Something very strange happened to me Saturday night. Chad and I were watching a movie (The Happening - which I wasn't as disappointed with as I thought I might be...) and towards the end of the movie, something very strange happened. I suddenly got VERY dizzy... I was sitting down and I couldn't focus on the TV... I had to lay down... After the movie we went to bed... things were still not normal, but I was hoping a good night's sleep would help that.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, things were still not "normal" I was still feeling unsteady and whenever I would shift my head side-to-side I would get dizzy. We were babysitting Chad's cousin, Josh that day so I just pushed through. I was hoping once I got some Advil and food in my system that I would start to feel better... As we progressed through the day I did start to feel better... not normal but not nearly as dizzy.
Monday felt pretty much the same way... if I moved my head into certain postitions I would get the feeling, but for the most part I was alright... not normal though. Then Monday night we were watching TV again and it came on again... sudden dizziness... this time after the intial wave subsided I tried to walk around and I couldn't really walk straight it was so strange. I went to bed shortly after that...
I woke up this morning with the same feeling as Sunday... just generally not feeling normal. I've done some research on what it could be, and it seems like I may have an inner ear infection... It's strange since I've never had an ear infection before (at least that I can remember)... plus I'm not really feeling pain in my ears.
I'm just all worried now... should I wait and see if things get better... or do I go to a doctor?? I've been debating this all morning... I have started to feel somewhat better, but I'm not feeling normal by any means... so... what do I do?!?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Week 3 NFL Picks
We're up to week 3!!
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens
Washington Redskins vs. Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Green Bay Packers vs. St. Louis Rams
New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans vs. New York Jets
New Orleans Saints vs. Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders
Miami Dolphins vs. San Diego Chargers
Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys
Jenn
Chad
Both
Scores to Date: (we tied last week so not much has changed)
Chad: 23-9
Me: 22-10
Saturday, September 19, 2009
One Year Anniversary
Dear Honeybear-
I am so happy that we are together. The last year has truly been amazing. We've had a lot of interesting things to deal with (can't imagine many couples go through what we've been through). But we've done it together and it made us stronger. I love you so much sweetie. Everyday in an adventure and I'm happy and excited I get to experience this crazy life with you. Happy one year!! Here's to a lifetime more!!
Love, Jenn
A memory of our day one year ago...
I am so happy that we are together. The last year has truly been amazing. We've had a lot of interesting things to deal with (can't imagine many couples go through what we've been through). But we've done it together and it made us stronger. I love you so much sweetie. Everyday in an adventure and I'm happy and excited I get to experience this crazy life with you. Happy one year!! Here's to a lifetime more!!
Love, Jenn
A memory of our day one year ago...
Friday, September 18, 2009
NFL Week 2 Picks
We're up to Week 2
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos
Baltimore Ravens vs. San Diego Chargers
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins
Jenn
Chad
Both
Total Thus Far
Chad: 13 - 3
Jenn: 12 - 4
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Green Bay Packers
Arizona Cardinals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans
St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos
Baltimore Ravens vs. San Diego Chargers
New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins
Jenn
Chad
Both
Total Thus Far
Chad: 13 - 3
Jenn: 12 - 4
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Dog Toys
This is a silly posts... but it's about dog toys!!
I finally have a dog that actually plays with dog toys!! It's so much fun to go to the store and pick them out. Rowdy is more of the toy lover, but Bozley plays a fair share too. So here are our favorite toys for the dogs.
The dogs seem to enjoy stuffed toys the best... but they would rip them to shreds in a matter of an hour so we needed to find more "heavy duty" toys... Since this epiphany we have found some toys that work well for our dogs.
