I'm Not Stressed

Yesterday panned out to be a pretty good day, with minimal headaches, and more energy than usual; so I immediately got pumped that the rest of the week would be the same. But unfortunately woke up to a throbbing headache and stiff neck. Other symptoms that crept up today were: ringing in the ears, sensitivity to light, shortness of breath, fatigue & numbness. It's certainly frustrating, but I just have to keep trekking. I remained in bed from 7:30am until 11:30am before getting out of the house (for my sanity) and running a few errands. I am now settling in until clients tonight from 6:00-8:00pm.

My mom insists that stress affects me. I'm sure stress does - but at the moment, I'm not stressed, I'm frustrated - but that's two different feelings. Frustrated because I just want to get better, but not stressed out and holding everything inside. In fact, it 'stresses' me out that she thinks I'm stressed. Go figure.

I was able to get in contact with someone who has experienced Chiari first-hand. She is the mother of a 16-y/o who was diagnosed with Chiari last year. He spent 5-6 months with symptoms, was put on a brief trial of medications, and eventually opted for the surgery (decompression). He is now symptom free. She encouraged me to weigh all options and go forth from there. It was great to hear from her and see that her son had gone through the same symptoms that I am going through now. I'm not one for taking pain medication and going through pain management, because I can see that ruining my life more than just suffering the symptoms. I've already become apathetic- I don't want to be drugged up & apathetic.

Reading through the Chiari forums have helped me to understand the issues, symptoms, and the reasons of why diagnoses can sometimes take forever. I am blessed that Chiari has been found with me and that I am on my way to getting treated properly.