Savannah & Luke's report cards!

These are pictures from Outback night at Perkins Elementary. Savannah and her class sang two cute songs and we had yummy food from Outback Steakhouse. Once a year a local Outback donates a couple hundred meals for a fundraiser for the magnet program at school. We had a great evening!
Here is what Savannah's teacher had to say about her on her most recent report card:
Savannah, sweet as a cupcake, continues to amaze me with her art work. She is working hard on learning the sounds of the letters and the sight words. Please practice these at home, as well as, jumping rope. Keep up the good work.

Luke got all A's once again! We are so proud of him and all his hard work. Here is what his teacher had to say about him:
Luke continues to excell in both academic and behavioral areas. He always puts forth maximum effort, whether working independently, with a partner, or in a group. Luke's critical thinking skills are strongand he often makes connections between content areas. Responsible, respectful, and kind, Luke is a pleasure to have in class. Congratulations on another outstanding report card, Luke!

More good stuff!!

I can't believe how awesome I feel lately!! It  really feels good to not be in pain all the time. I hurt my back the end of last April and it was non-stop pain for almost a year. I still have numbness in my right leg and half of my right foot. My doctor said I have a 70-80% chance of it going away. He said that if it stays numb, that I should just get used to it after a year. It's a little weird but not painful, so I'm okay with that. How can I complain when the pain is gone?
I am so thankful to God for always being with me. The truth is just so refeshing. I'm thankful for all my friends and family that are always by my side as well. I have such an fulfilling life. I have the pleasure of watching my kids gown and learn. I have special moments with each one everyday. I have my perfect soul mate in Matt. We fall more in love everyday.
I now have a part-time job!! I'm watching a friends 7 month old son a couple days a week. Dylan is such a good boy. We have a lot of fun. Savannah loves having him around. I need to get ready for him now!

Go Blue

I am so ready for some Colt's football today!!

Were having company over to watch the game and having steaks on the grill. I really hope my Colt's can pull out a win tonight!!!  

Update

I had some injection done this past Wednesday at my new pain management doctor. They were for my right hip. The day of was pretty miserable, but now it's feeling much better. I'll have an epidural done on my neck this coming Wednesday. Hopefully it will work as well as the first.

Matt is taking me to see Wicked next Wednesday on opening night in Tampa! I have wanted to see this play for years!! It's a Valentine's Day / Anniversary gift. We will be celebrating 12 years of marriage bliss! Seems hard to believe that we've be married so long. It hasn't always been easy but it is so worth it. I really lucked out on the my husband, he's awesome.

We are off to visit some of my family from Indiana today, Nancy & Mike. They come every year to our area and we love seeing them. I don't get to many Indiana visitor's, so when I do it's exciting!

sacroiliac joint pain

I saw my neurosurgeon on Monday and we made a plan. He is sending me to a pain management doctor to get a steroid injection in my hip. I am having sacroiliac joint pain. It is causing some seroius pain! It hurts to walk, sit, stand and even laying down. Until them I'm taking pain meds and muscle relaxers to get me through. After that is resolved we will look at my neck again.
I've been trying to lay low at home and relax. You should see me on in my recliner with a massage back thing and a neck pillow. I look like an old woman, but it helps. I made a couple things with the sewing machine that turned out great. I would rather scrapbook or paint than sew. But I had an order for a sewing project.
I'm off to relax and watch some TV. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

more pain

I had another stay at the hospital this past week. I am still having the neck pain and my lower back started really hurting bad. I thought I had done something to my disc because the pain was so bad. This happened on Tuesday, Matt's birthday. He came home from work early and took me to Bayfronts ER. I was taken back really quick when I told them of my history and they called Dr.Jobe. He ordered a MRI and some pain meds. It took a couple dosed of morophine to ease the pain. The tech that read the MRI said that I had another CSF (spinal fluid) leak!! I was admitted and finally got a bed around 10:00 Tuesday night. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep that night.

Dr.Jobe was in to see me first thing in the morning and said that I did NOT have another leak, the tech was looking at scar tissue!! This was great news but why was the pain so bad? He said that the MRI showed inflamation in my tissues and muscle in my lower back. They got my pain somewaht under control and let me go home on Thursday afternoon. I follow-up with Dr. Jobe on the 11th.

I think there is something else going on because of the amount of pain. My guess is that maybe it a nerve problem? Hopefully it will get better on it's own. I still have a few more therapy apointments for my neck. I hope they help more than the last ones because if anything my neck is worse now. I'm just so tired of being in pain and I hate having to take the pain meds.