First up we have "giraffe" - Kong Braidz
When it's new it looks like:
Ours looks like this... well worn (the head was about the first thing to go...), but still a great toy
Next up we have the "pig" - Tuffy Pet Toy Polly the Pig
New:
This was the first "tuffy" toy we bought and were very happy with it. Chad cut the tail off before we gave it to them... and Boz chewed off the ears, but it's lasting. I just happened across this at PetsMart, when we realized how much we liked it we went back to get another, but they were sold out... and how adorable is the pink and flowers?? Here's what ours looks like now
Next up we have "dragon" - Go Dog Baby Dragon
New:
This one is nice b/c there's no stuffing in the body (head yes) it's also got a weird netting on the inside that's suppost to make it more durable... but he's floppy which Rowdy seems to like... plus how freaking cute is a dragon!!
We have a rope and other Kong toys too, but since you've probably all seen it before then there's no reason to post pictures of them...
Finally we have "ring" - Tuffy Ultimate Ring
New:
We are way happy with this toy... it still pretty much looks like it's brand new. We like it b/c we can play fetch with him and also tug of war... it's pretty strong!!
(see Rowdy's new collar in this pic? He's pretty BA)
I finally have a dog that actually plays with dog toys!! It's so much fun to go to the store and pick them out. Rowdy is more of the toy lover, but Bozley plays a fair share too. So here are our favorite toys for the dogs.
The dogs seem to enjoy stuffed toys the best... but they would rip them to shreds in a matter of an hour so we needed to find more "heavy duty" toys... Since this epiphany we have found some toys that work well for our dogs.
First up we have "giraffe" - Kong Braidz
When it's new it looks like:
Ours looks like this... well worn (the head was about the first thing to go...), but still a great toy
Next up we have the "pig" - Tuffy Pet Toy Polly the PigNew:
This was the first "tuffy" toy we bought and were very happy with it. Chad cut the tail off before we gave it to them... and Boz chewed off the ears, but it's lasting. I just happened across this at PetsMart, when we realized how much we liked it we went back to get another, but they were sold out... and how adorable is the pink and flowers?? Here's what ours looks like now
Next up we have "dragon" - Go Dog Baby DragonNew:
This one is nice b/c there's no stuffing in the body (head yes) it's also got a weird netting on the inside that's suppost to make it more durable... but he's floppy which Rowdy seems to like... plus how freaking cute is a dragon!!
We have a rope and other Kong toys too, but since you've probably all seen it before then there's no reason to post pictures of them...Finally we have "ring" - Tuffy Ultimate Ring
New:
We are way happy with this toy... it still pretty much looks like it's brand new. We like it b/c we can play fetch with him and also tug of war... it's pretty strong!!
(see Rowdy's new collar in this pic? He's pretty BA)
Baltimore
Earlier this week I had a business trip to Baltimore. It's the first time I've been there since I was younger... (I think 1995, but might be off on that one) It was nice to go back. Just makes me want to go back for a not business trip.
The best part was on Monday I was able to meet up with my mother-in-law, Chris. We went down to the inner harbor to grab some food. We walked around trying to find a small local place that wasn't seafood... I am not a huge seafood fan (it's something I wish I liked but the texture gets to me) so we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe. I haven't been in a HRC in awhile, so it was nice. We each had a burger and then we headed over to Camden Yards for the Orioles - Rays game.
It's a very neat stadium. What's funny is I've only seen ballgame in two parks other than Busch and one of them happens to Camden... but I really enjoyed going back... I barely remembered anything about being there over 10 years ago.
The game was fun... although it's completely different from St. Louis... It's just not nearly that exciting... I mean We went to a game for Chad's birthday last Saturday and the attendance was around 43,000 at the Orioles game it was around 7-9,000... it's just sad people around the country don't have baseball like we have baseball. I figure the upside is the chances are greater to get on the big screen... or for you to actually be able to heckle the players and umps.
Overall the night was very nice... It was really cool to be able to hang out with Chris. We got to catch up!! I'm really happy we were able to meet up.
The rest of the trip really isn't worth blogging about... so instead I'll just post some pictures...
They label the homeruns hit...
