Hi all,
Just a short note. I saw the consultant neurologist today. Based on the information he already had he decided that my previous diagnosis had been correct, and I am suffering from Primary Daily Chronic Headaches.
He has however, completely changed the drug regime I am on. That starts tonight so we play the "what side effects does Mel get on these drugs" game tomorrow :)
He wants to see me in a month's time to see if these drugs are working and already has the next thing ready to go if these don't work.
He will also re-run my MRIs etc for the growth on the pituitary gland in a couple of months time. He said that I've been through enough tests right now - so we will concentrate on reducing/removing the migraine pain and then we will look at other issues.
I liked Dr Andrews as he explained things in a completely different manner to the Perth guys. To be honest, both mum and I received the impression that the Perth specialists arrived at the right verdict for the wrong reasons and really should have understood what they were diagnosing more ...
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Friday 25 March 2011
An Inkcircles Day
I had an Inkcircles day today :)
While wearing the hand knitted socks that Tracy sent me a while ago, I was stitching Inkcircles Masquerade when the postie knocked on the door.
He brought me a parcel from Chele that was the Inkcircles Fireweed kit! Thank you sooo much Chele!
He also brought me a parcel from Tracy herself. It included some beautiful earrings and note cards I bought from the Inkcircles etsy shop. The earrings are sooo cute and adorable - they are my new favourite earrings that I will wear everywhere! The note cards are digitally coloured pictures of Tracy's own stitching - very bold and colourful and perfect to send to stitchers ...
Included in this parcel were also some Inkcircles bookmarks that Tracy mentioned on Twitter a while ago, and ....
and ....
and ....
I have a sneak preview of a new Inkcircles chart being released sometime soon ... Mum and I are doing floss tosses tonight for an alternate colourway .... so ....
Neener neener neener - I know something you don't know :D
What? I'm supposed to act like a grown-up? Since when???
While wearing the hand knitted socks that Tracy sent me a while ago, I was stitching Inkcircles Masquerade when the postie knocked on the door.
He brought me a parcel from Chele that was the Inkcircles Fireweed kit! Thank you sooo much Chele!
He also brought me a parcel from Tracy herself. It included some beautiful earrings and note cards I bought from the Inkcircles etsy shop. The earrings are sooo cute and adorable - they are my new favourite earrings that I will wear everywhere! The note cards are digitally coloured pictures of Tracy's own stitching - very bold and colourful and perfect to send to stitchers ...
Included in this parcel were also some Inkcircles bookmarks that Tracy mentioned on Twitter a while ago, and ....
and ....
and ....
I have a sneak preview of a new Inkcircles chart being released sometime soon ... Mum and I are doing floss tosses tonight for an alternate colourway .... so ....
Neener neener neener - I know something you don't know :D
What? I'm supposed to act like a grown-up? Since when???
We're heeeeere!
Well the last week has been a blur, but we are all here, back in NSW and settled in.
The garage sale went OK. I was very disappointed in the book side of the sale, but a friend bought the best pieces of my fabric stash so her payment will help with the medical bills (when the money comes in).
We ended up bringing more boxes of stuff over than expected, we had a packer who's girlfriend had dumped him the night before and two movers who had to come down from the nearby RAAF base - so there were a few complications, and extra costs .. but we are here now.
The cats survived the trip quite well and are settling in fine. We lost Abby for quite a few hours yesterday. It was a cold, wet, drizzly, dreary day yesterday. We opened the back door a little in the morning and she vanished. We didn't even see her go out. Every time we were outside, we called and called. We thought we heard her a few times, but we couldn't see her. Eventually we crawled under the house, and up the manhole into the ceiling (two of her favourite haunts). Finally around dusk I saw her come out from a niche under mum's bed. Mum has a water bed so Abby had curled up in the warmest part of the house.
Trubs is doing OK - a bit stiff but again is just curling up on mum's bed to sleep, or under the heater in the lounge room.
There have been a couple of territory issues with Hemingway, but Hems is such a laid back cat that there's no cat fights, and barely any hissing.
