About this Blog

~Hi, my name is Courtney. I was a full time college student, starting to be a dancer, and used to work with kids part time, living on my own until my illness disabled me.
~I became sick in 2005. I created this blog in the summer of 2006 to record my "headache" diary and to see if anyone finds it interesting.
~12/2006 I lost my job then after, failed a year of college.
~2/2007 Dx Lyme Disease with Bartonella: prescribed 8 months of oral antibiotics. I'm not even sure if I ever had the Lyme Disease.
~11/2007 The doctor took me off medicines while I was still improving but not fully recovered.
~6/2008 Dx Chiari I Malformation by a neurosurgeon in Beverly Hills.
~8/2008 Decompression and Lamenectomy helped 80% of my problems.
~2/2009 Dx Hypermobility by an Orthopedic Surgeon/School Doc: Started PT, dancing, going to school and working.
~6/2009 Started working full time as an Infant-Toddler teacher, which requires lifting. Dancing part time, maybe I'll finish school eventually...lol
~12/2009 Dx Chronic Sinusitis: Stopped dancing due to constant infections.
~2/2010 Sinus Surgery & complication: Severe Epistaxis: Became severely anemic.
~3/2010: Dx Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: by Geneticist
~4/2011: Switched jobs, now work at a Pre-K teacher for 3 and 4 year olds. Less lifting!
~5/2011: Started PT and exercising again

Sunday, October 29, 2006

migraine go away

yesterday i was a little nautious after lunch. and it got worse. i rested in the evening and didnt want to eat. i went to a dance show and the lights were hurting me. and i was like thinking oh now i'm gonna be debilitated the rest of the night. so my friend and i were sitting outside after the show and she started patting her chest. she said that she heard it help you keep warm when you are cold. so i did it for fun cuz i thought she was funny and it kept me feeling better. later around 10:30 i had a taco and some sips of dr.pepper. and i felt better. even later i was feeling bad again but then i was too tired to notice.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

The Following quote is from ANSWERS.COM
"For some people, even if the TSH level is normal, or even in some bases, low normal, there may still be a situation where one is functionally hypothyroid, due to the body's inability to move convert circulating T4 thyroid hormone into the active T3 hormone at the cellular level, inadequate T3 hormone levels in general, or other factors. Inability to properly convert T4 to T3 can also result in fluctuating TSH, as the system struggles to keep balancing an out of whack T4 and T3 level, sending TSH levels up and down to compensate. For these patients, supplemental T3 may help them to feel well."

And the more I research the more I find out. this info i got from mayoclinic.com: Well, low TSH level can come from hypopituitarism in the pituitary gland. It can affect one or some of the hormones it secretes. And it can also be treated by several medications. one medication is Prednisone which I did take over the summer and felt soo much better. I tried to get my doctor to give me more but he wouldnt because its not good to stay on it. I still want an MRI because it can image the neck and spine in more detail, sometimes hypopituitarism can be caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland.

"Hypothyroidism due to low pituitary function: TSH-->Low T4-->Low T3-->Low(but to the right of T4) Temperature Pattern-->Low and very stable Commentary-->Looks just like primary hypothyroidism but TSH is low. We know there is demand because of high conversion of T4 to T3 but the TSH doesn’t rise to help T4 production." ~http://www.drrind.com/thyroidscalematrix.asp

Slowed speech and a hoarse, breaking voice. Deepening of the voice can also be noticed.
Impaired memory
**Impaired cognitive function (brain fog)
Urticaria (hives)
**Migraine headache
**Increased sensitivity to heat and cold
A slow heart rate with ECG changes including low voltage signals. Diminished cardiac output and decreased contractility.
Pericardial effusions may occur.
Sluggish reflexes
Depression (especially in the elderly)
Anemia caused by impaired hemoglobin synthesis (decreased EPO levels), impaired intestinal iron and folate absorption or B12 deficiency from pernicious anemia
Slowed metabolism
Constipation
**Fatigue (physical)
**anxiety/panic attacks
Choking sensation or difficulty swallowing
Shortness of breath with a shallow and slow respiratory pattern.
Impaired ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia.
**Increased need for sleep
**Muscle cramps and joint pain
**Brittle fingernails
Paleness
**Irritability
**Abnormal menstrual cycles

