First Day of School

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
                                                              Philippians 4:13

Living a Life of Uncertainty

It's been five years since my husband and I heard the words Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.  And our quiet life that we had planned went out the window.  Hydrocephalus basically means "water on the brain."  There are basically two types of hydrocephalus, which are: congenital and acquired.  Congenital means it is present at birth, and acquired means just that...it has been acquired either through injury or illness. 

When I first moved in with Mike, he had headaches EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  They were so bad that he was taking an unusually large amount of aspirin.  He had started getting the headaches while he was in Iraq.  I insisted he go to the doctor for these headaches, and that's when the doctor sent him for a MRI, and it was discovered.

During all this time, Mike was forgetting a lot of things, he was falling a lot, and very unsteady on his feet.  We believe that all the concussions that he was suffering in Iraq from the constant bombings is the reason he has the hydrocephalus.  And because it took four (yes, FOUR) years for me to make him go to the doctor, he has suffered some brain damage from this pressure on his brain.  

Things kinda went fast forward after we received the diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.  He was scheduled for his first brain surgery on April 15, 2010.  This was for the placement of a VP shunt, to drain the fluid from his brain, since the ventricles that were supposed to do that were completely shut.  

The first shunt got infected.  Mike never recovered from that surgery, and was very ill during that time.  Within two weeks, he could barely get out of bed.  When we ended up back at the VA hospital, the doctors ran blood tests, and they all came back normal.  The doctor decided to admit him because he could tell there was something wrong.  After two days in the hospital, the blood tests FINALLY showed the infection.  Mike was scheduled for surgery the next day to remove the shunt.  

This started our roller coaster ride.  After the shunt was removed, the fluid was building up in his brain again.  But, the doctors could not insert another shunt until AFTER he was free of the infection.  And they wanted to make sure, so it was 6 months before they inserted another shunt.  We were lucky!  Yes, LUCKY.  Mike has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, which means that he was able to be discharged from the hospital during this time.  If it was not Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, they would have had to keep him in the hospital during the time that he was treated for the infection, and he would have had a very long hospital stay. As it was, Monster pretty much grew up in the corridors of the VA hospital in Houston during this time.  

After the infection was gone, and they inserted the second shunt, things got back to our new normal.  Mike has the days of being "wobbly" and he still has the constant headaches.  The damage was done though to his brain.  We will always have a hard time with him learning new things.  He will ALWAYS carry the diagnosis of "Traumatic Brain Injury" and he will always have the brain damage.  

We live the roller coaster life of hydrocephalus.  Every time he gets sick, I worry if it's a shunt malfunction.  When he has a headache worse than normal, does that mean that the shunt isn't draining as well.  He will always have the bump on his head where the valve for the shunt is.  He will always have the hole in the back of his skull from the first shunt.  

This isn't meant to be a "poor me" post, because we're incredibly lucky with our lives.  We have each other, and we have Monster.  This is meant to be an "eye opener" for those that think that hydrocephalus is no big deal, because it is a big deal.  This is the first of many posts of what it is like to live with someone that is "special needs", because it's not just kids that are special needs.  We live a "special needs" life, and we live it to the fullest.  

Integrity

For this weeks #WordMasteryMonday I have chosen INTEGRITY.  This is another one of those words that people throw around, though I doubt they know what it really means.  Many people say they have INTEGRITY, but I doubt they know what the real meaning of the word is.  It is more than honesty, though that's a big part of it.  I've decided to use this word because it means a lot to me.  If you don't have INTEGRITY, then you're really not living an honest life.  You're lying to yourself and others by your actions.  You can't say one thing, and do another.  

This weeks word is INTEGRITY.

The definition of INTEGRITY is this:  1. Steadfast adherence to a strict ethical code

                                                          2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness

                                                          3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided

(The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition)

Some synonyms of INTEGRITY are: honesty, principle, purity, sincerity, virtue and candor

Some antonyms of INTEGRITY are: deceit, dishonesty disgrace, corruption, and dishonor

There are those that have used deceit and dishonesty in their actions towards others.  Corruption is everywhere. It is in local governments, schools, workplaces, and even fraternal orders.  There are those that have refused positions of honor because of the corruption used in the name of INTEGRITY.  There are also those that have undergone many trials and tribulations because they had INTEGRITY and refused to join in corruption.  

For all the mommy's out there, here is this weeks word search on INTEGRITY.  (Just click the word)

Do you know of anything that was done in the name of INTEGRITY?  Are you trying to raise your children with INTEGRITY?  Are you providing a good example of INTEGRITY in your daily life? 

Bible Verse:

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

                                                                                                             I John 2:6

Braun Forehead Thermometer...It works for cranky hubby's also!

I recently got the Braun Forehead Thermometer to try out from Influenster.  I love getting these things, because they're usually something that I need, and about at the right time.

Luckily, Monster hasn't been sick lately.  BUT, the day I got it in the mail, Mike wasn't feeling well.  So, I figured, hey, I can try this out on him.  He is on the sofa saying he doesn't feel well, and I go over to him and within a couple seconds I can see that he doesn't have a fever.

I had a forehead thermometer from when Monster was little.  It was hard to read because the numbers were small, and it was not backlit.  Which means, if I took his temperature in the dark, I would have to walk out of the room to see what it was.  I rarely used it, except when Monster was really sick because I just didn't like it.

With the #BraunTherms it was much better.  This thermometer not only has a light where you can read the temperature, it's COLOR CODED!!!!  It will show you a green, yellow, or red light when you take the temperature so you don't even have to look at the numbers if you're in a hurry.  (You know...when the kid won't hold still!)  And the numbers on it...they're HUGE!  You don't have to put on reading glasses to see exactly what the temp is.

The only reason I typically use a thermometer is when I have to make sure and document if there's no fever, and for how long.  This is usually for school.  Now, when ever Mike or Monster say they're not feeling well, I can bring out the thermometer without hesitation and make sure they don't have a fever.

If you're a new mommy, or even a mommy or wife, I would suggest this thermometer for your First Aid Kit.  You won't ever have to wonder if you read the numbers right, the color coding makes it super easy for everyone to be able to use, and fairly reasonable in price as far as forehead thermometers go.   I found some on Amazon, starting around $50.

*Disclosure -- I received this product from Influenster complimentary for testing purposes.  All opinions are my own.*