Mary Eary Farrell was my maternal grandmother. She died the year I was born.
Obviously I don't remember anything about her. In fact, while growing up, I never heard any stories about her. I have been searching every free genealogy web site that I've found, without success.
The facts that I do know about her are that she bore 15 children, including one set of twins and she died after an infection or possibly cancer. Her youngest child was just a toddler at the time, not much older than I was.
As a child, or even a young adult, it never struck me as odd that I knew so little about her. There were so many family secrets that we didn't dream of bringing up, except perhaps in secret with a close cousin. Most of my cousins didn't know any more than I did even though we gathered weekly at Grandpa Joe's rural home and played in the dirt and the puddles.
It wasn't an especially large home, but it was comfortable. As I recall, the upstairs consisted of two large rooms with an open wall between them. There were beds and dressers and lots of child sized pallets on the floor. There were probably 4-5 bedrooms downstairs along with a large living room and and huge kitchen. We often looked up from our play in the back to see one of our aunts checking on us through the kitchen window.
One of my vivid memories is the giant (at least to me at the time) block of cheese on the kitchen table. Even with 60 or more cousins, aunt, and uncles, we could always run into the kitchen for a snack of cheese. Week after week, there was always cheese on the table and more in the fridge. I don't every remember running out or being hungry at Grandpa Joe's.
I think Colby cheese is still my favorite snack.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Project Geneology
My down time this past week has allow me to explore a variety of web sites and web programs that allow you to create a family tree.
I have settled on my favorite program and have input quite a bit of data. It's actually the most useful free online tool that I've found. I have traced one of my great-great-grandparents all the way to Ireland!
I connected with a distant cousin on Facebook. Her grandmother was a sister to my grandfather. She helped me quite a bit with that limb of our family tree.
I never before considered that I would be interested in my ancestry, but I have found it fascinating.
I have settled on my favorite program and have input quite a bit of data. It's actually the most useful free online tool that I've found. I have traced one of my great-great-grandparents all the way to Ireland!
I connected with a distant cousin on Facebook. Her grandmother was a sister to my grandfather. She helped me quite a bit with that limb of our family tree.
I never before considered that I would be interested in my ancestry, but I have found it fascinating.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Spinal Headache
I am pleased to report that I didn't have to take an IV round of soludmedrol. The spelling doesn't look right but I think it's correct.
I had a spinal (lumbar puncture) last Friday and I'm still battling a monster headache. It was constant until Wednesday and I thought I had it beaten until I awoke this morning with it's familiar throbbing. Even when it lessons, a small movement of position seems to fire it up again. Since the ongoing headache ended yesterday, maybe this isn't even the same headache. Does it really matter? NO! Either way, it still makes my head my head hurt.
Actually, it's nearly noon and my headache has diminished. Praise God!!
My legs are improving as the days pass. I'm sure that my "headache mandated" bed rest has been helpful.
Illness or pain are the things that remind us to have a spirit of gratitude for every period and type of good health.
I am grateful for this moment,
this hour,
and this day!
.
I had a spinal (lumbar puncture) last Friday and I'm still battling a monster headache. It was constant until Wednesday and I thought I had it beaten until I awoke this morning with it's familiar throbbing. Even when it lessons, a small movement of position seems to fire it up again. Since the ongoing headache ended yesterday, maybe this isn't even the same headache. Does it really matter? NO! Either way, it still makes my head my head hurt.
Actually, it's nearly noon and my headache has diminished. Praise God!!
My legs are improving as the days pass. I'm sure that my "headache mandated" bed rest has been helpful.
Illness or pain are the things that remind us to have a spirit of gratitude for every period and type of good health.
I am grateful for this moment,
this hour,
and this day!
.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Here We Go Again
My legs have gone on strike again!
My right leg has been bothering me for about 10 days. I've had the sensation of numbness and the zapping (tingling and stronger) from my foot to my thigh. I feel the zzzzzzzz sensation from my entire foot up through my shin, and thigh. It hadn't affection my gait so I pretty much just ignored it and went on. It ached about half of the time and I remember thinking, "I've been lucky so far, because pain has not been a major element of my MS.
Yesterday, while I was sitting comfortably in an auditorium, I felt my left leg get very heavy and feel numb. Not numbness of the surface, but a deeper sensation - kind of like you have a heavy pair of soaking wet jeans on. It's an odd sensation.
