Latest Neurologist Update

So today my mom and Jake took me back to the neurologist in Brownwood since I cannot drive and we got ALOT of informative news from the doctor while we were there. I had to go back to the neurologist after they read my EEG report from last week since they found some abnormalties in it that needed to be discussed and treated. So today he really described what it was exactly that they found on my EEG I had done last week. According to the doctor I have a genetic form of Epilepsy that I was most likely born with and have had for all 24 years of my life and is just now being diagnosed because of some things that have happened. Basically what my form of Epilepsy is instead of having random seizures throughout the form of Epilepsy I have causes my brain to have seizure activity all the time. The seizure activity that I have starts at the center of my brain and goes all over my brain often causing brain fogging, confusion, processing problems, staring seizures, zoning out, issues processing and taking in information in academic situations such as school starting at a very young age. But this particular type of Epilepsy cause also cause real actual big seizures like most people think of with the unconsciousness, convulsions, jerking, body tensing up, and other physical evidences of a seizure which is why I have had several episodes like this throughout my life, the most recent one being just a few weeks ago while I was out of town in Beaumont.





Luckily this is a very manageable type of Epilepsy unless my body doesn't take well to the medications that can be prescribed to people who suffer from this type of Epilepsy. After talking with the doctor for quite some time today our first plan of treatment is going to be trying out taking a medicine called Keppra once a day for twelve days and then to have a blood test to check the levels of the medicine and then decide upon a dosage increase or change in medication depending on side affects and stuff. I am also going to have to have another EEG this time next month to see how well the medicine is working to decrease all the seizure activity that is going on in my brain. Another big thing that we talked about with the doctor is driving while trying to get this type of seizure disorder under control. The state law of Texas is for seizure patients is no driving for six months, but my neurologist said it just all depends on how the medicine works with my body and what my blood tests and other EEGs show about the seizure activity in my brain. So I could very likely be looking at not driving for six months but it is also very possible that it could only be three months without driving. Another big factor was being pregnant, being Epeleptic, and being on anti-seizure medication while pregnant and all the risks and decisions that come along with that. I was very happy to hear there are no real restrictions when it comes to this, except maybe some extra caution and monitoring, possible change of medication, maybe seeing a specialist who does Epilepsy and pregnancy, and just listening to my body and my doctors which I was SO HAPPY to hear!



So all in all it was a pretty good appointment full of alot of informative and answers that honestly make me really wonder about my last twenty four years of life and specific episodes that have happened to me when really all along this was the probelm and no one ever knew. Most people have absolutely no idea how much better it all makes me feel to know that all along there was a reason behind all the struggles I went through all my years in school and that it wasn't just me being stupid in school. Aside from all that I am making it my personal goal through this whole experience with this condition and diabetes to be as positive as I can possibly be, to find the blessing and lesson in all of this, and most importantly to really learn from this and adapt my life in the best way from this whole experience.


Hope this update is helpful and I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their long Easter weekend!! I will update again hopefully with pictures this time at the end of this long weekend.


"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Letting Go

Letting go and learning to give up control is most definitely the HARDEST thing I have ever done and is something I am for sure still learning how to live life without being in control. As if I didn't know already I have definitely learned in the last month or two that I am a HUGE control freak! But there is a small part of me right now that is feeling at ease, peaceful, and so much relief, which I know is such a sign that we are doing the right thing for our lives right now.


Last week when my mom & I went to my first neurologist appointment and he thought everything seemed fine and didn't expect to find anything or to see me back again. But naturally I left his office accepting what he said because he is a smart doctor who knows so much more than I do about the brain. But at the same time I had this small part of me inside that just kept saying this isn't the end, you are going to be back at this office again, and I just didn't feel at ease when I left his office in Brownwood last week. So when I got the call on Tuesday afternoon from his office I was not very surprised. All along before my appointment last week I had been praying so hard that God would give some sign of what we were supposed to be doing as far as moving to Houston at the end of this summer and what HE wanted us to do. I was also praying that God would show me a specific reason either way...whether he wanted us to stay in Abilene or to move to Houston. And it is amazing what truly happens when you pray with your heart's strongest desire.



