Cymbalta, Lialda, and Zolpidem Tartrate oh my!
I've been a little absent from the majority of the online world for the past two weeks. I miss you all and am sorry but have a lot of news (mostly good, yay) to report. I've been very overwhelmed and busy with midterms (which have never been more hard than this year) and thesis work (which is the very reason I've gone through the last 3 years).
My thesis proposal is less than a month away... I can't even believe it: A 15 minute power point presentation on my artwork, the point of my thesis, my artistic inspirations, etc, and then 15 minutes of open questions to a panel of mentors (whom you have to hand pick and hope they decide to choose you too) and the public. I think I have the upper hand on it and am feeling good. I'm just doing what I love to do and am going to defend it to the death! I'm definitely bringing muffins or something for bribery... just in case.
I feel I am finally on the road to recovery. I'm still really tired and achy and am still having troubles with my ears (I'll be seeing a new ENT Monday (Is it racist that when I saw he was young and Asian that a new sense of hope entered my mind?)). I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy a few weeks back. Not fun. Having to prepare for something like that is ridiculous: you get to have one of the worst stomach aches of your life and spend the majority of your evening on the toilet waiting for death. Then you get to go to the hospital where a wonderfully kind but terribly old and near sighted lady collapses your vein, sticks you again, and leaves you in shock and unable to move your hand. Then they put three heart monitors on you and stick a tube up your butt and next thing you know your back where you first started, throat hurting and asking when they are going to do the endoscopy only to find out they already have. Whoa. And of course you believe your doctor, David Grunkemeier, is some old, balding white dude, but turns out to be a young, sexy milk chocolate black man who the first time you meet sticks a tube up your butt. Yeah... good times. Turns out that when the biopsy came back we discovered I have Ulcerative Colitis. It's a disease I will always have and if it's not taken care of and care isn't maintained it could lead to the removal of your colon. I was given a medication, Lialda, to try out. Cory and I had a follow up appointment today and the lialda has definately helped things. That doctors office is so nice. Everyone is so helpful and you can definitely tell that all they want to do is make you well again. I got many compliments on how wonderful I looked and how much better I seemed. It was nice to see all these people again and not be crying and on the floor in pain. His doctors assistant Steve is so nice: He even told Cory how great he has been at sticking through things and supporting me (which he truly has. He hasn't given up even when I was at my lowest).
Kidney stuff is still the same: I'm seeing a urologist tomorrow. My nephrologist recommended it. Really don't want to go, but know I need to.
I just need to get a hold of all this and let it be a thing of the past. I also have been told by more than one of my doctors to go get a flu shot... :(
Seeing Heidi Hart has definitely been helpful. I've been on a sleeping pill and nasal spray to help with my immune system and with my post nasal drip (which are most likely the reason for my sore throats). I've been on cymblata going on 3 weeks now. You know that commercial: the one where they say "depression hurts, but you don't have to." It's funny, because every time that commercial came on I would think how cheesy it was... and also how true it was. I would think about how they truly understood how depression is both mental and physical and that it doesn't just affect you, but everyone around you. I feel more hopeful... I joke around more... I haven't fought with Cory or raised my voice... there is improvement and Heidi says that things will only continue to improve as my bodies neurons continue to rebuild and heal. I'm not completely better: I'm still having body pains and headaches and my ears are not doing well, but I feel in time there is a real possibility at putting all this in the past. No pain. Get to fully experience life. Not feel doomed. Amazing.
My art show is up! "Fashion Plates" by Jade M. Sheldon. It looks beautiful and I'm very proud of it: it felt great to have my pieces up. One of the owners of Insomnia said I could have an artist reception... I had never even thought of that! I made cards and mailed them out. The show is up the whole month of November and the reception is on the 15th (there will even be live music). I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I think I may even have the chance to sell out the show. Having a show just reminds me about how much I love what I do and that no other career would make me feel as complete as being an artist. This is just the beginning... I have a feeling there's a lot more to come.
Over Christmas break I'm going to work on making my own personal website... but since I don't have one yet, I've been working on getting my flickr up to snuff.
Cory and I had a very laid back Halloween. I very much enjoy dressing up. I went to school and had a great first class and then checked my email and found my second class had been cancelled (we were presenting our latest project so I was pretty much thrilled to not have to go to class and discuss it). So I talked to my friend Jillian who told me how her cat had been attacked and how she and her boyfriend rode in a taxi trying to find a vet open late on a sunday night only to have the cat pass away... D:
My Uncle Carey (who divorced his marijuana smoking bat-shit crazy wife about 2 yrs ago) got married to this amazing woman whom my family loves in Hawaii and had a wedding reception here with all the family. It's nice to see him truly happy. That same weekend Cory and I got to see Spring Awakening at the Keller.... fantastic.
Anywho, so with class being cancelled I had more time to get ready. Cory and I went to sushi and then went and saw religulous: it didn't teach me anything I didn't already know, but it was funny and horrifying and was nice to know how not crazy I am.
I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner... and I'm so excited for Christmas! I have some great white elephant gifts already stored up. I think I may even have money to spend what with my show and some art jobs I have lined up.
I'm very happy the election is over. If I had to see one more commercial about Gordon Smith's evil peas, I was going to shoot something. I hate politics and I hate discussing them. It's all corrupt and ridiculous. I'm relieved it's over and I'm relieved at the decision our country came to. I don't know if Obama is going to follow through on all his promises... all I do know is that if there is someone to believe in and someone to choose to represent us, I'm glad it's him. There is hope for America... there is hope we can get out of this mess. America has been such a joke and we have all been so full of shame: maybe we are finally on a way to fixing some of the bullshit. I was talking to my mom and dad last night as we crowded around the TV and watched the people in the streets dancing and smiling with tears in their eyes. It was amazing and beautiful to see.
