Blood work normal

This is all too familiar.  Blood work came back normal... so it's not thyroid, I'm not anemic, not diabetes, nothing that is seen in any of the tests they ran.  I've scheduled an MRA for Tuesday at 4:30.
And once again, I'm terrified.  This dizziness, exhaustion, headaches, and pain are too much for me this time.  I got dizzy laughing at my children this morning.  Who expects their 3 year old to say "Mommy, I'm learning how to squish gently!"  My husband was teaching her to "squish" her brother on the couch, something he likes.  If I can't even laugh, then everything starts to become not worth it.  Sorting the clothes to see what James has outgrown (he's in 18m clothes already!) took a lot of effort and I had to stop a few times.  I stayed up late last night for Bunco, perhaps that's why today is so bad.  But I got ~6hrs of good sleep.  So it shouldn't be this bad. 
James has been cuddly/clingy lately.  And Carolyn wants me to do everything (not Daddy).  They always say kids know things innately.  I've been trying not to show them that I'm struggling, so they must be figuring it out on their own.  What is going on with my body? 
I'm feeling nauseous this morning too.  No headache, just feel like I'm spinning, sometimes the room seems to be moving as well.  Jon took the kids to the park so I can rest.  So I'm off to lay down.  I just thought it would be important to note how bad things feel this morning.
Dear God, I know you won't let me deal with more than I can handle.  But please, I'm at my limit.  I just want to enjoy my family and feel normal.  No pain, no dizziness, just run and play with the kids without worrying that I'll pass out.  Be with my husband as a wife should, without being so exhausted that I just collapse into his arms at 8 at night.  To feel normal again and function normally.  I just don't know how to get there.  And I pray that brain surgery isn't going to be the answer.

It's back

And really, it's worse than ever.  Each morning, about 1.5-2hrs after I get out of bed, I start feeling dizzy and it stay with me pretty much the whole day.  I also seem to be having quite a few headaches.  I'm able to drive, play soccer, go for walks pushing the stroller up hills.  But if I take a break or sit down, I feel horrible.  So on Tuesday I'm heading to the doctor.  Starting with new one, at a primary care office.  Perhaps there are things we didn't check out last time.  Maybe some simple vitamin or hormone imbalance, I don't know.  But the last few days have really sucked and it's sapping my energy.  Taking care of 2 kids (1 and 3) is really hard right now.  Hopefully I'll get some answers this time around.
Of course my worst fear is that what the last neurosurgeon termed an incidental finding was more than that and has grown in the past 2.5 years.  I guess we'll find out over the next few weeks.

Back again

So it's back again. Not quite as often as it used to be, but much more dramatic. When I get dizzy now I feel like I'm going to truly pass out. And I come close to blacking out. Pretty scary with 2 little ones running around. I'm hoping/praying that taking magnesium will help. The dizziness seems to get worse in the second half of my cycle. And it's possible that I'm getting low on calcium then, so taking magnesium should help with that. I definitely know I'm consuming enough calcium. Hopefully this all blows over. I'm not ready to start going to the doctor a whole bunch again.
But these other symptoms might push me there too - random muscle aches, exhausted all the time, can't lose weight. And all of this is starting to depress me. I need a vacation or something.

And it's back

I've been getting dizzy again. I discussed it with my OB and yesterday's appointment and he's not incredibly concerned, since dizziness is common in pregnancy. I am to keep a log of when and what I eat combined with when I feel dizzy. I started it this morning and it appears that it happens 1-2 hours after I eat, which means it might be blood sugar related. I go for my glucose screening in the morning, and it looks like he added a CBC onto the regular order, so he'll check some other possibilities.
Through keeping track of my eating today, and estimating high portions on some things, I discovered I'm a little low on calories and protein. So I'm having a couple hard boiled eggs to get up at ~1700 calories and above 65g of protein. The calories are probably still a little low, but we'll see.
I don't want to go through this dizziness business again!

Incidental Finding

I love those words! I took my films (both MRIs and the CTA) to a new neurosurgeon in Libertyville. He was a day late in calling back, but wonderful when he did! He said that it's likely that what was found on the scans is an enlarged blood vessel. Since it's tiny, I have no symptoms to associate with it, and it hasn't changed, he feels it's an incidental finding and I shouldn't worry about it.

I asked directly about getting pregnant, and he said I should forget anything was ever found. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now. I never imagined being told this. What a rocky ride the past 8 months have been. Hopefully all will continue to be fine and I won't have to see any of these doctors again!

Finally heard back

So I finally heard back from Dr Chandler's office. It took multiple emails and calling yesterday and today. I spoke with a nurse who confirmed that I am "stable." She said that another in 6-9 months is recommended. I told her that we were planning to have another child. She then informed me that I would need an MRI before delivery to ensure that I am able to delivery vaginally.

This is a little nerve-wrecking. My first delivery was without complications and I only pushed 3 times. I have no interest in having a C-section, although I know that there's always a risk with every pregnancy of needing one. My husband's reaction was to wonder if we really want to have another child. I've always envisioned having 2 children. This is a very difficult reality to be facing right now. We had planned to try during my next cycle, which would mean soon, like 10 days. I have many different emotions running though my head right now. I've always wanted 2 children. From my research, there is no increased risk of hemhorrage during pregnancy. So it's just the delivery part that they worry about. I kind of think that my risk would be minimal since the delivery went so fast.

This may take a couple days to soak in...

confused

I saw Dr Hain today, for basically my last appointment. I haven't been dizzy lately, except that one time in CA. Since I was exhausted and stressed, that gets the blame. Dr Hain noted that my nystagmus seems to have spontaneously disappeared. I may stop taking some of the supplements as I finish bottles to see if the dizziness comes back.

I took my new MRI with to drop off at Dr Chandler's office. I showed it to Dr Hain and now he has me a little worried. The MRI report contradicts the CTA. The MRI states that the spot noticed has iron in it and is an AVM. The old CTA states that it is a meningioma that is calcified. According to Dr Hain, a meningioma does not have iron associated with it. I dropped the CD off on our way home. It contains the old and new MRIs and the old CTA. I emailed Dr Chandler and asked him to contact me when he gets a chance to review everything. Hopefully that will happen soon.

On top of everything, I'm 2 days late. Hopefully it's just the stress of the CA trip that screwed my body up. Otherwise, I had an MRI while just barely pregnant. Time will tell I guess.