We are off to see mom today and celebrate Matt's 36th birthday. Thanks to Jenna and Ryan for making this possible. Thank you to all my friends and family that have called, emailed, facebooked and visited. I'm so greatful for each one of you. I'm so ready to have a great 2010!!

Pain in the neck

Today was a really weird day from the start. I've been preparing myself all year for the first anniversary of my mom's untimly death. I am left missing her but I know where she is, so I'm not worried about her. I'm sad that she isn't here to see her grand-children. I'm sad that my kids no longer have her. She would love seeing Savannah with two teeth missing on the bottom. She would be amazed at how much they have all grown.  The only choice for me is to have faith that I will see her again. Move on and enjoy my life. I will always miss her.
I have been having some on going issues with my neck. I finally had an MRI and saw my Neurosurgeon this morning. I wanted him to say that he could fix it and I could move on. He said he couldn't fix it but thought it could get better with meds, P.T., steriods, and hard work. He said my problems are from arthritis and muscle spasms. I also have some buldging discs. I'm just over all the pain. I start new meds tomorrow and call about therapy. I'm working on a good attitude!! I'm just beat lately.

Report cards

I am so proud of my son Luke. He got all A's on his report card. I never even got close to that. School just comes so easy for him and he hasn't even really started to work very hard. I hope he continues to do well. Here is what his teacher had to say:
Luke's super grades this term are a reflection of his hard work in class and at home. I can always count on Luke to give 100% effort, and to ask questions when he doesn't understand something. Luke's behavior is excellent , and he seems to enjoy participating in class. He is a model student and a friend to everyone. You should be very proud of yourself, Luke!

I am also very proud of Austin! He got his report card a couple weeks ago. He is doing amazing in middle school and seems to emjoy it. He got 4 C's, 2 B's and an A!! Here are some of the comments from his teachers:
Possitive attitude / effort
Works well with others
Displays responsibility
Becoming self-directed learner
Work is improving
He is also staying after school two days a week for tutoring. He hasn't once complained about staying until 5:20 pm on Mondays & Thursdays. He is seeing that his hard work is paying off! He is also off all his ADHD meds and doing better without them. He is become quite a young man and so tall!!

Miss Savannah got her very first report card, and she did very well. She is ahead of where she should be is almost everything. Here is what her teacher had to say about her:
Savannah is a very creative student. Her art work is mature and beautiful. She loves to learn and participate in all activites. Please continue to practice letter recognition and sounds at home for more practice. Keep up the good work.

More hospital stuff

I can't believe how much my recent hospital stay has affected me. It's hard to think about it without getting teary eyed. It's almost like I was a different person when I was there. I guess I had to be strong otherwise I would have gone crazy! I can't tell you how many different people I had to tell my story to before my back was fixed, doctor's, nurses, roomates, friends, family and even the housekeeping lady. I was begininng to think that there wasn't really anything wrong with me and I was just going to have a headache forever. When I woke up from surgery and my headache was gone, I knew I wasn't crazy!!
I think being in the hospital is a huge stresser for anyone. I had never had to stay for 8 days before. I loved all my nurses that took care of me. I look foward to taking them some homemade cookies soon. They went out of their way to make me comfortable. I was so embarrased to have to use a bedpan, but they tried to put my mind at ease.
I have a bag that has all the stuff from the hospital in it that I can't seem to put away. Everytime I get near it I want to just start crying. I'm just going to leave it alone for a while. It was really hard getting through everything without my mom. I miss her so much. It's almost been a year since she passed away.
The kids are all doing great! Austin has been off his ADHD meds for over a month now and he is doing awesome!!! He is working so hard in middle school and we are so proud of him. He is such a good helper and has a heart of gold. Luke is doing super in school, all As on his first report card! He's been growing so much lately, he's not my little boy anymore. He ususlly the one testing us but he can also be very sweet. Savannah loves kindergarten and everything about it. I think she would live there if she could. She loves learning and playing and meeting new friends. She loves to draw pictures, I mean LOVES it!! This girl is always working on some sort of art project.
Matt has been amazing through everything. I love him more everyday. We were made for each other for sure. He listens to all my worries and makes they better. He always seems to know what to say and when to say it. I am so excited that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Doing great!!

