Results

THE GOOD NEWS:

It's NOT a tumor!!!


THE BAD NEWS:

We don't know what it is....  I'm going to finish this round of prednisone and then talk to my Doctor again.  At this point, I'm just so relieved that it's not a tumor and that I only have to take prednisone for two weeks that everything seems to be in a better perspective. 

The prednisone is wreaking serious havoc on my digestive system though... seriously!  I've never understood the big deal about heart burn until now... OUCH!

The MRI

Thank heavens for the timers on the front of those machines!  I was terrified that I'd have a total claustrophobic episode.  But they have a little mirror in there so you can see out to the booth and in the reflection of the booth, you can read the reflection of the countdown on the front of the machine.  The lady who ran it was really nice too, she talked to me for quite some time and totally calmed me down.  It ended up not being so terrible.  Just boring and loud.

But, as the tech told me "The only reason they run MRI's for hearing loss is in case there is a tumor or a blood clot putting pressure on your auditory nerves."  So, now I'm just worrying that I have a brain tumor....  Of all the things I never thought I'd be worrying about....  I should have results by Tuesday at the latest.  I will keep you posted.  I'm sure it's nothing that serious.

Umm.... THAT'S NOT NORMAL....

About 3 days ago I noticed that my hearing was a little off.  I picked up my desk phone at work to dial a number and noticed that in my left ear, the dial tone sounded wrong... muffled and about two octaves lower that normal.  Also, when I punched the different numbers, I couldn't hear the different tones.  So, I went to my ENT (otolaryngologist) whom I've had since about the age of 3 (I had a TON of ear infections as a little one).  I was SURE that he would look in my ear and say "Yep, you've got a bunch of wax or water in there, let me clean it out and you'll be fine."  Nope, he said there was nothing there, and didn't look infected. 

"Um.... okay...."   After about two hours of testing with an audiologist... I have apparently lost about 60 decibles worth of hearing in my left ear alone (I'm now WAY below normal).  The research and the Dr. said that this condition (Sudden Onset Hearing Loss), about half the time, goes away on its own in a few weeks while taking steroids.  Some people have something pushing on their nerve, so he ordered an MRI.  I've never had one of those... I have one at 3:00 today... kinda scared...

Anyway, The for the other half of patients....  THE HEARING NEVER COMES BACK AND NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN WHY!  So... I'm now partially deaf and it may never come back!?!?!?!  I know I shouldn't FREAK out until the prednisone has had time to work, but... seriously?  NEVER?  NO EXPLAINATION? 

Okay... perspective... I can still hear quite well in my right ear, I'm not totally deaf and can function....  There's billions of people in the world with worse problems than this......

My problems aren't so bad...  it's livable, annoying and depressing, but livable....

Sorry, had to vent some anxiety, fear, paranoia, fear, more paranoia and some depression...

Thanks!

In not-so-recent news 2.0

Sorry again… It’s been a lousy couple of months and I didn’t feel like posting anything while I was in a bad mood. Granted there were some great things that happened in the last few months, but the bad somehow seems to always overshadow the good. Well…. To sum up in pictures here’s a re-cap of the last few months:

July 19 - My 26^th Birthday

Seriously? I’m 26? How did that happen?

July 22 – August 13 – Jared in Singapore

Jared said Singapore was AMAZING! He actually got used to the nearly 100% humidity. He said it was beautiful there and wonderful to have an immersion experience in a different culture. He said the people were absolutely wonderful!  Maybe someday we’ll go visit together.  He also got to see Slash in concert while he was there!

July 25 – Grandpa D Passed Away

Yes, for those of you looking at these dates, Jared left the 22^nd, my Grandpa D passed away 3 days later. Jared and I both knew when he got on the plane that this was a distinct probability. Still, I wished he could have been here. It really sucks not having your husbands shoulder to cry on.   Jared was also supposed to be a pallbearer, and felt horrible for not being here for that.  The funeral was beautiful though, and I am so grateful that he is out of pain and in a better place. Still, we all miss him dearly and feel the void his passing has left behind.  Love you Grandpa D!

