Just Wanted to Update Everyone.

[kwalker0004]

I know I haven't been on in a long time. But I just wanted to give everyone an update. Though I promised myself I would be on here more often.

Well since October of 2015 I have been up in the mountains of Ohio. I recently returned home about two weeks ago. While I was gone I had not severe headaches or migraine attacks. I think I had two major attacks the whole four months I was gone. Could this be from a higher elevation, being in a less stressful environment, being able to relax more? Now that I am back home had to face my reality once again, all of a sudden I have had a migraine for a week now. I wish I understood these things. During those two attacks in Ohio, I realized I got dizzy, blacked out, and fell down a flight of steps leaving bruises on my legs that lasted a long time. I wonder if the symptoms are getting worse or are things progressing a lot faster than my doctors originally thought it was? I won't know until after my next MRI in another week.

I have found someone to help my exercise my beloved horse Trigger. Though I think it is time to give him up to someone who can give him the life he deserves. I just haven't been able to give him up. He is my companion and I have won so many competitions with him and though I cant race him like I use to I plan to continue his training and get ready for our last season on the circuit. After this year him and I will retire completely. He has earned his retirement but only at 4 years old I just don't think him or I are ready to call it quits. So we will be doing spring training in a few weeks and going to give the circuit all we can for our final year out there. I will bring home as many championships as I can. After September Trigger will be retiring and he will live the rest of days out as a beautiful horse and companion to me. So best of luck to us this season.

But surgically, as I finally came to complete terms with it all, hearing horror stories about people waiting for any type of surgery dealing with headaches and migraines, when I go to my next appointment I plan to see what I have to do to get this going. As I have been deemed as a patient to have surgery, but I have been putting it off because of my fear of it all. But I have an amazing support system going on with my sisters and a few of my brothers and a host of friends who are willing to drop anything and help me when I may need it. So we will see when and if this surgery will put a hindrance into my plans of racing with Trigger this or see if we can schedule after September. If not than I will just have to put off my last year of racing until I can do it physically. I am getting a lot healthier this year maybe this will help with the migraine attacks as well.

Well I just wanted to let my community that I am still out there just have been quite. I haven't given up on any of my dreams and I am still fighting to get these headaches under control like the rest of us. Good night and May God Bless You All.

[Mel5056]

Hi Kwalker0004,

I can so appreciate the fear and how hard it is to get to surgery.  It's a tough decision to make for sure.  I felt like hyperventilating the weekend before my surgery and the morning of was just as bad.  I had the same surgery with the tonsils being removed, resected or whatever they really do in there.  I know there are a lot of horror stories out there but every person has their own story and they are not all bad.  Was there pain-yes.  Do I feel symptoms still-yes from time to time and I hate them.  But am I happy I had the surgery..YOU BET!  I don't regret my decision and feel stronger emotionally for having the fight in me to do it.  I wanted to bury my head in the sand...boy did I ever!  I was 42 when they found mine and was completely asymptomatic for 41 years.  I had never had surgery and didn't want to start with such a big one for my first.  But I prayed..and prayed and prayed for God to give me the sign -and He did.   I have never doubted Him or being in that surgery.  So I took the leap of faith and did it.  I will pray for you (if you don't mind ) that the decision to do this is a confident one.  If you ever have any questions I am hear to talk.  

[selmaS]

  BTW- That should have said " all the best with your horse"... not beat...lol...

What I find even more crazy is some Drs think it may not be a good idea to go to higher altitudes.....

The tanning bed is most likely helping due to the heat....try a heating pad or soaking in a warm bath....it may do the same with less cancer risks.

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome back !!

You know I always felt better up in the mountains when I would go camping...less pain and HA's....and they always came back when i got home too..

Aww  all the beat with your horse......I can understand how hard this all must be for you....

Do you have a Chiari specialist?

[kwalker0004]

Yes, my doctor is Dr. H from Baltimore. He is closest to me. We have rolled out all possible conditions. I don't have any, but we are still using a patch that is from my scalp and as far as I know we are removing the c1 as well as removing the tonsils all together. Hoping this might fix the basilar invagination. If not then we will look into fixing that in a year. I also do not have a syrinx. So this is good. But all of my doctors are on board that this is interfering with my life way to much. So once my final MRI we will be setting a date according to how the findings come out.

I will try to stay positive and not think of surgery. As I know this is what has caused me to back off many times before. So I am going to take it one day at a time and try to be a normal person until the time comes.

Thank you Selma for the input. The higher elevation seems to do us better. Though it might sound crazy, my sister has a tanning bed and though I never quiet understood why she had one. It really helped keeping the muscles in my neck and shoulders pretty loss as well. Though tanning isnt logical from the cancer point of view but once or twice a week seemed to do the trick with keeping them loose.