I called my neurologist and he isn't in the office today. His nurse was very helpful and she talked to him and called me back. He recommended I go to the ER at UAMS or even here at the local hospital to have an MRI done. I've had my share of MRI's but it has been about 2 years since my last one. I don't mind them at all but I have decided not to go until tomorrow.
Why wait?
I'm hoping that this will just clear up. Numerous times over the last 8 or so years, I have experienced difficulty walking and it resolved itself without treatment. The main difference this time is that the "zapping" is in my entire leg and both legs are effected this time. My balance is so bad that I have to hold on to the wall to even stand up and my cain isn't adequate stability
Why wait?
The only treatment option used in the past has been steroids. I haven't had a major flareup since I became Dr. Archer's patient about 2 years ago. I probably had 5-6 courses of sterioids while I was seeing my previous neurologist in Hot Springs. The solumedrol was delivered via an IV and the dosage was 1 gram (yep, that's 1000 mg) per day for anywhere from 3-5 days. You may not know this, but that is a megadose! Steroids also contributed to my weight gain of more than 75 pounds over a 3 year period. The last time I had this treatment was about 3 years ago, and it wasn't even effective. Thankfully, I was able to lose all but 5 lbs of that weight gain since I haven't been on steroids. . . . . . . . I DON'T WANT TO TAKE STEROIDS!
---
My right leg has been bothering me for about 10 days. I've had the sensation of numbness and the zapping (tingling and stronger) from my foot to my thigh. I feel the zzzzzzzz sensation from my entire foot up through my shin, and thigh. It hadn't affection my gait so I pretty much just ignored it and went on. It ached about half of the time and I remember thinking, "I've been lucky so far, because pain has not been a major element of my MS.
Yesterday, while I was sitting comfortably in an auditorium, I felt my left leg get very heavy and feel numb. Not numbness of the surface, but a deeper sensation - kind of like you have a heavy pair of soaking wet jeans on. It's an odd sensation.
I called my neurologist and he isn't in the office today. His nurse was very helpful and she talked to him and called me back. He recommended I go to the ER at UAMS or even here at the local hospital to have an MRI done. I've had my share of MRI's but it has been about 2 years since my last one. I don't mind them at all but I have decided not to go until tomorrow.
Why wait?
I'm hoping that this will just clear up. Numerous times over the last 8 or so years, I have experienced difficulty walking and it resolved itself without treatment. The main difference this time is that the "zapping" is in my entire leg and both legs are effected this time. My balance is so bad that I have to hold on to the wall to even stand up and my cain isn't adequate stability
Why wait?
The only treatment option used in the past has been steroids. I haven't had a major flareup since I became Dr. Archer's patient about 2 years ago. I probably had 5-6 courses of sterioids while I was seeing my previous neurologist in Hot Springs. The solumedrol was delivered via an IV and the dosage was 1 gram (yep, that's 1000 mg) per day for anywhere from 3-5 days. You may not know this, but that is a megadose! Steroids also contributed to my weight gain of more than 75 pounds over a 3 year period. The last time I had this treatment was about 3 years ago, and it wasn't even effective. Thankfully, I was able to lose all but 5 lbs of that weight gain since I haven't been on steroids. . . . . . . . I DON'T WANT TO TAKE STEROIDS!
---
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Measurable Snow
Did I get your attention? No? That's ok, I won't let that stop me.
It did get my attention, however, when I heard the news broadcaster say,
"Today there has been measurable snow in 49 of our 50 states". I changed the channel and heard the same report. Beebe had received 8 inches of snow the previous week and we had missed a total of 5 days of school.
Even so, I had to check one more source so I logged on to www.weather.com to see what they had to say. Sure enough, it was true. At least a part of all 49 states had snow that same day. That was last Friday, February 12th.
People all over Searcy were posting pictures on facebook, me included.
It did get my attention, however, when I heard the news broadcaster say,
"Today there has been measurable snow in 49 of our 50 states". I changed the channel and heard the same report. Beebe had received 8 inches of snow the previous week and we had missed a total of 5 days of school.
Even so, I had to check one more source so I logged on to www.weather.com to see what they had to say. Sure enough, it was true. At least a part of all 49 states had snow that same day. That was last Friday, February 12th.
People all over Searcy were posting pictures on facebook, me included.
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