So who's right? The Brits or the Yanks?

So I've been to a couple of doctors, had a few A&E visits and they have all said nothing like what the British doctors have said. So who do I believe?
Okay so here is the thing that confuses me.......
The British doctors have run the tests looked at the results I was nearing the end of all this medical nonsense and well on my way to getting back to a normal life.
The American doctors haven't looked at any of the test results, haven't read any of my medical charts from Britain which I brought with me by the way and gave to them. They don't want to run tests which in a way I'm grateful for because these tests don't come cheap. But there reasoning for not performing the tests is my lack of insurance (in other words they are worried I won't give them their thousands of £s that they want to do and read the tests). I mean I paid £156 for a test I haven't even had yet and that was for the reading of the test. I'm not having it done by the way and I need to get my money back.
It all boils down to this: British doctors say its positively physical and I need meds to keep things under control. American doctors, well they ask me why I'm having seizures and headaches etc. and say I can just get on with life and wean myself off the meds. So who do I believe?
Its not that I want to be sick trust me I have hated this from day 1. It draws attention to me which I don't like, I limits my ability to get a job. It came between my and my soulmate. So...... what do I do?
For me I guess its believe the American doctors. There method is far far cheaper. Just go back to a normal life and get off the meds. So I've applied for a couple of jobs and next up is convincing my mum to let me drive. The last doctor said there was no reason why I couldn't have a completely normal life and work and drive, etc.
So bring it on. Back to normal here I come.

Needles, Needles, and more Needles!!!!

Well went to the acupuncturist today to see if he could do anything about this whole seizure situation. Wasn't to bad, had to fill out a form and mark all the symptoms I was having which seemed to be most of them lol. Then he took me back to one of the acupuncture rooms and we talked a bit about when they started, if I had any warnings, etc. Then he checked my right wrist to feel for a chi pulse, and said I didn't have one so I was definitely out of kilter.
Then it was needle time, wasn't bad though, only had one that hurt a little. I think I had about 10 in my legs and then 2 in the back of my neck. Laid there on the bed for about 30 or 40 minutes then he came back in and checked the pulse again, said it was a bit stronger and took the needles out. The ones in my legs were for the chi and the ones in my head were for the seizures. He said next time he will be more aggressive as far as the treatment goes but this time he needed to boost the chi so my body can handle next weeks round.
I also see a neurologist in mid august and we'll see what he says.
All I can say for now is I miss socialized medicine, this private practice stuff is for the rich, not the poor like me.
Take me back England, I promise I'll behave :)

Foreigner in a foreign land

Who would have ever thought that returning to America would make me feel like such a foreigner. Its nice to see family as its been a long time since my last visit, but I don't feel completely at home yet, mostly because my heart is still in England. Don't get me wrong I love my family to bits and I know they would do anything for me but I have such an unexplainable pull to go back to England.
I don't know how long I'll be here. At least until I'm better however long that takes. I'm already missing socialized medicine. Spending $300 for a GP consult and an xray was not an enjoyable experience. I dread to think about the cost of the neuro consult that will be coming up.
But I am also exploring alternative medicine well. I'm going to see an acupuncturist that has dealt with people that have seizures before and he seems quite confident he can help. The neurologist once I get an appointment will also hopefully get my meds balanced out.
The past few months have been hectic. I convinced my gp in Canterbury to let me go back to work in may which I now realize was a mistake. Hind site is an interesting thing, always manages to bit you in the ass. But I'm taking one day at a time and each day will bring me once step closer for my reason to wanting to be in England.
I have my same old phone number again here in america so all my american friends just send me a text with who you are and I'll get you back into my contact list. For all my U.K. friends I have a couple of different apps we can use to text each other for free. Either download whatsapp onto your phone or KakaoTalk. Both are free and we can talk to each without it costing anyone anything. Just facebook me or send me a text to my U.K. phone all my U.K. friends and I'll give you my american number.
Guess that's it for now.

