Our Lovely Life

Radiofrequency Rhizotomy Update

2009-07-30T03:05:00.001-05:00

In case you follow this blog and not Somebody Heal Me, please check out this post for an update on the Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation procedure. In a nutshell, it didn't work.

RFA Procedure Update: 3 Weeks Later

Seeing a New Pain Specialist

2009-05-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday I had my appointment with the new pain specialist. Overall it went well and I liked the doctor. He seemed well versed on my conditions and was very kind. I got a little upset during the appointment because I think some part of me hoped he would have some spectacular, perfect option to try. Of course he doesn't, but there is at least one thing he could suggest that we can try.

I will be going back the day after Memorial Day for a procedure to see if I am a candidate for radiofrequency nerve ablation. He will inject an anesthetic into the nerves along my neck to see if I get pain relief. If I do, I will be a candidate for that procedure, which involves heating the nerves to destroy them so they cannot send pain signals. It is by no means a sure thing, but helps a lot of people.

He started me on a daily medication called Lyrica to see if that might help with my pain. He said that methadone might be an option for me, but didn't have time to discuss it at that appointment. I'm not sure if that will make sense for me or not, but it's probably worth discussing.

Meet Maisy

2008-07-26T02:06:00.000-05:00

This is the newest member of our family, Maisy. She's a 1-1/2 year old broken coat Jack Russell terrier.

We got her Thursday night. So far Maisy and Felix are still feeling each other out. Neither is sure of the other, but hopefully they'll warm up to each other soon enough.

~ Diana

manly cat bed for Felix

2008-04-18T08:27:00.003-05:00

I've been knitting for a little more than a year now, and I love it. It's nice to have a relaxing hobby that I can do without much light and when I don't feel well enough to read.

I finished this adorable fuzzy cat bed for Felix today. He hasn't tried it out yet, but I hope he'll enjoy it.

~ Diana

Dallas update

2008-01-18T16:12:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon my mom and I caught a 4 p.m. flight from Kansas City to Dallas for my three-day visit to Dr. Krusz's Anodyne Headache & PainCare. Door to door, our trip down there was uneventful and very easy. More importantly, it was an awesome experience.

Day 1: Oddly enough I didn't have a migraine, so instead of starting off with IV therapy we consulted with Dr. Krusz and his nurse Jane for about an hour and half about the details of my migraines and pain and the options he thought seemed most promising for me given everything I've tried. My mom and I left the clinic to grab some lunch and went to get my blood taken for labs. Then we returned to the clinic later that afternoon so I could receive an IV of magnesium and dexamethasone, a steroid.

Day 2: They started me right away on another IV of magnesium and dexamethasone again, but also pushed tramadol to treat the migraine I woke up with that morning. It was only about a 5 on a scale of 1-10, but after about 600 mg of tramadol, my migraine was gone.

My mom and I had most of the afternoon to ourselves, so we had a nice long lunch and spent some time at a mall.

My migraine started coming back that evening, so after a nice dinner out with my friend Lyndsey and her family, I went back to the hotel, took all my medication and hopped into bed.

Day 3: I woke up with another migraine, which I estimated to be at a 3. It built up to a 5 by the time they were ready to treat me at the clinic, so Dr. Krusz decided to give me an IV of ketamine that day to see how I tolerated it. It was a bit intense at first, but after they slowed it down some it worked really well for me. My mom and I went out to lunch, then came back to the clinic where I received another IV of ketamine. It was even easier to tolerate the second time. I felt really, really good when we left that afternoon.

Moving forward, we'll be addressing the issues and conditions uncovered through the testing, such as my thyroid levels and diabetes, and getting me adjusted to my medication changes. They think I would be a good candidate for Botox, so that is something to consider again. I am also planning to start a preventative medication called Namenda in the next couple of weeks. With Dr. Krusz's help I'm also going to be making arrangements to get magnesium IVs from a doctor in my area.

Not only are Dr. Krusz and his staff impressively knowledgeable about headaches, migraines and related disorders, they are also some of the kindest, most compassionate medical professionals I have ever encountered. By noon on that first day I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew I'd finally come to the right place. None of us expected this to be a quick fix trip, but it has answered a lot of questions for me and put a spotlight on specific areas of my health that have thus far not been addressed.

Dallas trip

2008-01-05T05:28:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to each and every one of you!

