Anatomy of a Head Bleed...Part One...The Onslaught

Life has a way of jolting us back to reality from time to time and bringing us 180 degrees back to the realization that life is fragile.  I have experienced a few of those life-changing events as I have traveled my journey.  The most recent shock took me within knocking distance of heaven's door.  I wonder if the world would take note if I had not acted as I did when my hand was raised and ready to knock.

I have been plagued with headaches for a good part of my life.  Though I was never diagnosed, I was convinced I had migraines.  The throbbing pain and sensitivity to light and noise that accompanied my headaches were classic migraine symptoms.

On the evening of June 7, 2012, I was struck down with the worst head pain I had ever experienced.  It was because I knew my head that I chose to treat this one with my prescribed medication and go to bed to relieve the agony.  I had no idea, however, that this pain was not a migraine.  This pain felt like a knife stabbing from the top of my head through to my eyes.

Two hours after taking my medication, I was awakened again with the same intense pain.  This time, however, it was accompanied by nausea and vomiting.  I knew I needed relief, so I shook my husband and woke him.  "I need to go to the Emergency Room," I said.

Barely aware of what I was saying, he grunted, "What?"

"I said--I need to go to the ER."

He opened his eyes and looked at me like I was crazy!  But, recognition of the pain in my eyes quickly told him this was clearly an emergency.  He quickly dressed, escorted me to the car, and drove me to the hospital.  The ER staff did their job and gave me a liter of fluid through my veins, as well as IV medication that ultimately put me to sleep and relieved my pain.  When I was awakened by a very nice ER Nurse to go home, I found that I felt a little dizzy.  They told me that was normal and then told my husband that he could take me home.

Relief is a wonderful thing when you have experienced excruciating pain.  However, I was soon to find that my relief was short lived.  My headaches returned the following day.  They weren't as severe and they responded to my migraine medication so I continued to endure them for another nine days.

I felt in my gut, however, that there was something else going on and for once in my stubborn life, I listened to my deep visceral feelings and did the one thing I should have done ten days earlier.  With the encouragement of my concerned husband, we called my physician.  We explained to him my circumstances, and got a plan from him to get a  CT Scan of my head.  Again we drove to the hospital where I was admitted for observation and a CT scan.

At this point, I felt like I was going through a bad dream.  Nothing seemed real to me.  I remember someone wheeling me to the X-Ray and doing the scan, only it felt like I was in some sort of fog.  Some time after I had returned to my room, my doctor came to my bedside.  He had a concerned look on his face.

"What's the verdict, Doctor?" I asked.

He took me by the hand and looked me in the eyes and said, "Your CT Scan shows a very large head bleed on the left side which corresponds to where your headaches are located.  We are going to have to send you to a hospital in Portland where you can receive a higher level of care."

To say that I was prepared for just such a statement would be an exageration!  Some of the diagnoses which came into my mind were, "tumor," "cancer," or some other phenomenon.  But a Head Bleed had never entered my mind.  It is hard for me to describe what I was feeling.  Numb comes to mind.  I'm a retired ICU RN and I know the seriousness of this diagnosis.  I have helped prepare many patients for transport to a higher level of care facility.  Some of those patients made it some of them did not.

I told my doctor, I wanted to see the X-Ray, so he took me to the doctor's dictating room where the X-Ray was still up on the view box.  When I looked at it, my knees began to get weak and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stand up.

"Can I sit down?" I asked.  He brought me a chair and the two of us went over the areas of the brain that were affected.  The bleed was huge and had shifted my whole brain to the right side by one millimeter.  No wonder I was having headaches.

When I had seen enough, we went back to my room and the staff got me ready for transport.



***Watch for the next chapter, "Family Reunion and The Fix."

Eleven Years...

    

 Where were you eleven years ago today?  I still remember where I was and exactly what I was doing.  That memory is emblazoned in my heart and I shall never forget!

     America has changed over the last eleven years and so have its people.  On September 12, 2001, all the world came together to mourn an earth shattering event.  It was reassuring that so many could forget their differences, hook arms and pull together to begin to heal
   
 Unfortunately, many have forgotten the pain and the insult and the loss inflicted by a foreign regeime upon American soil.  Many are ready to embrace the enemies and give in to their hatred toward us, thus creating a climate for a "win" for the enemy.  I do not share that view.

     Today, I don't recognize the America of eleven years ago.  We seem to be on a slippery slope to the worst division in our country since the Civil War.

     But, there is hope for America.  Every day I see some of her citizens coming together again, seeking a unity that will bring our trampled Constitution out of the dust and back to the hearts of Americans everywhere.  I see the beginnings with that group of Americans uniting to tell Big Government that we have had enough and are willing to fight to restore our values constructed so painfully by our forefathers.  I want to be a member of that group!

