Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hot Head and Sleepy Head

After a long talk with my doctor, I think we figured out why I have not been sleeping. One medication I have been on has the side effect of extreme drowsiness. I have been taking this at night, every night since my surgery. Now they are slowing weaning me off the drug (halfing my dose every two weeks) which is likely causing my sleeplessness, as my body has become used to the sleep aid. Ahh, answers are good. So, now I am temporarily on OTC sleep aids (Nyquil, Benadryl, etc) to help my body sleep until my system can get regulated and off all my medications. So, for the last 2 nights, I have slept, not perfectly, but I have slept! Hooray. Sleep is a wonderful thing!

In talking to some friends, I realized that many people do not know about the titanium plate in my head, that I mentioned in the last post. During my surgeries a 3x2 inch portion of my skull had been removed, and in order to put that back in place, a titanium plate was placed on top of the skull and 4 titanium screws were screwed into my head on the corners of the plate to hold the skull in place. The plate and screws are a permanent part of my body now (though I should go "off" in metal detectors at the airport, I am told).

The strange thing is that when I stand out in the sun, my head literally starts to heat up, like the plate is conducting the heat! Crazy! I don't know if the opposite will be true in the winter, but I may soon get better at predicting the weather! :) The plate still feels very strange and foreign to me. Every time I brush my hair or attempt to lay on my right side, I am quickly reminded about it. If I tap on the plate, I can "hear" it, though Tolan assures me he cannot hear it, nor can he feel the difference between my skull and my plate. Boy, oh boy, I sure can!

So, add to my list of knicknames: Hot head and metal head, in addition to my already established names, fat head and air head. :) Have a fabulous day! Much love!

11 comments:

Carol Liptrot said...

Jodi, your attitude is amazing! You always find something positive for what you have gone through or are going through. You are an inspiration to everyone. Thanks for making me smile and laugh as I read through the blog. I really admire you. You're the greatest. I hope you have a really wonderful day, and week! Love to you.
Carol

britt said...

That is great news that you have found some sleep help and answers to the problem! Hopefully you will begin to sleep like a baby??!?!?
And I knew about the plate in your head, but not all the craziness that comes with it.
I admire your sense of humor through it all and the positive attitude you continue to have. You continue to amaze me!!!!!!!!!!!

Teresa Knight said...

I have a friend who lives in Rexburg Idaho who has a titaniam rod in her back as a result of Scoliosis and she has found that on Really cold days in the winter, her rod gets chilled and being so close to her spine it causes her temporary paralisis. She has had to be drug from the parking lot into Kmart to warm up before she can cintinue walking! It is really weird how those things can happen. My sister has a rod in her back for the same reason, but with her it is high in her back and I don't know if it is because she is covered by warmer clothing, or the fact that she has not endured a super cold winter like Rexburg sometimes has, but she has never seen any effects from it like that. The doctors really had never heard of such effects previously.

Anonymous said...

Jodi - you make me laugh. To find the humor in things is wonderful. Your blog is an inspiration (and fun too). Love you. Noellee

Anonymous said...

Love to see vacation pictures with your family! I know of sleeplessness and have felt it takes the cake of cakes in the opposition arena. :)

I pray for your sleep and healing.

Thank you for speaking of the blessings while the challenges are noted. The strain and drain of challenges are real and I believe it's a-okay to air them with fellow earth-life travelers! We're in this together and feel the tugs and pulls of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stretching. The beauty is uncovering all possible solutions to the challenges.

Cheerful trust and faith! Together.

Love you,

Leslie M.

Anonymous said...

Answers are great...it is always a step in the right direction. I am glad to hear that you are getting sleep, that is a necessary part of life :). My dad had back surgery a few years ago and had some hardware put in his back and on cold days he has a hard time staying warm because of all them metal...hopefully you won't have many side effects from it in the winter. I had a hs teacher that had a metal plate in his face from a bull riding accident and he said he always liked to give the security people a hard time whenever he made the alarms go off...maybe not a good idea since 9/11 but kind of fun to think about ;)
Thanks for all the posts,
April Blakeley

Jason said...

Thank you Jodi, yet again, for giving me the much needed boost. I feel like a broken record saying that so often, but it seriously helps getting your perspective. You are truly amazing. Also, the airport thing won't be a big deal- just tell them you need to be wanded and prepare to be patted down :) Have a great week!

Belinda said...

Our dear Jodi,
You are sooo wonderful - always lifting us!!! With all of those nicknames - you should have a nicer one - how about 'beautyhead'? You are such a beautiful young woman, and that is both inside and out! You always look amazing! Thanks for being you!!
And YOU have a great day x

Nichole Giles said...

Airport metal detectors, huh? That sounds like an interesting experiment. What about courthouse metal detectors? Or other places? You could be setting off alarms everywhere you go--which is sort of awesome.

Never again will you have to wait in line at the airport security station wondering if they're going to pick you out of the other thousand people waiting--you already know the answer. And then, when they do pick you, you'll get to tell them a crazy, amazing story about how that metal got in your head. And your story--whatever you tell them--will make their day. =)

By the way, has anyone added bubble head to the list?

Maybe when you gain some weight back you'll form a little cushion between the plate and your skin so it won't feel so hot? But...interesting information. I may have to use that.

Anonymous said...

Little steps are still steps aren't they. It's always easier to deal with answers rather than questions. I am soooo glad to keep reading about progress.
Sheree

CaraDee said...

How about Terminator? They need to make up a model number...J200.