About me

Yep, that's me! Ok, the pic is 8 yrs old but just add about 20 pounds to my face due to steroids and very little activity to give you a better idea of what I look like lol. My name is Jenn and I am a 40 yr old wife and mom of 2 great kids. Jake is 21 and Sis is 19 and my hubby Sam. I don't know what I would do without them. I am a nurse but I am not working right now because of the severe fatigue and chronic pain. I have the diagnosis of unknown autoimmune demyelinating condition (yeah, I don't know what the means either), Fibromyalgia, Discoid Lupus, IBS, History of Optic Neuritis (wonderful Christmas present btw), Depression, Anxiety, Chronic pain and severe, SEVERE fatigue. Oh, let's not forget the incontinence of bowel and bladder, tremor, right sided weakness, memory and cognition difficulty and trouble word finding. Now a new diagnosis of Small Fiber Neuropathy! Just writing this little paragraph is tiresome.

I started having symptoms about 12 years ago. I was in pain pretty much all the time. Heat was bothersome, sun would inflame my skin. I kept working. Some days, I could hardly move. But I kept working. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Discoid Lupus. But I knew something else was wrong. I was right... 

Christmas of 2009, I received a wonderful present...Optic Neuritis. Merry frickin Christmas to me! lol At first it was strange but then it scary. Round of IV steroids for 3 days, my vision came back. But double vision came. After a few weeks of looking like a pirate (wearing an eye patch to work) my vision improved. I went through test after test because Optic Neuritis is often the first symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. 2 hour MRI, Spinal tap, blood work, EMG...nothing! It did show that I do have "spots" on my brain but unsure what they are. But they still don't know what truly is wrong with me.

Kept working like crazy, keeping house, raising 2 kids. Few years after the Optic Neuritis attack, the pain was getting worse, I noticed that I had a difficult time doing my job, fatigue started. I seriously HATE fatigue!! I can deal with the pain, it's the fatigue that kicks my butt. Fatigue was so bad, it took everything I had just to get up from the bed and walk 20 feet to the bathroom. Needed help getting back to the bed. AWFUL!!! I no longer could work. I no longer could drive. Hell, I no longer was able to bathe without help. Went to doctor after doctor to get answers. "Oh, you need to diet and exercise". "It's just depression and stress". Pisses me off every time I hear it. I would come home crying after doctors appointments. I would dread even going. 

Since I am home all day now, I needed an outlet, a purpose. So, I decided to start a blog. I know that I am NOT the only one going through this hell. I feel that if I can just have 1 reader think "wow! I know what she is talking about" and making them feel better about themselves. 

Some of my posts are serious but most are the funny crap that I go through. I think that it is important to laugh every day. Also, I think that it is important to laugh at yourself. You just have to! 

Enjoy!!

Jenn