Saturday, October 2, 2004

First Pics with My New Camera!

It has been way too long!  I have had a bit of a trying week and have missed everyone in J-Land tremondously.  I have been so behind on writing in my journal and reading other's that I have become overwhelmed.  I decided not to put too much pressure on myself and write in my journal here first and let everyone know that I am okay and then I wanted everyone to know that I will be visiting their journals very shortly.  I get antsy missing a day not reading so not being on for a few days was really very hard.  I have been very fatigued lately and am not sure what to attribute it to.  That has been very common for me the last few years.  With a few chronic illnesses going, it is hard to know what is what.  The best I can do is just take care of myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.  That is a hard task when you have no illness.  With two large storm systems coming through, a day-long trip out of state, as well as smaller rain systems, my body just did not want to cooperate.  It felt as if somebody turned on a faucet somewhere on me and drained out all of my energy.  I never truly have much energy, but when the little I have is totally depleted, I am in trouble and it is hard for me to do just about anything. 

I went to my neurologist's appointment on Monday to have a check-up basically.  They were going to lower the dial on my shunt, thus lowering the pressure of my cerebral spinal fluid in my head and spine.  Needless to say, after six hours being there, they discovered that I do not have a programmable shunt and they could not lower the pressure.  The doctor was very confused about this and said he was going to talk to my neuro-surgeon about it.  So I stayed off the computer and telephone for three days to get a phone call back.  No phone call came.  I called to remind them that I was supposed to get a phone call.  No phone call came still.  I do not know if they put in the wrong shunt.  My chart was filled with incorrect information, including the type of shunt that was inserted.  That was very disconcerting to me.  I am hoping that the neuro-surgeon has a good explanation.  I am wondering if they are even going to tell me the truth.  I am also wondering if I am going to have to have a new shunt put in eventually.  Don't like it at all, but I can't sit around fretting.

So, do you like the new pics I put in.  I am really enjoying my new digital camera!  My Daddeeoo gave me the camera.  That was so swell of him.  Such a wonderful, wonderful gift!  Yay!  Thanks, Daddy!  I am going to give you pics of my favorite place in town next week if it does not rain.  It is the park I talked about a couple of weeks ago.  I am so excited!

Speaking of my Daddy, we had this conversation not too long ago and I was wondering what your responses would be...  If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?  You can pick the entree, drink and dessert.  Now you have to eat this for every meal, forever!  I picked black beans with kielbasa on brown rice (the way my Mom made it growing up with spices and onions cooked all day), fried purple cabbage (can you tell I am part Hungarian?), orange juice diluted with water (I drink it all the time and love it, my favorite drink), and vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup!  I am sure I would get sick of it, but we all would get sick with anything we picked.  I think I want this meal right this very moment!  MOOOOMMMM............

14 comments:

  1. So glad you are back Val, I have certainly missed you and so sorry to hear you have been under the weather. I am not getting any pics though, just a blank square.

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  2. Yeah, pics just loaded. What a beautiful cat!!!!! Thanks for all the lovely photos xxxxxx

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  3. Honey and Chelsea are beautiful subjects.  They like to have their pictures taken, too. I can tell.  Gilbert the Grasshopper is most handsome, although a little shy, since he would only give you his profile.  As for my choice of meal, it would be PIZZA!  I love pizza and it would take me a long time to get tired of it.  For dessert I would choose Dutch Apple pie with vanilla ice cream.  Umm umm good!  Have a great weekend.  Looking forward to lots more pics.
    Susan

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  4. It's a bit worrying about your shunt. I hope they manage to sort out whats going on and let you know soon...doctors eh?! tut tut...

    Your pictures are fab! Arent Dads great! My dad gave me a signed photo of Gene Kelly on Frieday! He just bought it for me cos he knew I would love it and thought it would cheer me up!! Bless him!

    I hope you feel a bit better soon..I have been exhusted constantly recently due a stomach bug I have had...I just cant seem to get any energy together! OH! that reminds me...someone gave me this link...I'm going to put it in my journal but thought you might like to see it before I get round to doing it.  It is an explaination of what it's like to have no energy all the time. It was written by a woman who has lupus but I'm sure it can apply to many other illnesses and certainly explains mine really well!

    http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/spoons.htm

    I'm going to use the spoons method to explain my fatigue from now on!

