Trick or Treat

This weekend my sister, brother, sister-in-law and sister + brother-in-law took 2 of my nieces and my 2 of my nephews (ages 2 @ 5yrs, 1 at 9 yrs and 1 at 9mo) trick or treating - this was on sat and the kids where a witch, a ladybug and a bat - i'll include a few pics in this but it was alot of fun with reasonably warm weather - I forgot to charge my camera so this died not even 20mins in to the outing but my sister-in-law took over a hundred pics so I am really looking fwd to seeing those to! Bella is really to young to trick or treat of course but she seemed to like watching everything and Quinn, Zander and Jordan had a blast and we had a wagon along so my brother took turns pulling my niece and nephews and also Jenn and I. Ive to say my body wasnt any to pleased to walk around for close to 2 hours as my low back has been acting up again lately much like after May's laminectomy/shunt revision (this seems to be since the :LP shunt was tied off last month for whatever reason) and my hip was also trying to kill me on top of forgetting to wear better shoes (had flats that I tripped over just about any and every pot hole). Regardless of these aches and the cramps that came with it later in my leg it was to fun to walk around and take pictures and catch up with my brother and sister-in-law and just the best to watch the kids faces when they'd get candy they'd run back and jump around with excitement. Afterwards we went to my parents for supper (my Mom is a fantastic cook I always joke when I want a real meal I go to my parents to visit) :)

As far as headaches go ive continued to have these intermittent ones that are worse in the mornings or if I dont prop up enough at night and then occur on and off which my neurosurgeon thought was due to something with resistance and flow mechanics in the way this VP shunt is set up. We had decided to wait the weekend to see if this got better and so if it doesnt improve by tomorrow or weds i'll probably call her nurse. I am really ambivalent about this all and honestly even though I know she wants to help I just feel like a bad patient when these issues cont. Ugh, like ive said before I had being a patient not just with this but overall I hate it.

I finally called and made an appt with my hand surgeon for my L hand (writing hand) due to the thumb issues that have been worse since last spring and which get extremely painful (apparently my body is on a quest to hate me and thus get me to hate it!) :) This appt is later in Nov because of the travel to PA mid-Nov and other things going on next week. It has been a year since I got the cast and splint off from my R thumb tendon transfer and since I saw my Hand surgeon but ironically the secretary still remembered me - apparently I spent to much time there last spring and the previous year with that surgery to. In some ways it's nice when doctors office staff knows you but on the other hand it's almost like 'wow, do I really talk to these people that much that they recognize your name/voice/etc when you call? I guess it never ceases to amaze me really even though maybe it should aftter all these years. 

I also have a 6 mo echo (heart ultrasound essentially) and fup with my cardiologist in Nov and if good then it would mean the pulmonary venous hypertension, L Atrial enlargement and Aortic + mitral valve issues havent worsened. Given im not a big fan of the cardiac meds im already on I am hopeful it will be good! Tomorrow I also have a audiology test (yippee) and that to will hopefully go very well as I sit on the border of needing hearing aides for high frequency loss. I doubt id wear them anyways much like I dont wear my glasses

So there's alot going on this month - I will update when I know more headache wise and will update here and there on the other appts to.
Be well - stay warm!

Erica