Lil Brother Update

North Carolina is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.  It’s so green and lush.  The roads are windy and not straight like I’m accustomed to, but I really like this area.  Too bad it doesn’t appear to have a good healthy job market outside of retail and service industry.  Heh.

I think one of the things that I really love is the people.  They are so kind and sweet with their southern drawl, but they are extremely friendly and polite.  They’ll say hello or ask how you’re doing when you walk by them and they call you baby doll or honey.  Oh, and my sister in law kept hearing them say, “Bless his heart.” in the hospital about my lil brother.

My brother is doing much better now that the anti-seizure meds have kicked in.  He still has the same amount of swelling on his brain that he had when he got the first MRI so that’s unchanged.  They still do not know what has caused the brain infection/swelling, but have been distracted by his new renal (kidney) failure.  The doctors believe that some of the antibiotics they were treating him with (in case he had meningitis or encephalitis) messed with his kidneys and his creatinine levels are at 5.1.  Normal is usually at a .9-1.5 and 10 requires dialysis.  I remember my mom going through the kidney failure stuff last year shortly after her cancer diagnosis so I’m not as too stressed about the kidney issues right now like I was with my mom.  I guess because I know this is something that has a variety of fixes, though I’d hate to see him require dialysis.

They’re still kind of considering moving him to a larger University hospital but one of them turned him down since they figured they would be doing the same things this small hospital is doing for him.  It’s very frustrating to feel like we’re proceeding slowly and the brain stuff has taken a back seat to the kidney issue.

I think the most frustrating and heartbreaking part is that my brother has not accepted that he is sick (or he’s trying to just ignore it) and wants to drive out home to Illinois from here.  The doctor has now stated that he will not clear him for driving like he would’ve a few days ago.  My brother is not happy with this and is continuing to state that he’s okay now and wants to drive home.  Try telling a grown man over and over that they can’t drive.  I try to stay away from the topic. 

As for me, I’m very very tired right now.  I’m really hurting for another B12 shot and can’t wait to get home to get another one.  I had just gotten to the hospital this afternoon and then had to come back to the hotel to get some sleep.  I slept for another 4 hours.  I cannot believe how exhausted I am right now and I’m not quite sure if this is normal for me or if it’s from the stress of travel or the time difference.

My new doctor in Phoenix called me today as a follow up on my mammogram/ultrasound I had last week.  As the radiologist already told me, I need a biopsy of the lump…  I still figure it’s going to be nothing.  4 out of 5 breast biopsies are benign so I’m not too worried.  Though the biopsy procedure scares the crap out of me and I hate hospitals.  Nothing new there.

I need to try and go to sleep.  The Boyfriend is texting me so am going to call him and chat for a bit before I sleep.

My Baby Brother

On Thursday, June 29, 2008, my brother was in an accident in North Carolina.  My brother is a truck driver, based out of Illinois. His company contacted my SIL on Friday, June 30th in the morning to tell her he was in an accident, nonresponsive, and was having seizures… Of course, that’s all I got in my information so it was sketchy at best.

When my mom told me, I was on the way to work but I’d seen that she called me at 6am in the morning so called her back when I was up. I knew something wasn’t right when I saw my mom had called me so early. We didn’t know much and of course, my brain was picturing the worst as far as accident details and because the nurse at his hospitla told me on the phone that he had a “closed head injury.” Turned out his head/brain stuff is not a result of the accident, but is causing his seizures and other stuff which caused the accident.

Thankfully, he was not on the freeway or going fast when he had his accident. We now know that he was in a small town at a stop light and kept bumping up on the person’s car in front of him. She got out (we’ve since met her in person to hear her story) and was asking him what the hell he was doing and telling him to turn off his truck. Finally, a bystander stepped in and said it looked like he was having a seizure in his truck. By then, the cops I believe were on their way. He was transported to a small local hospital in NC. Much to his chagrin when he’s alert, the police officer gave him a ticket for failure to stop though the police report acknowledges a medical situation. LOLOLOL, go figure.

