I hate allergies

It's been a rough day already and we are just past lunch time.  I woke up, did half my workout because Shaun T made some of them way tooooo long.  I went on about my shower and was blow drying my hair when I noticed I couldn't see half my face. If you've read long you know I get these crazy aura migraines.  I had one so bad a couple of years ago I ended up rear ending a car going 70 miles and hour down the interstate.  Everything turned out fine and I have only had a couple of very minor issues since then.  I get these once maybe twice a year, but I just had my 2nd one in a month.  Kind of scary!

This one wasn't that bad.  If I looked at a clock I could see every number except the 9, 10, and 11 to give you an idea of what I mean.  It just wasn't there.  I went back to bed for a while to hide in the dark and hope it went away quickly so I could get myself to work.  An hour later I got up and my vision was back but this really messes up how clear my mind feels.  It kind of feels like I am on the verge of major pain that can come upon me at any moment.  When this happens I just try to slow down.  I try not to concentrate on too much and make sure I have eaten some food. 

I don't know what the cause is but it is extremely frustrating.  When you are a busy mom you hardly have time to be sick or down or not functioning.  People need you!  Thankfully, Dale understands these to a point and takes over my tasks without complaint. 

I haven't been too stressed lately.  The only thing I can think of and I even dreamt of it is that my allergies have gotten the best of me.  I hardly have a night where I can breath clearly.  I have that fun nasal congestion.  I think of the Mucinex character with his finger up my nose every time I say nasal congestion now, anyone else?  It is very descriptive of how it feels.  So, crazy me is starting to really be convinced that there is something in our house that I am allergic to.  If I stay there all day like on the weekends my nose is raw from wiping it all day.  During the week I am that way in the morning, but once I get outside and to work it subsides pretty well. 

So, I'm taking the next steps to get rid of suffering from allergies EVERY.EFFIN.DAY.OF.MY.LIFE!!!  I'm going to get an estimate on a home inspection to test the quality of our air.  Maybe if that doesn't give me any answers I will turn to the shots.  That is going to be such a pain, but I would rather put myself through that than suffer for God knows how long with not being able to breath and dripping snot every where I go. 

Aren't you glad you read today?  If you have any advice or if you have ever done a home air quality test, please offer some advice.  I have never done any of that before so I don't even know what to expect. 

It was a migraine

I think you have all heard the story by now about the reporter that lost her words while on live TV. I finally feel validated and like I'm not some crazy chic. I told Dale as we were listening to the story on the radio Monday night that what she had sounds exactly like the few migrains I have had. I wrote about the last one back in 2009.

It is a really scary thing to go through. Loss of vision. Loss of speech. Numbness in your arms. Passing out, ect.  Add that to going 70 miles an hour down the interstate and hitting the car in front of you.  Um, yeah!  Scary!!

When you think of a migraine you think pain. These don't start off with pain for me. Mine starts with the vision. While I was pregnant with Weston I had one start. Now that I know what they are I know how to try to get rid of them. Relaxation is the biggest thing for me.

It sucks that she had to go through this and the world got to witness it, but I finally feel validation from all of it. She was on a talk show today giving her side and what the doctors and specialists thought. Turns out she experienced the same kind of migraine I have had, which is known as a complicated migraine, which mimics a stroke but without the damage of a stroke.

The best way to treat them is to recognize what causes them. Mine is stress. Sometimes getting a glimpse of extremely bright light will kick off the vision aura for me. If I sit down and rest my eyes I can usually get rid of it without medication.

These are not fun to experience and I don't wish them on anyone, but I'm glad the word is getting out and the answers are in line with what my doctors and specialists thought. Anyone else out there experience these types of migraines?  Or these auras?  I'd be interested to hear your story.

STRESS

Don't get me wrong, I have a great life. I am a blessed women with great kids and a great husband, great friends, a great family, a great job, we live comfortably, those around me are healthy and happy. I like my life. But, let's get real, sometimes life is stressful and no matter how perfect you think your life is, sometimes it is hard. It is hard to keep up around the house, it is hard to always make sure you keep your temper in check around your kids, it is hard to not show a little emotion at work, it is hard to make sure your husband gets the attention he deserves, and it is hard to do anything for yourself until your body really can't take it anymore.

Let me tell you about my Tuesday evening....
Right before I left work that night I started getting some spotted vision. That is about the best I can describe it. I had no peripheral vision on my right side and if I was looking at a document on the computer, trying to read a word, I would only be able to see a couple of letters of that word. I think it is no big deal and that it will quickly pass. That wasn't the case. I was on my way home and something happened. I don't know what happened. One second I am driving in the passing lane and the next I am jumping like I had just been startled. Had I fallen asleep, had I passed out, did I hit my breaks? I don't have a clue. I proceed down the highway and there is a guy in a car trying to get my attention. I am hesitant to look over. I finally do and he is trying to explain that I just hit him. I am in complete disagreement thinking I would have known if I hit him. We finally pull over and at this point I am trying to talk to the man and can't get a single word out of my mouth. I am trying to tell him I don't feel well and that I don't know what happened, but I could not figure out how to say the words. The guy probably thought I was loaded or something.

We get things worked out, I finally found the right card to give him for my insurance and we go on our own ways. There was a minor dent in his bumper and nothing wrong with my car, by the way. I proceed on my way home and I am trying to talk out loud to myself to see if I can talk at this point. The words were still not coming. I tried to look in my phone to call the babysitter to let her know that I was running late and I can't remember her name. She has been my babysitter for 3 years now and I can't remember her name. I am still not freaking out at this point, just trying to get the words to come out of my mouth. I finally remembered Lisa's name and gave her a quick call and was able to tell her I was running late and that was it.

I got to her house and was able to tell her enough of the story. She was really concerned and offered to give me a ride home, but I felt ok enough by that point. I headed to the gas station and then on to the house. Once I got home, I freaked out. I called my dad because Dale wasn't home yet. Dale's mom came to get the boys and Dad was ready to take me to the ER. Dale had just pulled into the driveway, so I tried to tell him what happened and am still freaking out about the whole thing. I'm thinking I had some kind of a mini stroke or blood clot or something.

So, a LONG night in the ER, a whole 'nother story later, and a cat scan and it turns out it was a migraine. I guess the stress from the previous week or who knows how long had been building and my body had had enough. It was crazy and I am lucky something worse didn't happen and so was everyone else on that road for that matter. I am still in disbelief that this happened and the way it happened. I have not had migraines before and I am going to do all I can not to get another one. This is an experience I do not want to go through again.

I had a pretty stressful week the week before, but nothing like the weeks when the transmission went out in my car followed by the week we had our miscarriage. I am sure those were way more stressful especially back to back than my measly little stress last week. Maybe the ever approaching 3-0 has a lot more baggage it is dragging along with it. My body sure can't take what it use to and I hate calling myself a women. Maybe I am not feeling so neutral about turning 30 any longer.

I am feeling much better finally under some great care of my husband. I'm not use to being the one who needs to be taken care of, but it sure feels nice to know some one's got my back when I really need it.