I'm back!

It has been a while since I wrote. I haven't had the energy and motivation with everything that has been going on, but I am slowly getting back on track. 2011 is almost over. I'm hoping the new year will be a lot better and I can start 2012 fresh as 2011 has not been the best year for me or my mom at all. In January I previously posted what had happened about 3 months apart to my mom and I. We both injured the arteries in our neck somehow. Exactly how that occurred still remains a mystery. We have to avoid pulling the neck or any sudden movements otherwise it hurts real bad, causes a headache and in worst cases more damage. Sometimes it even hurts just because of the changes in weather. I recently saw my neurologist and he said my arteries are more stable than before which is a bit more of a relief. It's hard because of how long it takes to fully heal and not much is known about it by doctors. Doesn't make going through daily life easy but I'm holding on.

Look for more posts from me soon as I will be writing and having more to share! :)

I believe that for every feeling/moment there is a quote that helps you understand it a bit more.

Hope is wishing something would happen.

Faith is believing something will happen.

Courage is making something happen.

Never get too attached to anyone because attachments leads to expectations and expectations leads to disappointments.

‎It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. It’s not what you see, it’s how you look at it. It’s not how your life is, it’s how you live it.

I can be changed by what happens to me.
But I refuse to be reduced by it.
-Maya Angelou-

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see which one has been opened for us.
-Helen Keller-

Be kind to everyone.
You may not be able to save a person,
but at least you weren't one of the people who didn't try.
-Chloe Higashida-

Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that,
but the really great make you believe
that you too can become great.
-Mark Twain-

Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs, the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells "can't." But you don't listen. You push harder; you hear the voice that whispers "can." And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.

Awareness-Dissected Arteries

This isn't the most pleasant subject to start with but I wanted to spread awareness about a condition very few people know about as it could save you or a loved one's life.

I mentioned in the first entry that I was in the hospital. How and why I ended up there still surprises me. I was feeling fine. Just a few occasional headaches here and there. Naturally I thought nothing of them. Until I woke up with a bad pain on the side of my head one morning. I knew it was a red flag and wasn't something to ignore. Something was definitely wrong.

My parents took me to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Downtown Chicago. I was in the ER for 8 nerve-wrecking hours. After I got the CT Scan I was told everything looked normal, that it was probably just a migraine that would go away on it's own or a minor case of meningitis that could be treated with medicine, and I could go home. A few minutes later the ER nurse came back and said it turns out I have 2 dissections of the arteries in my neck. I don't know who was in shock more; me or my mom.

There is more to the story. The same kind of incident happened to my mom 3 months before. She started experiencing excruciating headaches. Every local hospital she went to ignored her symptoms and sent her home until a family friend in the medical field insisted my mom got prescribed an MRI. Our family friend was already familiar with this condition. Someone in her family died from it. Only after the MRI my mom found out she has 4 dissections.

If my mom wouldn't have mentioned what happened to her, whoever looked at my CT Scans may not have payed close attention to what was going on with me.


What You Should know

Arteries are the highways through which oxygen-rich blood flows toward oxygen-hungry organs, such as the kidneys, heart, and brain. The main arteries that bring blood to the brain are the carotid and vertebral arteries. Dissection in these arteries can bring about a stroke.

Spontaneous dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries is a relatively uncommon cause of stroke. It's responsible for less than 2% of all cases, although it accounts for up to one quarter of all strokes in young and middle-age people specifically. Each year in the United States, between 12,000 and 15,000 people are affected by spontaneous dissection of the carotid or vertebral arteries.

The carotid and vertebral arteries can be damaged by neck injuries or even forceful neck movements. The following are some situations that have been associated with dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries:

• Neck extension during hair-washing at a beauty parlor
• Chiropractic manipulation of the neck
• Whiplash injuries
• Blunt trauma to the neck

Carotid and vertebral artery dissection tend to be more commonly treated with heparin, a medication that prevents the extension of the blood clot in the area of the dissection. Heparin, which is normally given intravenously, is changed to Coumadin (warfarin) after a person leaves the hospital, as it can be taken by mouth. In general, a person is on their prescribed medication for 3 to 6 months.


If you start having consistent headaches you never had before followed by neck pain don't dismiss it!!

Realizations...

Have you ever had a moment sometime throughout your life when you felt like you should take something up again?

I was laying in a hospital with so many thoughts going through my mind. One of them being the realization that I'd like to start writing as soon as I got out. After all, what is the point of always living in the dark? I thought keeping a blog was a good way to begin.

Here I will write anything that comes to mind. I have many interests so there are no limits.

I hope anyone who comes across my blog will find it worth reading.