Where have I been?? =)

I have received numerous emails from you, my readers and followers, asking where I am; what I'm up to; and if I am doing alright. I can't begin to tell you how very sweet that is of you, and you know who you are, and how blessed it makes me feel. I couldn't believe it once I got to each of those emails and read the words of encouragement, prayers of well being, and outreach of concern - support, and all around love that each one held. I was so moved, they brought tears of joy along with a few chuckles, and I loved them all!!

So I am going to update you all on what all I have been up to that has kept me out of pocket for so long....

As you know, at the first of the month I participated in a Sleep Study to try and get some solid answer as to why I keep uncontrollably falling. I did that on the 3rd through the 4th and on the 10th I went to hear the results, here's how that went;

I woke up at 6:30 am to start getting around and ready because my appointment was at 10:15 am and the drive over is about an hour. So I showered, fixed my hair, got dressed, and went into the kitchen with my make-up kit (it looks like a make-up artist should own this kit...hahahaa) and sat at the table with my mom, enjoyed the a/c & fan blowing in the room - but not on me, and put my make-up on. We talked, drank coffee, and ate some toast, and we both took our meds at the same time, of course her's are different than mine, but it was kind of funny that after we finished our toast we both reached for our medicines. Usually my mom goes with me to my doctor appointments, but this morning she wasn't feeling very well so she decided to stay home. So about 10 minutes to 9:00 am I left out starting my drive with all the other morning drivers, and man there was more than I thought there would have been.

I get to the doctor's office, check in and begin reading a couple of magazines. One of which was called "Fort Worth, Texas - The City's Magazine" and the cover had these huge words "Top Docs 2008". Well of course I had to check to see if any of my doctor's were listed and if this Sleep Medicine doctor was listed. Much to my delight, all of them were listed and this Sleep Medicine doctor was the number one in the area....I was feeling pretty confident about what this sleep study was going to provide. Good, bad or indifferent, the results would be pretty definite one way or the other....in my mind anyway.

Finally I was called back to speak with the doctor, yes....I took that magazine with me into his office!! I walk into his office, which is something new for me; usually it is into an exam room when you have a follow up. Anyway, I walk in his office and look around this really beautifully decorated office. There were two chairs in front of his desk so I sat in the one on the left, while I was waiting for him to come join me in his office, I continued to look through the magazine. Why is it that you always have to wait 10 minutes or more for the doctor to join you, either in the exam room or his office?? UGH!!

When he came in he sat in the chair next to me instead of behind his desk, which I thought was so odd..comforting, concerning, but still odd. hahahaha. He started by asking how I liked doing the sleep study and if I had any questions about it before we get started on the details of it all. Of course I had to tell him how much I loved the mattress..hahaha, and how nice everyone was to me and I appreciated that!! Then he asked me to go over to the computer so we could look at the graph reading from all the electrodes that were placed all over my body, and take a look at the actual video. Talk about interesting!! To see yourself sleep is really something everyone should experience!! I really don't move around much, just my head and one arm or the other is all that really moved....which I knew I didn't move very much because it hurts, but I had no idea just how still I could be. He began to tell me that during the night when I was sleeping that I did go into REM sleep multiple times, and during the day with the naps every 2 hours that I did go to sleep 3 of those times and very quickly and 2 of those times I did go into REM sleep.
Ok, so now I bet you are asking the same question that I had....What does that all mean?

Well, it means that I do have signs of Narcalepsy which goes along with the diagnosis my other doctor gave me of Cataplexy. He went on to say that the reason for my unexpected and uncontrollable falling is due to Cataplexy. I felt really good to finally have a definite answer for all that has been happening to me for the past several months. I asked if I could have a copy of the video, graphs, and his findings. Yes, I also asked if I could have the magazine of the Top Docs, to which he said yes to all. YAY!!

I walked out of there with my head in the clouds and my eyes set on DSW Shoes again....but I didn't stop this time...hahahaha. I drove back to my mother's, but first I stopped at Subway and got foot long subs for my mom, dad and myself. I was excited to let my parents know that we now have an answer for which could be controlled.
But once my Neurologist heard of his diagnosis, she totally disagreed....greattttt, just great!!!!
Which means I still have to keep my appointment with UT Southwestern Medical Center on July 31st. I sure do hope they can come up with either the same diagnosis or something that can be controlled as well!!

