|
FOUR! Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Yes, what you heard is true. Benjamin is FOUR. He went to school today. Like ALL DAY. He clocks in at 8:45, and I pick him up at 2:15. He LOVED it. He got to bring in snack for his birthday (yay, cupcakes), and arrived back home around 2:30 to a house decorated in blue and yellow (his favorite color!) streamers, balloons and other birthday fun. Our friends came over around 5ish for pizza and cupcakes, and then fifteen of us headed off to the Red Sox/Oriole's game at Camden Yards. The toddler crowd (yeah, that's it) started to peter off around 9, but it was so much fun, and everyone will sleep like a rock tonight. We've posted a few pics on facebook, but I will try to post some pictures from the fantastically awesome day tomorrow! CHARGE! ~Courtney posted at 11:28:01 PM Begging for your vote! Saturday, August 21, 2010 This will only take a moment, and will mean so much to me. Please take a quick second to sign up on the Pepsi Refresh everything site, and vote for this cause that is near and dear to my heart right now. You can vote daily through the rest of the month, and as long as they stay in 1st or 2nd place, they will receive the $250K grant for research, and hopefully, a cure for this debilitating disease. ~Courtney posted at 8:35:38 PM Favorite New Website...August edition Saturday, August 21, 2010 Unsuck It. There really isn't anything else to say. ~Courtney posted at 4:55:08 PM And because you can't do much after a spinal tap... Friday, August 20, 2010 ...here are some more pictures, courtesy of my mom, of my sweet (not so) little Benjamin!     ~Courtney posted at 9:28:41 PM And a more positive note... Friday, August 20, 2010 My mom sent these pics of Benjamin today. He is SO missed here in Baltimore!      ~Courtney posted at 9:23:33 PM So yeah, about August 2010 Friday, August 20, 2010 So yeah, it's been awhile. Assuming anybody still reads this blog, it's probably all people who know the month that's been had at the a*c*b household. So, for starters, I've just been busy with work. Shocker. I celebrated the big birthday 31 with a little bit of a bang; my great friend Allison took me out for a fun night around Federal Hill. We spiffed up a bit, and terrorized our local establishments. It as EXACTLY how a 31st birthday should be. Although, apparently one of the gifts you get when you turn 31 is a hangover after only a couple of drinks. I am SURE it was just a couple of drinks... The following weekend was jam-packed with fun. Andrew, Benjamin and I got up early and drove a couple of hours to Ocean City, Maryland. It was a long hike for a day trip, but we were all craving a little sand, sun and salt water. We had a fantastic day, a mediocre beach dinner, and then managed to drop $50 on a few midway rides. BUT, money well spent, as Benjamin had the time of his life. I am hoping Andrew might infuse this post with some pictures...that's above my skill-set right now (as you'll learn momentarily)... Sunday, Allison and I made the long trek to Northern Virginia where one of my other fantastic Alisons (I have a lot of fantastic Alison/Allisons in my life!), did highlights and cuts for both of us...she even came in on her day off to accommodate me! Early the following week was unmemorable. Oh wait, no it wasn't. On Tuesday morning, I woke up and felt all tingly down the entire left side of my body. I shrugged it off a bit, as our power was out, it was 90-something degrees outside (and inside too), and I was trying to take care of a nearly four year old with a 103 fever. By lunchtime, my entire face had gone numb, too. I called Andrew home from work (in NoVA...over an hour away), and called my friend Allison to see if she could come home to watch Benjamin. Andrew picked me up, and we went to the ER. I was admitted quite quickly, although, had to wait awhile for a room on neuro. I got CTs and MRIs and labs, oh my. Things kept coming back negative, and I kept feeling worse. I went home late in the day on Thursday, and my sister drove down on Friday to help me around here, and likely, take Benjamin to NY for the next couple of weeks, so I could rest. I had a diagnosis of Hemiplegic Migraine, which is a very rare form of migraine. I was taking a med more commonly used for people with high blood pressure. I already have super low blood pressure, so it was kind of hard for me to think, walk, talk, etc. I overdid it a bit that weekend, and when everybody left on Sunday, I just collapsed and slept. And I slept on Monday. And then my left eye started to do it's own thing. I called on Tuesday morning, but they couldn't get me in until the following Monday. I chatted with a friend who is a trained neurologist, and realized that things were not really right, and probably needed more examining. Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling the worst I've felt yet. By noon, Andrew was home from work, and we were en route to Johns Hopkins Hospital. They are truly the best in stroke, so we felt lucky to have that resource so close. We were kind of blown off at first, as if you've ever been to that ER, you know that it's very busy with all kinds of rif-raff...however, once we were back into the ER, there was no question that I had to be admitted to the neuro floor...and more specifically, to the stroke/brain rescue unit. So, I had a bunch of tests, and slept a whole lot, and would be MORE than happy to conduct a neuro test on anybody who needs one, because I know it inside and out...my diagnosis is kind of up in the air. The hemiplegic migraine is kind of an exclusionary diagnosis...when everything else they've thought of is ruled out, but my symptoms, and the fact that they lasted so long, made it not so logical of a Dx. So, fast forward to now. It wasn't stroke. It could be a couple of other things I am not really ready to talk about until I know one way or the other. I had to do a lumbar puncture/spinal tap this afternoon; we'll know more about the results from that early next week. At this point, we're hoping that all comes back negative, and that it's just some fluke that will heal quickly over the next few weeks. I have a busy fall/winter on my agenda, and look forward to being able to ramp back up in work, exercise, running, and life again. I miss my child more than anything in this world, and can't wait to have him home in a week, to celebrate his fourth birthday! If there are typos, please accept my apologies...I have some weakness in my left hand, and my eyes are definitely not in the mood to re-read this entire post... So, anyhow, I feel like progress is being made, and am optimistic that, with the best crew of docs in the country looking after me, we'll figure this out and get it fixed. In the meantime, I hope to upload some pics from B's NY vacation, and some of the fun things we've been doing when I get on the computer next. ~Courtney posted at 8:58:32 PM |
