she meets with me at 8am, before reg patients! I felt 100% of her attention, she made "special" time to meet with me!!! Well, as it turns out, I do have some serious Vestibular Disorders! I suffer from Dizziness!!! BONUS! I'm only happy about that because I started to feel like people didn't believe me, that all the times I have to pass on "get togethers" parties, special occasions, etc... I now have proof! I have something serious going on in my right ear, inner ear, she wants to prescribe me a med, but wants me to think about it/research it right now! (I liked that! She didn't shove pills down my throat) My MRI, is just a constellation of problems, ventricles, Chiari, decompression surgery, I need to have another shunt revision, she really wants me to get a "programmable" shunt, but we already know how that turned out once already, but she see's to think that with "enough" weight loss, that a programmable lumbar shunt will work for me in the future. Dr DeLeo is going out to dinner w/ my NS Dr Munoz later this month, and they are to discuss this! (I like that too!) I also have another issue that I've been fighting w/ Dr's about for years. I have a Positive ANA... AGAIN!!! It comes & goes, I've been trying to get a Dr to look into it, but they always say it's no big deal, well this time, my # was sky high... It needs looking into now! AnA is AntiNuclear Antiboby = autoimmune disorder... To go along w/ it, my ESR & C-Reactive proteins are very high, which is also an indicator of autoimmune disease... And to top it all off... I am here today at my regular Dr because I need to get a follow up chest CT, because the one I had done in Feb showed a spot on my lung... Radiologist recommended a follow up CT in 3 months...

~ Surgery June 6, 2011

On June 3rd, I go back up to Rush, I have 3 Dr appointments. Dr Mizen, a Neuro Opthalmologist, Dr Khandelwahl, a Rheumotologist, and Dr Munoz, my Neuro Surgeon.

Dr Mizen and his staff were really amazingly nice people, problem is... my Opthalmologist here in my hometown, Dr Scott Cory runs all the same tests a Neuro Opth does, and has State of the Art Equipment. Dr Mizen, has OLD equipment, wasted trip in my opinion, but my neurologist wanted me to see him for a second/third opinion. The great thing about this visit, is that he said he did not see any need for me to back on Diamox!!!
 I DID NOT WANT TO GO BACK ON THAT MEDICATION!!!
And if you read my previous post regarding my surgery on May 27th, you'd know that my Neuro Surgeon did NOT change my shunt valve, so buy the time I saw the Neuro Opth, I was losing my visual field. (peripheral vision)

Dr Khandelwahl is a Rheumotologist. I am being tested for Auto Immune Diseases. My blood work has been a little concerning giving my history, my neurologist thought I should see a specialist to look into it.

~ Finally I meet with Dr Munoz to plead my case to him that I need this shunt valve changed from a 1.5 to a 1.0. He met with me on a Friday, he sees patients on Tuesdays, so it was VERY nice of him to meet with me in between surgeries. He was very much against changing my valve number to a lower setting, due to the fact that I might then have a low pressure headache. We talked for about 45 minutes, he only agreed to do the surgery with a backup plan, and that back up plan was to stay in the hospital for 3 days to monitor me for any signs of a low pressure headache. He got his MA, and we scheduled the surgery for Monday!

Monday June 6, 2011 We have to be at Rush @ 5am, surgery is scheduled for 7:15am. Being that it was the last week of school and Tiffany had ETA's, she did not go to Rush with us, and went to school. Jeff & I got there on time, and everything was going as planned, until we both fell asleep upstairs in the holding area, and was awoke by Dr Munoz's physician assistant... She was freaking out because I hadn't gotten my IV yet. Well we both fell back asleep... Then all of a sudden EVERYONE comes rushing to get me, I barely was able to give Jeff a kiss goodbye, and they wheel me off. NOW ~ usually I've got versed running through my IV, and I'm out by now, but I don't even have an IV, and now I'm awake in the operating room, which is like 12 degrees! LOL... I get onto the surgery table, they are working on both my hands to get an IV in, my right hand was poked twice, complete fail, but they get one in my left hand! SOMEBODY dropped the ball on my surgery I guess Dr Munoz was PISSED!!! it was Anesthesia ~ they NEVER came to check me in while I was in the holding area, granted I'm a "frequent flyer" there at Rush, the staff there is VERY familiar with me.

Anyway surgery goes just fine, and as planned with no complications.

Surgery was on Monday morning, and I have to stay in the hospital until Wednesday due to my agreement with Dr Munoz. If I was showing signs of a low pressure headache, I was to have surgery on Wednesday to change the valve back to a 1.5...

Monday was rough, Jeff & I were very tired, and slept most of the morning/afternoon. I was very sore, this is the 4th time this same incision has been opened up including it's initial placement in January 2011.  Jeff left sometime around 2, to beat the traffic, and I slept till around 5 or so.

I had awesome nurses this time! Everyone was wonderful, my neuro surgeon came to check on me before he went home for the day, he NEVER sees me the same day of surgery! He really was worried about changing that valve, I WASN'T... Not when I functioned with my first lumbar shunt as a wide open pediatric valve... 1.0 was a bit off from wide open! So I knew it would be OK!

Tuesday June 7, 2011 I was up waking the halls, I was eating OK, and have Physical & Occupational Therapy that day.
 ~ ALL WAS GOING WELL!!
Dr Munoz came in once again before his clinic hours started at 1pm, and he was happy and surprised that I was not having low pressure headaches. It's a joke between him & I now, because when I met with him on Friday he said it's gonna be a I TOLD YOU SO situation! Either he is gonna tell me I told you so that you'd have low pressure, OR I told him so... That I was NOT having low pressure. So we joked about it, and he reminded me that I wasn't out of the woods just yet, and if all looks good he'd let me go home on Wednesday. I have known Dr Munoz since 2005. We have a pretty good relationship ~ we can joke around like that!!!

LOL...

~ Finally in the car, on my way home! YEAH!! We get about half way home, and I tell Michelle... I DON'T HAVE ANY KEYS!!! LMAO! This is the first surgery Jeff didn't pick me up when I was discharged because of his new job!!! So since I didn't look tooooo horrible, we went to a local cafe, UPTOWN Cafe in Valparaiso, In and had a couple of coffee's until my daughter was home from school! That was so funny!!!

Today is July 2nd and I have been very busy, I go to Neuro Rehab two times a week, and been having some other issues. And have been seeing a handful of Dr's and having all kinds of testing done to see what the hell is going on with me! Sorry for the delay of this post. I know some of you have been waiting for me to post it!!!