Back to school

Ohhhhhhh
Back To School
Back To School
To Prove To Dad That I'm Not A Fool
I've Got My Lunch Packed Up
My Boots Tied Tight
I Hope I Don't Get In A Fight
Ohhhh
Back To School
Back To School
Back To School

I am enjoying my last day of freedom before I start my last semester of school! After tomorrow I will most likely be extremely busy and not have much time for blogging. Or, blogging will be what I will do when I should really be studying. We shall see. I can't believe I am finally graduating in May! It's going to come so fast! I have been in college since 2001...taking the long route. Working full-time, changing my major, moving to a new state...it has all delayed my attainment of getting my bachelor's degree. But the end is finally in sight!

Last weekend we went to a birthday get-together with some of my OR coworkers. It was fun to hang out with them outside of work. I'm not sure Brent enjoyed it quite as much as I did. I'm sure he gets as bored hearing medical talk as I do hearing computer or sports talk.


So, I should really be getting some stuff around the house done instead of wasting so much time on the computer. I have been sitting here being non-productive for over 3 hours now! I had a list of things I wanted to do while on my winter break. I didn't get very much of that done. I did do a lot of relaxing though, which I needed very badly. I tend to get very stressed out and tend to internalize it. And then it comes out as a physical problem (back pain, stomach problems, jaw clenching/grinding/pain). I feel that I deserved a break. Maybe this last semester won't be as bad as some of the others in the past. I only have to take 10 hours of classes...so I'm feeling optimistic that it's going to be less stressful!

I have some reading assignments for class tomorrow. Blah. I also need to get my resume updated to give to my boss at work. Even though she's told me she will hire me, we still have to go through all of the formalities. I want to apply at a few other places just in case something happens and it falls through. I've started the process of applications and paperwork to be able to take the NCLEX exam after graduation. That's a huge process in itself...and an expensive one! Registration fees, testing fees, passport/ID photo, fingerprinting...but I'm getting it all done and I can't wait to be completely DONE!!!

My jaw

I have been clenching/grinding my teeth in my sleep for well over 10 years now. I would have minor pain or clicking on the right side of my jaw every once in a while, but never thought much of it. Dentists would tell me that they could see marks on my teeth from doing it, but none of them ever had any sort of resolution. Early last year the clicking and pain got worse. I talked to my dentist about it and he suggested I get a mouth guard made to wear at night. I eventually got one and the pain and clicking got significantly better. Then, last summer the pain came back, and this time it was much worse. I went back to the dentist with my night guard. He did some adjusting and filing on it and the pain went away within days! Then, in September the pain came back again. And this time it was almost unbearable. I could barely eat, talk, yawn, etc...without being in serious pain. I went to my dentist again, thinking he could just do some more adjusting on the night guard, and it would get better again. Wrong! He said the night guard was fitting fine and he thought I had probably damaged my TMJ in some way. He referred me to a TMJ specialist.

I went to the specialist in October. He x-rayed my mouth and couldn't see anything significant, so he told me I would need an MRI to be able to fully diagnose the problem. He suspected a TMJ disc displacement. I had the MRI, went back to the specialist, and his suspicion was correct. The discs on both sides are displaced, but the right side is much worse (the right side is where I've always had the pain and clicking, never on the left). I also have limited jaw opening. A normal mouth is able to open 40-45 millimeters. Mine opens about 27-33 millimeters. The disc being out of place is what is limiting the amount I can open my mouth.

I learned that the clicking is from the disc moving in and out of place when the mouth is opened and closed. When the clicking eventually went away, I thought things were getting better. But in reality, it had gotten worse. Instead of the disc going in and out of place, it was out of place and staying that way, never popping back into place. If I hadn't gotten a night guard when I did, I would have started to wear down the joint itself and caused many more problems. This website explains it pretty well and has some good animations:

http://www.tmjarizona.com/animation/animation.php

My situation is like the last one: "Anterior Displacement Without Reduction"

My masseter muscle was also rock hard and needed to be treated as well. That is where a lot of my pain was coming from.The doctor decided to do a steroid injection into the muscle and have me go to physical therapy to work the muscle to try and loosen it up.

I had the steroid injection in early December and went to physical therapy once a week. I went back to the TMJ doctor today for a follow-up/reevaluation. The muscle is better, but the disc is still out of place and still causing a lot of pain. So...the next step is going to be SURGERY!!! I love surgery and all, but not so much when it is on ME!

He explained the procedure to me today. He will make a small incision a little bit in front of my ear to insert a scope so he can look around inside the joint to assess the amount of damage that has been done. He will then make another small incision to allow him to insert instruments to put the disc back in place and hold it in place with sutures. He said that even though the left side has never given me any pain, he would like to fix it as well. Because once the right side is fixed, the left side could start to bother me. The surgery is done as an outpatient procedure (I would go home the same day) and most people are out of commission for about 5 days. The actual healing time takes a few months. Here is a little more about the surgery: (mine would be the "Disk repositioning" surgery)

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tmj/treatment.html

The office is submitting the information to my insurance company to get authorization for surgery. That process takes 4-6 weeks! And then they would be able to schedule the surgery. This is a never-ending process! I am getting so frustrated at being in pain and just waiting and waiting and waiting. I know it will end eventually. But then it will be something else. It's always something! But I have learned that that is life.