I stayed at my parents house through the weekend, because I had another doctor's appointment on the following Monday. I let him know of the results from the sleep study and he was pleased with himself because he was the one who had that thought in the first place. So he prescribed Imipramine and I went merrily on my way back to my parents house for the night. But I didn't leave until Wednesday because I was exhausted and didn't want to rush to make it home before doing my radio show or leave afterwards and be driving in the dark, so I hung out with my parents one more night. =)

Wednesday morning I loaded up my suitcases, yes that is plural....I had been there for a couple weeks ya know.....anyway, got all my things packed up, got the dogs things packed up and ready to be loaded up in the car. My dad and I toted everything outside and sat things beside my car, I went back in the house for the last little bit of things - my purse, cell phone, keys and to give out hugs. Only one problem....I couldn't find my keys!! We all searched everywhere for them, and I do mean everywhere, but couldn't find them. After an hour of searching and bringing everything back in the house because it was way too hot for them to be left outside for long, I searched through my purse one more time....which made it the 9th or 10th time.....and what do ya know....I found my keys in the outside pocket of my purse....someplace I never put them!!
So....my dad and I toted everything back out and in the car, I got the dogs in and straped in, gave out my hugs and kisses, and away we went, making our way back home.

Three hours later we arrived home to find all my plants in the house from the greenhouse because they weren't tended to the way they needed to be....go figure....They all looked half dead or at least headed in that direction. But I was way too tired to fuss with it right then!! So I unloaded everything out of the car and dropped it all off in the closet and quickly changed my clothes for comfort and made my way into my nice, comfy bed!! WOW did it ever feel nice to be back in my own bed again!! I raised the feet up and lowered the head, put the tv on relaxing music and closed my eyes.....I drifted off to sleep so quick!!

Ever since, I have been either sleeping.....babysitting my two grand-daughters, tending to my plants, or sitting out on the boat dock relaxing and watching the cows!!
Well, until this week that is!! This week has started off with me putting key notes and a speech (of sorts) together for my speaking engagement for the Abilene Holistic Association on Thursday evening. I am really looking forward to it and hope open the eyes of those who are blind to the effects Chronic pain, be from RSD or something else, causes on the mind, body and spirit. If any of you have something you would like for me to add to my speech, please email it to me and I will be sure to include it .... if I don't already have it!!

So, I guess that pretty much gets you up to speed with all that has been going on with me this past month....and for those of you who are on my mailing list for my Newsletter, sorry to have you read the same thing twice....that is if you read my blog also....hahahahaa.

Again, I appreciate all your emails of well wishes.....they truly made me feel so much better!! It is so nice to have you all as friends!!

~~God Bless You All~~

Disabled sailor taken to hospital

Page last updated at 21:54 GMT, Saturday, 6 June 2009 22:54 UK

A quadriplegic yachtswoman was taken to hospital after suffering the effects of cold off the west Wales coast.

Hilary Lister, 37, from Kent, is aiming to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain.

The Fishguard RNLI lifeboat took the sailor off her boat after the weather deteriorated and she had a check-up at in hospital at Haverfordwest.

Her boat was eventually towed to shore by her support boat under the supervision of the lifeboat.

A spokesman for Ms Lister said there had already been a plan with the RNLI to take Ms Lister off her boat when she reached Fishguard but this was brought forward.

There had been no radio contact after the yachtswoman failed to arrive in port at the appointed time.

Peter Kedward from the RNLI at Fishguard explained: "Eventually the coastguard managed to make radio contact and established that she was two miles north of Strumble Head and under tow by her support boat.

"Conditions were becoming very difficult and the tide had turned against her."

The support boat with four on board requested assistance from the Fishguard lifeboat which stood alongside as the tow continued.

Mr Kedward added: "With force five winds and with wind over tide, the sea state became very demanding and the lady requested to be transferred to the all-weather lifeboat as she was becoming hypothermic."

Assistance was requested from a Stena ferry, which was approaching inbound Fishguard from Rosslare.

The RNLI crew made radio contact with the ferry and requested a weather lee so they could transfer Mrs Lister into the lifeboat more comfortably.

But in the end the transfer was not possible because of the conditions and the tow continued into Fishguard harbour where Mrs Lister was transferred to the inshore lifeboat in calmer waters and then taken onto Withybush hospital by ambulance.