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

my cold is back

i'm coughing alot again and now FEEL sick. yuck. last night i had #3. But I went to dinner with my family and was able to eat a little. salad bread and drink some soda.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

irregular periods?

well i got my blood test results for my irregular periods and everything is is normal range. But I did notice some lower results in some areas: follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, Thyroxine, thyrotropin, DGEA SO4, testosterone level. I think it makes sense because it means I just have a "lazy" period. But I wonder how that affects the rest of me...

cold again

so i threw up this morning because of all the gunk i've been coughing up. i didnt go to dance class, instead i went to my boyfriends work, hes a waiter. and i didn't want anything to eat. i thought the sprite would help but it didnt so i called off work. so i was reading today something about allergies and how if its making you more susseptable to colds then you should take vitamins. so i think i'm going to start that again to see what happens. i really do love my job, so its not that i hate going there. and i love my classes, i find them interesting, except karate. so i dunno. and money isnt a problem anymore. i started to paint again so i dont know whats up.

Friday, October 20, 2006

today

neurofirbromayalsis???? what??? so today i asked this girl to go to my birthday dinner thing tonight and she said she didnt drive so she couldnt. i asked her why and she told me she had this thing....it made her pass out and get dizzy and have headaches....sounds like me! but she left class early and i didnt have the chance to ask her any more questions. now i really want to get an MRI. i looked it up and thats the only real test for it.

anyways, i was able to see the board fine and all then i started to get nautious again but only slightly and my eyesight was a little blurry and had to use my glasses. i'm starting to notice these types of things. like what happens and why and at what time, more specific.

i'm getting over my cold but still not well enough.
but i'm happy ;-)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

neuro exam...

i went to the doctor at my school for a second opinion on my symptoms. basically he sees everything as normal from his tests but suggests i get some imaging done with a neurologist. so we'll see if i can get a new doctor to actually send me to one to get the exam done...

the cold

I've been battling the cold since friday. today and yesterday i've been out sick. no school, no work. and today is my birthday. i have a stye in my left eye. theres always something with me. so i wonder if i'll even pass my karate class. i was out last week because of my leg. the week before on wednesday, i was too tired so i didnt go. and now this week. hopefully i can make it up. on the plus side, my financial aid is enough to quit work. so i'll do that pretty soon.

Friday, October 13, 2006

what?

so today i made a big mistake. i drank a triple shot expresso pumpkin spice late and ate a maple donut for breakfast. and i waited until before 12 to eat part of a sandwich, not a good idea with someone who gets migraines. i started feeling nautious and uneasy. i had to cancel my lunch date with a friend to go home and try and make myself better. well, hapy to say i didn't get a headache, just had to relax, sleep a little between the rides on the bus, and have a nice bath. i'm all better, but i shouldnt do too much still.

other than that.... my leg hurting was a pinched nerve in my lower back. thats gone, thank the chiropractor.

feeling good other than that.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

feeling good

i've been feeling good lately. thought my allergies are kicking up again because I havent been able to see the allergist for my shots, no car. and i think i tore something in my leg from biking. but all is well!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

feeling good

I'm feeling pretty good today. i actually slept some last night and let myself sleep in. That took care of the lack of sleep from the week.
sometimes i wonder if i want t0 be sick cuz today i started to feel sorry for myself. or is it that i get so used to knowing that i'm sick and i want to do more things and that stresses me out?
but going back to my previous times of feeling like absolute crap i know that i dont make it up.

i think i'm going to keep saturdays a school free day so i can have some rest. and try and take a few naps during the week days.