We had great seats... too bad I didn't really care who won or lost
This picture doesn't really give you a sense of how close we were... it was freaking AWESOME
The best part was on Monday I was able to meet up with my mother-in-law, Chris. We went down to the inner harbor to grab some food. We walked around trying to find a small local place that wasn't seafood... I am not a huge seafood fan (it's something I wish I liked but the texture gets to me) so we ended up at Hard Rock Cafe. I haven't been in a HRC in awhile, so it was nice. We each had a burger and then we headed over to Camden Yards for the Orioles - Rays game.
It's a very neat stadium. What's funny is I've only seen ballgame in two parks other than Busch and one of them happens to Camden... but I really enjoyed going back... I barely remembered anything about being there over 10 years ago.
The game was fun... although it's completely different from St. Louis... It's just not nearly that exciting... I mean We went to a game for Chad's birthday last Saturday and the attendance was around 43,000 at the Orioles game it was around 7-9,000... it's just sad people around the country don't have baseball like we have baseball. I figure the upside is the chances are greater to get on the big screen... or for you to actually be able to heckle the players and umps.
Overall the night was very nice... It was really cool to be able to hang out with Chris. We got to catch up!! I'm really happy we were able to meet up.
The rest of the trip really isn't worth blogging about... so instead I'll just post some pictures...
They label the homeruns hit...
We had great seats... too bad I didn't really care who won or lost
This picture doesn't really give you a sense of how close we were... it was freaking AWESOME
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Reality TV
This post comes to you from Baltimore. There will be a recap of my trip when I get back and can include pictures.
So since I'm missing my TV (and more so my hubby) at home... I thought I'd write a little post about all the awesome shows I watch in a week... how lucky are you all?!?
Tool Academy 2 - VH1 - Sunday - It's tough to admit, but this show is great. I didn't think that I would watch this season since last season had some of the worst voice-overs EVER, but atlas I am watching it and enjoying it... you get to see guys that think they are the sh*t make complete asses of themself... awesomeness
My Antonio - VH1 - Sunday - Classic VH1 love show... although this one actually involves a great looking guy with the biggest dimples I've ever seen. I wasn't sure if the drama would be there (it's not like it's Bret Michaels making out with every girl in front of them all) but VH1 never disappoints!!
18 Kids and Counting - TLC - Tuesday - The Duggar family is just something that is very captivating... 18 kids... and another on the way... and they run that house so efficiently and the kids are respectful. They are super religious... but very interesting to watch
The Hills - MTV - Tuesday - I hate admitting I watch this show but I do. I'm not sure how this season will be without Lauren, but I'll be watching. There's something about watching fantasy TV that's enjoyable. But you sit there like WTF a lot of the time.
The City - MTV - Tuesday - not sure if I'm going to watch this season. I watched it last season, but didn't enjoy it that much... so we'll see about this fantasy show.
Toddlers and Tiaras - TLC - Wednesday - I don't watch this show every week, but when it's on and I'm not watching anything else I do watch it. The parents (mom's) are crazy... the hair... the makeup... the outfits... I mean seriously they look like little strippers. It's a train wreck you can't help but watch.
Ghost Hunters - SyFy - Wednesday - This is a show I've been watching for several seasons, and it's amazing. Follow real life ghost hunters on their quest to prove if a place is haunted or not. They use scientific means and try to "debunk" whenever possible. Since they debunk when they actually catch something, an video clip or disembodied voice you can "trust" that it's real. They catch some crazy footage that gives you chills to the bone. I completely recommend this show. Plus I love Steve.
RW/RR Challenge The Ruins - MTV - Wednesday - It hasn't started yet, but I'm excited. It's a show Chad and I really enjoy, the right about a drama, sex, and challenges. You know more of the charecters and they have to do some crazy stunts. Plus Kenny, Johannah, and Wes are cast on this show which means one thing... awesome TV.
America's Next Top Model - CW - Wednesday - While I don't usually watch these episodes new, you can catch the reruns which is all you need, plus they are packed into one day... love the show, love seeing the photographs, what a fun show to be on...
