Skip to main content

Each Day is a Blessing (Posted 4/11/2016)

This weekend I was able to go home and spend some quality time with my family. It is honestly very hard going through all of these medical struggles and being away from your biggest support system. However I feel rejuvenated and ready to take on this next week.


Earlier today I went on a hike. It was a hike I had been on many times before. It's about two miles all uphill and then two miles back downhill. It took me twice as long to complete the hike than it normally does and that's when I really realized how much my Chiari is effecting my life. I'm a person that tends to just work through things and not even notice how it is truly making me feel. Ever since my diagnosis, I've been consciously more aware of my symptoms, what is normal and not normal. I realized that I actually have a consistent pressure within my skull. I thought that was normal, and I guess it is normal on Chiari standards.


Back to the hike.. I love hiking. There's just something about the satisfaction of getting to the end and the pure bliss of looking over the edge of a cliff. Last summer I hiked all the time, and I did this particular hike multiple times with no problem. Today was a great day and I loved being outside, I just see now how much the Chiari is part of my every day. The pressure kept increasing as the hike continued and I became much more fatigued faster than ever before. When I ended the hike, I was pretty proud of myself for making it. I just now know that I really can't do more intense hikes before surgery, or I guess even after for a little while.


My title of this entry on my blog is that every day is a blessing. As I was reflecting on my day, I realized I was thinking a lot about how much pain I was in. Then I started thinking positively. Today my blessings were abundant. I was able to experience a thrill of a hike (even though it was a doozy), I got to hang out with my sister and best friend for hours, and I was able to have a nice dinner out with my entire family before heading back to school. It's the little things in my daily life and my support system that will get me through pre and post surgery times. Today I am blessed, just like I am every day. #CMstrong

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post-Surgery #2 Update (Posted 2/11/2017)

Well it has been over a month since I have given an update on my health! First off, I was not prepared for the aftermath of my rhizotomy procedure. I was in so much pain, and I was unable to take any anti-inflammatories afterwards for two full weeks. Well, two weeks later I was going under for my second decompression...so it was interesting to say the least. It is now just about three weeks post-op, and I'm doing much better than expected. This recovery is slightly different than the last for me. I'm dealing with nausea/vomiting rather then pain. I'm already down to one oxy pill every four hours when last time around I was still on three. My fatigue is insane (mainly due to meds), so I find myself asleep more than awake. I have not been out of the house or my bed much, just due to the fact that it takes a lot out of me. I'm trying my hardest to keep my spirits up, but it has been more difficult this time around, most likely due to the fact that Cornish is in session and...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Weeks Post-Op (Posted 5/23/2016)

I cannot believe it has only been two weeks since I had my massive surgery. I can honestly say that I am pretty darn proud of how far I have come since May 9th. On a side note, I was trying to create a mid-week post, but for now at least I think updating once a week through my blog is most beneficial for myself. This way all of my followers can get a summary of how things are and I can reflect on my personal progress! So here we are. This past week has been a lot easier than the last. After my puking incident, we were able to get my pain under control and have it stay that way consistently. I was noticing a pattern of what times during the day I get tired or need rest and when my pain is increased. By switching some of my medications around on my time schedule, I was feeling a lot better and more relaxed (to the highest degree a brain surgery patient can be). Wednesday was my first day out of the house since Oliver's adoption and it was so successful! I'm going to be honest and...
Post a Comment
Read more

End of Year Recap: 2020 Edition

Well what a year it has been .. Everyone knows this though, so I'm not going to go into too much depth about how crap of a year it was and say all the cliche things about how "excited" I am about 2021. As much as I truly do hope this next year is going to be a different year and hopefully full of positive change, I just don't trust people around me to make it happen! It takes all of us to work together, but there's too many people out there who don't think this can effect them, and you all know what I mean when I say "this." I'm thankful though to live in a state where things are taken much more seriously and cases are actually much lower than the rest of the country due to our state government taking those earlier precautions. So for that, I'm grateful.  This year for me has for sure been one of the hardest yet. I used to never worry about my work ... I've had a job or two since I was 16 years old, and to have to go onto unemployment for...
Post a Comment
Read more