Friday, October 06, 2006

tired

so i've been extreemly tired the last few days, waking up wanting to sleep because it actually feels like i didnt sleep at all. i go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 7am according to my alarm clock. i wake up achy and have weird dreams. Last night it was about my wedding and how my mom said it was too loud so we had to stop the wedding and all the kids were tired so they had to sleep. it was weird. so we moved it to this boat house that could only fit 100 people tops, i went downstairs and it was all gross with the owners down there drinking beer and outside was a trash dump. on the way back upstairs the nails were comming out of the floor and we knew that it was going to fall down if there was one person past 100 people on there. kinda weird.
anyways, yesterday i was falling asleep in my dance class of all places. i felt a little nautious at work and almost fainted, but it went away.
Do you ever feel like there is just something wrong? thats how i feel. i really need an MRI with all these neurological things happening, but because i had a clear CT Scan I don't think my doctor will do it. Lame!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

10-4-06

"I was feeling good lately. Working with the kids well and stuff. I had 2 episodes of something since my last entry. I can't really remember what it was like but I think I was too tired both times. Yesterday I didn't eat well in the morning. I woke up late and missed my doctors apointments. I wanted Jamba Juice but ended up having pretzels and a plum. It was hard for me in dance class to do the jumps. too much workout. Later I ate Taco Bell. Then I got really hungry at work. Like low-blood-sugar hungry. I ate my chicken in the frozen food I have and drank ice water. I wasnt having a hard time except that.
During the drive home my neck burned and weakened where my head was too heavy for my neck, again. I was out of it. Steph said she was going to cook but didn't so I ate a quesadilla. I wanted to eat more and even go out to eat but then I became unreasonably tired again. I tried to do my studies and it became extreemly difficult. Writing, and focusing, and reading. It was so irritating that I threw everything out of my backback and kicked it on the floor. It's times like these that I get down because i have a desire and great want to achieve many things but I feel that my body can't get me there. I think of the future and how I can only do a limited amount of things. I can't do things that I want like the average person.
I went to bed at 9:30 completly exhausted. It was difficult to sleep. I had many vivid dreams and woke up several times. I ended waking up at 7:30 to get ready for school.
Every day it takes me a while to wake up.
My nausia has gone away but every once in a while I have to gag and geel like throwing up.
My headaches havn't been a problem recently since I've been avoiding places that might trigger them and have been trying to maintian my blood sugar. I open the windo all the way in Mike's car. Thats the only time I feel slightly nautious but it's not too bad.
I feel pretty tired right now. I drak coffee and ate a muffin. I was gonna get Jamba but it was too cold. I'm late for class again. I forgot to turn my alarm on.
I also feel forgetful. Like my attention span is short."

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

head too heavy?

head too heavy for neck to hold up????
sometimes my neck feels weak and it is hard to keep my head up. but it is associated with the neck and shoulder pain that I think is from migraines.... does anyone feel like this? like an aura? then i get really sleepy and start to dose off randomly but i can stay up if i need to, but like if you have ever been sleepy in class and start to dose off and jolt back awake all of a sudden, that is how i feel except i could be walking around and stuff. but it goes away and stuff.

Friday, September 29, 2006

9-28-06

"I had bad feelings and a slight headache in dance class today. I ate peanut M n M's and sat at the computer for 30 minutes before class. It went away but it hurt slightly with the neck exercises. It's gone now."

"I also felt insecure in that class around the same time..."

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

9-27-06

"I felt good today and lively"

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Sometimes I get a stiff neck before and after a migraine. A Neurologist told me that is all part of the area where migraines occur and are affected.

lame... i had a stiff neck today today. someone said that a neurologist told him that it is all part of the area where migraines occur and are affected. if i walk around i'm fine but if i sit or try to massage or stretch it it gets aggrivated. is yours like that? i was in a karate class feeling nautious and with the neck thing. i stuck it out with doing the feet movements but barely moved my uppr body without trying to catch the teachers attention.

9-26-06

This was my second writing in my journal:

"There is tension in my neck and shoulders and it actually feels inflamed. My mouth feels sticky. I ate goldfish and drank woater. It didn't do anything. I ate ice 2 times and felt better. Massaging my neck makes it worse but walking around makes it better. Moving my neck and shoulders make it worse. I need to wear my sunglasses. I might take advil later. Sitting down makes it worse. My back was hurting today in my dance class. I ate chinese food for lunch. I had waffles with jelly and milk for breakfast. I rode my bike today."

