Emotions

After I had my stroke, my mom set me up with a counselor in Teen Health. Janet has been with me through everything. She will sit and just hold me. I have had a lot of times that we would sit and I would cry on her shoulder. She helps me a lot when I keep going in for surgery.

Janet has become a good friend of mine. She takes me to Symphony concerts. She takes me out for breakfast for my birthday. She got me to volunteer at Options Clinic where she works. She knows how hard it is for me to communicate, so she finds different ways to get things out. She's making it easier for me to say things.

I have a psychotherapist who has worked in different ways than any other people that I've seen before. I started seeing John after Teen Health combined with other services. He finds other ways to get the feelings out other than just talking. We use paint, music, humor, and inspirational stories. He will sit and just let me cry.

I have some music and paint that I use at my house. If I start having problems with emotions that really helps me a lot. I'm finding more things that I can do so I don't have as hard a time controlling the emotions. I have started going to the Wellness Center. The exercising has helped a lot with things too.

I have a hard time remembering things. They taught me to journal. I have a notebook that both of them write in when I see them. I can go back and read through everything when I'm at home. We also have started using e-mail in between appointments so I can tell them if there's anything happening in my life.

Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus is a condition where the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) doesn't drain off the brain like it should. The doctors have to put a tube called a shunt in to drain the extra CSF off.

I had a brain hemorrhage when I was born that caused me to develop hydrocephalus. They put my first shunt in when I was 4 months old. I have had a lot of problems as a result of it. I have had surgery close to 100 times because of it.

I had a stroke during surgery when I was 13. When I came out of the surgery I woke up and was completly paralyzed on my left side. Because of the stroke, the doctors were unable to place the shunt, and I was back in surgery 9 days later.

I'm writing this blog because I want to be able to inform people of what hydrocephalus is and how it affects my body and my life. I've spent my life enjoying music. Before my stroke I was playing piano, viola, and french horn. Today, I am involved with my church choir and have done some solos. I also enjoy dabbling on the keyboard.