What a Pain in the Head!!

What's worse than a pain in the butt?

A pain in the head. A least a "pain in the butt" is a person you can potentially get rid of. Ha-ha...I know...so *not* funny.

I spent the entire weekend with what felt like a large dagger sticking out of the right side of my head. It was not a headache, but rather one of my now infamous "brain pains." I started out my very first flare-up with the exact same pain well over a year ago, and now it's BAAAACK. It's a very sharp, continuous pain that is right above my right ear in my head. This time, though, it took my eyeball with it. Along with the brain pain was what seemed like a right eye that may pop out of its socket at any second. I don't know...I just report this stuff. No one ever said that any of it made any sense...

(*Gross talk over*)

So I called my Neurologist on Thursday to try to get off of the horrible Desipramine that I was put on, and I got a call back this morning. If anyone is keeping count, that is 5, yes FIVE, days after I called that I got a response. So I'm off of the Desipramine...it made me not be able to open my mouth when I sang in the praise team at church (no saliva), and that was a tad bit on the embarrassing side. It made me tired on top of my existing fatigue, too, but no one seems to care about that. I mean, who really cares if I'm walking, driving, pushing a cart, transferring money online, etc., with my eyes closed and my brain completely shut down! Gosh, what on Earth was I thinking???

I'm, instead, getting an upped dosage of Neurontin, which I asked for in the first place, from 1600 mgs/day to 2000 mgs/day. I'm to rotate dosages 400 mg/600 mg/400 mg/600 mg. (That adds up to 2000, right?) Anyway, I'm pleased that the Nurse Practitioner called me back, but she had no earthly clue what I was talking about when I told her about my weekend-long brain pain. She just kept on saying, "and it lasted all weekend?" Uh, yes, that's what I said.

Oh, and still no date on the MRI and VEP test, surprise, surprise. Who would have thought that? I mean, it's only been ONE month since my appointment with no word. My guess is that I'll get the date 3 months post-appointment after all of my symptoms leave when it will be USELESS ANYWAY!!!! Grrrr...

Must get off of this topic...

I re-took the 3rd part of my CPA exam last week - I feel like I did exceptionally well on it, which always worries me. I hope that it's at least a 75...I'm running out of hope here...

Oh, I must also report that my 4 year old has her very first boyfriend. His name is Alex, and he's in her Preschool class. It's quite funny actually. I volunteer with drop-offs on Friday mornings, and I have gotten to know all of the kids both in Maddie's class and in the other 4 year old class next to hers. Anyway, Alex comes in every time and immediately runs over to Maddie, gets right in her face and says, "Hello Madeline." Well, last week, Maddie was cold, so Alex tells her, "I can snuggle with you and keep you warm." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!! My initial reaction was HEY, BACKUP KID! but then my sane senses prevailed, and I realized that it was actually very funny and cute.

So Maddie tells me a few days later, "Mommy, I love Alex and he loves me." Good to know. Will it be a love that lasts forever...uh, no. Is it absolutely adorable and sweet right now...absolutely!

The Great Shoplifting Caper

I'm raising a criminal.

That's right - my youngest child is a shoplifter. As we shopped in the Build-A-Bear Workshop yesterday, someone's fingers got a little too greasy.

My Mom let Maddie and Mackenzie pick out an outfit each for the B-A-B stuffed dogs that they already both own. (Mackenzie's dog is named "Doo-Doo Dog" for those who remember...) After we made the purchase, Mackenzie kept screaming "CAT!" "CAT!" "CAAAATT!" all the way down the mall. We thought that she just wanted to go back to the store and look at the cat's.

Lo and behold, as we were emptying our bags upon returning home, there, indeed, was the aforementioned "CAT!" staring up at us in the B-A-B bag. A small stuffed kitty, to be exact. Apparently, as we handed Mackenzie her bag while in the store, she decided to add - well - a cat to it.

My Mom went back to the store to pay our $5 for it today, and the girls there just laughed. Apparently, most people don't come back to pay for things that their little monsters, er...kids take off with. And apparently, thievery happens a lot between the 1-6 year old crowd. I'm proud that we were honest enough to not want to gip a store for a $5 stuffed cat.

Then again, I'm thinking - SHOOT, WE COULD'VE GOT AWAY WITH IT!

Memories...la la la la la la laaaaaaa....

Remember that song "Memories" from "Cats?"

