Heart holes and oops nos

Okay, so... yeah. This will be a very brief post because its late, I'm tired, and I'm not really feeling particularly talkative (type-ative?). At any rate, spent most of July in the hospital with various suspected heart issues and more nerve problems. Wee! I have a hole in my heart and MS has NOT been officially denied after all- my misunderstanding... though medical stuff is complicated enough without a doctor whose accent occasionally borders on unintelligible (even if he is a great doctor). Yearly MRIs to check for brain and/or spinal lesions. Again, wee!

*changes gears*

So I'm in law school. And it isn't terrifying. And it isn't miserable. There's a huge workload and some complicated material, but I have to say- I am actually enjoying it all. From day one, my social awkwardness found me in the IT office shooting the shit with the computer guys and (joy of joys!) drinking their coffee. It is now my hang-out of choice for when I'm not in class or outside smoking. They are hilarious. And wonderfully awkward. :)

Thus far, I love school, my new apartment, and Lexington. I'll update better at another time.

Peace.

Are we there yet???

Okay, so I may already officially be the world's worst blogger- one post and then 3 months of nothing. Go me! Woohoo! I suppose I have a reasonable excuse for my lack of bloggage, but then again, how much time and effort does it really take to rant and rave a bit via keyboard? The past few months have been filled with more doctor's visits, specialists, tests, pokings and proddings, and various shovings-into-machines. Fibromyalgia officially confirmed. MS officially denied. (yay!) Spinal arthritis in all sections of spine that is evidently putting really spiffy pressure on my spinal cord?- You bet! Tomorrow I go in for an EMG/NCS to check for nerve damage and the like. And a big thumbs up to my doctors, family, and friends who keep telling me how VERY PAINFUL this test will be. Yes, folks, you've really put my mind at ease. :P

In other only slightly related news, packing up and moving a state or two away from all my doctors, family, support, etc. doesn't seem like the best idea ever so, yeah, University of Kentucky College of Law here I come! It's a good school. It's in pretty much the same bracket as the other schools I was previously favoring. I just wanted out of the old home state for awhile, you know? I wanted to go to law school in or near D.C. to take advantage of the extra opportunities afforded to one by being so close to the nation's legal hub. But UK will be nice, and I'd be lying if I said I weren't excited. I've been accepted, offered scholarship, and open house is in just under two weeks. Things are really starting to roll along. I need to devote some time to drive up to Lexington and examine the housing options. I'm ridiculously poor now that my medical bills are pouring in. *sigh*

And now for something completely different...

My little brother, Christopher, is 8 and I'm fairly certain he will be the next Jim Carey, I swear it. He is made entirely of rubber and just can't help but be randomly hilarious. After dinner at a local restaurant, our lovely waitress was thanking us and telling us to have a good evening and my little brother looks up at her with this oh-so-overjoyed face and yells, "Happy Hanukkah!" while bugging his eye out of his head. My family is not Jewish. It is March. For some reason, this is hilarious to all within earshot.

My little sister, Robin, is reaching the age where she has lots of awkward questions for my stepmom about various body changes and the like. Whenever Robin has just such a question, she approaches my stepmom and whispers, "Mama, I need to talk to you. It's PRIVATE." It is at this point that my little brother will magically appear in the room (no matter where he'd been or what he'd been doing) and turn his head sideways at a ridiculous angle and yells, "Is it... PUBERTY?!?!?!" He finds this very amusing. Robin does not. Have I mentioned how glad I am that I didn't have a little brother at that particular stage of my life?

Perhaps these sorts of stories aren't amusing to people who aren't family or who weren't there... but laughter is the best medicine and so far my darling baby brother has been #1 on my list of "Things that Make Me Laugh In Spite of it All". All chronically ill people need an 8yr old. End of story.

Time for work... woot!

Let the games begin!

So, it is, as they say, that time of year again. It's two days until Christmas, my fiance Vinnie and I leave tomorrow to spend the holidays in AL with his family, I'm still up to my ears with law school applications, I haven't finished my personal statement or any of my essays, I'm broke, and I'm up to my ears in medical bills. Merry Christmas, hohoho. :P

The personal statement necessary for my law school applications blows my mind. In approximately 2 pages, I am to give the Admissions Council members a clear idea of who I am, what makes me 'ME', and, if possible, how that ties in to why I want to go to law school and what I want to do with my JD. A daunting task, if you ask me. How on earth does one express their 'essence', for lack of a better word, in just 2 pages? What is it about me that would matter, that would stand out to these people? I've started writing the blessed thing 2 or 3 times now, and I'm just not getting anywhere. *sigh* I'll keep you posted on how it turns out... perhaps I'll post a draft or two here on my blog. We'll see.

In regards to the backed-up medical bills, over the past year or so I have been poked and prodded and examined so many times by so many doctors that it's ridiculous. My current diagnosis is hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain important hormones, causing:
Fatigue
Sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Pale, dry skin
A puffy face
Hoarse voice
An elevated blood cholesterol level
Unexplained weight gain
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
Muscle weakness
Heavier than normal menstrual periods
Brittle fingernails and hair
Depression

Fortunately, with medication, it is easily controlled. Fibromyalgia, on the other hand, is 'manageable'. It is a chronic pain disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Other lovely symptoms include:

Widespread Pain
Morning Stiffness
Fatigue
Vision Problems
Nausea
Sleep Disorders
Urinary and Pelvic Problems
Weight Gain
Dizziness
Chronic Headaches
Cold Symptoms
Temperomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndromes
"Fibrofog": Cognitive or Memory Impairment
Skin Problems (sensitivity, hives, etc.)
Chest Symptoms
Anxiety
Depression
Dysmenorrhea
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Muscle Twitches and Weakness
Memory Loss
Menstrual Problems
Troubles Breathing

So yeah, how fun is that? Glad to hear though that the doctors can offer me 'some degree of relief'... *sigh* I know it could be worse, but knowing that it won't ever get better and will always effect my day-to-day life is still a hard pill to swallow. The cognitive issues make me even more nervous about my upcoming law school years... what happens if I have a flare during class? During mock-trial? An exam? Can a person get a doctor's excuse saying, "Please excuse me from X and allow me to do it some other time because some days I'm just stupid." Probably not. My sister sent me a button on facebook that says, "I cannot brain today, I have the dumb." I want this on a shirt. I guess I'll just try to manage my symptoms the best I can... and pray.

Well, that's where I am right now. Not much else to say at the moment... Hopefully my next post will be more entertaining to read.