I am doing wonderful after surgery! I am healing well and taking it easy. Matt is doing an amazing job of taking care of the kids and I. We've had all kinds of goodies delivered and picked up some Selmon's for dinner last Friday. Thanks to Jenna and Ryan!! Jenna is bringing Taco salad this evening and Jennifer is getting pizza for us tomorrow. Oh, and Donna brought over some yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies Saturday. The night before surgery our BFF's, the Pippins' brough Pizza over and really helped calm my nerves. I made it through surgery and I see the light at the end of the tunnel!! I want to thank everyone for helping me get through a very difficult time.Matt has been able to spend more time with the kids this week. He took all three kids to the beach on Saturday to enjoy the first waves. Matt took them to pick out a new boogie board that the used all day. Hopefully we will get more good waves so they can surf this winter. 
I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing great!!

Update about sugery

My last blog was about what I was expecting and this blog will be what happened after surgery. I want to start off by saying that I had the best care possible this time. Everyone from Beth in pre-op to the housekeeping lady that made me laugh. I told my sad story to everyone I talked to and it really made a difference. I have so much more I want to share but I'll have to do that later. Thank you so much for all your prayers, love and support!

What to expect

This picture was taken a couple days before my back surgery in February of 2005 at the Daytona 500. We had so much fun. I wasn't really that nervous about surgery because I didn't know what to expect.

The next picture was taken about a week after my surgery.

My back is really hurting and I am scared to death of the future pain. Surgery will be at Noon on Wednesday at Bayfront Medical Center here in St.Pete. When I woke up after my first surgery on the way to the recovery room I thought I was going to die...it was that bad. It didn't help that the nurses in the recovery room were too busy talking about their weekend plans that it took almost an hour to get my pain pump.

The worst part of my hospital stay was my overnight nurse, she was not nice at all. After they pulled my cathier I had to use a bedpan because I wasn't allowed to get up. The nurse gave me the bedpan and left. I had to lay/sit on that thing for 2 hours!! I kept calling and calling for the nurse but she was too busy, By the time she comes to help me she says that she will only help if I stop crying!! It was like a nightmare, my worst night ever!! After I went home we called and complained and the hosptial appoligized and refunded our $300 co-pay. I have made up my mind that I will only accept the best care possible. I'm not so shy and quiet anymore, I speak my mind! So keep me in your prayers so I don't have a nercvous breakdown before surgery!!

Happy Birthday Austin!

Austin at age 7

Austin at age 8 (he had a black eye)

Austin at age 9

Austin at age 10

Austin at age 11

Austin at age 12

Austin at age 13!!

I love you so much!

Good News!

For the first time in a year I feel like I'm stepping out of a fog. I'm starting to learn how to live without my grandma and mom. I miss them both so much. I miss being able to call them anytime I wanted. There is so much I miss about them and so much I don't miss. I don't miss wondering if grandma was in pain from the evil cancer that had taken her body hostage. I don't wonder if she's being taken care of or recieving the care she needed. I also don't miss spending so much time worried about my mom. I know that they are both finally home and finally free of the worries of this world.
I still can't believe that I lost both of these women in 4 months and our dog. Talk about having a major pittty party, I was all about that. I guess I've learned that I can do this, I can do anything. I have an amazing life and family. My mom and grandma both died knowing how happy I was. They knew that I was doing what I always wanted to do; be a mom and wife.
Life moves on. I'm not sure that I will ever catch up but I'll give it my best shot. I want to be the best mother, wife and friend that I can possible be. I want to make people feel special and share my gifts with everyone.

My back update!

I went to see my Neurosurgeon yesterday and we have decided to go ahead with surgery. He said that my disc herniation was still very large and would need surgery to relieve the pain. The surgery will a mircodiskectomy on October 14th. He will go in the same place that I had my prior surgery, so no new scar! He said he should be able to avoid those nasty staples and use a type of skin glue instead.
I have so many different feelings about this surgery. On one hand I can't wait to have it done and over with, and on the other, I'm scared to death. When I woke up from my first back surgery in 2-05, I was introduced to the worst pain I had ever felt. I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck and lived. Then of course there are the things that can go wrong with the surgery. I am willing to go through all of that stuff to feel better and get my life back. I am way to young to be living with pain all the time so I will do the surgery.
All this started with a ride at Universal Studio's, Jimmy Neutron! It's not even a real ride, but it sure does move around a lot. So no more roller coasters or crazy rides. I love roller coasters and I miss them. This injury happened the last weekend of April, so I've dealt with this pain for 5 months. I've been to 4 different doctors, had 3 extremely painful epidurals, 2 MRI's and I'm over it all.
I do finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I see an end in sight. What stands in the way is another month of waiting and another couple moths of pain. I'm sure that everyone is sick of hearing me complain so I'll stop now! Please pray that everything will run smooth.

My kids love school!!