Mrs Lister, from Faversham in Kent, is disabled from the neck down.

She is trying to become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain, and - in the process - the first disabled sailor - male or female - to conquer the Irish Sea.

On her website today, she said she arrived at Fishguard at 0130 after an "excellent sail followed by a very difficult end," and that they were remaining in port for another week.

The start of the current bid in Plymouth last month was delayed after she developed breathing difficulties.

She had to abandon her first attempt last August because of technical problems and bad weather.

Ms Lister uses a "sip-and-puff" system of straws to control her boat.

Her specially-adapted vessel, an Artemis 20 called Me Too, has been designed to be operated through three "straws".

Ms Lister, a biochemistry Oxford graduate, became the first quadriplegic sailor to sail solo across the English Channel in 2005 and two years later was the first quadriplegic woman to sail around the Isle of Wight.

She was wheelchair-bound at the age of 15 because of a progressive neurological disorder, reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

What Am I Doing??

For the past couple days I have been doing a "Sleep Study" in Ft. Worth, and I have to tell you, I have had the best time here!! The people are extra sweet and have a sense of humor, which is so important!! Of course they are all a bit perplexed by me in things like: where should we touch you; where should we put the electrode wires; but the best one is: how are should we pull to get the electrode wires off....hahahaha. Then when they do anything, they simply can't understand why I am laughing and upbeat...one lady said if she had everything I have been diagnosed with she would be the grumpiest old woman on the face of the earth..haha.

The reason I am posting this is because I have received several emails from people wondering where I have been and/or what I am up to.....so now everyone will know.=)
Although once I get back home I had planned on posting all about my experience with pictures of the room, me all wired up, and things, along with a couple videos I did for your viewing pleasure. haha

I must admit, I was extremely curious as to what the room would be like, what all do they do in a sleep study, etc. and now you all will be able to see the room from the other side of their camera!! Oh, and they said they could burn me a copy of the entire thing....how cool is that!! I might even be compelled to post that on here as well...maybe...hahaha.

Oops, gotta scoot, they just told me I have another testing in 10 minutes, and I have to shut everything down and off.

Make it an Amazing Day....Every Day!!

Budget cuts may force California child health insurance premiums onto parents

June 1, 2009

Parents who have been taking advantage of California child health insurance programs that lowered costs may have to look to the capitol in Washington DC for help: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is still facing a $24.3 billion budget deficit and says that health care coverage to less-than-affluent children may have to be cut to make up some of the difference.

For children whose parents make a combined $22,000 to $55,125 and were normally covered by the state's Healthy Families program, Schwarzenegger announced that he would try to save $305 million by cutting their coverage, a process that would take away in turn roughly $600 million more in federal matching funds, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Other health care cuts in the state budget helped to bring the total to $2 billion, out of a total $14.3 billion still facing the state after cuts made earlier in the year. Other programs that may be cut based on a vote in the legislature include funds for treatment of breast and cervical cancer, as well as counseling and testing programs for HIV, according to the Redding Record Spotlight.

"We're working very hard to find other alternatives, but if you're a free-standing rural health clinic today I don't see surviving these times," Cathy Larsen, CEO of Southern Trinity Health Services told the news provider. "We're not only going to have jobs and services lost, but we're going to be losing federal dollars coming into the state, which will just mean the loss of more jobs."

Just over the border, many Americans are finding that they can afford to get prescriptions in towns like Tijuana, in spite of turbulent drug-related warfare and the recent swine flue scare, according to UCLA researchers who estimate that just under 1 million Californians cross the border each year for health insurance, primarily Mexican emigrants who cross back over.

While legislative officials may not all be on board with the cuts, some told the Sacramento Bee that the state can't afford the benefits it provides, and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore said, "When you have an unemployment as high as it is in this state, it should be a signal to people to look for jobs in other states with more jobs and a lower cost of living."

Working with health insurers that offer California child health insurance plans could save money for some families, including ones where a child may have autism. One provider of autism spectrum disorder services, Wellspring, is offering a seminar on June 11 in Burbank to show families how they can get coverage through their current insurer, without worrying about further state budget cuts.

Calfornia Child Health Insurance News provided by healthinsurancefinders.com