On Sunday my mom and I are leaving to go to Dallas through Thursday, where I will be going to a headache and pain clinic for treatment and evaluation.

The prospect of another 20 minute neurologist appointment where I'd get very little information and limited options was so awful that I decided to explore the possibilties outside the Kansas City area.

I have read a lot of positive things about Dr. Krusz and Anodyne Headache & PainCare and have seen his knowledge about migraines and concern for migraine patients firsthand by reading his responses to patient questions on websites I visit.

I talked to my parents about this and called the clinic to get some information. My mom and dad were on board completely and my mom even volunteered to come with me. I'm so glad I won't have to do this by myself, and I'm more thankful than ever for their support and willingness to do whatever it takes to help me get my health back. Hopefully someday I can repay them for all they've done for me.

I'm nervous about going. I hate telling my whole story to new health care providers because there is so much to tell and usually so little chance of anything helpful coming out of it. I'm trying to have a positive attitude and doing my best to write down everything I can think of ahead of time to alleviate some of the pressure I'm feeling to remember everything.

Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers!

~ Diana

K-State game @ the Sprint Center

2007-12-28T16:17:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago we went to the K-State basketball game in Kansas City with Cliff's friend Rob. Before the game we went to the College Basketball Experience and Hall of Fame. It was so cool. We had a blast there. If you're in the area, it would be a really fun place to take school age kids. Adults will have fun, too, whether they get in on the action or just watch.

We took some photos and I thought you might enjoy seeing them.

~ Diana

rough few months

2007-12-19T04:49:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry it has been so long since I posted to this blog. The past few months have been, if you can believe it, even harder than usual. My health has been so bad that I had to stop working in October. It is good in that I can focus exclusively on my health, but bad in the effects on my self-esteem.

Barbering is going great for Cliff. He loves the work and expects to be finished with school and ready to join a shop in March. Needless to say, I'm bursting with pride.

~ Diana

guest room

2007-09-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

It only took us one year and two months in our "new" house, but we finally have a real guest bedroom set up and ready to receive guests. It's almost like we're for real adults.

Cliff and I both enjoyed the long weekend. We finally had some extra time together and a chance to get our house neat and clean.

The summer heat was causing me worse than usual problems with my migraines, but I'm doing a bit better again now that it has cooled down again. Still, I wish I was doing much, much better.

~ Diana

long time, no update

2007-07-30T10:44:00.001-05:00

It is truly sad that I haven't made an effort to update in almost two months. Two months! That's no good.

I had a fantastic weekend, aside from dealing with migraines and related stress. Saturday I spent the day with Dulcinea. It was just like old times and so much fun. On Sunday Cliff and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Loved it! I've never been a huge Potter person, but I'm now convinced that I must read the books.

The hot, hot weather has been kicking my butt. I was doing much better with migraines (down to only about 1 per week), but I've been having them almost every day again. I can't wait for fall.

~ Diana

green ideas

2007-06-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

I was discussing some ideas for living a more environmentally-friendly life with my dad's cousin Janet a few weeks ago, and I said I'd send her some links to reusable shopping bags and greener cleaning products. In putting together my list, I thought I might as well post it here, too, in case anyone else is interested.

Reusable Shopping Bags:
Chico Bag - at ReusableBags.com or at Greenfeet.com
Reusable produce bags - at ReusableBags.com

Cleaning Products:
Seventh Generation
Dr. Bronner's Organic Castile Soaps
Shaklee
Method

I love Chico Bags as an alternative to single-use plastic shopping bags. They fold up completely compact, so you can easily throw them in your purse or car to have them with you at all times. They're very sturdy and clean up great in the washing machine.

For cleaning, my favorite products are Dr. Bronner's Organic Castile Soap, baking soda, vinegar and Method products. It is easy and cheap to make your own cleaning products, but not always convenient, so that is when I rely on Method and other green cleaners. If you're interested in finding recipes for green cleaning products, visit the Care 2 website.

Feel free to post with other questions or shoot me an e-mail. I love sharing information about green living, so I'm more than happy to answer questions and offer suggestions.

~ Diana

enough said

2007-05-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share this photo of us. It was taken last Friday evening at a law school event.

trying for a green thumb

2007-04-30T23:48:00.000-05:00

I'm finally taking advantage of having our own house and doing some gardening. It's only container plants for now, but I'm trying to start small. I don't exactly have a green thumb, so I'm trying to be realistic.