    Love and huggles, Amy xxx

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  5. Glad the pink and purple sparkly thoughts helped hon :)  Nice to see you back.  My meal would be Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, lots of cups of tea and cheese cake if I had any room left!!  Mmmmm yummy!!  Love the pics, what a cutesy grasshopper!  I bet he has all the lady grasshoppers after him!!
    Sara   x

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  6. So sorry it went that way with your shunt.
    I love your pictures. -Krissy
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink

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  7. Nice to have you back, Val.  Digital cameras are the greatest!  Sorry about your news from the doc, hope they get it straightened out and make your Neuro tell you whats going on (he works for you, you know!!).  

    As for the meal, my choice would be breakfast--pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits, gravy and apple butter.  I think it would take a long time to get sick of it...mmmmm, just love breakfast.

    Take Care
    Cat
    PS-have you tried the concentrated cherry juice yet?

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  8. The pictures are great.
    I don't understand doctors who let a patient sit and wait like that. How would they like it if a doctor treated them or a family member with such disregard
    Okay, switching gears.......
    One meal huh? That's going to be hard because I like a lot of things.
    I guess it would be a seafood platter with flounder, shrimp and scallops. And the vegetable would be mashed potatoes and broccoli.  The drink would be easy caffeine free coke......Dessert? Chocolate anything.  : )

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  9. I love your pics! Specially the ones of me!!! haha, just kidding... 1 meal for the rest of my life!? hmmm...  can I have 2 meals? Well, 1 would be pasta! I love pasta! My second meal would be chicken (fried or skinless) with Karen's cheesy potatoes, and peas! For dessert, anything chocolate!!! YUM!

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  10. First, I hope you feel better soon, and get some energy back. Maybe resting will do the trick!   Love the pics and I know you will enjoy the new camera.  That is bothersome about the shunt and the incorrect files/procedures.  Somebody should get in 'trouble" over that!!!  I hope you persist in getting the information and the truth.  
    Anyway, my favorite meal would be spaghetti with meat sauce a mixture of sweet and unsweet tea, and fudge brownie pie with vanilla ice cream.  I thought long and hard about making it prime rib w/ creamy horseradish sauce, stauffers spinach souffle, a salad w/ranch dressing, and cheesecake ----maybe I can change my mind - LOL!  I also want to come eat dinner with you all when your mom fixes kielbasa again!!!  LOL!   We like it here too!

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  11. You're off to a great start with the photos! I hope you get more info on your shunt situation soon. As for my meal choice...I'd have to go with filet mignon with a wild mushroom and sherry demi-glace, au gratin potatoes, creamed spinach and a wild greens salad with bleu cheese dressing. Ice cold water to drink and a Friendly's peanutbutter cup sundae for dessert. LOL  Welcome back!

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  12. OKay, Valerie!  This is going to be hard.  But today I feel like comfort food.  If it had no consequences on my health, I would choose fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy!  But I would HAVE to have something green, so I need zucchini to go with that.  And some Iced Tea.  For dessert I will take that Chocolate Lasagne Cake at The Olive Garden, lol.  It is the best dessert I have ever eaten in my life!  It is very rich though, so I would only have one bit a day, lol.  Now this would get boring afterawhile, I can't imagine going without my crabs...  No, today I feel like comfort food.  I think I will stay with the Southern stuff, lol. -Krissy
    http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink  

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  13. Hey you are on the way to being another Ansel Adams. Great pics. My fav is #4 of your cat looking sideways at you, like saying, "OK< OK nuff of that dang camera or I'm gonna have a hissy fit!!" Beautiful pic of your daughter as well.

    Hope they can get this shunt thing figured out soon, soooo frustrating when it takes so long for docs to communicate.

    Hmmm last meal hu? Well perhaps cooked cabbage (a BANNED substance around here ... but comfort food from childhood) a smoked shoulder of ham, potatoes, greenbeans and carrots all swimming in the juices of the smoked shoulder. And cheesecake for dessert. Mmmmm.....mmmmmmmmm

    Now I'm sending you *****TONS AND TONS***** OF MY UNLIMITED&#^$%&& ((((E N E R G Y))))) ZZZZOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!! BLAMMO!!!!   gotta stop now cause I'm melting the montior. Hope it made it thru.

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  14. I love black cats!  I have  one, and he is sooo cute!  So is yours!  p.s. I didn't know you were in PA, I'm near the border of Jersey.  

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