Throughout the last week it has become increasingly apparent that God wants Jake & I to stay here in Abilene for whatever the reason. I honestly feel like He is using my health issues right now to show us what is important in life and that using all this medical stuff going on right now to say "I want you here!" So we are doing our best to let go and give God all the control because I know what He can do is SO SO beyond my imagination and comprehension. I am learning to praise God even in the midst of stressful and frustrating time because I know He has a plan through all the hard times in my life that is far better than whatever I was trying to plan out.



Always remember Jeremiah 29:11...it is playing on repeat in my brain these days!!

Taking A Step Backwards....

So like I said in my last post about my appointment last week with my neurologist my MRI came back totally clean, looking perfectly normal. My EEG I couldn't exactly say the same thing for, first of all when I was at the neurologist last week he couldn't read the images or report because apparently you can't read EEG reports from a CD disk drive and the hospital had not sent my report to his office yet (as of last week.) So needless to say I was going to have to wait to hear the results from my EEG, he said he would only call me about the EEG results if there was a problem, in other words I would not hear from him if everything was completely normal. Well after getting a complete clean bill of health last week I had moved on with life, I had my driving priveleges given back, went back to work with all my sweet kiddos, and life was getting back to normal or at least that was the impression I got.




Until today around one o'clock I got a call from a 325 phone number which the Abilene area code, but I didn't recognize the phone number, but assumed it was some doctor's office calling since I had alot of doctors calling me lately. So as I answered the phone call I quickly realized who it was and why they were calling. It was in fact Dr. Boren's (the neurologist's office) calling to notify me that my EEG results came back abnormal and he found some seizure activity in my brain and needed to see me back in his office this week to discuss what is going on, treatment plans, risk factors, questions, etc... Well like most doctor's offices I could tell they didn't want me knowing alot over the phone and wanted to wait to tell me everything in person at my appointment so I proceeded to call my boss, whose husband is a very good neurosurgeon here in Abilene, whom I had seen initially to have all my tests ordered and get my referral to this neurosurgeon in Brownwood. So my boss/very good friend tells me that her husband who had read the EEG report and who had spoken to my neurologist proceeds to explain that they have detected that there is some type of Epilepsy activity going on in my brain and that all this may explain my past medical history of seizure episodes and that we needed to figure everything out so we can what all needs to be done.



So as of right now I am currently taking a step backwards from where I thought I was. My appointment with the neurologist is on Friday morning in Brownwood so we will find what exactly is going on and hopefully some more details of what all this means exactly and what our treatment plan is going to be. All of our moving to Houston plans have seriously been put on a strong hold because of everything going on since it is very possible that I will be put on anti seizure medication and have my driving priveleges taken away from at least six months. We are really really praying right now that we can see God's plan for us right now since it is very clear and obvious that he is closing alot of doors with the moving to Houston plan and instead giving us very clear reasons about staying here in Abilene and instead opening other doors here. But it still is just very hard to give up all control, have patience, and be at ease with everything going on right now. We know God has such a great plan for our lives, but are just trying to see what that plan is and receive His guidance, signs, and blessings instead of focusing on the negative. So we would really appreciate any and all prayers, thoughts, encouragement, and advice/suggestions anyone out there has to offer!




Promise to update when I know some more information!!

doctor visits & results

Last week I had all my doctor appointments after my recent medical situation, Monday was the endochrinologist, Wednesday were my MRI & EEG tests at the hospital, & Thursday was my neurologist appointment in Brownwood. I already wrote about my diabetes update I got from the endochrinologist on Monday and I'm trying my hardest to get my blood sugar lower and hoping this new medicine is doing its job to help. But Wednesday I had to go to the hospital to have my MRI and EEG done, which was very interesting, also something I had never done before so I can now check that off my "Life to do list." Although Jake & I were there for about four hours everything went fine, I was a little worried about the MRI because of being a little bit weird about being in small, closed spaces, but I was fine since it was only of my brain I didn't have to go all the way into the MRI tube which was a relief. But the EEG was a totally different story, also had never done that, but was a very interesting experience. First of all it is quite a gross test to have done because they put all the paste type stuff all in your hair so that the wire things you have to be hooked up to and afterwards you REALLY want to wash your hair! But once you are all hooked up you basically just take a nap on a quite comfy memory foam bed while they flash all kinds of strobe lights in your face and stuff and then you wake up with a REALLY BAD headache or at least I did.