Tonight I planted some flowers - mini dahlias and meadow sage - and herbs - sweet basil and flat leaf parsley.

I have two large tomato plants to do, but they'll have to wait for another day.

update on Matt

2007-04-11T17:37:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to report that Matt is doing much, much better. He has been taken off the ventilator, and he was moved out of the ICU today! He seems to be doing better every single day. This was so scary. I'm not taking anyone for granted the way I had been.

prayer request

2007-04-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

My cousin Matt is very, very sick. We could use all your prayers and good thoughts for his recovery.

He is in the intensive care unit at a Topeka hospital with what his doctors believe is something called Goodpasture Syndrome, a very rare autoimmune disease. They do not know what causes it, but his symptoms seem to fit with what they know about it. They only see a case or two every couple of years, but seem to know how to approach his treatment.

Thank for for including him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

a real update

2007-02-14T22:22:00.001-06:00

As promised, I made some time to do a real update.

The really big news around here is that Cliff started barber school today. He is incredibly excited and said that his first day was great. He is attending a school in Kansas City, and the program will take him about a year. His days are going to be really long because he will continue to work full time. Hopefully the year will go fast and he'll be able to start working in the field right away.

My newish job as Publications Coordinator at the KU Law School is going well. It is a very busy part-time job, but very fulfilling and manageable given my limitations.

My health continues to be an ongoing issue. I am doing quite a bit better than I had been, but there is still room for improvement. I'm trying to take it day by day and appreciate the good ones when I have them.

We are loving our house and have plans for lots of little improvement projects. Hopefully we will have some time to get started on some of them when the weather warms up a bit.

I hope all of you out there are doing well. I'm trying to do better about keeping in contact. We are always happy to hear from you!

~ Diana

some photos

2007-02-05T20:27:00.000-06:00

I know a real update on our blog is LONG overdue, but I want to share a couple of pictures from Matt Troup's wedding last month. I promise I'll do a real update very soon.

~ Diana

Eric & Cliff

Andy & Cliff

my handsome husband

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T00:48:00.000-06:00

Happy new year to all of our family and friends. I hope 2007 brings you all lots of fun and happiness.

~ Diana

good news!

2006-12-04T13:53:00.000-06:00

I have accepted a position as Publications Coordinator at the University of Kansas School of Law. I anticipate starting on December 11. I'm very excited about this opportunity.

~ Diana

getting back on track

2006-11-12T03:39:00.000-06:00

Most of you probably already know, but I lost my job at the end of October. For almost a year now, migraines have made it very difficult to be there regularly, so they need to replace me with someone who can be counted on. They tried very hard to accommodate me, but I understand why this had to happen. Still, it is scary and depressing.

I have been taking a new preventative medication for about six weeks now. It seems as though it may be helping some, but I'm just not sure. The good thing is that I do not seem to be experiencing any side effects. That definitely makes it easier to wait and see if it might help me.

I hope all of our friends and family are doing well. Thanks to all of you who have been so forthcoming with support. It means a lot.

Cliff and I are looking forward to Thanksgiving with my family in Grand Island and our first Christmas in our new house. Visitors are always welcome!

~ Diana

Maui photos

2006-10-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

I put the photos from our trip to Maui for Ty's wedding online. If you want to check them out, go to this link:

Maui photos

~ Diana

vacation

2006-09-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

In less than a week, we'll be in Maui. I'm so excited. Cliff, my mom, and I are going for Ty Martin's wedding to his fiance Courtney. It will be wonderful to be there for the wedding of someone so special to us. And the location doesn't hurt a bit, either!

We're leaving on Monday, October 2 and returning overnight on Saturday, October 7. I'm sure we'll have lots of photos (and stories) to share, so be sure to check back. We really need some time to just relax and hang out. I can't wait!

~ Diana

these days

2006-08-24T18:53:00.000-05:00

It's been kinda stressful around here - me being sick so much is catching up with both of us. Cliff is almost constantly working and when he's actually home, the bulk of the household responsibilities are on his shoulders, too. It isn't easy, but I think we're hanging in there fairly well.

Cliff turned the big 3-0 earlier this month *and* lived to tell the tale. He's still pretty traumatized about the whole thing, so I'm really not supposed to mention it. I'm doing okay with that. We had friends over to celebrate the weekend before his actual birthday. I was sick (as usual), so I'm afraid I wasn't much fun, but he had a really good time.

