Do You Hear{t} What I Hear{t}?
Let me start by saying life is good. Hutch is fantastic. The best baby in the Midwest by far. He sleeps, he eats and even while working on 6 teeth, the kid is content and happy. We have only had one rodeo with an ear infection illness and we are lucky for that. He plays. He smiles. And he makes our world go ‘round. We pray every night for another day like the one we had…no matter how trying it was. Life is good.
My health has been questionable. I would say excellent and frustrating all at the same time. Updates are as follows:
Ear/Balance/Hearing– Through the fall I only had a couple of episodes of extreme vertigo. The worst was at my Grandmother’s funeral in Nebraska. It lasted several hours and I was unable to walk, talk or have my eyes opened. It was intense. I had another couple of episodes in December (10th, 12th [my 31st bday], and the 14th) that took me back to the ENT. After a hearing test on the 14th, it was determined to save my hearing I needed to be on steroids. On the 15th, I had to make a trip back in to the ENT as my hearing finally just shut off. That of course, except the ringing, humming, and roaring of the inner ear. My hearing substantially dropped. The ENT suspected an Autoimmune Disease called Cogan’s Disease. I suggest you look it up if you don’t know what it is… it is mean and unforgiving. It causes blindness and deafness across the board and also it can attack large organs. I was terrified. Being 31, how could this be? I was to continue the high dose of steroids and follow-up in two weeks after being told, I in fact, did not have Meniere’s disease due to the pattern and severity of loss. I was also sent to an ophthalmologist to look for signs of the Cogan’s. None were found, Thanks be to God!
Today, I went in for my 2 week follow-up and after doing some mind jogging, I remembered a few incidents in college of that same ear closing. No dizziness, but regardless, I blurted them out. He seemed relieved. He stated that because of the 10 year time frame, we could just be looking at an Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED.) Only time will tell. The downside, we took another hearing test. I was diagnosed with a “dead ear” {One that looks pretty, but doesn’t work} and am completely and permanently deaf on the right side. There would be no more treatment – only toleration. Oh well. I have one that works. It is what it is and I will be thankful for what I have.
Beater – In the middle of December I had my 5 month check-up since first being diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy. We were supposed to wait for 6 but because of the Cogan’s scare, we thought we would see how the good ol’ life support system was doing. After another ECCO I got a call from my amazing PCP, Dr. Timboe to give me the results. My heart was entering the lower end of normal. I’LL TAKE IT!
Here is the EF spectrum from what I understand.
65%-50% - Normal
50-45% - Cardiomyopathy
< 45% - Congestive Heart Failure
When first diagnosed, my heart was at 47% Ejection Fraction.
Now, I sit anywhere between 50-55%. *Insert Loud Scream of Joy Here* We are on our way with the help of the low sodium diet, weight loss and of course the medications. We increased the meds and plan to check again in a few months. We are all still praying this is post partum and not anything more. That news is enough to heal the rest of my heart alone!
Again, we thank you all for your support this past year and hope we can count on you to keep our family in your ongoing prayers. I constantly look at Kenny and wonder had he known what a mess I was destined to be the last 6 months, if he would have taken me as his wife. We have only grown closer by taking the small stuff and smushing it in a corner and vowed to live our life as ‘normal’ as we are allowed. I am the luckiest lady in all the land.
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