A Blog about life and living through my life experience and perspective. I am a writer, singer/songwriter childhood savant musician...Trying to find my niche and stake my place in society...
I’m happiest like most people, when I get to create artistically. Musically, is my favorite way to create. I also enjoy baking cakes for kids! My Granddaughter/Daughter turned 11 last Wednesday. I made a fun cake. She seemed to enjoy it and I was thrilled to have a day project! Although not very pro looking, it was a planned design. It was wonderful in flavor as I added fresh strawberries to my cake batter. Also, thinly sliced strawberries were in between the layers of creamy filling! It was delicious!
3 layer cake with plenty of fresh strawberries.We love cats around here and I found these sassy kitty figurines @Amazon.com. I like to make kids cakes adorned with figurines. It gives them a keepsake memory of each birthday…She seemed happy with my effort lol… baking, is a labor of love. Wonderful when it is received as such as well! Since Covid is all around us this year, I opted for a celebration at home. She requested that I make her favorite homemade Mac & Cheese. I was happy to! Creamy and not too sweet this was a good cake!Per request Mac & Cheese
My other passion is creating music. I had heard this song on the radio the other day. It brought me to tears. I had forgotten this treasure! Toto- Won’t Hold You Back. Both the music and the vocals are so pretty! Of course I said to myself, I want to cover that!!! I sat down at the keys for a few hours and I began my learning curve process. Here is what I’ve come up with so far…I’m pretty happy with it so far!
A New Year of Resolutions To My Problematic Plagues Of 2021
Thank you #ScottsdaleEarNoseAndThroat ! The gal I saw Danica, was wonderful to work with. She made testing a very good and positive experience!
Happy New Years Eve! I have one last health update : I completed the 2 hours of balance testing. I found that I have 2 different vestibular inner ear issues. Caused by a virus. The gal told me that many Covid + patients she has seen have the same long term symptoms and #vestibular issues I have. So fully vaccinated, I probably had Covid. I am experiencing long Covid issues. The treatment, is a highly specific/specialized physical therapy. So I’ll have to be referred by neurologist for specialist pt. Also she encouraged me to start taking Vitamin D pronto. It helps to heal inner ear disturbances. My right ear has significant weakness I was told… I also have a lot of tinnitus in that ear. I hope PT will help!
I woke up with this issue in late September. Had extreme #vertigo, tingling and numbness in my sinus cavity and up the back of my head. I thought I was having a stroke. It was Covid! Many people with vertigo symptoms have Covid these days. It is one of the first symptoms of Covid in some patients. Yet all the Drs I saw, told me I didn’t need to test. My symptoms weren’t typical for Covid. The diagnosis makes total sense as I had many strange symptoms I didn’t understand. It was frustrating to be tossed around from Dr. to Dr with no real answers. I’m grateful for answers and peace of mind and hope to feel normal again with the proper treatment.
Anyway, I see my neurologist on the 7th for follow up and review of the testing I just completed. No magic pill lol, darn! Maybe the vitamin D?
Have a wonderful New Years Eve. My love to all of you!
What a heck of a time! I’m all over the place in trying to keep my life going in holiday tradition and juggling health appointments. I woke up one night in late Sept. with extreme vertigo and other strange symptoms that are like head cold symptoms on steroids… Although the extreme vertigo has calmed to dizziness every day, all day… Have seen two different primary docs, two different ENT docs and now I have a neurologist. Covid has made getting health care difficult! Wait times to get into a doc and to schedule testing has been very difficult! It’s been hard to be patient when my head has been spinning for almost 4 months now. Extremely scary and so uncomfortable but non life threatening… Preliminaries indicate a vestibular issue with probable inner ear dysfunction.
Today I’m having a series of balance tests that are to determine where in my vestibular system the problem lies. I’m not looking forward to testing as it will make my dizziness much worse for the diagnostic tests. The VNG test being most informative according to the neurologist. Part of me is wondering how this series of tests are beneficial? I’m just exhausted with not having my head back yet. It feels awful, the sensations and the constant dizziness. I’ve had hearing issues and my sinus cavity at times has a pins and needles sensation up the back of my head as well… I feel run down and just dim like flu sometimes… it’s just a bunch of annoyingly weird sensations! Sometimes my ears feel so plugged up, I get high blood pressure. Something I don’t typically have!
In August I noticed a bump on my back that was itchy and it burned. It was in a spot that I couldn’t see well even in the mirror. Like in the small of my back. Long story short while I was at the primary in September I showed it to my Dr. At a separate appointment in October he biopsied and burnt it off my back. Pathology report came back positive for squamous cell skin cancer. Totally shocked me. Again a random thing that popped up overnight! I just had a follow up surgery at a skin cancer center on Monday. Again, getting into a Dr and getting to resolution of this has taken months! I am grateful to have had the Mohs procedure and to be deemed all clear of skin cancer! I have about 18 stitches inside and out of the incision. Not quite the small procedure I thought it would be but I’m just glad to be done and deemed cancer free!
I was extremely healthy and very active before this came on suddenly… I’m still active in-spite of this constant issue I still take long walks and do a lot of yard and housework. Just don’t feel good doing it! Part of me wonders if I had a case of breakthrough long Covid? Or maybe my Pfizer vaccine had some nasty effects??? Or maybe I’m just terribly allergic to my newish border collie???? Awww that would really be sad!
