Pigmentation Dispersion Syndrome, in some cases, is a precursor to one type of glaucoma. From what the doc told me only 30% of people with this ever actually develop glaucoma, so I’m focusing on the 70% that don’t!
OK, I'm going to whine for a little bit now, so if you don't want to read it, click the little X in the top corner now.
I was born with a very minor congenital birth defect, a club foot. It was corrected surgically when I was an infant, and I spent a good chunk of time in my first year or two in a full leg cast on my right leg. No biggie now, but as a result of that my right leg is smaller than my left leg in circumference and my right foot is a size and a half smaller than my left foot. Nobody notices as long as I wear jeans and sneakers, and so that has become my “uniform”. I very seldom wear anything other than jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt.
When I was in the 8th grade, we discovered that I had a “trick knee”. Sounds fancy eh? Not so much. Basically I would be walking down the road and my kneecap would decide that it wanted to be on the side or in the back of my knee rather than where it actually belonged. Strangely enough, this was the same leg as my club foot had been at birth. The doc’s said it wasn’t likely related, although I don’t remember them committing to any definite decision on that. While this doesn’t sound like any big deal in the scope of everything, having a dislocated patella a couple times every year for a few years got to be a real pain in the … knee. I had surgery when I was 15 to put a screw in my knee and prevent it from happening again. Other than having my knee ache in cold weather and make very sickeningly strange crunching sounds when I walk upstairs, it’s not had any major impact on my life.
A few years later, my aunt was diagnosed with something called Charcot Marie Tooth Disorder. We didn’t know much about it, but one neurologist I asked (I was a Medical Assistant at the time) said things like “runs in families” and “similar to MS” and “you probably have it”. I stopped looking at that time, figuring if I did have it I didn’t want to know about it yet. I was young and had my whole life ahead of me. So, I neatly stashed it in the back of my mind and decided to take a Scarlett O’Hara approach to it and think about it tomorrow. Fortunately, tomorrow hasn’t come yet.
So several years go by, I get married to Hunkka-Hunkka Hubby and we get preggers with our first kidlet. Imagine our surprise when I find out I’m carrying twins! Imagine my horror when I find out at 18 weeks that I need to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. It was a pain in the patootie, but at least I didn’t miss a baseball or football game that season! The twins were born at 37.5 weeks at a healthy 6 pounds 9 ounces and 6pounds 10 ounces. #2 had some problems off and on, and we were in the hospital a couple times with #1 thinking he possibly had asthma, but fortunately he didn’t. The twins were always very active. I mentioned this to the docs and they dismissed me telling me that because I had two babies, it just seemed that they were overly active. I thought the doc’s were full of it, but didn’t say anything. That is, I didn’t say anything until the twins started school and got themselves suspended 10 times before Halloween. I went back to the doctors. Guess what? They had ADHD! Surprise-surprise! NOT.
The ADHD got worse for both of them, and eventually cropped up in #3, and then #1 started having different symptoms of something much darker. Enter Bipolar Disorder, coupled with the ADHD and ODD. The fun just never stops.
I started my diary shortly after all that when I was at my wits end. 9/11 had hit our country. Hubby was working for Uncle Sam and only home on the weekends, and in general life sucked.
We finally reunited as a family when we were able to move up with him, and eventually buy the house we are in now.
We’ve been through several family emergencies involving both of our families since Hubby and I got married. I’ve mentioned some of them once or twice, but most of them I put in the “usual lifetime experiences” category and press on.
Now I have the docs telling me this.
I just want to state here and now that I’ve had enough character building experiences in my life. I’m ready for a break any time now. Is someone upstairs listening? I’d like some GOOD news for a change, and preferably not anything related to getting a good quote on car insurance.
OK, I’m done ranting for now. I’m going to go find some chocolate and go to bed. Well, I’ll go to bed AFTER I eat the chocolate, I just washed the sheets. You understand, I’m sure!