Well guess that's it for now

Nothing new, but some somethings new I guess :P

Well I'm still not able to go to work, get in an airplane or really do much travelling of any kind. On the upside doctors (i.e. neurologist, gp, etc.) are getting closer to an answer or at least getting things under control.
Seeing the neurologist and hoping to get some good news to say the very least. Though scans and blood tests have shown its not a tumour, or any other sort of life threatening illness. Just an annoying one of fainting, falling, full, partial and absent seizures. One thing can be said, its never boring with me around lol.
Went to my gp the other day and decided that it would be acceptable to take a longer route and walked through the westgate garden to the next nearest bus stop ( I had also promised my gram that I would take some pictures of the lovely flowers that were starting to bloom and show her how green it was here as Idaho still has snow).
So here are a few pics of trees, flowers and ducks, not necessarily in that order :)
Oh oh almost forgot the most important thing :P I finally went to Wagamama :) Sudheer surprised me by taking me there yesterday for lunch. It was so so yummy and a place I definitely want to go to again.

Whats New

Well not a whole lot going on. Still not back to work yet grrrrr :S But hopefully getting closer to a diagnosis. I'm on two types of anti seizure medication which finally seems to be making a difference.
I've had lots and lots of medical tests, ECG (about 6 of them), MRI, CT Scan, EEG, full blood work ups, etc. The good news is I do have proof now that there is actually a brain inside my skull lol.
Between fainting, seizing, periods of absence, and the copious amounts of doctor and hospital visits I do manage to keep myself busy. I've cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom as well as the bathroom and living room. I put up a new clothes line (that was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be) and I've managed to weed the front and back gardens. Okay so they are completely weed free but they look a lot better than they did.
So all in all that's my life for now. Home bound as I can't really leave without a chaperone in case I have a faint or absence and end up falling in the middle of the street or walking in front of a car. But I'm doing okay. I am improving and trying my very best to keep my spirits up.
Last doctor appointment in Margate I convinced Sudheer we should go early so that we could walk along the beach. I took my shoes and socks off and walked out into the water. It was cold as heck but felt good. There is just something about being at the sea that clears my head and just makes me feel happy.

Margate

Well had an appointment at Margate and since it was such a nice day I hadn't seen the ocean in ages Sudheer and I went a bit early and took a stroll along the shore. I was even brave enough to put my feet in the water, though I'll admit it was quite cold. I don't care though. Made a daunting day into a great day. Picking up sea shells (which I have in a jar on my window sill) watching the waves, etc. All in all not a bad day. Even went to Primark :P hehe

Scrapbooking design personalized with Smilebox

Happy New Year!!!

Well its a new year. This years resolutions, try and be more diligent about updating my blog, try harder to keep contact with friends, enjoy every moment. These are in no particular order as all are equally important.

Spent the holidays with Sudheer and his family and had a wonderful time. I had my first proper English Christmas dinner with crackers and everything :) Sudheer and I spent the week hanging out with his family as well as going out and seeing a bit of London as well. I took him to Winter Wonderland which he had never been to, and his brother got us tickets on the London Eye for Christmas. Then I asked to see Christmas lights so Sudheer took me to Oxford Circus to see all the sparkling lights of London.

Oops

No excuses this time just purely being lazy :( But hey atleast I remembered just now its been ages since I've updated. Though Sudheer did mention last week that maybe I ought to update the blog hehe.

Anyway lets get on with it.

I'm doing well in jolly ol England. I've applied for museum positions and actually got an interview. Sadly I didn't get the job but it was good experience anyway. I was so nervous before my interview, but once I got in there I really felt like I did well. Found out the only thing that kept me from getting the job is I don't have a driving license in this country. So I've been seriously considering taking driving lessons so I can get a license here. That however has been put on hold for the time being. I have recently found out I may have epilepsy. Its not for definite yet I still have lots of medical tests to go through but for now I'm banned from operating any heavy machinery :( All I know is I randomly faint, I wake up in the most unusual positions and places and wonder just what happened.

Sudheer and I celebrated Christmas last week just in case we weren't able to spend Christmas together (good news is we will be spending it together). I roasted a chicken and some vegetables. I even made yorkshire puddings for the first time. It was perfect except I forgot that puddings were in the oven so they came out a bit crispy, haha but that was okay we just used a bit extra gravy.

So here are a few pics of Cadheer Christmas :P

Wheels of Time

Once again it seems that time has escaped me and I've again neglected my poor blog. So what's new in my world..... Well I just got back from a trip back to Idaho, it was great to see friends and family again though I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to. But there will be another trip come November for another week, so hopefully I will be able to see those I saw last time plus the ones I didn't. Will make for a very busy week, but its always great to catch up with everyone.