My boss is retiring, so as of Monday there will be a new Revisor of Statutes for the Kansas Legislature. Though change is always nerve wracking, it's an exciting time. I think they made a great choice for his replacement, and I'm looking forward to working under Mary's leadership.

After a particularly horrible week 'o migraines this month that culminated in an early morning ER visit, I decided to move forward with Botox injections. My neurologist is referring me to a clinical trial, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get in and receive the injections without doing battle with my insurance company. Cross your fingers for us!

I'll take you out with a new picture of Felix, chilling in one of his favorite places (a moving box we left in the office):

Peace.

~ Diana

Felix roars

2006-08-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

Felix, my ferocious baby. He has grown so much since we adopted him.

~ Diana

settling in

2006-07-29T15:49:00.000-05:00

I've finally got a few pictures to share from inside the house. Please, please, please forgive the rampant messiness. Our bedroom and the guest room are far too chaotic for pictures right now, but hopefully they'll be better soon.

upstairs:

the office:

We're more or less settled in, but we still have so many things to do around here before we'll feel like we've got everything in its place. There are still a number of boxes to be unpacked, and we haven't painted anything. We're ready for guests anytime, though!

I've had a rough couple of weeks with my health. I had a four-day migraine last weekend. The recovery from that has been difficult. But I started a new preventative medicine this week, so we're hoping it will help me some.

Cliff's 30th birthday is coming up on August 8th. He's a little freaked out about the milestone. I guess it is different for guys because I'm kind of excited about turning 30. Maybe I'm just hoping I'll be taken more seriously in my career and not hear "you can't be old enough to be an attorney!" as often.

~ Diana

more Felix photos

2006-07-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

You'd think he was a kid or something, the way I'm taking pictures of him and cooing at him! But isn't he cute?!

~ Diana

meet Felix

2006-07-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

We adopted a cat yesterday. They were calling him Felix, so we decided to stick with that, though Cliff has decided he will call him Felix Trinidad. He's about one year old and very affectionate and playful. He's already become my constant shadow.

moving day!

2006-07-01T17:24:00.000-05:00

It's moving day! And just let me tell you, it's been one hell of a day for me. I don't know what we'd do without all this help. I woke up with a horrible migraine in the middle of the night, and I was sick all morning. I pretty much stayed in bed and tried to deal with the pain. I started feeling better this afternoon, so I've been able to do a few small things. Cliff, on the other hand, has been working himself to death trying to get everything done as soon as possible. I think he might collapse if he doesn't give himself a break!

But everything is going very well, and it is exciting to be in our new home.

~ Diana

acupuncture

2006-06-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

I've decided to get over my cheapness and starting going to acupuncture again. It was helping, though I have no idea how or why, and I really like my practitioner. Funny thing, though - last night she called me to see how I was doing, not realizing I'd scheduled an appointment with her for Friday. Weird coincidence!

~ Diana

sad news

2006-06-28T16:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, not so much sad as frustrating. Cliff's car went kaput on Monday, leaving him stranded on his way to work. Wouldn't you know that this would happen a week and a half after we close on a house! Life is full of good timing.

~ Diana

out of commission

2006-06-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

Despite my good intentions, it seems as though most of the work of moving into the house has fallen on Cliff. He's such a trooper. I've been out of commission since Sunday with a constant migraine. Lots of fun. But in that time, he's moved a ton of stuff over to the house. Things are a bit chaotic in the apartment as we continue to work on packing, but we're definitely making progress. It's exciting!

We're going to try to hit some yard sales tomorrow morning to look for things we still need for the house, like a bed for our guest room - so all of you can come visit and have a place to sleep!

~ Diana

thoughts on paint

2006-06-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

I don't think we're going to paint before we move in, but I've started to try to pick out some colors. We don't have enough stuff right now for it to be a problem to shuffle things around and paint once we're settled in. But the options are overwhelming!

I'd like to do a shade of purple in our bedroom. Not K-State purple (Cliff's pick for the entire house!), but something more in the violet family. Or maybe a subtle gold color. See?! I can't decide.

Some ideas:

it's official

2006-06-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

We're officially home owners! We closed on the townhouse this morning. It's still a little surreal to take such a grown-up step in life, but we're both really excited about our new place.