Survivor - CBS - Thursday - If you've read my blog before this is our show... oh yes!! We are totally excited about the new season (possibly starting Thursday!!) Everyone show watch this show... the social game is a lot of fun, plus they have to deal with the elements.
Chefs vs. The City - Food Network - Friday - We happened upon this show. Two Food Network chefs challenge two chefs that call the city home. They race around to different challenges, anything from making bread to picking out different kinds of olive oil to eating crazy amounts of food.
Penn and Teller's BullSh!t - Showtime - OnDemand - No new season in session, but this show is really amazing. They have a topic (anything from Taxes to the Vatican to Lawns) and they expose the BS-ness of the topics. It's really a funny show, but makes a lot of good points. If you are very conservative, you may not enjoy too too much, but I think it's awesome.
Now I really show watch more shows that are not reality TV... but honestly, people are freaks... and reality TV is here for a reason!!
I'm going to try to add in a "normal" show or two... there are so many great ones out there, I just don't like feeling "behind"
Well, time for me to go to bed... I'm on East Coast time... I'll be back to the Lou tomorrow :)
So since I'm missing my TV (and more so my hubby) at home... I thought I'd write a little post about all the awesome shows I watch in a week... how lucky are you all?!?
Tool Academy 2 - VH1 - Sunday - It's tough to admit, but this show is great. I didn't think that I would watch this season since last season had some of the worst voice-overs EVER, but atlas I am watching it and enjoying it... you get to see guys that think they are the sh*t make complete asses of themself... awesomeness
My Antonio - VH1 - Sunday - Classic VH1 love show... although this one actually involves a great looking guy with the biggest dimples I've ever seen. I wasn't sure if the drama would be there (it's not like it's Bret Michaels making out with every girl in front of them all) but VH1 never disappoints!!
18 Kids and Counting - TLC - Tuesday - The Duggar family is just something that is very captivating... 18 kids... and another on the way... and they run that house so efficiently and the kids are respectful. They are super religious... but very interesting to watch
The Hills - MTV - Tuesday - I hate admitting I watch this show but I do. I'm not sure how this season will be without Lauren, but I'll be watching. There's something about watching fantasy TV that's enjoyable. But you sit there like WTF a lot of the time.
The City - MTV - Tuesday - not sure if I'm going to watch this season. I watched it last season, but didn't enjoy it that much... so we'll see about this fantasy show.
Toddlers and Tiaras - TLC - Wednesday - I don't watch this show every week, but when it's on and I'm not watching anything else I do watch it. The parents (mom's) are crazy... the hair... the makeup... the outfits... I mean seriously they look like little strippers. It's a train wreck you can't help but watch.
Ghost Hunters - SyFy - Wednesday - This is a show I've been watching for several seasons, and it's amazing. Follow real life ghost hunters on their quest to prove if a place is haunted or not. They use scientific means and try to "debunk" whenever possible. Since they debunk when they actually catch something, an video clip or disembodied voice you can "trust" that it's real. They catch some crazy footage that gives you chills to the bone. I completely recommend this show. Plus I love Steve.
RW/RR Challenge The Ruins - MTV - Wednesday - It hasn't started yet, but I'm excited. It's a show Chad and I really enjoy, the right about a drama, sex, and challenges. You know more of the charecters and they have to do some crazy stunts. Plus Kenny, Johannah, and Wes are cast on this show which means one thing... awesome TV.
America's Next Top Model - CW - Wednesday - While I don't usually watch these episodes new, you can catch the reruns which is all you need, plus they are packed into one day... love the show, love seeing the photographs, what a fun show to be on...
Survivor - CBS - Thursday - If you've read my blog before this is our show... oh yes!! We are totally excited about the new season (possibly starting Thursday!!) Everyone show watch this show... the social game is a lot of fun, plus they have to deal with the elements.