So yeah other than a trip to the states, nothing new to report. Fairly boring life, I go to work I come home fill out job applications for other jobs in hopes I might get one that pays more and actually pertains to my degree that I spent a small fortune on, then I go to bed and get up and do the same thing all over again. Thats my life for now.....

Nothing New

Don't have anything new to report, but sort of feel as if I should give a bit of an update as its been awhile. Still working for the Cathedral, but I'm on the hunt for the better job. Still loving living in England, more so now than ever before. Things are going well, I'm happy, not wealthy, but a bit more wise or so I like to think.

Oh I'm going back to Idaho for a visit next month....

View from the Top

One of the perks of working at Canterbury Cathedral is the opportunity to take a special tour of the parts of the cathedral the general public does not get to see. It required a hard hat and a lot of stamina to climb the 200 feet to the top, but the view was well worth it. The tour was led by Heather one of the stone masons employed by the cathedral. She took us up the scaffolding on the outside of the southwest transept and showed us how much the building has shifted and the restoration taking place. From there we climbed back down, turned in our hard hats and made ascent to the top of the Bell Harry Tower. It was a long climb, but well worth it in the end. The views from the top of the cathedral were amazing. After the tower we climbed back down part way and went to where the bells are kept and were able to see the pulley system for ringing the bells in action. Loud but cool :P from there we went to the top of the Quire and saw where the organ pipes are. All in all it was a pretty amazing time.

Its Been Ages Again.....

So one would think with all the free time I have now that I'm no longer a uni student that I would be able to keep more up to date on my blog. But the truth is now that I'm not chained to my computer I don't remember to do the little things like update my blog.
So here goes what you've all missed in the last 2 months...
American Thanksgiving: I do recall I tried to post pics but stupid blogger wouldn't comply so I posted them instead on facebook. I hosted my first every thanksgiving with the help of my housemate Jenna and a friend of ours Lizzie. I roasted a turkey, peeled and mashed a billion potatoes, made sweet potatoes, stuffing and made a pumpkin pie completely from scratch! Lizzie brought roast potatoes and parsnips and Jenna made a lovely broken glass cake. All in all it was a success I would say :)

December 24th was Jenna's big 14th birthday. She had a party on the 12th since most people would be gone on the 24th, but we still had a cake and sang happy birthday on her actual birthday.

Christmas was fairly quiet, spent the day just chillin, Jenna and Zaza and I exchanged presents and then as I was feeling ill due to a cold and inner ear thingy I went back to bed for the better part of the day. Watched a few episodes of Big Bang Theory and just relaxed.
For Christmas Jenna got me an awesome fish tank for a new fish since my last one committed suicide.

Boxing day we made up for Christmas day. Jenna roasted a chicken and we had mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts as sides. Simple dinner, but very tasty. We had vanilla cupcakes that I had made for Jenna's birthday for pudding.


New Years Eve, Jenna and Zaza and I met up with some friends and brought in the new year. That leads us up to the present. I'm working on my visa application so that I can get it renewed and still working at the cathedral. Oh yeah I think I forgot to mention that. With all the free time I had I was bored and so I applied for a job at the cathedral. I work in the gift shop and the cathedral itself a few times a week. Nothing spectacular, but I do like the time I spend in the cathedral even if it is freezing cold.

Anyway, that's pretty much it and now your up to date on all that is me.

It's the Polite Thing To Do....

So Annette and I stayed at a hotel on the last night to avoid having to get up way beyond the crack of dawn for her to make her flight. The hotel was nice, near the airport, etc... Looking around we came across the usual signs to post outside the door, do not disturb, etc... we also came across one we found amusing.
Apparently in Great Britain it is considered rude to run out into the corridor and shout fire, instead the "proper English" thing to do is to hang this sign outside of your door and wait for help to arrive.








Only joking, we read the back and it said that guests should hang this sign outside the door if assistance is needed. But honestly its a fireman with a hosepipe, our explanation is so much better and far more amusing. :)

When Idaho Conquered England

My childhood friend Annette came and spent the week in England with me. While she was here we did a whirlwind trip to see as many sights as possible in 6 days. We did London, Canterbury, Whitstable, Dover Castle, Windsor, Stonehenge, Lacock and Bath. Not bad I'd say. It was a lot of fun and I got to see things I had already seen before as well as new things. Here are a few pics of what we did and saw.