     While we remember on this day our pains and healing wounds, let us resolve anew to never allow such an act to tear into the fiber of what is our strength.  I pledge anew this day to guard our precious land and stand for her sovereignty.  May God continue to bless this great land of America and all of her righteous people.

     I have been saying it for eleven years, and I will say it one more time...I shall never forget.

My Dad...

 

My dad was my heroe!  My dad was my role model!  My dad was on the top of the list of my very best friends!  Today, September 5, 2012, my dad would have been 98 years young!

When I woke up this morning, I told my dad how very much I loved him, and then I got out one of his favorite plaid shirts and put it on!  It felt so warm and comfortable...like my dad wrapping his arms around me and telling me, like he did so many times in his life, that everything will be all right if I just follow the teachings of my Savior and stay close to His gospel plan.

My dad was my teacher!  So many times in my life, I reflect on the things he taught me...either by example or by the things he taught me to be true.  For example, he taught me by his example to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy when, under real financial stress he decided to close his restaurant on Sunday in order to attend church with his family.  His concern was that he would lose a huge chunk of his income by taking such extreme measures.  But, a wise Bishop promised him that if he would take this step, he would make as much in six days as he had been making for many years in seven. 

So, with his new found faith, he took that leap and closed his restaurant on Sunday, took his family to church and, as promised, he kept his loyal customers and gained a few more, therefore surpassing in six days the income he had been making in seven.  That leap of faith, was a huge turning point in my dad's life.  Within a year, he and my mom entered the Holy House of the Lord in Los Angeles, California and were sealed for not only time, but all eternity.  My sister, Chris and I were sealed to them on that beautiful December day in 1956.

Another example my dad set for me and my brother was giving up one of his bad habits that he had been struggling with for many years.  Many people don't know this about my dad, but he was a heavy smoker for over 20 years of his life.  He struggled trying to give up this habit and was unsuccessful on many occasions.  And then, as he would tell the story, I told him I wanted to have a fireside at our home for the youth of our Ward, but was hesitant to do so, because of the smell of smoke in our house.  Within a week, both my mom and I realized that something had changed.  We didn't smell the odor of smoke in the house any more and didn't see dad smoking.  It took my mom only a couple of days to notice he had quit, but it took me a little longer.  He said he did it for me and for his son, who was serving a mission in Switzerland.  He owed us his good example.

I love my dad for his courage and example.  He was a good father, he was a good son, and he was a good American.  He loved his country and followed politics religiously.  He was raised in a Democratic home in the 20's and 30's, when the Democratic Party followed honorable policies.  When the party changed in the 50's, he went with the Republican Party and voted for Eisenhower.  I listened to his views, as I was an active participant at school in a "mock campaign" and proudly wore the "I Like Ike" button and "voted" for the next President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.  That was my beginning of my studying party politics.

My dad was an honest man and he viewed honesty as a very crucial part of one's character.  I love that I could trust whatever my dad said, because I knew he would be fair and honest with me.

I am so grateful for my dad, and as I remember him on this 98th Anniversary of his birth, I commit once again to live my life the best I can and going forward to emulate his amazing example.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Clicking my positive thoughts...

My daughter sent me a clicker to keep track of my positive thoughts.  I am finding that it really makes a difference!  She sent me a website to go to and read about the testimonies how this simple little device is changing peoples thought processes, thus changing their lives for the better.

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Go to billionclicks.org and see for yourself!

A Beautiful Reception Under a Super Moon...

May 4, 2012...it was a night to remember!  Randi and Travis chose for their reception the most perfect setting.  The place was an amazingly huge greenhouse, complete with flowers and lights, a photo booth (a very popular item) and intimate tables set in a country mood.  To top the celebration off, it was the first night of the super moon, and it did not disappoint.

The guests were not disappointed in the atmosphere.  I heard many an "Ooo!" and "Ah!" from nearly everyone we met there.  For several hours, the bride and groom, parents and siblings smiled the smiles that only a wedding party (or the birth of a new baby) can elicit.  Randi was radiant, and I overheard Travis say something like, "She's my beautiful wife!"

For refreshment, there was a Cold Stone Ice Cream parlour set up where we could fill up to our heart's content with ice cream and toppings.  I got a picture of the cake (which never got served) but it was terribly blurred for some reason, so I won't post it.  It was a three layer square cake, iced in a beautiful green color with a flower on the top.  I did get a picture of the happy couple cutting the cake, and it's not too badly blurred, so I will share that one.

 I had to aim my camera above the heads of the crowd and just shoot blindly.