They take photos and measurements after surgery. This is my surgeons hand… Thankfully they got it all with the first resection of tissue…
Anyway, I’m so glad to be getting these things done before the New Year! I don’t want to take these weird health issues into 2022. I’m frustrated that I wasn’t able to get my head issue resloved yet! The major expensive things I’m hoping I tackled in this calendar year! Today is the balance testing and hopefully I can get an easy treatment plan that will actually resolve this issue out of it.
Those of you who read and follow my blog are probably aware of what a trying year I have had. Emotional and physical trials like no other year I’ve ever had! The most heartache and physical challenges. So this I have to say about 2021…
2021, literally and figuratively get off my back!!! I’m looking forward to a brand new year full of promise and a fresh start.
In spite of everything I had a wonderful Christmas! All 8 of my G-kids were here and it was an awesome day! I cooked and cleaned and the spirit of Christmas was wonderful ❤️
First pic of me with all 8 G-Kids. The boys tower over me now! Incredible!
Wishing you and yours a healthy and terrific New Years Celebration! Take time to set some goals and spend some time on reflection… Never give up on your dreams!
Speaking of dreams… Roger Hodgson, I’m still hoping to meet you one day- Face to face ❤️…!
It’s the holiday season and I wanted to wish you all happy holidays! May you enjoy the love and magic of the season. Take time out to find joy and appreciate the beauty. We are still in pandemic times and I know the times add stress to our daily lives. Enjoy what and whom you can!
I spent a fair amount of time decorating this year.
Now on to baking spirits bright. I love to bake for friends and neighbors. I’m a little sad that my baking partner has her own apt this year and I’m baking solo. They grow up and fly away but oh my we have to let them!
I’m really looking forward to 2022 as this past year has been extremely hard for me. I’m still trying to come to grips with new found family secrets that blew my mind… Read my prior posts if you are interested in the back story.
I’ll leave you with a couple of my faves from years past that I created.
This has been the hardest personal time in my life. I’d be lying if I tried to sugar coat it. A harder mind, body and spirit challenge I’ve never encountered.
My world literally tilted on its axis. I woke up in the middle of the night and extreme vertigo hit me. I got up out of bed and realized I could barely navigate the room. I got very anxious when I couldn’t clear my head. I felt so horrible that I decided I’d better get checked out. I was concerned maybe I was having a stroke. I have been very healthy. I try to take care of myself and I’m an avid walker. I do a ton of yard work and I’m not a person who drinks or takes medication. My lab work suggests I’m in good health, they came back fine.
My world has been turned upside down since waking up with this affliction 8 weeks ago now. My hearing has been effected and I have a constant buzzing in my ears. My ears feel fluid filled and horrible. The vibration from walking and talking, even chewing is obnoxious. I’m constantly dizzy and if I lay down or move my head too quickly my head spins. I haven’t had a moment of total peace for 8 weeks. I feel as if I’ve been stuck in my head and unable to enjoy anything or anyone for a very long time. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t even open my eyes the first few days to navigate my phone. It’s been like a prison being stuck like this.
I’ve had two primary PA’s. A uncaring and expensive Ear Nose and Throat Dr. who just wanted me to take expensive tests. I even had a complete eye exam. I’ve done labs, an MRI, a cat scan and hearing tests… I took two different antibiotics and am currently taking a third. I’ve lost my patience with my dizzy, buzzy head. My symptoms are so strange. Headache in my eyes, numbness in my forehead and sinus cavities. Strange! Anyway, the sensations keep me from being comfortable and from being able to sleep well. I long for an end to this strange affliction. I can’t wait to feel normal and good again. Even with my health issue I have kept up with everything…. House, yard, groceries and cooking. I’ve even been walking in spite of my dizzy head… I’ve been driving surface streets, but not on the freeway. I’m not sure the dizziness won’t be overwhelming at higher speeds. Somehow my eyes are partly involved with this illness. Not a typical sinus infection!
It would be so wonderful if this latest antibiotic would just wipe out this mystery illness. I’d do a dance of joy in the street!
Living this extremely helpless and limited life is really tough. I am independent and not good at having to be dependent on people for rides. I’ve really been humbled yet again by this nightmare health dilemma. It also shows me how absolutely ridiculous my marriage is. That’s been the most humbling of all. Being sick and vulnerable in a bad marriage is the most frightening eye opener! When you are married to someone who really doesn’t have any compassion or love for you, it’s really the hardest thing. To have to be vulnerable, where you don’t feel that you can, is the worst. To be blamed for being sick and made to feel as if you are a burden. I hate it! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought, “I don’t feel like I can get well being here”. Is this how I want to grow old?! This is the first time in my 20+ marriage that I’ve ever been sick longer than a few days… This has really been a revelation type of experience.
I’m doing my best to try to stay positive. Getting seen by a Drs has been made much more difficult by Covid. I have to schedule appointments way in advance which in my predicament seems hard to fathom. I just can’t bare the idea that I’m going to get stuck like this till??? How am I ever going to figure this out? What the hell happened to me? I want my life back!
The Heartache Of DNA Test Results Something To Consider
If you have read my blog lately then you know about the heart aching experience I’ve been trying to navigate through. I recently did an AncestryDNA test and I received the shock of a lifetime! I decided to share my experience in a Vlog post on YouTube. Here is the link!
I wish I would have thought more about what my test result could be to my life. I have only heard about all the wonderful stories and outcomes… I really thought I’d only find out more about my heritage and lineage…My descendants, and the countries they were from… I had no idea the can of worms that I’d open and the subsequent shocking revelations to come. I had no reason at all to think that I would find my life to have been born of deceit and deception!
