Elf Yourself

Christmas Fun

These are just a few pics of the fun we are having this Christmas. We are all so excited to open gifts and be with family this year. We have been having so much fun and staying busy with the cousins that are in town.

Who's the Boss?

She is!

Plavix

After I went to bed last night I realized I saw numbness and tingling and itchy skin as a side effect of Plavix. Maybe that is what explains the sensations I explained last night. I guess we'll see if they go away in a couple of weeks.

So here's a list of all the possible side effects. Sometimes it seems like the side effects are worse than the symptoms you're treating, but I'd rather have a little bit of tingling and tiredness than a blood clot.

Common side effects of Plavix Oral:

Acute Infection of the Nose, Throat or Sinus	Severe
Pain	Severe
Chest Pain	Severe
Large Purple or Brown Skin Blotches	Severe
Indigestion	Less Severe
Joint Pain	Less Severe
Backache	Less Severe
Dizzy	Less Severe
Flu-Like Symptoms	Less Severe
Head Pain	Less Severe
Stomach Cramps	Less Severe

Infrequent side effects of Plavix Oral:

Cataracts	Severe
High Blood Pressure	Severe
Atrial Fibrillation	Severe
Hemorrhage	Severe
Bronchitis	Severe
Bleeding of the Stomach or Intestines	Severe
Urinary Tract Infection	Severe
Feeling Faint	Severe
Visible Water Retention	Severe
Nosebleed	Severe
Heart Throbbing or Pounding	Severe
Trouble Breathing	Severe
Gout	Severe
Anemia	Severe
Depression	Less Severe
Inflammation of the Nose	Less Severe
Incomplete or Infrequent Bowel Movements	Less Severe
Eczema	Less Severe
Itching	Less Severe
Skin Ulcer	Less Severe
Leg Cramps	Less Severe
Chronic Trouble Sleeping	Less Severe
Low Energy	Less Severe
Numbness	Less Severe
Rash	Less Severe
Cough	Less Severe
Feel Like Throwing Up	Less Severe
Throwing Up	Less Severe
Diarrhea	Less Severe
Numbness and Tingling	Less Severe
Feeling Weak	Less Severe
Anxious	Less Severe

Rare side effects of Plavix Oral:

Retinal Hemorrhage	Severe
Hemorrhage from the Conjunctiva of the Eye	Severe
Pancreatitis	Severe
Eye Hemorrhage	Severe
Hemorrhage Within the Skull	Severe
Vasculitis	Severe
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura	Severe
Abnormally Low Blood Pressure	Severe
Interstitial Pneumonitis	Severe
Bronchospasm	Severe
Painful, Red or Swollen Mouth	Severe
Stomach Ulcer	Severe
Ulcer of the Duodenum	Severe
Ulcer from Stomach Acid	Severe
Inflammation of the Large Intestine	Severe
Acute Liver Failure	Severe
Hepatitis	Severe
Acute Inflammation of the Pancreas	Severe
Glomerulonephritis	Severe
Kidney Disease	Severe
Abnormally Long or Heavy Periods	Severe
Inflammation of the Skin with Blisters	Severe
Erythema Multiforme	Severe
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis	Severe
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome	Severe
Hallucination	Severe
Abnormal Liver Function Tests	Severe
Life Threatening Allergic Reaction	Severe
Giant Hives	Severe
Allergic Reaction caused by a Drug	Severe
Allergic Reaction causing Serum Sickness	Severe
Acquired Decrease of All Cells in the Blood	Severe
Low Blood Counts due to Bone Marrow Failure	Severe
Decreased Blood Platelets	Severe
Deficiency of Granulocytes a Type of White Blood Cell	Severe
Decreased White Blood Cells	Severe
Decreased Neutrophils a Type of White Blood Cell	Severe
Confused	Severe
Skin Disease Characterized by Swollen Itching Lesions	Less Severe
Muscle Pain	Less Severe
Fever	Less Severe
Taste Problems	Less Severe
Collection of Clotted Blood in an Organ, Space or Tissue	Less Severe

Merry Christmas!

Curtis made a MatchtheMemory.com game for our Christmas letter this year. This has been an awesome year and this quick game goes over some of the highlights. Go to matchthememory.com/gibby2010 to play.

You can even make one of your own for free! Enjoy!

2 Weeks, 2 Days

I hope you all aren't getting too tired of these little updates, but I just keep feeling a little bit more normal everyday and I want to share.
The past four days I have not been achy! My shoulders are still tight, but I am not hurting. This is such a relief! Yesterday I had the young women over at my house for the weekly activity, so I had to clean my house. I swept and mopped the floor, I did the dishes, cleaned up the family room and even crafted quite a bit. Normally after doing just one or two of those things, along with the busyness of having 8 twelve-year-olds over, I would have been completely useless and exhausted, but I wasn't! Sure I was tired, though not exhausted and my body didn't ache and I still made dinner, cleared the table and was able to put the kids to bed without being grouchy and then Curtis and I watched a movie.
My bad days are as good or better than my good days were and my good days are a little more what I would consider normal each day. Still no more headaches, but my ears have felt some pressure behind them (cold related I hope?).
One thing that does concern me a little is I feel a little tickling on my foot, my hand, or on my scalp (one area at a time, not all at once) a couple times the past couple of days. I don't normally have this sensation, so it leaves me scratching my head a little, no pun intended. (hee, hee)

11 Days Post Procedure

Since my Liberation Procedure I have been feeling pretty good. I am not a new person, but I do feel a difference. My optic neuritis pain, that has bothered me the last three months, is almost completely gone. My almost everyday headaches do not happen anymore, I had one on Thanksgiving, but so did Curtis, and I had one on Monday, but I'm pretty sure it was sinus related since a had a small cold with stuffiness and a slight sore throat. It is so much easier to be pleasant to my kids when my head is not throbbing. I feel I am also thinking clearer.

I am not bounding with energy, though I had hoped I would be. I did read that one of the main side-effects of Plavix is excessive tiredness, so I do have hope of feeling better when I am done with it in a couple weeks. Time will help and if I could get Claire to sleep through the night it would help too.

I had my yearly MRI on Wednesday. My neuro called and said I have no new lesions and all of my old ones are smaller. That was great news. It would be so exciting if this procedure help prevent anymore, ever! =) My sister Alaura is scheduled to get a venogram/possible angioplasty on December 22nd. I am so excited for her. Though she has CCSVI, she does not have MS and this will hopefully make it so she NEVER does.

No You Get Out!!!

This is what happens when you have two kids but only one bucket.
I ended up having to hide the bucket to get them to stop.





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