Randi and Travis then danced their feet off.  I loved to watch happiness twirl around the dance floor.  Weddings are such great fun and happiness is catching.  As tired as we all were (the older folks), I don't think we tired of watching them enjoy their celebration.

Randi and Travis...Mr. & Mrs. Travis Thompson...go and embrace your life together.  Live close to the Lord, pray together, laugh together, love together and find joy in your beautiful union.  Thank you for sharing your celebration with the rest of us.

I will close this post with one more photo...one that I took with my own little Nikon Digital...of the beautiful super moon, over Mt. Timpanogas!

May, The Beautiful Month of May...

I am told that the month of May brings flowers.  That has been especially true for me, both physical flowers and blossoms of love and achievement.  This month has been full of sweet, blossoming blessings.

On May 4th, I was blessed to witness with my daughter, Debi, and her family the eternal marriage of her daughter, Randi.  It was an event that brought many tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.  Randi made vows that are eternal in nature and listened intently to promises made to her if she remains faithful to those vows.  I witnessed the little girl I have always known and loved become Mrs. Travis Thompson in the Holy Mt. Timpanogas Temple in American Fork, Utah.  Oh what a lovely bride she was.

There were so many friends and family members present to wish the happy couple well on their journey that will take them to an amazing future.  I lost count of just how many were in attendance.  Travis's family alone would fill a stadium!  He is the youngest of 13 children.  Randi's family, though not as large, were happy to be there and partake of this beautiful event.

It was an amazing photo-shoot day!  Pictures were being taken at all angles and in all nooks and crannies and in all lights.  If I could, I would post every photo I have in my files, but I think I will save them for albums, and post only the highlights.  Needless to say, the subjects of the photos were literally glowing.

It was the end of the ceremony, but not the end of the day, by any means.  A gorgeous reception follows (in my next blog writing!).  Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Travis & Randi Thompson.  May God bless this union, and may you walk with Him always in your lives.  I love you, Randi, and I am sure I will come to love Travis just as much.  You make this Grandmother so very proud...and your Grandfather (in Heaven) is smiling, too.

Son With a Heart...

It is with a great deal of humility and pride that I post the achievements of this remarkable young man.  I first "experienced" Eliot when his dad and I remarried after an eleven year separation.  Eliot was barely 8 years old.  He had a tremendous amount of energy and kept me on my toes just keeping up with him.  I remember watching him with his dad on many occasions and was smitten with his charm and devotion to his father.  I wrote the following on one of those occasions:

One Small Boy

If Jesus is mindful of every drop of rain that falls,

Every grain of sand on the seashore,

And every little bird that falls out of the nest,

Then surely he is mindful of one small boy.

One tow-headed, blue-eyed innocent child

Who can capture your heart with his little boy hugs.

One look at that face and I know he is loved--

Not only by me, but by his Savior as well.

God, watch over this precious, innocent child

Who has captured my heart

And brought his little bit of sunshine

 Into its windows.

Eliot has been spending the past four years at Adam's State College in Alamosa, Colorado, where he is concentrating on his studies to graduate May 12th with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Composition.  This past April 14th, he held his Senior Composition Recital.  His father (who is gifted in music), his mother, Laurie Hill Phelps (an artist in her own right), and his brother, Billy (also a musician) were all in attendance.  I was not able to attend.

Eliot's entire program consisted of the music he has composed over the past four years.  Dean reported that it was a phenomenal concert.  He brought the program home with him for me to peruse.  As I was reading through the accomplishments and his written explanation of how each came about, my eye caught one piece, in particular.  It is called, "The Road."  In Eliot's words: "'The Road' was written specifically with one person in mind.  (He mentioned another artist, Madison Cawein, who wrote the poem, 'Lonely Road' and compared the poem to) "the road that this man wanders every day.  He is a vagabond with a mission that is seemingly guided by the stars.  Above all, this man has helped me to pursue a unique nuance in all things, especially the desperate ones."

I was moved to tears as I read those words, because I knew exactly who "this man" was.  I am his mother!  And Eliot is his brother.  What a joy it was to read of the tremendous influence Billy has had on his little brother.  These are treasured words from brother to brother.

These are the participants who performed the choral music.

I was just recovering from the emotional feelings of the depth of this boy, when we received the news just this morning that Eliot is graduating Summa Cum Laude, which is the highest honor a college student can achieve on graduation.  It puts him in the top 5% of his class.  Needless to say, we are totally blown away with this latest achievement.

Yes, that little tow-headed boy who came into my life 14 years ago, certainly has walked a path that has been watched over by the special mercies of a loving God.  He still continues to bring sunshine into the windows of my heart!

A wonderful picture of Eliot with his mom, Laurie

Eliot and his dad, making rosettes for the Concert