A day on the lake
Categories: Andrea | February 21st, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 21st, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 21st, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 21st, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 14th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 11th, 2010 | by diane | one comments
Andrea is scheduled for two MRI’s on Sunday at 10:30 – I forget what the first one is called but the second one is a orbital. This is to rule out a blood clot, will most more when we know. The pictures are a work in progress, please bear with us. Thanks for all who are still checking on Andreas journey.
Categories: Andrea | February 10th, 2010 | by todd | no comments
Categories: Andrea | February 9th, 2010 | by diane | no comments
Well, I called the Neuro Opthamologist Office this morning to make an appt for Andrea and they wanted to see her right away. So in the midst of this snow storm we are getting I left work, picked up Andrea at school and was at the doc office by 2:00. They did the usual 3 hour exam and didn’t find anything alarming – but ordered a stat MRI to rule out a blood clot. This is where it gets weird, we have to have a pre approval from our insurance – I don’t get it, we never have had to get a pre approval before. So I will wait until noon tomorrow and if no word I will contact the doc – because he wanted this completed right away. In the exam Andrea told them she had been experiencing blurred vision and seeing white and tan hazing for 2 to 3 weeks on and off for almost every day and also sharp stabbing pain through her eyeball, first she told me was this past weekend and that it had only happened 2 or 3 times ? This is in her left eye, her healthy eye – so we need to get to the bottom of this. Just when she was getting back to her self again. Will post as we know.
Categories: Andrea | February 8th, 2010 | by diane | no comments
I guess it is time for a new post also. Andrea is still improving everyday and I would say struggles most with her fatigue – but continues to push herself to do the things she enjoys. She has been very fort unite to be riding at least once a week at her good friends uncles huge heated arena. She has been riding one of her friends horses to get comfortable with her fear of falling off and hitting her head. Soon she will be taking Razzi. She just finished first semester with all A’s, again. Her radiation spots are barely noticeable, but her new hair growth is very curly. We will be going to Ann Arbor next Friday (2-19-10) for two appts. To see an Audiologist about her hearing loss and a Neuro sleep study team of docs about her waking 4 to 6 times a nite. It is time to be getting her Neuro opthamologist appt scheduled – plus she is noticing times when her left eye (the healthy one) is blurring and at that time seeing only tan and white. Could be her right eye is trying to see something at that time. The rest of her appts, neurosurgeon, endocrinologist, oncologist, and MRI are not until April 19. Other than that, she is way too busy and loving it. She will finish her seg II drivers training class in march and hope to do her drive test over spring break in April and get her licence, she is a very good driver and handles her truck really well. I will close with still a promise to post pictures soon. Life is busy for us all. Thanks for your continued support, Todd said Andreas journey site is still getting over 1000 hits a month.
Categories: Andrea | February 8th, 2010 | by diane | no comments
Hope everyone likes the new look to Andreas Journey site – she choose it of course (horses) and we hope to soon be adding the pictures I have been promising. But for now I would really like to post a poem that Andrea wrote last week for a English assignment, its deep. This is her talent that will help her write her children’s book. Thanks to our good friend Roger – Andrea will begin her book this summer, when she will not have school work and maybe a little more time. Hear it is –
I am a horse loving brain tumor survivor
I wonder why did this happen to me?
I hear my heart sing my thoughts
I see music on the grand staff
I want my dreams to become reality
I am a horse loving brain tumor survivor
I pretend I am normal
I feel much pain for others
I touch the soft hides of my horses
I worry I won’t be good enough
I cry that my life has been forever changed
I am a horse loving brain tumor survivor
I understand trauma patients
I say the strong can handle pain while the weak just cry
I dream of becoming a veterinarian for horses
I try not to get lost in this big world
I am a horse loving brain tumor survivor
Categories: Andrea | January 9th, 2010 | by diane | no comments
Can’t believe it is 2010 already – hope it is a great year for everyone… Still waiting for Todd’s help on picture uploads, and boy do we have a bunch of pictures. CMACB Christmas concert was wonderful and we bought the CD to remember it – and Andrea did not tell us she had a trio part in one of the songs (Polar Express), it was great. Christmas came and went so fast it was like it never happened. Then on to New Years, which I think both kids were most excited about. We all had a wonderful New Years and hope it rings in a good year, the kids did not want it to end. Andrea seems to be doing better with her fatigue and is riding horse again with a good friend at her uncles indoor/heated/huge riding arena – so her smile is back bigger than ever. She has been complaining about her ear ringing and having tunnel sounds around loud noises – so will need to get the neuro audiologist appt scheduled. Maybe can schedule it for the same day as her sleep study. All of her 6 month checkup appts are scheduled for April (MRI, Radiation Oncologist, Endocrinologist, Neuro surgeon, Neuro Opthamologist). The hair around her incision and radiation spots are coming back really well, she said her bald spots did not bother her – but she sure does seem to be happy that it is growing back. Guess that is all for now – will continue to remind Todd we need picture help and hope before the next posting in February we will have some pictures uploaded. Have a wonderful January 2010/