Well, I thought that I would just sing that song and make it my mantra since I have no memory anymore. Yes, I know...the song is about REMEMBERING memories, but I will just have to turn it around to suit me instead. ; )

Here's some memories for me to keep - a few "Mackie'isms" for you to enjoy (please read in broken baby English tone):

• "I puke in my mouth!!!!" (She screams this every time she burps...apparently, she's having post-traumatic stress disorder from her stomach bug a couple of weeks ago.
• "Nana and Pappy fixed TV." (She keeps saying this because my Dad came over and showed Phil how to mount our flatscreen on the wall...oh, and Mom came with him...so that apparently constitutes fixing the TV. Guess Phil actually did nothing of the sort.)
• And my personal favorite...when asked if she wanted me to go and get Maddie from her little friend's house, Mackie says, "No...get my milk first!"

Anyway, I'm SO incredibly stressed out right now. I retake the 3rd part of my exam on the 16th, and everything I study goes in one eyeball and out the other. (Is that even possible?) And it's not like I have ANY pressure on me whatsoever for this exam. Hmpf! I do have a letter ready to send off to the state board of accountancy to see if I can get an extension of time, but after re-reading the initial letter they sent back in July, I highly doubt that it will work. So if you are so inclined, please say a prayer that either I can pass these sons of bi....never mind...or else that I can get an extension of time to take them. (It's probably not nice of me to imply the term "sons of bi....." and have that in the same sentence as "prayer, " is it? Darn it! I just did it again! Yes, I'm losing it...CALGON - TAKE ME AWAY!)

Well, that's it from the insane asylum. Still no word on when my MRI and Evoked Potentials tests will be. Still no word on a job for Phil. Just still no word in general. If there WERE to be a word, I would probably forget it anyway. *sigh* TTFN.

My New Years Resolution? To update my blog more!!!

Obviously, it's been a really long few weeks. So sorry for no updates. Between Christmas, doctor visits and sick kids, I've been SPENT!

OK...the basics:

Christmas

Christmas was good. The girls, of course, received WAY too many new toys, and of course, they are fighting over all of them. *sigh* Oh, the sibling rivalry... They both received new bikes, lots of Dora and Diego toys, Barbie stuff, movies, a few clothes, etc., etc. I received a new diamond-encrusted Bulova watch from Phil. Love it! He also gave me this really cool Flavia coffeemaker which whips up flavored espressos and cappucinos in 30 seconds. Love it! And I can hang out around the house on a caffeine high EVERY day now.

Doctor visits/sickos

Between Maddie, Mackenzie, Phil and myself, we have made a combined total of 8 doctor visits/calls in the last 2 weeks. Maddie and Mackenzie had tummy bugs that were really no fun. Seriously, Stanley Steemer is coming to visit us in a few days to turn our cream colored carpeting back to its original color. Phil had this, too, but he didn't make a mess out of the carpet like the other two sickos did. I never got the tummy bug. Ha ha-ha ha-ha HA!

Neurology at its (not) finest

I saw my Neurologist...oh, no wait...I saw his Nurse Practitioner because he threw me off on her when I was supposed to see him. But I digress.... (I ended up liking her better than him anyway - HA!) She listened to all of my complaints and sympathized like women do for one another. She agreed with me that I probably need an MRI of my t-spine (lower) and that Provigil, a drug for fatigue, would benefit me. She went out of the room to talk to Dr. Fee, and she comes back instead and tells me that he wants repeat MRI's of my brain and c-spine (upper/neck)...this will be the 3rd round for that, no t-spine MRI...and that he doesn't want to give me Provigil for my fatigue but rather wants to start me on Desipramine for my burning and electrical pains. Oh, and the Desipramine may increase my fatigue. OK...I don't say this much on here, but really, WHAT THE HELL!!??!! Getting real close to switching doctors again, which pains me because I actually liked the guy. You just can't get good care anymore...

CPA Exam

Grrrrrrrr.....need prayers here. February 28th will determine if my career as a CPA starts or ends. (Oh, by the way, I flunked the 3rd part of the exam with a 63, which I figured.) Apparently, I have found out that if I don't pass all 4 parts of the exam before February 28th, I lose ALL credits that I have right now (aka, the first 2 passed sections), and I will have to obtain a Masters degree in order to take the test again. Long story, but that's the gist of it. No pressure...none at all. I'm planning to write a letter to appeal for more time, but who knows if it will work or not. In the meantime, if you can't find me, my nose will more than likely be firmly implanted in a book that I *really* don't want to be reading. Oh yeh...and these are the two hardest sections that I have to take and pass.........

I *think* that's it. I know that's a lot to throw out at you all, but that's what you get for not making me update my blog. Heehee!