birthday time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dont even need a doctor for a diagnosis!!

It's nearing on 3:00 in the morning.

It's been a week since I've gone to sleep any earlier than this.

I just lay in bed and can't fall asleep despite being tired.
When I do fall asleep, anything will wake me up.
Then it takes forever to go back to sleep.
I wake up exhausted in the morning.

I have all these thoughts in my head that are stressing me out!

This might be a bit intense, but I'm about to cry I just want to fall asleep so bad!!!!

So what joy do I find in this situation?
I have the satisfaction of being around 95% sure I have some kind of insomnia.

Go check it out: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/insomnia-symptoms-and-causes

I'm so serious.

From what I can tell, it sounds like I have acute insomnia r/t stress. Which, if you know me, makes total sense.

Causes of acute insomnia can include:

• Significant life stress (job loss or change, death of a loved one, divorce, moving).
• Illness.
• Emotional or physical discomfort.
• Environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that interfere with sleep.
• Some medications (for example those used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma) may interfere with sleep.
• Interferences in normal sleep schedule (jet lag or switching from a day to night shift, for example).

If you can't see that I fit pretty much all of these things, then you're dumb. Ok, maybe not dumb, but really. Think about it.

Other than the medication point, I pretty much fit all of it!!!
So ironically enough, it makes me happy.

But if yall have any ideas on sleeping, please let me know.
I just want to get in bed and not lay awake there for hours.

Anyways, thanks for reading!!!!!

Love,
Ally

blame public service announcements!

So I've been trying to go to sleep the past hour or so (it's now around 1:20) because Kenneth said that in order for me to not be so tired in the morning I should go to bed. Makes enough sense. But after practically forever of just laying in bed with thoughts filling up my head and just not being able to fall asleep, I got my computer back out and turned on my tv. If I'm going to be awake, I might as well watch Medium. So I can have dream about Joe DuBois, whose real name is Jake Weber. Just FYI.


So I was watching Medium and then this commercial comes on. It's a commercial for Lupus. It offered a website.

Can you guess the name?
couldihavelupus.gov

Naturally I had to go there. Just in case.
http://www.couldihavelupus.gov/symptoms.php?id=15

What I found out is this:
Maybe I could have lupus!!!!!

It said most of the symptoms are very vague so it's hard to pinpoint it to lupus!

But Kenneth was just telling me all about how he thought it was weird that I have been so tired and needing so much sleep lately and so it was almost a sign that I came across this site!! Now I know fatigue could be anything, but really!!! I mean Kenneth and I were just discussing my fatigue!!!

Secondly, I have had anemia for like 10 years now. And anemia is totally one of the symptoms!! 2 out 14!! Wow!!!!

Because of nursing school, I know nothing is more lupus-like than the butterfly rash across the nose bridge. Needless to say, I do not have this. But who knows, maybe I could be one of those rare people who just have random symptoms!!!

Oh and also, before I saw the lupus commercial, I was on the hunt for a noise machine!!! My friend Maggie has one and it's wonderful!! If you know where to get one, let me know! Or if you have one that you don't ever plan on using, I could give it a great home!!

Anyways, thanks for reading!!!

Love,
Ally

good news!!

Hello friends!!!

As you can probably guess, I have some good news!

While I was typing my entry last night, my lip was beginning to swell and I really thought it was going to be huge again today. However, when I woke up, it was all ok!! I was very excited. Only one little part of me was disappointed because I never got a picture of it to show people.

My bottom lip is still just a bit swollen, but nowhere like it was the past few days. The blister that was on my lip turned into dry skin that is now painfully peeling off. I am constantly putting chapstick on. I am finding that carmex work the best because I don't have to press it on like regular chapstick.

Anyways, my medical mystery didn't last long. I never really found out what it was. I just hope it doesn't happen while at school. I am sure I would scare people away with that huge lip!!

On a different note, I am going back to Tuscaloosa tomorrow and I am super excited! I can't believe this was my last spring break! Now I just have wait and hear back from jobs! I am sure this will produce an all new level of anxiety!!!

Also, it's snowing in the Dallas area and it's the first day of spring.

Anyways, that's about it for now!

Once I have more fun and exciting things to let you know about, I will put it on here!

