ArtistinArizona
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Hello,
I've posted a few times but am now going to introduce myself. I've enjoyed reading your very helpful, informative posts. This is a great website and I hope to be able to contribute.
I am a Midwesterner, born in Minnesota, where I lived in several parts of the state. A few years ago, I was getting very ill, and my darling husband was offered a position in his company in South Dakota. We moved there and I love it. It's a beautiful state with lots of big, empty spaces that appeal to my love of nature and painting. It was great timing on the Lord's part as He knew I wasn't in very good shape. My husband's promotion allowed me to close a very successful interior design business and to begin my lifelong dream of oil painting. With the sale of our home of many years, we were able to just purchase a property in Arizona where we hope to spend part of each year. My husband is older than I and hopes to retire within the next 5 years. The warmth of the winter in Arizona is very appealing to me as the cold weather is hard to endure in the midwest.
But, back to the medical things. My history is long and boring, so I'll sum it up. I had ovarian cancer at the age of 17. It was found because I fell coming home from the cafeteria in college and hit my head. They found a large tumor in the ER on a routine exam. Thank you, Lord.
Life went on and then I had either encephalitis or a stroke at the age of 26. I lost my memory for a month, had pneumonia and was a very sick woman. Immediately after that I started having more migraines, (the first was when I was a kid...terrific headaches that lasted at least a day) so that I felt as though I was hit in the head with a 2x4 and was knocked to my knees. This would happen daily and often throughout the day. The medication kept things at bay with migraines at least a few times a month.
Then, about 10 years ago, with the rigours of a lot of stress from a very intense profession, I just depleted all my reserves and started waking up feeling as though my head was used as a punching bag all night. I kept at it, and worked even though I was deteriorating with increased memory loss, daily headaches, these odd movements of my extremities that soon went to my entire body. I couldn't sleep and life just got worse, especially after a couple of car accidents which were pretty severe (passenger, thank goodness and I was the only one hurt).
It was a true blessing that I was able to work as a bank manager in my earlier years, then as an interior designer for 14 years. I worked hard and endured a lot of stress. But, I was fortunate to put my kids through the schools they wanted to attend and to even travel. Finally, it all came tumbling down, and after a spinal surgery to fuse my ignored neck I asked my ortho doc when these wierds movements would end. Well, how surprised was he to learn I'd had them for a few years and I never mentioned them and how surprised was I to learn they were not related to my back issues. So, off to the neurologist we went at my ortho docs insistence, where they discovered a cyst in my left temporal lobe. While the neuro doc doesn't think it's the cause of my seizures, it's odd that the seizures seem to center around it.
The neuro doc also thinks my seizures have likely been going on since I was a kid and certainly since my stroke or encephalitis episode and memory loss.
The doctors don't know if there's an underlying reason for the seizures but all the mri's and eeg's etc. confirm them and I have several types.
So, I know I am very fortunate to have done as well as I have and that upon reading so many of the stories here I have a very blessed life. I am so grateful for all that the Lord has given me because from each experience I have learned greater compassion for others and appreciation for all I've been given.
I hope to be able to share, contribute, help, just as you all have done for me already.
Blessings to you all, thanks for letting me join the club.
I've posted a few times but am now going to introduce myself. I've enjoyed reading your very helpful, informative posts. This is a great website and I hope to be able to contribute.
I am a Midwesterner, born in Minnesota, where I lived in several parts of the state. A few years ago, I was getting very ill, and my darling husband was offered a position in his company in South Dakota. We moved there and I love it. It's a beautiful state with lots of big, empty spaces that appeal to my love of nature and painting. It was great timing on the Lord's part as He knew I wasn't in very good shape. My husband's promotion allowed me to close a very successful interior design business and to begin my lifelong dream of oil painting. With the sale of our home of many years, we were able to just purchase a property in Arizona where we hope to spend part of each year. My husband is older than I and hopes to retire within the next 5 years. The warmth of the winter in Arizona is very appealing to me as the cold weather is hard to endure in the midwest.
But, back to the medical things. My history is long and boring, so I'll sum it up. I had ovarian cancer at the age of 17. It was found because I fell coming home from the cafeteria in college and hit my head. They found a large tumor in the ER on a routine exam. Thank you, Lord.
Life went on and then I had either encephalitis or a stroke at the age of 26. I lost my memory for a month, had pneumonia and was a very sick woman. Immediately after that I started having more migraines, (the first was when I was a kid...terrific headaches that lasted at least a day) so that I felt as though I was hit in the head with a 2x4 and was knocked to my knees. This would happen daily and often throughout the day. The medication kept things at bay with migraines at least a few times a month.
Then, about 10 years ago, with the rigours of a lot of stress from a very intense profession, I just depleted all my reserves and started waking up feeling as though my head was used as a punching bag all night. I kept at it, and worked even though I was deteriorating with increased memory loss, daily headaches, these odd movements of my extremities that soon went to my entire body. I couldn't sleep and life just got worse, especially after a couple of car accidents which were pretty severe (passenger, thank goodness and I was the only one hurt).
It was a true blessing that I was able to work as a bank manager in my earlier years, then as an interior designer for 14 years. I worked hard and endured a lot of stress. But, I was fortunate to put my kids through the schools they wanted to attend and to even travel. Finally, it all came tumbling down, and after a spinal surgery to fuse my ignored neck I asked my ortho doc when these wierds movements would end. Well, how surprised was he to learn I'd had them for a few years and I never mentioned them and how surprised was I to learn they were not related to my back issues. So, off to the neurologist we went at my ortho docs insistence, where they discovered a cyst in my left temporal lobe. While the neuro doc doesn't think it's the cause of my seizures, it's odd that the seizures seem to center around it.
The neuro doc also thinks my seizures have likely been going on since I was a kid and certainly since my stroke or encephalitis episode and memory loss.
The doctors don't know if there's an underlying reason for the seizures but all the mri's and eeg's etc. confirm them and I have several types.
So, I know I am very fortunate to have done as well as I have and that upon reading so many of the stories here I have a very blessed life. I am so grateful for all that the Lord has given me because from each experience I have learned greater compassion for others and appreciation for all I've been given.
I hope to be able to share, contribute, help, just as you all have done for me already.
Blessings to you all, thanks for letting me join the club.