Chefs vs. The City - Food Network - Friday - We happened upon this show. Two Food Network chefs challenge two chefs that call the city home. They race around to different challenges, anything from making bread to picking out different kinds of olive oil to eating crazy amounts of food.
Penn and Teller's BullSh!t - Showtime - OnDemand - No new season in session, but this show is really amazing. They have a topic (anything from Taxes to the Vatican to Lawns) and they expose the BS-ness of the topics. It's really a funny show, but makes a lot of good points. If you are very conservative, you may not enjoy too too much, but I think it's awesome.
Now I really show watch more shows that are not reality TV... but honestly, people are freaks... and reality TV is here for a reason!!
I'm going to try to add in a "normal" show or two... there are so many great ones out there, I just don't like feeling "behind"
Well, time for me to go to bed... I'm on East Coast time... I'll be back to the Lou tomorrow :)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Some Randomness
Here's a few things that have crossed my mind today...
- I'm beginning to think we should paint the kitchen red... now this would make me a bit of a hypocrite since I've said on numerous occasions rooms should not be painted red, but when I was standing in there this morning wondering how to make the space better... red seemed perfect... so we'll see...
- Speaking of paint, I still need to paint the hallways
- I feel like I'm lacking creativity... I use to think that I was a highly creative person... but really I'm not sure that I am... I've hate some blank stretched canvases that I've wanted to create my own artwork with to hang on the walls... but I'm having a hard time coming up with what to paint... this also goes hand-in-hand with the fact nothing ever translates to paper from my head very well... so we'll see
- Something potentially very exciting for me at work is coming up... so let's keep our fingers crossed
- Speaking of work... we're hiring 4 new PSAs soon... and I'm going to help train them... it feels really cool that I've only been there 7ish months and I'm one of the go-to people.
- the AC in our house is really sucking... we NEED to get it replaced but it's just so much money!! Maybe next year... but it's not working now so hopefully we don't get too many more hot days.
- I love my honeybear.
- I have FINALLY started to work on our wedding album... I believe it's mostly done... we just look at it every few days... seems like we always find something we can change... As soon as we're done... we're going to order a whopping 7 copies of it... and finally give the gifts like we said we were.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Baby!!
Happy happy birthday my awesome husband. Today you join me at age 25... so right now I don't feel like the old one... I love you very much and I hope that you had a great day today!!
PS... there will be a longer post about Chad in one week...
PS... there will be a longer post about Chad in one week...
Friday, September 11, 2009
NFL Week 1 Picks
Football season is back... and we all know what that means... The ultimate show down between Chad and Jenn!! I'll be tracking our record... and this year I started at the beginning (no wedding holding us back this year, haha)
Tennessee Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Miami Dolphins vs. Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers
Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns
New York Jets vs. Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts
Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders
Chad
Jenn
Both
Busy Bee
So I know I've mentioned this before... but September is going to fly by... seriously... the next few weeks are full!!
September 11 - Dinner with family
September 12 - Chad's birthday, Cardinals game
September 13 - Eating with Chad's grandparents
September 14 - Flying to Baltimore, meeting up with Chris
September 15 - CARF Conference
September 16 - Wrap up CARF, flying back to the Lou
September 17-18 - Work
September 19 - 1 Year Anniversay (YAY!!)
September 20 - Flying to Vegas
September 21 - Pre-Conferences
September 22-24 - EP conference, only helping out
September 25 - Flying back to the Lou
Then things calm down... and boy will I be ready for it!!
September 11 - Dinner with family
September 12 - Chad's birthday, Cardinals game
September 13 - Eating with Chad's grandparents
September 14 - Flying to Baltimore, meeting up with Chris
September 15 - CARF Conference
September 16 - Wrap up CARF, flying back to the Lou
September 17-18 - Work
September 19 - 1 Year Anniversay (YAY!!)
