I want to start out and say thank you to all for all the prayers, and well wishes. God heard and listened. Kenneth is having miagraines due to the 3 skull fractures he has. They take a very long time to heal. So it is just putting pressure on his brain, but it can be controlled with medicine. Thank You God no surgery and maybe we will all be safe and sound for Christmas. I feel as the whole world has been lifted off my shoulders. Kenneth and I can't stop hugging and kissing each other....lol.

Thank You All,
Kim

Praise God! We all celebrate with you, Kim. God bless ...
the PEAS

So glad to hear the good news!!!!!

As a migraine sufferer (who had a skull fracture as a child)--God bless Kenneth. Hope he has a great response to his medication. If he can discern what his aura is--the symptoms that precede the headache--and take his meds with the onset of the aura, his headaches will be lower in intensity. Don't try to tough it out, he'll have a much easier time of it if he nips the headaches in the bud. I get numbness in my toes prior to the onset of my headaches--so the aura truly varies from person to person.
Chickadee

wow... great news! never thought i'd think "at least they're ONLY migraines" ... those things are pure H-E-double hockeysticks. But yes, I am thankful they were not what was suspected!!

Do you have a blog where you both can keep updates of how Kenneth and you are doing?? I think Lisa and Robb's blog is awesome, I've learned so much not just about them, but about all kinds of things in reading it. And I enjoy Lisa's gorgeous photography too.

Blog's are really great for keeping family and friends up to date... and for giving insight into what things look like behind other people's eyes. Very enlightening.

<<<<<Kenneth and I can't stop hugging and kissing each other....lol.>>>>


Keep up the hugging and kissing...that's really good medicine too!!

Now, THAT's reason for a Happy Dance!
Stacy

I'm so happy for you and Kenneth! Prayers work wonders. :)
Siobhan :) AKA Penguin

Great news!!!!!! So glad to hear that you will be able to have a happy holiday season! We are so happy for your family. :)

LUNA crew

So glad to hear this news, yay!!! Just keep saying prayers and being thankful and good karma will come around tenfold!!

moonduck

Oh, Kim, I am so thankful!!!! Donkey and I will continue to keep him in our prayers for relief of pain and speedy healing of the fractures. God's blessings on you both for health and happiness.

-Infinity

This is wonderful new! I agree with what Chickadee wrote. Try to learn the onset signals of Kenneth's migraines, to best manage his pain. You may also wish to speak to Kenneth's doctors about outside factors (other than his skull fractures) that may be contributing to migraines. I have no idea if normal migraine triggers might worsen your husband's headaches, but it certainly is worth looking into. Certain foods are known to affect migraines, so perhaps you should monitor these things.

Here's a long excerpt from an article on migraines:

" Potential dietary triggers include:

* alcoholic drinks (especially red wine)
* foods containing a chemical called "tyramine" (for example, aged cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt)
* chocolate
* dairy products
* foods with additives such as nitrites, MSG, or aspartame.

A change in caffeine intake, either up or down, can also trigger migraine.

Other lifestyle factors, such as change in sleep habits and even overuse of headache medicines, may sometimes provoke migraines, as can environmental factors, such as:

* change in weather (often the approach of a low-pressure weather front) or temperature
* high altitudes
* bright or fluorescent lights or sunlight
* loud noises
* strong odors.

The role of hormones in provoking migraine helps explain why three times as many women as men suffer from this type of headache. "Hormones seem to play the most important role in this women-men differential," Sheftell says. Because of the impact of hormones, women who are pregnant, using birth control pills, or going through menopause often experience an increase or decrease in the frequency of headaches.

Migraines can also be triggered by emotional factors, including not only negative feelings like frustration, anxiety or depression, but also by relaxation and positive feelings such as excitement. "Someone can go through a very stressful time--no headache--and then the weekend or holiday comes and they can finally relax, and the headache comes on," Levin says."

And here's the link to the article:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1998/398_pain.html

And another good resource:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1998/398_pain.html#triggers

On a more general note, it is really important to realize that you're not alone in all this. People really want to offer support, and you should let them help.

Between taking care of Kenneth, and homeschooling your kids, you have a very heavy burden on your shoulders. Make sure you carve out some "Kim Time." Maybe this means a nice long shower (and a nice long cry in the shower), or maybe this means a walk around the block by yourself, or maybe this means having someone stay at your house for the afternoon, so you can go do something with your girlfriends. Or maybe, this is as simple as making yourself a cup of tea, and checking in with the web sites that make you smile. (Aren't letterboxers the nicest people?)

A big hug from
Lisa

Everyone here is just so well....great or AWESOME, there really is no words to describe how I'm feeling. You are so right about the stress that I'm under. There is a boat load of it and I do almost daily get lost in it. There has not been one day in almost a year of "Kim Time". (not to be having a poor me pity party) but it is true non the less. I come to AQ 100 times a day really I stay here almost all day....lol. It is so strange how this internet can bring you such pain (if you let your guard down) but also bring such happiness, I mean happiness like I never knew. I'm a only child with no living grandparents nor aunts & uncles, so with my Mom in such bad health, she has high blood pressure and heart failure and is a diabetic, I do feel all alone sometimes. It is my faith in God that has guided me this far. It maybe strange but LBing in any form for me is the only out I get. I know that God has been my leader and has gave me this past time to bring me down to earth again. If it is only to see a tree or smell the air or give me a surprise in the mail. Every body here has a story to tell or info to give and it gives me time to leave my problems if only for a little while behind me. I know we get "into it" sometimes like DR. PHIL but that just reminds me that we are all human, each with a different insight or comment. Even if we do spell wrong or have different ways of looking at a post or use a word in the wrong way....lol. When all is said and done we are all still just people brought together doing something that we love. With the out pouring of love I have felt in the past couple of days no one can take it away. It is the best feeling on earth to know that there are people who care about you even though we have never met. I have made sure that Kenneth has got to hear every word and prayer that has been posted. To everyone who took the time out to write or call my heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of you.

Thank You All From The Bottom Of My Heart,
Kim

Quote

There has not been one day in almost a year of "Kim Time". (not to be having a poor me pity party) but it is true non the less.

Kim, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a "poor me pity party" every once in a while and having one is no reason to feel guilty! Just wanted to make sure you hear that!

With what you go thru and how you handle it, sometimes the best way to help others is to make sure you slot that time in for yourself. I'm sure your husband would support this for you too, even with his health problems. Sometimes a simple 20 minute bubble bath with NO INTERRUPTIONS (and maybe that's a way your husband can help YOU right now, simple and easy) can solve a lot of problems and spending a short amount of time on you can prepare you for hours or days or even weeks of hardships. The dishes and cleaning can wait for a few for your mental well being. Everyone cracks eventually, it's how we crack that can affects everything and everyone around us.

Someone said something about a cry in the shower.... boy do I know that one! Sometimes I just need to cry and boys don't understand that. My man thinks it's his fault every time I cry and he ends up feeling just terrible... then I feel worse! To spare him that, I take a shower and bawl my eyes out if I need it. I'm sure he knows I do it but I think it spares him seeing it and that helps him.... he knows if it's him, I'll tell him and not take the shower!

Take care and God bless, moonduck