Sunday, September 17, 2006

From Migraine Forum: Does anyone get like this?

Way before i ever get a headache i get nausious. My boyfriends car makes it worse. then i want to sit somehwere and sleep. and when i sleep all then noise in the world can be going on and i cant hear it. but if i move or someone touches me or a smell gets to me or there are flourescent lights my body feels like crap again. last night i got lilke this. i went to a party and fell asleep on the couch. people were asking me if i was okay but i ignored them. moving a finger made me nausious. but just lying still i felt no pain. then my boyfriend said we were leaving. i could barely walk. got in the car and the smell in his car vent made me sick again. i started crying because i didnt want a headache. i wanted to jump out of the car at a stoplight and lie down on the sidewalk and sleep. but i didn't. went home and my boyfriend got me a big bag of ice to put on my head, advil, and i changed into practically nothing, because i felt incredibly hot. i didnt get a headache and i was soooo happy. but i think somehting in his car is a trigger cause i borrowed his car for like 6 weeks and was sick all the time. i would want to sleep all the time. now most of the time i'm nausious.

does anyone get like that?

Friday, September 15, 2006

YAY!!!

I got my new glasses today! they are amazing! they are transistions. i'm 2020 vision still but it helps alot in the sun and when reading signs and stuff. i'm going to use it in class and outside. ilove them! and i can see better and my eyes dont hurt as much cuz i'm not straining them!

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Strange Feelings

Last night I felt the strangest thing. Like my right foot was swelling but it wasn't swelling.
I went to sleep but it was bothering me and my calf too.
So I got ice and put it on it. I laid it next to my foot during the night and slept.

Today I ate at 8-8:30. I was hungry in my class around 11:30. I snacked on my mix because I was really hungry. and 2:30 hit and I was gonna die. So the food cart was closing and I had to go to McDonald's to eat. On my way to the car my arm feels like its radiating heat. My right arm. I ate and I feel like I'm not in control of my body. I want to cool off my arm. I felt all clumsy walking to the car and eating too. Even my writing is hard like I can't but I want to write this down.

I wonder, when I"m starting to feel better, whether it really is stress but then when its this bad I know that its not. Something else is doing this.

on some nights i have to take advil and cover my legs more cuz my hips and down ache like the bones are aching.

I ate cearal and a banana this morning and my legs ache like they do, now.

I want more food.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

What's really going on...

So I think that whats really going on is: I have allergies which is an immune problem making me more suseptable to being sick and being sick makes my allergies worse. and I get migranes maybe once a week. I really think that I have a virus. I have all the symptoms for (non fatal don't worry) viral meningitis but its just taking a while for me to get over it. yesterday was the first day I felt some type of pleasure. the sun. today i feel wiped out. my muscles are weak but i know i'm getting better. i laughed today with my classmates. i havent done that for a while. yes stress could be a factor but i dont think its fair to say that is the cause. so i have a good doctor now who took some more blood tests and got my test results from the er doctor. i'll see him back at the end of the month. he reccomended that i get immuno supressant therapy (ie: allergy shots) since allegra does nothing for me. the lights hurt my eyes. loud sound makes me nautious well actually sound from tv or radio if its at normal level makes me nautious. and air conditioning smell gives me a headache.
sianara,
courtney

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Today

Today I felt pleasure and joy. I felt the sun on my face and my dead hurts less. I'm in class and all I want to do is go in the sun again. The opportunity to not be in agony pain or something. I'm dizzy and nautious. This room makes my head hurt and the lights in the hall. the smell of my room aat home and the air in Mike's car. I got a massage today which relieved some tension. I felt bad because it cost $50 bucks of which I don't have. I slept outside for 5 minutes before slass because the sun was nice. The breeze was blosing but my stomache still hurt. The massage was nice. I need some money- thats whats going on in my head - to get a massage and feel good. Got to go.

