Prayers for Avery

Please pray for Avery Malatesta... she's a very sick little girl . She's at OLOL fighting for her life. Doctor's are in the process of removing one of her lungs this afternoon. Please pray that God directs their skills to save her. Avery's family has created a site for updates & details here: Avery Malatesta

It is H-O-T!!!

One of my typical daily activities is reading the news online. While eating my lunch at my desk, I get the scoop on Baton Rouge "going-ons". My source of choice is 2theadvocate.com. I can read news, get news alerts via my iPhone/email, read a little entertainment info, obits, and of course check out the weather. After this weekend, I was curious as to when it would rain again... my lawn has turned brown, my hubby is battling cholorine deficiencies in the pool, my kids are sunburned, and I'm sweating/cranky. Well the good news is that 2theadvocate posted the weather, the bad news is, is that it is going to remain hot, hot, hot with no rain in sight! Can't we have a "weather day" where we get sent home from work for more than just snow in Louisiana?!?

Medical Update

I've decided to go for a second opinion, after months of playing the waiting game with the doctor's at BR Clinic. As most of you know, I've been trying to figure out what's going on with me physically for over a year now. I have what I refer to as my "episodes" everyday and it seems that they've gotten more frequent lately. Over a period of about 2-3 minutes (occurring 6-7 times per day; typically worse in afternoon/evening), I get a very full feeling in my head, I see black spots/blurry spots, can't speak fluently, and feel as though I'm going to faint. I've been to my internist, ENT, neurologist, rhuematologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, herbalist (or whatever you call a "natural" doctor), endocrinologist, and back to some of these again & again, paying outrageous co-pays, but not getting any answers for my "episodes". It was discovered that I have an auto-immune disease which has caused my thyroid to enlarge to 2x it's normal size (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis), I have severe B12 & D deficiencies, & I have enlarged water sacs in my brain, & I failed a tilt-table test. I've lost 40 pounds, changed my diet, added large amounts of exercise, take B12 injections monthly, & a handful of vitamin supplements by mouth daily, only to still have episodes get worse. All this said, in the past, I was terrified of offending my "medical team" at BR Clinic, so I wouldn't get a second opinion. I've decided that I have to get to the bottom of this so I've sought the help of other doctors at the NeuroMedical Center. The neurologist there has run a few other tests, EEG, some type of galvanized-shock test, & now another MRI today. I have to say, they handle things quickly, so hopefully diagnosis/treatment will come quickly too! They are suggesting that I may have an issue with my autonomic system, or maybe seizures, or other neuro issue... they are checking it out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed while I wait for test results now. If any of you readers are medical experts or have similar stories, please, please, please share/advise.

Resident Scout Camp

It was an exciting day for all of us... dropping Dylan off at the resident scout camp at Camp Avondale in Clinton, LA. I was excited for him, but also very nervous. There was a group of 5 boys going from our den. The thought that I was going to leave my 9 year old boy to sleep with a "buddy" in a tent was nerve-racking... would he remember where his supplies were, would he keep himself clean, would he keep track of his money & time. I know around the house if his head weren't attached he would lose it, so I had reason to worry. I did snap a few photos, and then reluctantly drove the 1 & 1/2 hour distance home. I'll report on how he did this weekend when I go back to pick him up.

Daughtry Does It AGAIN!

The other day, WD surprised me with a new release on iTunes (did you know you can "gift" a song to a friend?). Chris Daughtry has come out with a wonderful new song called, "No Surprise". I have it on my iPhone & have listened to it over 50 times since he gave it to me! Yes, it's that good. I just LOVE his voice... a little rough/grovelly (is that a word?), but very rocker. Watch the video & hear the music here!