Author: Melissa

July 30, 2017 – Woke up dizzy and not feeling well.  Got into argument with Joe over the days of us taking Jakob to college.  Began crying because it was all too much.   (Our eldest son, Jakob, was getting ready to leave for college for the first time.  I so was not ready both physically and emotionally, but I knew in my heart that he needed to go.)

I’m getting another headache.  I think I need to find something to balance my hormones.  I don’t understand why my emotions are all over the place.

Noticing that I can do some math problems a little faster in my head, but if I try to think it out I get confused.  Thoughts seem to be sporadic.

I’m wore out and extremely tired.  My neck hurts and muscles are twitching sporadically in my back and legs.

July 31, 2017 – Drank Vera (Yerba) Mate Tea this morning.  Took B-12 & multi-vitamins today.  Seemed to have a little bit more energy than I have been.  Also, a little more clarity of thought.  Back muscles periodically spasm throughout day and muscles ache all over.

Still feel unbalanced.

Have headache at end of day.  Took BC powder.  Also, took magnesium, ginger, and losartan (Blood pressure was extremely high).

August 1, 2018 – 4:00 a.m. – woke a little before 4 am with heartburn and stuffy nose.  Muscles ache and have feeling something was wrong.  Took Tums and Benadryl.  Fell asleep praying.

2:52 p.m. – Tried to help clean Lawana’s (an elderly friend’s house).  Managed to wash dishes.  Helped some with laundry.  Dezirae and Jordon did rest of jobs.  I’m now hurting all over and exhausted.  Muscles in between shoulder blades are burning!

7:40 p.m.  – Joe told me to use heat 20 minutes then ice 20 minutes to ease muscles.

When he got home from work, we put tens units on.  It hurts!  He told me to take it off after 15 minutes.  I thought I was turning it off and accidentally turned it up!!! Now I’m hurting worse.  Ugh!!  I’m not using that again.

8:05 p.m. – Hurting worse.  Took a Lavender Epsom Salt bath.  It helped to ease the pain a smidge.

10.21 p.m. – Muscles between shoulders and lower neck feel like they’re burning.  Took muscle relaxer – hope to be able to go to sleep soon.

At this point, my sleeping patterns were all mixed up.  It was hard to fall asleep at night because of the pain.  I was taking several naps a day as I had no energy and every little thing I did seemed to really wear me out physically and mentally.  I was just thankful to be alive.  I was also thankful because it was summer so school was out, but I knew somehow I was going to have to get school plans prepared soon – but for the grace of God, I was doing much of anything right now.  I was thankful that my kids were older and could help me around the house and help take care of me while Dad was at work.

Apparently, my brain was too foggy to even think about journaling for several days.  I didn’t’ add anything for about a week.  Honestly, I don’t even remember anything during that time except that I was in extreme pain and had no clue what was going on or what to do.

Journal Entry July 28, 2017

I hurt so bad all over…almost like I got beat up within inches of my life.  My head hurts so bad.  Lights and sounds hurt my head.  I’ve lost muscle strength…I can’t even hold a gallon of milk without my muscles going to spams.  Forget even lifting a basket of clothes for washing.  I have no energy at all.  Every little task seems to wear me out quickly.  I’m so dizzy I can hardly walk.  I think I’d rather stay in bed for a while.

What’s going on with me?  Why so much pain?  Why don’t the doctors know how to help?  Kids and husband say I’m slurring my words. I’m having trouble spitting out what I want to say.  I’m so tired.

Dezirae did awesome job cooking dinner (Homemade Pork Stir Fry)!  Joe gave it an A+

Journal Entry July 29, 2017

7:57 a.m. – Woke up hurting all over.  Headache has eased, but it’s not gone all the way.  My comforter feels like lead and it’s hard to move.

9:15a.m.  I’m so sad…just feel like crying and don’t know why.

11:43 p.m. – Headache is finally gone about noonish.  My right thigh hurts like it’s bruised.

Took B-12 (Methylcobalamin) to give me energy.  I have none.  I don’t sleep well at night.

Took Magnesium 500mg to calm my muscle spasms.  Also took Ginger because my stomach is upset.  Took Elderberry because I’m not feeling well. Forgot to take my multivitamins again today.  I’m having trouble with my memory.

 

Thankfully I received good advise to journal my symptoms so I’ve been keeping a journal almost since day one of my lightning strike adventure.  I’m still trying to figure out and make sense of this blogging thing.  It’s been 15 months since the actual incident and I cannot figure out how to backdate so I’m going to periodically add entries from my journal with the dates of journal notations until at least I catch up to present date.  I know some of my entries will have misspellings and incorrect grammar, but I want to show how my mind was processing things as I go.

Journal entry July 19, 2017

Today, I still have the side effects and I feel like I’ve been beat up badly.  Praise the Lord I still alive to tell about it.  Definitely a scarey episode that I don’t want to repeat anytime ever!

Side effects include: entire left side is still numb and tingly, my brain hurts, I have a massive headache like I’ve never had before.  My thoughts are scattered.  Why don’t doctors study this out?  The lights are so bright that it’s hurting my eyes must wear sunglasses to shade the light even indoors.  Why is everything so loud?  I’m so tired but I’m having hard time sleeping.  I’m glad my kids are older so I don’t have to worry about bottles and changing diapers.  My muscles are cramping.  Why do I hurt all over?  I feel so weak.  I just need to sleep this off.

I realized that I almost forgot to share a blessing…though it may seem minute to some…my eyelashes are starting to grow back!!!

Right after my being struck by lightning my eyelashes were so brittle that they would break off if I touched them.  My eyelashes are blonde so they are hard to see anyways, but to have them breaking off to where I had none in some sections and very short in other sections was very embarrassing if I dwelt on it very long.  I couldn’t even wear mascara for quite a while.

Well, I remember somewhere reading that coconut oil would help strengthen and grow your eyelashes.  I decided to give it a try.  I took a small amount (a couple of drops), warmed it up, and dropped it into my mascara bottle.  I used the wand to mix it up and then shook it.  I applied the mascara as I normally would.  Nothing more.

I only wear mascara a couple of times a week so I didn’t really think about it much.  As I was getting ready for church this past Sunday, I was applying my mascara and noticed that my lashes were starting to grow!  I was so excited I made sure my whole family knew!

Finding blessings even in the smallest things!  #thankyouLord

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” Lamentations 3:21-24

A peek in the window of a lightning survivor….

I have memory loss and have forgotten how to do many things. Knowing that I should know how and forgot is frustrating at times. And there’s no rhyme or reason as to things I can and cannot remember.

For example… I planned a simple dinner meal for tonight – Chicken Veggie Stir Fried Rice. I’ve made it more than a dozen times, yet I simply have forgotten how to do it. Thankfully, there’s the internet & Pintrest that I can quickly look it up.

Then there’s the issue that my upper body strength and stamina have dimishished so much that I have to ask for help stirring after a while because my arms wear out and I start hurting more than I can bear. Or I get side tracked easily and end of forgetting to add certain ingredients or mixing up the directions.

I’m not complaining in the least. Life has been much harder since the anomoly.  I am thankful for God’s faithfulness and that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

I just figure since my type of injury isn’t studied enough because doctors don’t think it happens enough that maybe allowing others to take a peek at some of my struggles may help others know how to be more supportive with those who struggle with the same type of injuries as I do.

…now if I could only figure out how to publish this to share…