Cliff is ready to start moving the boxes I/we've packed right away, but I'm less excited about that part. We're planning to slowly move stuff over there during the next couple of weeks, then move all our furniture and other big stuff on July 1. We have our apartment until the end of July, so we can really stretch out the packing and cleaning. Especially the cleaning!

This weekend is my ten-year class reunion, so we'll be spending the weekend in Council Grove. It should be fun to see everyone. Hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to have a good time.

I hope you're all doing well.

~ Diana

packing and cleaning

2006-06-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

The next few weeks are going to be a marathon of packing and cleaning, I think. I've already started packing some things, but it hardly feels like I've made any progress. The amount of "stuff" we've forced into this apartment is overwhelming.

We close on the house this coming Wednesday. I can hardly believe it's already time. We're going to start moving small loads of stuff as soon as possible, then we'll move all of our furniture in on July 1st and start living in the house. I'm excited, but also a bit weary at the idea of all this work.

I'm doing about the same with my migraines. I'm not at work as much as I'd like to be, but I'm trying to accept my limitations and move forward.

~ Diana

and end of May update

2006-05-31T23:49:00.000-05:00

I guess no news is good news when you're waiting to close on a house. Things have been really quiet, so I'm going to be optimistic and say that is good. We heard from our agent that the repairs were made by the sellers last Tuesday. We're all set to close in about two weeks. Yikes!

We had a really fantastic long weekend over the Memorial Day holiday. Cliff had five days off work, which was fantastic for both of us. And we had a fun time seeing my family, too. It is still weird to be together without my grandma, but I know it would make her happy that we are keeping our family traditions going after she is gone.

My dad went with me to my appointment with a new neurologist last week. It was encouraging, I think. Dr. Wang seemed very knowledgable about all different options for migraineuers. I hope I'll be able to continue to make progress toward a healthier life as her patient. It's hard not to be a bit skeptical when you're starting over with your fourth neurologist, but at least those experiences have helped me know what to look for in a doctor.

~ Diana

good news

2006-05-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

I just heard from our agent today that the sellers are fixing the sump pump drainage issue and mitigating for radon on Tuesday. Yup, the radon test results showed a dangerous level. Luckily, it's not a big deal as long as you do the mitigation. So we shouldn't have to worry about our health living there or about problems selling the place when we want to. Whew!

~ Diana

the inspection & lots of photos

2006-05-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

We did the inspection today, and it went very well. There were quite a few little things that Cliff feels confident he and my dad can repair. The only big thing is that the the sump pump in the basement bathroom is draining into the sewer. Not only does this spell bad news for basement flooding, but it's also a code violation. The sellers agreed to have it fixed, so all will be well. We're still awaiting the results of the radon test, but everything else is in order.

Here is a link to an album with the photos we already had and new ones I took while we were there today:

click here for lots of photos

~ Diana

time flies

2006-05-10T16:18:00.000-05:00

Life is good. Everything is bopping right along with our leap into home ownership. We're basically just waiting for the inspection on Friday and hoping we don't learn anything scary.

I think I'm finally starting to have fewer migraines. My doctor and I made a medication change about two months ago. After all the things we've tried, we finally seem to have landed on something that helps. I'm down to about one or two migraines a week rather than five and able to get to work more often than not. I'll take it.

Cliff and I plan to spend part of Saturday and Sunday with my parents and Brice in Council Grove to celebrate Mother's Day. The following weekend we're looking forward to spending time with Cliff's parents and Penny for a belated Mother's Day. It's hard to believe we're already nearing the middle of May. Summer will be here before we know it.

~ Diana

more house pictures

2006-05-05T03:59:00.000-05:00

Here are the other pictures we have of the house right now. They're not great, but good enough.

more house pictures

We have a lot of ideas for things we hope to change down the road, such as renovating the entire kitchen, adding a wet bar downstairs (it's already plumbed), and adding a nice tub to the larger bathroom, which currently only has a shower.

~ Diana

soon-to-be ours

2006-05-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

3815 Westland Place

Welcome

2006-05-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

With the exciting things happening in our lives right now, I thought it might be fun to start keeping a blog to allow our family and friends to keep up with what is going on with us.

We're in the process of buying a townhouse in Lawrence. If all goes according to plan, we'll be closing on June 14th! We have the inspection scheduled for Friday, May 12th, so hopefully everything will be in order.

I'll add pictures of the townhouse and some ideas we have for changes to make down the road.

~ Diana