2017: A Year in Review

All of my worst fears came true in 2017. It is definitely a year I’m looking forward to kissing goodbye.

It seems as though my mid-20s are getting the best of me. :(Here’s a look at what happened in 2017.

1. I was incorrectly diagnosed with a stroke. After many doctors denied my symptoms, one FINALLY listened and ordered an MRI scan of my brain. That night, she called me and told me I had a stroke in the brain stem, which ended up being completely wrong.

2. I was in the hospital from March to May. I have a hard time looking back on 2017, because most of it was spent in the hospital bed trying to find the correct diagnosis for the lesions in my brain. During the hospital stay, I was unable to eat (Lost 20 lbs.) or walk. I had the most amazing boyfriend, mother and aunt that stayed with me when I was there.

3. I had very risky brain stem Surgery. The surgery was a biopsy in the pons and medulla(the brain stem). The reason for the biopsy was to diagnose. They wanted to be sure it wasn’t cancer. The pain after the surgery was the worst pain I’ve ever had. The pain lasted for three months after.

4. I came home from the Hospital. I came home from the hospital on May 13, 2017. I started an in-home therapy: PT, OT, ST & counseling. I made a lot of progress in the In-home program, but still have a long way to go.

I’ve learned that I am truly supported. I want to thank my wonderful boyfriend and his family and my family and friends for being my steady support system. I don’t even want to think about what my life would be without the people in it.

I’m starting a new Neuro – Rehab day program on January 3rd, 2018! The new rehab is called Pate. I have high hopes forPate because it’s a 6 hour day for 5 days a week: PT, OT, Speech, & counseling. I plan on writing a second blog post with all of my 2018 goals and intentions.