It's been over a month since I wrote an "update" kind of post!
I went to the eye doctor today. I've been having pulsatile tinnitus with headaches for awhile that I've been assuming are related to high blood pressure. But...I thought I'd make sure everything is okay with my optic nerve because pulsatile tinnitus with headache can be a sign of intracranial hypertension which can commonly occur with hEDS. And since my sister has had it, I thought I should check just in case. Hers was found by her eye doctor, so I figured I'd start there, too.
They initially noticed that one of my pupils is larger than the other...but I was just born that way. There are pictures of me as a baby with one pupil larger than the other. The eye doctor said that both of my eyes react normally, so the size discrepancy is nothing to be concerned about (which I wasn't lol). But I think he's the first eye doctor to actually mention it to me (and I've been going to the eye doctor since, like, 2nd grade). But anyway...they dilated my eyes to get a better look at my optic nerve and it still looks good (I've had it checked several times since 2006 when my doctors were still thinking I might have MS). So I'm going to go ahead and consider intracranial hypertension to be ruled out.
I do have to go in next month for glaucoma testing, though. They said normal ocular pressure is 10-20 and mine was 23 today. They mentioned something about it being slightly elevated last time I was there in 2023 but nobody mentioned anything to me at that time. He wants to check it out though...since we have a family history of glaucoma (and cataracts and macular degeneration). And if nothing else, we can establish a baseline in case it gets worse in the future. They'll also check the thickness of my cornea because that can affect ocular pressure readings as well. And then I think after that appointment I'll get my new eyeglass prescription which will probably include bifocal lenses. And it actually looks like I won't need as strong of a prescription as my current glasses...so that's good.
Right now I'm just waiting for my eyes to start wanting to focus again after being dilated. :P I can see far away with my glasses on, but I can't see close-up with my glasses on. My eyes don't really want to work on focusing through my glasses right now. :P So I keep having to take my glasses on and off depending on what I'm looking at.
I've been having some issues with neuropathic pain the last few days...which is making it really hard to sleep. I have small fiber neuropathy (which is also common with hEDS). I was first diagnosed with it back in 2006. It's the worst when I have a fever...but I don't know what else triggers it for me. And it seems to always be in random places. This time it's my left leg's turn, apparently. It started at the front of my leg by my knee and traveled down the back of my calf and then to the bottom of my foot. It's not extremely painful...just extremely frustrating. :P
And in other news, Aubry was officially diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and MCAS...and is being evaluated for POTS (or orthostatic hypotension, which is what I have). I think they're also going to look into some supports/braces that might help her as well. Aubry started going to a new health clinic in the last few months and she's really liking it so far...so that's good. And it's really awesome to have a healthcare provider in the area that is knowledgeable about EDS...because it's definitely not common.
We celebrated Ashlyn's birthday last weekend with dinner at Olive Garden and then playing Flip7 at my grandparents' house. It's hard to believe my youngest baby is already 22 years old! She's settled in at Johnny's daughter's house. She's staying there for awhile so she can save up for a new vehicle and her own place. It seems to be going well so far.
Other than that, though, there's not really a whole lot to update about. Work is going well but it's been a pretty slow September. I think this is the first month that my orders and revenue were lower for the month compared to the previous year. But with things being slower, it has given me a chance to work on some new things as well as work on some administrative stuff that I've been slacking on. I finished my dog breed listings for bookmarks and magnetic bookmarks (to go with the notepads, stickers, and magnets I already had). I also created a bundle that includes all the products featuring the dogs that is available on my website. And now I'm working on the same products for all the different cat breeds! :) I may do rabbits and/or horses in the future...but we'll see.
And on that note... I'm going to get back to work. :)