July 29 – August 6 – Painting Project

In order to deal with loss, I believe it is therapeutic to have a project that demands physical labor. I always tend to lose sleep after I find out a loved one has passed, even if I saw it coming. Working your body really hard insures that at the end of the night, my body is so tired; my mind has no opportunity to race when I lie in bed. I didn’t get to the dresser (which is currently occupying valuable garage space) but, I did repaint my master bed and bath. I will post before and after pictures soon....

Tips for painting a room alone:

#1 – DON’T, just DON’T! (You’ll think it’s easy enough to handle by yourself… and then your 2-day project turns into 7 days and you wind up sleeping on the guest bed for a week.) 

#2 – Bar stools are NOT comparable replacements for step ladders.

August 8- August 13 – Aspen Grove

For those of you not familiar with Aspen Grove, it is a wonderful place, run by BYU Alumni Association. It is a place where people with very large (or very small) extended families can all gather together and have a blast! My mom’s family (her immediate family and their kids) have all gathered at this place several times in the past. Every time we go (she has seven siblings and as a result I have 30+ cousins, plus their spouses, plus their kids) we have an INCREDIBLE time! I never leave that place without knowing I’ve made memories I’ll cherish forever. 

Ah, Aspen Grove, how I love thee, let me count the ways:

Hiking

Biking

Swimming

Fishing

All meals taken care of!

Pottery

Tennis

Basketball

Racquet ball

Badminton

Horseshoes

EXTENDED FAMILY TIME!!!

**Jared had our camera while he was away, so I don't have pics of Aspen Grove from our camera**

September 9 – Our 6^th Anniversary

No pictures of this either, but Jared took me out to Chef’s Table. It was wonderful!!

4-Wheeling

My parents, my sister Karen, Jared and I went 4-wheeling in San Pete. It was beautiful and SO much fun!

September 22 -- Andy gets his mission call!!!

I can NOT believe my brother is old enough to be going on a mission! *sniff, sniff* Here's a picture of him opening his call, it is tradition in our extended family to wait and surprise everyone at once... the BEST was my Mom's reaction (she sat for a solid 3 minutes with this half-smile half-horrified look!  PRICELESS)!  Anyway, he'll be off to North Mexico City in Febraury!

September 29 – Present – Flooring (AKA the NEVERENDING PROJECT!)

Bless Jared’s heart for doing all this work. I wish I could say I helped, but I was busy working and preparing and helping at the Night of the Running Dead. Our brother-in-law Jeff came down from Idaho to help too! THANKS JEFF!!! When all the flooring was in, Jared decided that we JUST COULDN’T put the old couches back in the house because they were now full of sawdust (from cutting up the floor pieces). Thus, we ended up buying new couches. Then, we decided we couldn’t let the dog on the new couches so he needed a new bed. Sigh…. To quote Dar Williams “The building is done, but the work’s never through.”  Here's a before of the kitchen, where Hades had torn up some of the linoleum...  and the front room after.  The kitchen now has the same new flooring as the living room (pictured below with the new couches and rug).

October 2 – Night of the Running Dead!

My friend Craig (whom I’ve mentioned before and is pictured below) had a dream of creating a haunted house. I’d talked to him about it years ago and always told him if he needed help I would be there in a SECOND, just to help be a part of the fun. But, when a bad Facebook joke kept evolving, he instead organized and carried into fruition a 5k race called “The Night of the Running Dead.” Kudos to Craig for making this event SO memorable and SOOOO much fun! The thing that made this 5k so unique is that half the racers were given a 1 minute head-start and they were classified as “survivors” the other half of course, were “zombies”. If you were a survivor who came in behind the first zombie to cross the finish line, you were considered “eaten” at the end of the race. There were actors along the course route to keep the creepy atmosphere going too. It was GREAT! I can’t wait for next year!

October 22 - Justin's Birthday Dinner!

We had dinner with Heidi and Justin to celebrate Justin's B-day! Sorry Justin, I had to! It's just too good a pic not to post!!

October 31 - HALLOWEEN!

I was boring this year... No costume and Jared refused so... I carved both pumpkins...