Memory Issues...

So... today has been a Spacey day. And no, not Kevin Spacey. That's just what I call it when my brain chooses to be unfocused and lightheaded. Yet another annoying side effect of Hydrocephalus and my many operations.

Sometimes I'll wake up and forget what time it is. Once I fell asleep and woke up, got ready and actually waited for my ride to Uni, but it late in the evening. And I had no classes. 

I was so freaked out because I didn't see people in my street like I normally did.

My mom had to explain what was happening, and that was when I snapped out of it. It was so bad... 

Hydrocephalus and Pain

So it is another day, and it obviously wouldn't be "Normal" without pain. As weird as it sounds, I see days that I don't wake up with a headache as rare because I almost always have it. And today is one of those headache days.

Hydrocephalus is dubbed an "invisible illness" because you can't see it, though it does show external signs of shunt malfunction. (see previous hydro post for symptoms). 

But apart from those signs, you wouldn't be able to tell that most of us have it. On one side, that's a good thing, because believe me when I say that a critical stage is not fun at all... But on the other side, we don't get the chance to get people to talk as much about it because we seem so "normal".

Another Day...

Another headache... Such is the life of someone with Hydrocephalus. 

Waking up can be a real pain sometimes, especially when you forget to protect your eyes and receive that burst of sunlight first thing in the morning. It makes your head and your eyes hurt too. It's so annoying... 

Now I have to stick with my sunglasses all day, even while indoors. Oh, well...

Have a good day everyone.

My First Writing Contest!

I just entered my first writing contest, and I can't believe how exited I am. And nervous. But mostly excited! I know I'm already a writer because I'm writing, but it's different when your work is viewed by people in the industry, you know what I mean? The input they'd provide is really important to me, because I want to be a good writer. I want to succeed in this.

I'm Writing A Book!!

Well, so far it's just a story, but I hope to publish someday when it's finished. I have 15 chapters so far, and they are so good!

I'm proud of everything I've written so far.

As you can imagine, writing is kind of tough for me sometimes (because of my memory issues), but I power through it,  and get decent chapters written. The trick for me is to go back and read the last chapter I wrote.

Sometimes it's frustrating, but I just think of the day when I'll finish my story and publish it.

Hydrocephalus

You may be asking yourself what the heck that title means. Well, let me quote the Hydrocephalus Association for the general description.

"Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within cavities in the brain called ventricles. Cerebrospinal fluid is produced in the ventricles and in the choroid plexus. It circulates through the ventricular system in the brain and is absorbed into the bloodstream. This fluid is in constant circulation and has many functions, including to surround the brain and spinal cord and act as a protective cushion against injury. It contains nutrients and proteins necessary for the nourishment and normal function of the brain, and carries waste products away from surrounding tissues."

So basically, when this fluid can't be absorbed properly it produces this condition. So far the only "treatment" is via a shunt apparatus, which is basically a pump attached to a tube by which the liquid can travel from the head to any area of the body to be absorbed. (The most common areas for absorption are the stomach or the heart.)

For more information, please visit http://www.hydroassoc.org/

On good days, you feel no headaches, and can go about your day. 

On not so good days, you're constantly dealing with headaches. 

And on bad days you have to haul it to the hospital to get checked out, and possibly even deal with surgery.  And yes, I mean brain surgery.  

As you can imagine, an operation like this has it's effects. In my case, I suffer from loss of focus and short term memory problems, which means I have to write EVERYTHING down. I kid you not. 

If you ever meet someone with Hydro, ask them about it. I'm sure they'll be happy to share their story. 

Introduction

Hi, my name is Gabriela. Welcome to my blog, where you'll find discussions about varied topics.       

I am a writer, working on my first story at the moment. I also love music.