So on Thursday since Jake couldn't get off of work to take me to the neurologist in Brownwood my mom took me. The neurologist I was referred to by the family I work for was extremely laid back and nice and helped me make some sense of what has been happening to me. Although he was not able to read my EEG report because of some kind of disc error he looked at MRI images and said everything on my MRI came back completely normal and said there is absolutely nothing wrong with my brain at all. About the EEG report he was going to wait on the report from the hospital and call me if there was anything wrong there, but he suspected there will be nothing on that either. According to the neurologist the reason for my fainting/seizure spell a few weeks ago was probably a combination of a few different things that all seemed to run together. He said my body was probably more at risk for things like this to happen because there was a strong infection in it, alot stronger than I realized at the time which caused me to react to the antibiotic shot that was given to me. And when I got dizzy and fainted I most likely had a seizure because I fainted, which apparently can happen alot to some people, he said it is their body's reaction to fainting and losing consciousness for some period of time. But all in all everything is great now, no brain problems, I got cleared to drive, and got a perfectly clean bill of health and life can go on now! I cannot thank everyone enough for all of the sweet thoughts, messages, and prayers sent my way during all this medical stuff. I feel so very grateful to have so many people in my life that love me and have supported me through all this. There is no way I could have gone through all this without all the prayers, help, and support I have gotten from everyone!

Now that everything is good and over with life can go on and we are now back to trying to make a really big decision for our family and could use all the prayers for God's guidance. Although things are about to get really busy around here with lots of different family stuff going on in the next few weeks we could really use God's guidance in our lives right now!!!

Endochrinologist Appointment

Today I FINALLY had my first endochrinologist appointment since being officially diagnosed with Type 1.5 Diabetes. Visiting with the doctor has made me feel alot better especially since the doctor was able to really answer so many of my questions. I think I am starting to get used to being diabetic, but after my doctor's appointment today there is still alot that is going to have to change in order for me to get complete control over this disease and to get my blood sugars to go down. I was encouraged by some during today's appointment, for example finding out that my doctor doesn't want me to lose a bunch of weight like I thought he was wanting me to do. Also very encouraged to hear that at some point after getting everything under control with my blood sugars, I will be able to eat some fruit, just in very controlled moderation. As of right now my diet to keep my blood sugars under control consists of meat, vegetables, some whole grains, cheese, nuts, and thats pretty much it. I have cut off most all carbs, refined sugar products, refined white flour products, fruit. I also try and limit my carb intake to about 30-45 grams of carbs per day. One big change the doctor did decide to make today was have me stop taking my Metformin twice a day like I had been doing for the last month or so and started me on a new medication called Janumet. The new medication, Janumet is a new combination drug for diabetes of sitaglipitin and metformin. I will be on this new medication for the next month or two unless I encounter problems that my body isn't working well with this particular medicine. I also have be keeping track of my blood sugar numbers which I already am doing and send my numbers for the week in about once a week so that my doctor knows where I stand. I was very pleased that my weight and blood pressure were very well along with my standard diabetic exam to check for any progression or complications. I was very happy to know that I don't at this point have to be on insulin shots, he did though tell me if at any time soon or in the future that I do become pregnant I will not be able to take this new medication, but will be able to take Metformin and will have to take insulin shots throughout the pregnancy along with extra careful monitoring. Overall I felt good about my first appointment with my endochrinologist and feel comfortable with where I stand with my diabetes and the changes that have to be made so that it is under control and my numbers are where my doctor and I want them. Now that is one appointment down and two more to go so far this week. I guess you can't be dealing with medical issues without having some kind of medical insurance problems to figure out. I am supposed to be talking with the doctor's office early tomorrow morning to finish figuring all this out so my other two appointments this week can still happen. I have my mri and eeg tests on wednesday as long the insurance stuff goes as planned. And lastly have to neurologist appointment on thursday at 12:30 in Brownwood so we will see how it all goes. I'll be updating about everything going on this week.

our new car!!!