Oh and I forgot to say that while on the trip my mom somehow did something to her foot that caused her lots of pain, but she said she never did anything to it at all. So you know what I told her? That she probably had a blood clot. And I was super serious about it. If that's not a classic reaction by me, I don't know what is.

Thanks for reading!!!

Ally

for realz this time

hi friends!!

Quick update-- I've been skiing all week and I just got back to Garland today. I had no internet in New Mexico (where we went) so I couldn't update when this really weird thing happened.

I am actually having a weird medical problem.

Yes, it's ok to keep reading!

So while skiing, I thought my lips had gotten sunburned and really chapped. They hurt a little bit when I went to bed Wednesday night. But when I woke up Thursday morning, my bottom lip was swollen to twice its size. It didn't hurt or anything, but it was so swollen! I put some chapstick on it and also took a Benadryl. After a little while it went down and I thought everything was ok. So that night everything was ok but when I woke up this morning, it was super swollen again!!! I have no idea what's going on, but I'm thinking it's some kind of allergic reaction, I just can't figure out to what!!

Here's what I've ruled out:
-not the cabin in NM (I'm back in TX and my lip is swelling as I type)
-not my pillow because I slept with it in the car and nothing happened
-not my stuffed animal (same reasons as pillow)
-not a sunburn
-benadryl does not help

If tomorrow when I wake up it has swollen up like it has the previous two mornings, I am taking a picture and posting it.

Oh, also I have this blister like thing on my bottom lip that can be seen during the day when my lip is not swollen. When it is swollen it is all streched out.

So there's finally something that is really wrong with me but I can't diagnose myself!! Help!!!

I'll keep you updated about my lip.
I know it's very important to you guys.

I can't wait to see everyone!!!!

Thanks for reading!
Ally

look under your car!

ok. today I don't really have an actual disease. Well, I guess it is one. But I have to put it out there just in case. Because this could really be legit....I'm so serious.

I guess you can say I'm paranoid. Just a little bit, because apparently normal people don't have these kind of thoughts. Anyways, what I am trying to say is that I have this irrational fear of having my achilles' tendon slashed. Yes, you read right.

Why?

Because one day someone told me this story about how people wait under your car for you after you've gone to the grocery store or something so that your hands are full. Then, while you are unlocking your car, they cut your achilles' tendon and take your keys and purse and take your car! And you can't go anywhere because achillles' tendon is cut!

So of course I believed them. And now I can add this to one of my many fears. You should probably start thinking about stuff like this just in case. I mean, it doesn't hurt to be a little prepared, right??

Anyways, today I was back at the hospital. It was a bit slow, unlike last week, but somehow the time still went by fairly quickly. So that is always good!!! Hopefully the rest of the week goes by quickly too since I am going home on Friday for Spring Break.

So I know that wasn't super exciting, but since I'm not constantly studying all the time and my leg hasn't hurt in a while to claim a blood clot, I'm having to rely on mental disorders. Sometimes those are even more interesting, right??

Hopefully something exciting (in a good way) happens and y'all can read about it!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
--Ally

while at lauren's...

So I'm at Lauren's house right now waiting for the Oscars to start and for yummy food to be ready! So while all of that is going on, I am going to update you on the past week of my life.

First things first, I passed HESI!!! Yay!!! That means I'm done with tests and officially graduating in May!! Needless to say, I am super excited!!!!

Secondly, I started my preceptorship!! I work Monday-Thursday 3-11 pm so I am busy!! And to get all my hours in, I am working three 12-hour shifts from 7pm to 7am!! It has been such an adventure! I wish I could go into detail about everything I've been doing and the people who are there. But, I would be breaking HIPAA (confidentiality policy) and going into all these things that would take many many paragraphs to describe. So if you are really interested, I can email you my first week in detail (( :

Ok, so right now I have a bad headache. And when I think headache, I automatically think brain cancer. DUH. I know the odds are pretty small, but it doesn't change my mind about wanting an MRI of my head. I wish I could just get an MRI. Too bad the hospital won't just let you come in for a random scan. Maybe one day I can change the law and make that possible. Who knows?!? I've told people before that I just want to get an MRI of my whole body just so that doctors can find stuff. And if they don't, then I can stop freaking out. Unless symptoms of some disease pop up. Then I would def need another one!!!

