Monday, February 6, 2017

Fortnightly Update #28:


Recent Acquisitions (or the Piling of the-Piles):

the-pile Additions:

Torrie = ultra enthused
Saving Delaney by Andréa Ott-Dahl and Keston Ott-Dahl
I won this from Heather @ Based on a True Story - I tend to like memoirs where there's something medical going on. I think it has something to do with my life being relatively reliant on said medical arts. Saving Delaney is about a surrogate trying to win custody of the baby she's pregnant with.

the-invisible-pile Additions:


The Lives of Tao (Tao #1) by Wesley Chu
I'm actually also currently reading this one, because I need something on the light and fun side right now to keep my mind off of internal dilemma-ing. I have read many mixed reviews for this one, but so far I'm enjoying it.

Currently Reading:

Also The Lives of Tao (Tao #1) by Wesley Chu.

Finished These Books:


The first four books in the Charley Davidson series (which starts with First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1) by Darynda Jones)
I like these, but they do have a lot of problematic elements. I really, really loathe the main "hero" character, and yes, the heroine mostly gets on my nerves, but somehow these were still entertaining. If you like Sookie Stackhouse-type paranormal books, these might be your style.


When I finished this, I thought I would rate it three stars, but then I realized that there was nothing to this novella that I haven't seen before, and I wasn't particularly enamored with the hero or the heroine. It was just kind of meh, and my meh book rating is two stars.


Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
This is one of those books I tried to finish quickly, only to realize it was much better when I read a chapter at a time. It covers a lot of ground in Zora's life- from birth to the height of her fame, and I must say she lived an incredibly interesting life.

In My Life (University of Utah Appointment):

I went to my appointment at University of Utah and the nice motor specialist NPC told me the syrinx (my dastardly foe encased snugly in my own spinal cord) is causing the odd walking. She also said she'd never seen anyone walk like I do, which is oddly reassuring. I can't tell you how many YouTube videos I watched of people with some sort of malady walking thinking why on Earth doesn't anyone walk the way I do. Anyway, she said I should've been sent to a neurosurgeon in the first place, and said she'd have one from University of Utah set up an appointment with me. I expected a nice long six month break from spinal related personnel, but instead my appointment is February 13th. Cue internal dilemma.

On one hand, seeing a neurosurgeon this soon who actually might be able to do something is nice. On the other, I had to mentally prep myself for months to take on SLC, mostly because I'm a rural girl used to "big cities" of less than 100,000 souls. Also, since I have a long and illustrious medical history with doctors who didn't necessarily help me (nor even at times believe my symptoms to be valid), leading to some anxiety issues with those small white exam rooms which for a time felt like torture chambers to me. There is also the issue with me having been in syrinx support groups to see if anyone else had odd walking- you hear a lot of "I wish I didn't have that surgery" type posts. With me, I realize I could have even more progression with my syrinx, since it used to be small and only in my cervical spine, but now it's all the way down to the end of my thoracic spine. Progression would likely mean more symptoms. The issue is, the surgery to correct the syrinx doesn't necessarily correct it- often, the syrinx is caused by another issue, which once surgically corrected will resolve or stop progression of the syrinx. This whole internal debate will be resolved if I go to the neurosurgeon and he doesn't feel like I'm a candidate for surgery, so I guess subconsciously I'm rooting for that resolution, which is only short term, since then I'd likely have this for the rest of my life. And even if it's surgically stopped in its tracks or drained, that possibility remains.

TL;DR: I'm internal dilemma-ing about something out of my control, and my next appointment is on February 13th (in one week). Also, syrinxes aren't fun.

Have a nice week!


2 comments:

  1. The Hurston book sounds interesting. I will be checking it out. I hope when you do get back to the neurosurgeon that it is a positive experience. The doctors at universities seem to be more flexible and open minded; plus better listeners. Sending good vibes.

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    Replies
    1. It is interesting, but it took me a while to read because it is fairly dense. I'm glad I didn't rush through it, as there were many things I may have not caught onto. My U of U appointment was good, but I'm still going through the testing phase, which means more trips back and forth. I think the main thing that was missing in my area in doctors was the expertise factor- no one in my area really had any experience with syrinxes, so they sent me on.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, La La! I appreciate the good vibes!
      ~Litha Nelle

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