I have many other good things in my life that I am very grateful for. I have a wonderful family, husband, and friends. We are able to to live comfortably, we own a house, and I am about to graduate from a top ranked nursing school. Physical pain is something I have learned to live with. I have frequent arm, leg, and hip pain from my car accident that happened 11 years ago tomorrow. That pain will probably never go away completely. I am still able to live a fully functional life and I am especially thankful for that. I could have very easily lost my life (or my leg) that day, but I did not. I am here for a reason. I can deal with physical pain and have learned to live with it. It's not exactly fun, but it could always be worse. I always remind myself of that...it could always be worse. I actually have it pretty good when looking at the big picture.


These are just some of the people that I love and that I know love me. There are many many more. I know there are a lot of people who don't have the love and support I do. Again, I am so very grateful for that! I have it VERY good! :)

Hillbilly Husband

Last Friday Brent broke one of his front teeth in half playing basketball. Here's his account of the story:

"I was defending on a guy who was driving to the basket, and as he tried to get around me he swung up one of his elbows and hit me solid right on my front teeth. I then spit out the tooth fragment and set it aside and finished the game. It did put a nice gash in his elbow which was bleeding nicely as well. That'll be cheaper for him to fix than my tooth though I bet."


Luckily he was able to get into a cheapo dentist on Saturday to get a composite put on, so he didn't have to go around with half a tooth for too long. I could barely look at him without cracking up before it was placed. Below are pictures of the composite. A little crooked at the bottom, but overall not too bad. He made an appointment with a GOOD cosmetic dentist to get the permanent crown put on.


The appointment with the "good" dentist was yesterday. There, he got a temporary crown placed. It looks similar to the composite, but a little straighter. He goes back in 2 weeks to get the permanent crown. This has been quite a process. He has to be very careful what he eats (i.e., no biting directly into foods) until the permanent crown is on. And after that, he will always have to be somewhat careful because a permanent crown can always come off down the road. But he will basically be back to normal. I will post pictures once the permanent crown is done.

Ok, here goes...

I've never been much of a writer. I realize that the internet and blogging and email is a great way to stay in touch with people I might not otherwise hear from/about for years. I am starting this blog mainly to update family and friends about the ongoings of my life. It may be boring to some...and that is fine. But I do think it's a good idea to have this medium to let the ones that are interested in on my life.

I'll start with the basics for those that I have not been in contact with for a while. I met Brent through friends in 2001. We became good friends and eventually started dating in 2002. He moved to Austin, TX after graduating from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. He got a job at Dell, which is headquartered in Austin. We were long distance for the first year of our relationship. We would take turns driving back and forth between Austin and Oklahoma City every other weekend or so. The 6 hour drive got old really quickly. So, we decided I should move to Austin so we could be together all the time. I moved to Austin in 2003 and Brent and I got married on May 12, 2005. Here is my favorite picture from our wedding reception.


We bought a house and have enjoyed doing minor updates here and there. I have painted and repainted the majority of the rooms in the house. I enjoy decorating and am always wanting to change something. The house is only 12 years old, so there are not any structural changes that need to be done. So we do mostly cosmetic updates. We have changed out light fixtures, ceiling fans, sink faucets, etc. Our next project is going to be flooring. We have Pergo flooring in the kitchen and dining room and we love it. We would like to extend it into the living room and office, and eventually the whole house. I will post pictures of the inside of the house in a future blog. Here is one of the outside.


I am in my senior year of nursing school at the University of Texas, but I'll always be a Sooner at heart. I feel that I am betraying my heritage by going to UT, but I really didn't have much choice, living in Austin and all. UT's nursing school is ranked in the top 10 in the nation, so I guess that makes me feel a little better about it. But I absolutely despise seeing so much of the color burnt orange all around me (and ON me when I have to wear burnt orange scrubs to clinicals!). So, I graduate this May! I am so excited!!! I have been in school for almost 8 years now, to attain a 4 year bachelor's degree. I started out part-time as a business major and worked full-time to support myself. I changed my major to nursing and was finally able to go to school full-time after getting married. But all that matters is that I'm finally achieving my goal. Here is a picture of my first clinical group in nursing school (seems like so long ago!).


I work part time in the operating room at a hospital here in Austin. I love surgery! I have always thought that I would want to eventually work there as an RN. I just didn't think it would be possible to do so right out of school. I did an internship there last summer and started working there as a surgical attendant immediately after my internship. No, I don't hand the surgeon the scalpel and other tools...I get to do the dirty work. I clean the rooms after the surgeries, I transport patients to and from their rooms, I transport various specimens (AKA blood and body parts!) to the lab, and cleaning and more cleaning. It's not a glamorous job, but it's getting me to where I want to be! I actually enjoy it a lot. I have great co-workers and supervisors. I have spoken with the director of surgery, and she told me they WILL have a job for me there when I graduate! YAY!!! That is such a relief. Most of my friends are stressing out about applying for jobs and some don't even know what type of nursing they want to do.

I am currently on my winter break from school. I go back to school on January 14th. It will be my last semester! I do hope to go back for my Master's degree someday, but Brent and I would also like to start a family soon, so that will come first. Hopefully in the next year or 2. I have enjoyed this break. I have not worked at all. I have truly given myself a break, which I needed very badly! We were able to go home to Oklahoma for Christmas for about a week, which was very nice. I have posted and sold some things on eBay and Craigslist to make some money since I haven't been working. I have also picked back up on beading necklaces and bracelets. I gave some away as Christmas presents, and everyone loved them! People keep telling me I need to sell my jewelry. I am seriously contemplating it. I just don't know how much time I will be able to commit to it. I'll just have to play it by ear. I will post updates about that...if it ever happens.

This is getting very long. I will save the rest for future posts. I hope this is something I will keep up with. I have enjoyed it so far. It's just going to be a matter of having TIME!!! Something I am seriously lacking when in school. So, that is all for now.