We have the first specialist appointment next Tuesday. So just a relaxing weekend planned until then ....
So what else is happening in the world? What did I miss?
The garage sale went OK. I was very disappointed in the book side of the sale, but a friend bought the best pieces of my fabric stash so her payment will help with the medical bills (when the money comes in).
We ended up bringing more boxes of stuff over than expected, we had a packer who's girlfriend had dumped him the night before and two movers who had to come down from the nearby RAAF base - so there were a few complications, and extra costs .. but we are here now.
The cats survived the trip quite well and are settling in fine. We lost Abby for quite a few hours yesterday. It was a cold, wet, drizzly, dreary day yesterday. We opened the back door a little in the morning and she vanished. We didn't even see her go out. Every time we were outside, we called and called. We thought we heard her a few times, but we couldn't see her. Eventually we crawled under the house, and up the manhole into the ceiling (two of her favourite haunts). Finally around dusk I saw her come out from a niche under mum's bed. Mum has a water bed so Abby had curled up in the warmest part of the house.
Trubs is doing OK - a bit stiff but again is just curling up on mum's bed to sleep, or under the heater in the lounge room.
There have been a couple of territory issues with Hemingway, but Hems is such a laid back cat that there's no cat fights, and barely any hissing.
We have the first specialist appointment next Tuesday. So just a relaxing weekend planned until then ....
So what else is happening in the world? What did I miss?
Saturday 5 March 2011
Big News
For those that don't already know ...
I'm leaving WA and moving home (NSW) in the next couple of weeks. I've handed in my resignation at work and advised my Real Estate Property manager and am in the process of feebly de-cluttering before mum arrives to help me pack.
The migraines have gotten worse again this year and I just cannot get any medical help from WA specialists. THe endocrinologist says I need to speak to the neurologist. The neurologist says "I diagnosed you last year, if you're not getting better, then you're not taking the pills I prescribed". The neurosurgeon will see me in June after my scheduled MRI scan and no we can't bring that forward.
Also no other neuro specialist in Perth will see me, because I am listed as a patient of the above three. Apparently second opinions are an anathema to specialists in Perth. The low point came when I found out I didn't even have a GP as she had moved on from the clinic and no-one would tell me where she went.
Weeks later and many fights later, I have a new GP and written referrals to specialists in Sydney and Canberra. Both sets of specialists have asked for more information and copies of my scans. The Canberra neurologist has booked me in for an appointment on 29 March.
The Sydney suite of specialists have my history, reports and scans and will let me know when they've reviewed my case.
So, packing and moving. I wont have a job, and frankly I don't have the health to apply for a job anymore, so I'm moving in with mum and living off her for a few months until we get this medical stuff with my head sorted out.
Not the most triumphal return from the wilds of WA, but unfortunately a necessary move.
I'm leaving WA and moving home (NSW) in the next couple of weeks. I've handed in my resignation at work and advised my Real Estate Property manager and am in the process of feebly de-cluttering before mum arrives to help me pack.
The migraines have gotten worse again this year and I just cannot get any medical help from WA specialists. THe endocrinologist says I need to speak to the neurologist. The neurologist says "I diagnosed you last year, if you're not getting better, then you're not taking the pills I prescribed". The neurosurgeon will see me in June after my scheduled MRI scan and no we can't bring that forward.
Also no other neuro specialist in Perth will see me, because I am listed as a patient of the above three. Apparently second opinions are an anathema to specialists in Perth. The low point came when I found out I didn't even have a GP as she had moved on from the clinic and no-one would tell me where she went.
Weeks later and many fights later, I have a new GP and written referrals to specialists in Sydney and Canberra. Both sets of specialists have asked for more information and copies of my scans. The Canberra neurologist has booked me in for an appointment on 29 March.
The Sydney suite of specialists have my history, reports and scans and will let me know when they've reviewed my case.
So, packing and moving. I wont have a job, and frankly I don't have the health to apply for a job anymore, so I'm moving in with mum and living off her for a few months until we get this medical stuff with my head sorted out.
Not the most triumphal return from the wilds of WA, but unfortunately a necessary move.