September 20 - Flying to Vegas
September 21 - Pre-Conferences
September 22-24 - EP conference, only helping out
September 25 - Flying back to the Lou
Then things calm down... and boy will I be ready for it!!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The San Francisco Treat
A week ago I went to San Francisco for a work conference. It was the very first trip that I traveled alone... I was somewhat nervous about a new airport by myself and finding my shuttle to the hotel. But I managed and was super easy.
We had the conference and stayed at Marines Memorial Club and Hotel. They gave us this awesome deal where we got free buffet breakfast in the mornings and a free two hour happy hour each evening (free drinks yay)
The conference went very smoothly which is always nice. And I had some time to tour around. The project manager, Linda and I got to sight see a bit.
We took the cable cars down to Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around down there (didn't realize it would have such a Venice Beach feel) and we grabbed some lunch on Pier 39. Then we checked out the sea lions. We then headed over to Ghirardelli Square. After that we were pretty tired so we walked back to the cable cars and took them back to our hotel.
We also got to eat at some nice restaurant. I even got food outside of my norm. The first night we went to the Italian restaurant near the hotel. I got gnocchi, which I've never had before but was delicious. The second night we went to a French Vietnamese restaurant where I spent nearly my entire per diam... the wine was awesome and I had sticky rice and baby spinach cooked in garlic with soy sauce or something like that. It was pretty awesome.
Overall the trip was great. San Francisco is an amazing city and I really want to go back... especially with Chad.
Here a the few pictures I took:
Here's a picture of the cable cars, it looked much more picturesque in real life, haha
We had a very clear day so Alcatraz was very clear
Here's out our restaurant window... you can see Linda's reflection
Here are the sea lions
It was fun to watch them
Ghirardelli Square
We had the conference and stayed at Marines Memorial Club and Hotel. They gave us this awesome deal where we got free buffet breakfast in the mornings and a free two hour happy hour each evening (free drinks yay)
The conference went very smoothly which is always nice. And I had some time to tour around. The project manager, Linda and I got to sight see a bit.
We took the cable cars down to Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around down there (didn't realize it would have such a Venice Beach feel) and we grabbed some lunch on Pier 39. Then we checked out the sea lions. We then headed over to Ghirardelli Square. After that we were pretty tired so we walked back to the cable cars and took them back to our hotel.
We also got to eat at some nice restaurant. I even got food outside of my norm. The first night we went to the Italian restaurant near the hotel. I got gnocchi, which I've never had before but was delicious. The second night we went to a French Vietnamese restaurant where I spent nearly my entire per diam... the wine was awesome and I had sticky rice and baby spinach cooked in garlic with soy sauce or something like that. It was pretty awesome.
Overall the trip was great. San Francisco is an amazing city and I really want to go back... especially with Chad.
Here a the few pictures I took:
Here's a picture of the cable cars, it looked much more picturesque in real life, haha
We had a very clear day so Alcatraz was very clear
Here's out our restaurant window... you can see Linda's reflection
Here are the sea lions
It was fun to watch them
Ghirardelli Square
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
My Superhero
So does everyone remember when this happened? How could you forget, right?
Anyway... I haven't really posted anything about Chad's brain in awhile... mostly b/c there wasn't anything to post... and no news is good news... well there's news but don't worry, it's not that bad
I'll back up... right after surgery in the OR they did an MRI to see if they got it all... The doctors saw a small shadow, but thought that was due to the surgery so they left it be.
At the end of July Chad had a follow up MRI and appointment. The first appointment was canceled but they rescheduled for last Friday since the doctor saw something they wanted to discuss. We headed into the appointment knowing kind of what was going on - he saw a small shadow on his MRI and wanted to talk about it.
The doctor explained that there was still a small shadow that he (as well as the "tumor panel") believes is a tumor that either is residual or newly developed (they all leaned toward the first). It's about 4mm in size (compared to the 6cm mass that was there... look at that on a ruler to really put it in perspective) They want to treat it (although not treating it was an option).