So after many days of searching for a new car that was right for us and many deals that went wrong we FINALLY found a great car for us!! We decided a little while ago that it was about time to sell our old explorer, the car Jake has been driving to work and back home and replace it with something newer that gets much better gas mileage that we could take on trips and such. Ever since we got married I started driving Jake's car, 2008 Chrysler Aspen because of the size of it, I need room for three carseats for three precious girls that accompany me most places I go. So about two weeks ago we went to the bank and refinanced my car and got approved to buy another car and we were so excited since this was first time as a married couple to get some kind of loan and purchase something new as a married couple. So off we went car shopping, sounds exciting right!? That is exactly what we thought and it was at first, but after looking and the dealership price not matching what the bank thought the car is worth and what they wanted to finance it for, this happened a couple of different times and we were beginning to feel somewhat discouraged about buying a car. The car we ended up buying below, 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid we had found and test drove early on in search, but were turned down on it because the dealership couldn't match the price the bank wanted to finance it for. But guess who reduced the price on the camry this weekend? Yes that's right the dealership reduced the price on the car so we went and talked to the bank again and went back and forth a little with the dealership and the bank for one last time and finally they were able to agree on a price and we got to bring the car home last night!! I'm so happy to be finished with that whole process it was exciting, frustrating, and stressful all at the same time! But we are so happy with the decision we made and love the new car! The most important thing to me was that Jake loved the car because for the most part he would be the one driving it and since he had been driving the old explorer he definitely deserved something much newer, nicer, and more luxurious feeling. The 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid gets amazing gas mileage which is really something we were looking for, its 34 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway. So far we are loving it, although I haven't gotten to drive it since I'm not allowed to drive right now, but maybe I will get to drive it one day. Gotta say there is nothing like having a new car, especially that smell, love that new car smell!!!

update on doctor's appointments

So today I had my first appointment with the neurosurgeon to be evaluated so that I can be referred to a neurologist to figure out what is going on. Everything with the neurosurgeon went good, nothing abnormal that he saw or noticed but that the tests would show more and the neurologist would know more and talk about everything more in depth. So I am waiting on the hospital to call me and set up an appointment for my EEG test and my MRI test which will probably take place early next week. I am also waiting on the neurologist's office to call me about my appointment with them late next week, probably Thursday or Friday. In the mean time we are working on getting my pediatric records from my old pediatrician when I was little and the records from a pediatric neurologist that I was referred to when I was 3. In other news, I was scheduled for about a month to see my endochrinologist today, but they called me on monday to cancel my appointment. But long story short I ended up having to call my regular physician to have her jump through some hoops for me to get my appointment rescheduled as soon as possible seeing as how I am in an almost emergency situation so needless to say I am now at the very top of the list of appointments to be rescheduled next week, most likely on Wednesday. I also had an appointment earlier this week with the ENT doctor about the cellulitis/staph infection on my forehead and had a CT scan done on my face/sinus area. The doctor confirmed that it was not a deeper infection in the sinus cavity or anywhere else, but strictly a skin infection. The ENT doctor also wrote me an extension to take the antibiotics I am already on for my infection just for a longer period of time. The really strong, powerful antibiotics I am taking right now, 800 mg. Bactrum are what are making me feel the worst. They have been completely draining me altogether, weak, tired, big loss in appetite, and have just left me with absolutely NO ENERGY at all. I have been really tired at different times in my life and even sick and weak, but this antibiotics has left me feeling like I have never felt before, I cannot even explain the exhaustion. But I definitely counting down the days until I am off of these antibiotics. Once I get more updates from doctors about the situation right now I will update on here again!