Dropped On My Head.

It's been awhile. I blame my head. But lately that's all I seem to do, so maybe I'll blame my laziness instead. Yes, that's better. Speaking of my head, I have TONS of funny stories to post. Seriously. Being able to laugh at myself has been extremely helpful during the last year of my life... otherwise, I'm pretty sure I'd have some serious issues. Or more issues than normal.

So my headache. Yes headache, not headaches. Just to review or if you didn't know, it all started last October when I felt like I was getting sick. A horrible headache came on all of a sudden and... we've been together ever since. So bottom line, I've had a headache since October with varying degree of pain and so far, no doctor has been able to figure it out.

I've had/done/tried/begged for/been coerced into/endured:

-migrane medication
-CT scan
-ER cocktail mixture (meds)
-MRI scan
-beta blockers
-anti-epilepsy meds
-multiple blood tests (too many to count)
-ENT visit to check for contact points
-occipital nerve block
-Botox injections
-spinal tap
-TENS muscle stimulation
-narcotic/serious pain meds
-anti-imflammatory meds
-massage
-acupuncture
-allergy elimination diets

-AND pretty much every medication (and therefore more side effects than I care to remember) my neurologist could think of before he deemed my case as hopeless (more or less). True story - my neurologist gave up on me. Haha. Currently, I am treating a disease I got diagnosed with about a month ago through hormone replacement therapy and my new (favorite) nurse practitioner is hoping maybe it'll also help my headaches.

Hopefully this paints a picture at how desperate I have been/am for an answer to why I am constantly having a headache. Not only has it been completely exhausting physically, it's been emotionally draining. My doctors recommended seeing a counselor because of how emotionally taxing a chronic illness can be. I have always been wary of counselors/therapists, but honestly, I think everyone should have a therapist. It's seriously the best thing. Sometimes we don't even really talk about anything in particular, but having that third party outlet is oddly refreshing and relieving. I used to think that only crazy people saw therapists and I've been very hesitant to tell people I have one. But I think it's important to be open about it so I don't perpetuate the stereotype that only people who are skitzo or totally wack can have therapists. But maybe you're reading this and you think I fit into that category. Hopefully not. Anyways, I thought I'd throw that in here because I have some pretty strong feelings about the whole counselor/therapist thing. Get one.

What was I saying? Oh yeah, headaches suck. But what I'm trying to say is if you ask me, "Have you tried ____?" The answer is probably yes. Sometimes it's exhausting when people are constantly telling me to try this or that. But that's not to say I'm not extremely grateful for all the support I've gotten throughout this whole thing. It's really humbling actually. There is just so much concern for me from friends and family. I'm so blessed.

Probably the funniest thing is people will ask me, "Did you hit your head or something and you just don't remember?" Well, most likely I was dropped on my head as a child, but I use that to cover my other weird quirks, so I've been racking my brain to think if something else comes to mind. Surprise! I finally thought of something... well that's a lie - I found two pictures.

You're going to think I'm a nerd (if you don't already) for taking pictures, but I really wanted to post about these falls to show how clumsy I am. But now I'm thinking maybe I really DO have head trauma.

Event #1: I was on my bike and I didn't see this huge pile of dirt as I raced down the driveway. Hit the dirt and thud! I was going to post about how I was on my way to Brady and Alyssa's apartment - hence the things I do for a social life. Ha! PS it was dark when this actually happened which is why I didn't see it. I was still laughing about it the next day so I took a picture.

Event #2: Short story - I forgot something and ran back inside to get it on my way to a wedding. Stopped short because I forgot running in the snow is a bad idea.

So there you have it. Maybe my brain is just rattling around because I fall so often and the doctors don't have the heart to tell me I'm just clumsy and that's all there is to it. Case solved! So let it be known that the answer is YES! I have fallen and hit my head! Multiple times. Maybe that's why I have a headache. But probably these pictures only prove that I'm a nerd who documents her own clumsiness for other people to enjoy.

Finals and Friends

 

In honor of BYU finals wrapping up, I thought I'd finally write this long overdue post. This is probably one of the select stories that I hope I never forget. Fortunately, it is immortalized on camera.

Keep in mind that although this experience was funny (at least to us), the moral of the story is "Finals Week breeds friendship."

*You can read the following for the context, but skipping straight to the video works too.*

Scene: Courtney and Sydney and I are sitting in our living room reading, because in Court's family it is a tradition to read a Christmas story every night in December. We are also waiting for her visiting teachers* to show up.

*Visiting teacher = In our church we have pairs of girls in the wards who visit each girl to get to know them and to make sure they are doing alright and to help them in any way they need. They usually come to say hi/talk and share an uplifting message once a month. Its a system of having each others' backs making sure everyone gets taken care of and has someone to be there for them, and provides an opportunity to serve each other.

Because of the situation of all three of us being in the same room, Sydney and I decide to just hang out and listen while Courtney talks to the two girls who came to see her (which is not usually the case and I don't know why we stayed but I think we were just lazy and didn't feel like standing up).

How it all started: Obviously everyone's minds were on finals and so Syd and I listened to the updates of how each girl's exams were going, what they were nervous for, etc... Somewhere in the conversation, our friend, Jess (one of Courtney's visiting teachers), mentioned that she was concerned about waking up the next morning for an early final. We brainstormed a couple ideas - maybe a louder alarm or going to bed earlier - but apparently none of that was going to help. And as is Courtney's way, she asked if she could help somehow.

Courtney asked if she could come knock on the door to help Jess get up or maybe check on her to make sure she was up before she needed to be leaving the apartment. Well that wasn't going to cut it. Brainstorming ensued...

Open the window and let the cold air wake her up?

Too boring.

Knock on her window with a piece of wood?

Not loud enough.

Open her window and shoot her with a nerf gun?

Too soft.

Poke her with a stick or other long object, perhaps a wooden spoon?

Perfect.

Mission WOODEN SPOON: After multiple failed test runs of nerf gun target practice (apparently too soft to wake someone up), it was agreed upon that this was an acceptable plan and would likely be successful. It was only after Jess and Lisa left our apartment that we realized what we had agreed to. Although we had agreed to wake up extremely early, we couldn't stop laughing so it took us awhile to get to sleep. All I could think was, "Is this for real?" But ultimately we hoped we could all help each other out and make Jess' morning a success! Plus, who doesn't want an extremely unique adventure at 4 in the morning???

Before I release this video for your enjoyment, please keep in mind that it was very early for all of the people involved, so lack of fashion, strange comments, and red eyes are part of the deal. It's just a fun story and we all had a good laugh, SO... don't whip out your popcorn and haterade to watch this haha.

So whether you're failing all of your exams or getting negative hours of sleep or you wore the same outfit everyday of finals, remember that finals week is not inherently evil. Just grab a nerf gun, wooden spoon, fencing sword, or other weapon of your own choosing and poke someone with it. I promise it will either give you a great story or land you in jail... which, in the end, makes for a good story.

There's always room for some of these (especially if you're "studying" right now):