He has had a combination of Grand Mal Seizures and Focal Seizures since then, but none today since early this morning. He has also been difficult to manage for the nurses because he’s taking stuff apart or out (like his heart monitoring machine and the catheters and IV needles) among some other inappropriate behavior. He starts to fiddle with stuff when he’s tired or out of it. He’s pulled out his IV so many times that it’s ridiculous. He had some Grand Mal Seizrures his first 24 hours or so in the hospital and the Focal Seizures I suspect were just in the past day or two (I hope). The nurses and doctors hadn’t realized he was doing the Focal Seizures until I was here and saw them. His anti-seizure medication has been changed, so no seizures today since the early AM. Yay! His wife said he had some stronger seizures (Grand Mal) last night, but now that his medication has been changed, no seizures today since. He’s on a build up dose of the new anti-seizure med, so I hope this continues even with the lower does maintainence anti-seizure med.

Other than an elevated creatinine level of 5.1 (normal is less than 1) which is probably due to some of the antibiotics he’s on, everything is coming back normal other than an MRI that is showing some swelling in the frontal lobe and thickening of the brain lining. Meh. The creatinine results indicate his kidneys are having some issues functioning. We’re hoping that since they discontinued some of the antibiotics they were treating him with, that the creatinine levels will go down. He’s been on antibiotics in case he has Meningitis or Encephelitis, but the other tests from his Lumbar Puncture (spinal tap) show that everything is normal. So we and the doctors are perplexed. They are considering transferring him to a University Hospital.

I’m hot on Duke since it’s an hour away. The hospitals in Chapel Hill are promising too. Thankfully, the doctors suggested a university hospital before we had to ask for a second opinion. My brother is much more alert then he was yesterday when I got into town, but he’s still not 100%. I’m very concerned about the brain stuff and seizures. Ugh. I feel like my hands are tied and waiting sucks.

He is continually asking for his items that were in his truck. I’m not sure if he’s forgetting the answer on this or if he doesn’t care and is going to continue to ask for his stuff (i.e. laptop) until I show up with it. I did find his bobtail (the cab of the truck) parked near his accident scene, but we have no keys!!!! We have no idea where his keys are. Ugh. It’s been tough to get answers from the “officials” around here. I have no clue who moved his bobtail (truck cab) for him, but it’s parked and locked at the parking lot. Ugh. I’ll be looking into getting into his truck tomorrow. I’ll call a locksmith if I have to.

I really hope we can figure out what’s causing the brain swelling and the seizures. It’s been really tough to watch. If it requires a new hospital, I don’t care. We need some answers. I hate seeing him this way though today was better. It’s very obvious though when he’s getting tired. I hate feeling so frustrated and not knowing what’s wrong. Meh.

I’m not generally a praying kind of person but prayers might just work for us right now. Thanks!

I never do this…

My brother is in a hospital in North Carolina.  A  small hospital right now. 

On Thursday morning, he was in an accident that we suspect (doctors, police, etc.) was caused by a seizure he had.  I flew from Arizona to North Carolina on Monday. 

Though he hadn’t had a Grand Mal Seizure at the hospital since Thursday (he’s on anti-seizure meds), he was having focal seizures (small seizures with the eyes, etc) this evening when I was there.  After I left, he had another Grand Mal Seizure.  All we know is that every frickin’ medical test is coming back normal with the exception of an MRI that shows some swelling on the brain in the frontal lobe.  We’ve gone through an assortment of possible diagnoses, but the doctors are stumped.

We need to get him moved to a larger hospital or a teaching hospital.  I’m going to see if Duke will look at him or admit him.  I know they love challenging cases.  :p

So anyway, prayers would be good.  We need to figure out what is wrong and help him return to normal.  He drives for a living and can be cleared to drive if the seizures are shown to be a result of some medical condition/infection that is temporary.  He needs his job to provide for his family.  I am scared he’ll lose his job because he’s not eligible for FMLA.  He needs about 2 more months with this company to be eligible.  CRAP.

It was hard for me to see my brother tonight and I’m glad I came though I debated coming at all.  My sister-in-law is out here with him as well.  She’s staying in his hospital room, but I checked into a hotel to give them some privacy.  Ugh.  More later.

Haircut

My last haircut with two tone highlights in Los Angeles (well, it was at a salon in Beverly Hills) cost me $375.00 before product and tip.  The price of the haircut was probably a third of that.

Yesterday I went to a mall in Paradise Valley, AZ and got a haircut for $39.00 before tip.

Oh my gosh!  Back to the land of normalcy.

More on Phoenix soon.  I’ve been here 2 weeks and 1 day now.  No regrets at all.