Guess I'm not moving to Canada quite yet.
My thesis proposal is less than a month away... I can't even believe it: A 15 minute power point presentation on my artwork, the point of my thesis, my artistic inspirations, etc, and then 15 minutes of open questions to a panel of mentors (whom you have to hand pick and hope they decide to choose you too) and the public. I think I have the upper hand on it and am feeling good. I'm just doing what I love to do and am going to defend it to the death! I'm definitely bringing muffins or something for bribery... just in case.
I feel I am finally on the road to recovery. I'm still really tired and achy and am still having troubles with my ears (I'll be seeing a new ENT Monday (Is it racist that when I saw he was young and Asian that a new sense of hope entered my mind?)). I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy a few weeks back. Not fun. Having to prepare for something like that is ridiculous: you get to have one of the worst stomach aches of your life and spend the majority of your evening on the toilet waiting for death. Then you get to go to the hospital where a wonderfully kind but terribly old and near sighted lady collapses your vein, sticks you again, and leaves you in shock and unable to move your hand. Then they put three heart monitors on you and stick a tube up your butt and next thing you know your back where you first started, throat hurting and asking when they are going to do the endoscopy only to find out they already have. Whoa. And of course you believe your doctor, David Grunkemeier, is some old, balding white dude, but turns out to be a young, sexy milk chocolate black man who the first time you meet sticks a tube up your butt. Yeah... good times. Turns out that when the biopsy came back we discovered I have Ulcerative Colitis. It's a disease I will always have and if it's not taken care of and care isn't maintained it could lead to the removal of your colon. I was given a medication, Lialda, to try out. Cory and I had a follow up appointment today and the lialda has definately helped things. That doctors office is so nice. Everyone is so helpful and you can definitely tell that all they want to do is make you well again. I got many compliments on how wonderful I looked and how much better I seemed. It was nice to see all these people again and not be crying and on the floor in pain. His doctors assistant Steve is so nice: He even told Cory how great he has been at sticking through things and supporting me (which he truly has. He hasn't given up even when I was at my lowest).
Kidney stuff is still the same: I'm seeing a urologist tomorrow. My nephrologist recommended it. Really don't want to go, but know I need to.
I just need to get a hold of all this and let it be a thing of the past. I also have been told by more than one of my doctors to go get a flu shot... :(
Seeing Heidi Hart has definitely been helpful. I've been on a sleeping pill and nasal spray to help with my immune system and with my post nasal drip (which are most likely the reason for my sore throats). I've been on cymblata going on 3 weeks now. You know that commercial: the one where they say "depression hurts, but you don't have to." It's funny, because every time that commercial came on I would think how cheesy it was... and also how true it was. I would think about how they truly understood how depression is both mental and physical and that it doesn't just affect you, but everyone around you. I feel more hopeful... I joke around more... I haven't fought with Cory or raised my voice... there is improvement and Heidi says that things will only continue to improve as my bodies neurons continue to rebuild and heal. I'm not completely better: I'm still having body pains and headaches and my ears are not doing well, but I feel in time there is a real possibility at putting all this in the past. No pain. Get to fully experience life. Not feel doomed. Amazing.
My art show is up! "Fashion Plates" by Jade M. Sheldon. It looks beautiful and I'm very proud of it: it felt great to have my pieces up. One of the owners of Insomnia said I could have an artist reception... I had never even thought of that! I made cards and mailed them out. The show is up the whole month of November and the reception is on the 15th (there will even be live music). I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I think I may even have the chance to sell out the show. Having a show just reminds me about how much I love what I do and that no other career would make me feel as complete as being an artist. This is just the beginning... I have a feeling there's a lot more to come.
Over Christmas break I'm going to work on making my own personal website... but since I don't have one yet, I've been working on getting my flickr up to snuff.
Cory and I had a very laid back Halloween. I very much enjoy dressing up. I went to school and had a great first class and then checked my email and found my second class had been cancelled (we were presenting our latest project so I was pretty much thrilled to not have to go to class and discuss it). So I talked to my friend Jillian who told me how her cat had been attacked and how she and her boyfriend rode in a taxi trying to find a vet open late on a sunday night only to have the cat pass away... D:
My Uncle Carey (who divorced his marijuana smoking bat-shit crazy wife about 2 yrs ago) got married to this amazing woman whom my family loves in Hawaii and had a wedding reception here with all the family. It's nice to see him truly happy. That same weekend Cory and I got to see Spring Awakening at the Keller.... fantastic.
Anywho, so with class being cancelled I had more time to get ready. Cory and I went to sushi and then went and saw religulous: it didn't teach me anything I didn't already know, but it was funny and horrifying and was nice to know how not crazy I am.
I can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner... and I'm so excited for Christmas! I have some great white elephant gifts already stored up. I think I may even have money to spend what with my show and some art jobs I have lined up.
I'm very happy the election is over. If I had to see one more commercial about Gordon Smith's evil peas, I was going to shoot something. I hate politics and I hate discussing them. It's all corrupt and ridiculous. I'm relieved it's over and I'm relieved at the decision our country came to. I don't know if Obama is going to follow through on all his promises... all I do know is that if there is someone to believe in and someone to choose to represent us, I'm glad it's him. There is hope for America... there is hope we can get out of this mess. America has been such a joke and we have all been so full of shame: maybe we are finally on a way to fixing some of the bullshit. I was talking to my mom and dad last night as we crowded around the TV and watched the people in the streets dancing and smiling with tears in their eyes. It was amazing and beautiful to see.
Guess I'm not moving to Canada quite yet.