I though I should update since it's been a while. Life is good in the Nasworthy house. Other than Luke being a little sick. He has a sore throat, cough and a fever yesterday, but he feels better today. Hopefully no one else gets sick.
The kids are all loving school!! Savannah thinks kindergarten is the greatest thing ever!! She loves being busy all day and learning. We love her teacher!! Luke is making so many new friends this year and having a blast. He's in 4th grade this year and he's joining the band again this year. I think he's decided on percussion? I just love their school and all the extra things they offer. They get Spanish everyday and all the arts once a week. Austin is doing much better than I thought he would do in middle school!! He's making so many new friends and loving all his classes. His school is working really hard to keep the kids in line. Austin has never been a trouble maker and it's easier for him to focus when other aren't.
My back has been feeling a little better. I'm just tired of complaining about it. My last MRI showed some improvement so I'm not sure what the next step is? I see my neurosurgeon on the 18th and we will go from there.

back update

I'm not sure if anyone still reads this our not but I'll update anyways. I like having a journal so I remember what was going on at a certain time and how I was feeling. This past year has definitely been a rough one. I just never thought that I would lose my mom and grandmother 4 months apart. I working to move on and living again. I'm working on being the best mom and wife that I can right now.
I saw my neurosurgeon yesterday and he's sending me for another MRI because I had a fall and I have new pain. Hopefully I can move forward quickly with surgery. I just want it to stop hurting!! He did say that the surgery he would do is just trimming off the herniated part of the disc. I'm waiting to see the results of the new MRI to make any plans. I'm having it done on Thursday morning so I should get the report and disc early next week.

What's up at the Nasworthy's?

Savannah working on her first scrapbook!

more scraping
Nana blowing kisses.

Nana & Mommy

Hummer & Dude

This is from our backyard.

Austin in a box.

Luke crushing Austin.

Help!!

Our new grill!!

Nana's new shoes....I love them!!

Luke having a race.

Nana fell asleep on the couch last night.

Nana working on a craft project.

Austin playing with Nana.

I can't believe that summer is almost over and school will be starting so soon. I think the kids are getting sick of hanging out with mom. We haven't done very much because of my back issues. It is really painful right now and I'm so ready to get it fixed. I see neurosurgeon on the 25th to talk about surgery. The steroids didn't help much and it's getting worse everyday. I am taking the kids to Chuckie Cheese this afternoon so they can burn off some energy. My thyroid meds have been helping me feel better and have more energy, so that is great.

Saturday update

I had my second epidural on Wednesday and it really hurt. When the doctor got close to bone I felt this pain go all the way down my right leg to my foot. It was like hitting your funny bone times 100!! Thankfully the procedure only takes less than 10 minutes. I was sore that day and the next, but now it's feeling a little better. I will see my doctor next Monday to figure out the next step. You can only get three epidurals a year and I've had two so far. He may send me for some physical therapy?
The kids are having a great summer so far. They've been stuck inside a lot because of my back problems but we are having fun. We've been building clubhouses in the living room with blankets. Savannah has this cute porcelain princess tea set that she got for Christmas that we've been using too. Nana likes to set up her little table with stuffed animals all around it for tea parties. She even make paper cookies for the plates. I have takes some pictures but haven't put them on the computer yet.
I need to get up and ready for the day. If you have an extra minute please leave a comment. I love hearing from everyone.

Update

Today is the day for epidural #2, well it's actually a nerve block I believe. I'm a little nervous because the last one hurt really bad. It was quick but I could feel the pain go through my entire body. I get twight-light sedation but I still feel everything, just makes me a little goofy. I also saw the neurosurgeon on Monday and he told me to give him a call if the pain gets worse because then we will talk surgery. He said that he thought the area with fluid was just blood from when I herniated my disc. He said the herniation was really large and most likely bleed a little when it happened.
We had a great Father's Day weekend. I made Matt a super meal on the grill Saturday and he loved it. Delmonico steaks, mushroom and corn on the cob on the grill and Savannah made the Cesar salad. It was so yummy! We went to the Pippin's on Sunday for a seafood boil. John is an awesome cook and I think he has mastered the boil.
We are getting excited about our upcoming vacation to visit Matt's mom in North Carolina. We are leaving on Friday July the 3rd and staying for a week. Matt's brother Tony and his family are going too. It will be a full house for sure, our 5 and Tony's 5 along with Mom & Ralph. Oh, I almost forgot, were bringing our dogs too!! We just can't bear to leave them behind and we aren't staying in a hotel. I'm ready for a break from this Florida heat!! We've been having heat advisories the past week with feels like temps of 100 plus.
I'm off the grab a bite to eat while I still can and get ready for the day.