Ohh yeahh…

Well, the pain in my chest is gone though there’s a bit of cough and rough voice that sneaks up occasionally.  This is my first full week back to work in a month and I’m just plain exhausted.  What’s making it worse is that my sleep schedule is off and there’s a lot on my mind right now so I’m not getting much more than 4 hours of sleep a night right now.  Ugh.

Soooo….  Phoenix….  Yeah….

Well, I could go into all of the reasons on why or why not I’m doing things the way I am, but I’m not sure I could explain it.  I’m not sure even I understand or that it would make sense.  Maybe another time.

I do have a place that I signed the lease for and I’m all set to move right in when I get into town.  All of my utilities are set for connection as well and I’ve ordered a new bedroom set to pick up on my way out of town to my new destination.  It’s gorgeous.

I’m excited and nervous about Phoenix.  And a little anxious.  Oh the heat.  Meh.

And you know, I thought I was in the mood to write tonight, but I guess not.  More soon I promise.  I have so much I’ve thought about writing and really should.

Update

So I’m home sick with pneumonia.  AGH!  I’m on a doctor’s note through the rest of this week.  This has been a rough upper respiratory infection turned pleurisy turned pneumonia.  I’m so over it.

In other news, I’m moving to Phoenix, AZ due to a promotion and transfer with my job.  I’m a little nervous that I accepted the spot, but it’s more money to put away for retirement and a lower cost of living with more square footage available in homes.  The Boyfriend is transferring his school as well so moving with me.

Should be an interesting month.

Super Tuesday

Ugh.

It’s kind of entertaining to watch… A black man, a woman, a mormon, and a nut.

Should be interesting.

FWIW, I’m a very conservative independent. I have a preference for a candidate, but I’m not passionate about that candidate. I also have a back up plan that I really hope I can use if my candidate is not nominated by their party. That back up plan will suck but will be better then the alternative.
I do believe the next two years are going to show a very rocky economy. I predict it won’t be pretty. Meh. I hope I wrong.

This will probably be the first election I vote for a Republican for president, but I’m slightly hoping not. Ugh.

ps…  Still sick with no voice, sore throat, cough, and beginning of a pain in my chest.  Saw the doctor finally on Thursday and she gave me cough syrup with codeine, the sweet honey of Gods.  If I believed in Gods.  Please advise me to see the doctor sooner next time.  After a week of being out of the office, I’m itching to work, but haven’t made it through a full day yet this week in the office.  Oye.  I’m missing the people damnit!  Shocking.

Intermission

I’ve been sick with possibly strep throat, bronchitis, ear infections, or all three since Wednesday or Thursday.  I have no voice and no desire to do much more than lay on the couch and sleep for 4 or 5 hours at a time before the painful coughing and hacking awakes me.

It may be time for doctor intervention of strong meds if appropriate.  Until then, I’m on break from posting.

My confession about music…

I’m not a music person.

I could go years without music at all, but I won’t complain if there’s music going that speaks to me. I typically don’t go for the “pop” or popular music of the day. But sometimes I do. I have an interest in almost every genre which has been true since my high school years.

Typically, the only reason I really listen to music these days is because I play World of Warcraft. I’m almost ashamed to admit that. Doh! Well, that and I have satellite radio in my car thanks to The Boyfriend and his Christmas present from 2006. But let’s not talk about Christmas presents that cost you money over the long haul, eh? All that aside, I highly recommend satellite radio. Seriously.

So yeah, I listen to music while I play WoW (short for World of Warcraft). It’s so sad really, but this is what I do to relax in the evenings after a long day of work, talking with and interviewing people, and then hitting the gym. Meh. Is this what the adult world contains? Cause if so, I’m not sure this is what I signed up for!

One of my worst habits? Playing a song over and over and over and over again. So… although I know this song is probably played a lot on the radio right now, this is the song I’m listening to repeatedly these days when I’m on my computer perusing blogs or playing WoW…

Best Dinner Snack

Tonight I made mashed butternut squash and it was delish.  I had some frozen cubes of butternut squash stashed in the freezer I thought I’d try.

I first boiled them in a 1/4 cup of water till soft, then strained and tossed back into the pan on high heat to dry them out a bit before whipping them up with a mixer.  I then added butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

If I hadn’t eaten them so quickly, I would’ve taken a picture to share.  Perhaps next time because now there will definitely be a next time.  I know this may seem like such a basic thing to eat, but I’m trying to keep stuff simple and relatively healthy.  It was a hit with The Boyfriend too who usually can’t stand my array of vegetables.  Go figure.