The two other options they gave us was surgery again to get the last little bit and this other procedure called a gamma knife. Basically it's a machine with 132 radiation beams all centralized at one point (the tumor.) The doctor thinks it has an 80-90% chance of working. There hasn't been much research done one his type of tumors since they usually get it all in surgery... but everyone thought it was a great option.
Chad decided on the gamma knife. We met with a radiologist to discuss the option further. And that confirmed it was the direction we wanted to go...
We even got to see the machine... The gamma ray nurse was very enthusiastic. It's the only gamma knife machine in St. Louis, very state-of-the-art, and brand new (they called it "hot")
What does a gamma knife procedure entail exactly?
The whole procedure will take about half a day. We will go in that they will put Chad into a head ring (this will be the suckiest part of the day for Chad) They will have to numb his head in order to put the head ring on... this will be pinned to his skull... (doesn't that sound fun?!?) He will then have a MRI and CT Scan... This will be to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor. Then the radiologist and neurosurgeon will work out exactly what they want to do, exactly where the beams will go, and how long they will radiate him. After that they take him out, they take off the head ring and will watch him for a bit. Then he is done and I can take him to lunch.
It all sounds very high-tech and cool. I really think this is the best option for Chad. I mean who would want to go through surgery again within the year?!?
The date of this procedure will be September 8th (next Tuesday) I will let everyone know how it goes.
Oh... and to explain the superhero title... we all joked about how Chad was Wolverine since he healed so quickly and grows hair like crazy... well now he's going to get gamma radiation and turn into the hulk... :)
Anyway... I haven't really posted anything about Chad's brain in awhile... mostly b/c there wasn't anything to post... and no news is good news... well there's news but don't worry, it's not that bad
I'll back up... right after surgery in the OR they did an MRI to see if they got it all... The doctors saw a small shadow, but thought that was due to the surgery so they left it be.
At the end of July Chad had a follow up MRI and appointment. The first appointment was canceled but they rescheduled for last Friday since the doctor saw something they wanted to discuss. We headed into the appointment knowing kind of what was going on - he saw a small shadow on his MRI and wanted to talk about it.
The doctor explained that there was still a small shadow that he (as well as the "tumor panel") believes is a tumor that either is residual or newly developed (they all leaned toward the first). It's about 4mm in size (compared to the 6cm mass that was there... look at that on a ruler to really put it in perspective) They want to treat it (although not treating it was an option).
The two other options they gave us was surgery again to get the last little bit and this other procedure called a gamma knife. Basically it's a machine with 132 radiation beams all centralized at one point (the tumor.) The doctor thinks it has an 80-90% chance of working. There hasn't been much research done one his type of tumors since they usually get it all in surgery... but everyone thought it was a great option.
Chad decided on the gamma knife. We met with a radiologist to discuss the option further. And that confirmed it was the direction we wanted to go...
We even got to see the machine... The gamma ray nurse was very enthusiastic. It's the only gamma knife machine in St. Louis, very state-of-the-art, and brand new (they called it "hot")
What does a gamma knife procedure entail exactly?
The whole procedure will take about half a day. We will go in that they will put Chad into a head ring (this will be the suckiest part of the day for Chad) They will have to numb his head in order to put the head ring on... this will be pinned to his skull... (doesn't that sound fun?!?) He will then have a MRI and CT Scan... This will be to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor. Then the radiologist and neurosurgeon will work out exactly what they want to do, exactly where the beams will go, and how long they will radiate him. After that they take him out, they take off the head ring and will watch him for a bit. Then he is done and I can take him to lunch.
It all sounds very high-tech and cool. I really think this is the best option for Chad. I mean who would want to go through surgery again within the year?!?
The date of this procedure will be September 8th (next Tuesday) I will let everyone know how it goes.
Oh... and to explain the superhero title... we all joked about how Chad was Wolverine since he healed so quickly and grows hair like crazy... well now he's going to get gamma radiation and turn into the hulk... :)
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