Oh and I was about to post this when I saw that you can label your posts....cool!!!

I'm going to end this like I do my end-of-shift reports:
Have a great shift and thanks for listening!
Or in this case, thanks for reading!!!

Ally

i think you're craaaaazy

Right now I am taking what is supposed to be small study break, but I am not really sure how short it will be.

I mean, I've been reading my HESI book pretty much all day. I was at the library before it even opened. That's true dedication. Thankfully, Lauren was there and then Hannah also showed up and we had a good time.

One of the bad things was that we couldn't watch the US hockey team play. That's probably why they lost. However, Lauren's mom was faithfully texting us updates all throughout the game. Maybe next winter Olympics??

Today I've been studying for OB and Peds. Since I am not pregnant, a fetus, or a child, I couldn't really relate to any of the conditions I read about. I mean, I'm sure that if I was pregnant I could definitely find multiple symptoms. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that for a long time. Like forever. Yay!!

So then I remembered what I was reading last night--Mental Health. And it technically counts for today because it was after midnight when I made all the connections. I found out that I fit the criteria for "depersonalization disorder." At least according to me.

Let me tell you about it. Or the little that my book talks about.
--temporary loss of one's reality and ability to feel and express emotions (not so sure about this.....)

--client expresses a fear of "going crazy" (ask Kenneth or Lauren about this....it's pretty much how I've been describing myself lately)

--client describes a sense of "strangeness" in the surrounding environment (ALL the time)

Other than this, it doesn't really say much. I mean, it just talks about having mood swings, anxiety, alcohol or drug use, and other lame stuff like that. Mainly I just relate to the feeling of going crazy. Soo true about my life lately.

Anyways, I hope all this studying pays off tomorrow! Pray for all of the 5th semester nursing students at Alabama. We need to dominate HESI!!

Oh, and my mom got to talk to my grandparents in Chile, and everyone is ok!!!

Thanks everyone!!!!!!

blog???

So today there was an earthquake in Chile, which is where I was born and where all my family is. The earthquake was 8.8 which means it's pretty big. It also lasted around 45 seconds, which is more than enough time to cause huge chaos. Thankfully, we have gotten in touch (mainly through facebook) with my family. We are still waiting to hear from one of my aunts, who lives in Santiago (the capital). This might take a while since electricity and phone lines are all down there. I am so glad to know that I have God to rely on when things like this happen and that it's ok that I can't he be there because He is there. And He definitely can do more than I can!!!

Ok, so that was a great first introductory paragraph for my first blog EVER. Well, that's not exactly true, since I posted something like last week and just never told anyone about it (( :

The main reason I am starting this is to satisfy my friends' requests that I start a blog where I talk about all the diseases I think I have. Being a nursing major has really opened my eyes to all the things that can go wrong in my body and needless to say, I find something different almost daily. And while friends say that I am somewhat hypochondriac (which is the one thing I don't claim to have), they still encourage me by getting me to write this.

Studying for HESI (the exit exam we nursing majors must take and pass to graduate) has elicited countless diseases that are calling my name. Today, while studying with Lauren, one really stood out: Pericarditis.

What is pericarditis??
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Pericarditis
Basically the sac your heart is in becomes inflammed and it's hard for your heart to beat. NOT FUN.

Anyways, my book says that symptoms include:
Sudden severe pain--check
Pericardial friction rub--not sure....I'll get Alicia to check it out
Fever--had one last week.

Plus, the book also says that the causes are MI, trauma, neoplasm, connective tissue disease, heart surgery, IDIOPATHIC (how can I not think I have it when it can just come from nowhere?!?), and infections.

I am pretty sure I had a super bad cold last week. And idiopathic says it all.

Anyways, I am sure that my symptoms will disappear and new ones will call for a new disease waiting to be blogged about.

Oh, and although I guess I should have written this earlier, here's a disclaimer:
I am not taking any of these diseases lightly or making a joke out of them.
Some of these things are really serious and if you really think you have a disease that I mention from now on, go to the doctor! It could be serious!
My disease paranoia is just one of my many flaws. Or entertainment.

Another day full of studying comes tomorrow, so who knows what my body will tell me!!!

Thanks for reading!!!