Monday, July 17, 2006

so basically

so basically i've given up my fight to figure out what's wrong with me. Doctors are just working for themselves, promoting the latest medicines, relieving symptoms and masking illnesses. Its become the land of "here's another pill, pay me another 500 bucks". So i'll give up and follow. Take a pill and take another. But for my children, that will never be the case.
Thats what i said last week. Now i'm sicker than ever.
So now i'm waiting for a list of doctors, maybe they will help me???

Saturday, June 17, 2006

update

so it turns out i'm allergic to weeds trees and cocaroaches.
why does it take 2 years for a doctor to refer me to a stinkin allergist? why does it take 2 years of complaining? I should sue for emotional distress! now i'm on meds so i shouldnt get sick so often! geez. and even though i gave my work plenty of doctors notes that is one of the main reasons why "they don't have any availability for me next year". whatever!
so i need a new job. i was looking anyways. i hate people. they are so selfish. (not all people). but i try to do nice things, care for them, not put blame on anyone, create peace, i don't rat anyone out, i give them hugs when they need them, and what do they do? spit in my face practically.
its a good thing i was at least greatly appreciated by the parents of the children i worked with this year.
i learned everything from those preschoolers. and i learned being nice doesnt get you anywhere. its a good thing i'm working for the lord. and i only have 4 more days of hell on earth. (those kids fill me up and they are worth it.)

i have a few job options though, there is a slight possiblity at the preschool at church, an early ed center (i'm calling on monday to schedule an interview), and another ta position for 3 hours a day. oh yeah, LA's Best afterschool program. i wont know about that one till august. and then theres Starbucks. Woopie!

and that is only 2 out of three headaches thats been figured out. 1)scoliosis and pinched nerve in my neck, 2) allergies, 3) ????????

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

im sick again

so i'm sick, again, whats up with that? and more than sick, my head hurts i'm weak, sinus pressure, sneezing, coughing, i can walk around sometimes, and get this!!! Low temperature, you would think it would be high temp like a fever but its low, once it got to 95.6 degrees!!! now its fluxuating from about 96.5 to 97.2 degrees. so i should see the doctor tomorrow, maybe. thats scaring me. on top of everything else going on. and i had an in class essay today but didnt go because of this, and yesterday i had class and tomorrow night is my dance midterm and i probably wont go because of this and the teacher i work for is giving me a hard time for being gone this week. i was there yesterday for a few hours but i couldnt hold on. so i went home. i'm eating healthy, taking new vitamins with B and A and C and zinc and all that, so whats the deal? I'm seeing a chiropractor and he's finally straightening me out (literally!) so thats helping a great deal....i'm just tired of feeling like this, i always get sick, but when i see the doctor they say "well all your vitals look good so nothing is wrong...." then why do i still feel like crap and why do i get sick alot and when its a mild sickness why does it get in the way of every day life???? i'm tired of it. my temperature is usualy around 97.6 so that is my average. but hypothermia is 95.1 and i'm getting close to that one!!! geez. i hate this body i've been given, it may look nice but it really is driving me crazy, with all this hypoglycemia and possible thyroid problems....who can live like this?? i cant....

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Letter to friend

i'm not feeling well so i'm home today. but my womens small group isnt having their social on friday so i'm gonna lead it okay?
I went to the chiropractor yesterday and he said i had scoliosis and a pinched nerve. so i'm going again tomorrow and friday and gonna get treated. i also went o the massage therapist and they said that my muscles were so bad that i needed to come in more otherwise i will wake up one day and not be able to move my neck at all. so that is why i feel like crap all the time, on top of hypoglycemia (which i just found out that the symptoms resemble stress symptoms.) and the reason why i feel like more crap every once in a while is because our bodies like to naturally get rid of toxins in our bodies. so its best to fast every once in a while to get rid of them faster and better. thats why the jews were always so healthy.
anyways, i'm sick again!!! geez it never stops with me.
i love you,
call me or not cuz im not up to phone stuff cuz of not feeling well...

Thursday, April 13, 2006

my health

honestly i think i might actually be really sick. much more than just the normal cold or something. please pray for me. i'm going to the doctor today. I called and asked them about a certain symptom i had today and they were like okay youre comming in today. i'll go around 3pm.
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