Saturday, January 7, 2012

Location, location, location!

You've just been diagnosed with a meningioma and one of your first questions is how could my tumor's location impact me?

The following information will help! Thank you www.braininjury.com

A wide variety of symptoms can occur after "brain injury." The nature of the symptoms depends, in large part, on where the brain has been injured. Below find a list of possible physical and cognitive symptoms which can arise from damage to specific areas of the brain:
Image

Frontal Lobe: Forehead

Loss of simple movement of various body parts (Paralysis).
Inability to plan a sequence of complex movements needed to complete complete multi-stepped tasks, such as making coffee (Sequencing).
Loss of spontaneity in interacting with others.
Loss of flexibility in thinking.
Persistence of a single thought (Perseveration).
Inability to focus on task (Attending).
Mood changes (Emotionally Labile).
Changes in social behavior.
Changes in personality.
Difficulty with problem solving.
Inability to express language (Broca's Aphasia).

Parietal Lobe: near the back and top of the head

Inability to attend to more than one object at a time.
Inability to name an object (Anomia).
Inability to locate the words for writing (Agraphia).
Problems with reading (Alexia).
Difficulty with drawing objects.
Difficulty in distinguishing left from right.
Difficulty with doing mathematics (Dyscalculia).
Lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space (Apraxia) that leads to difficulties in self-care.
Inability to focus visual attention.
Difficulties with eye and hand coordination.

Occipital Lobes: most posterior, at the back of the head

Defects in vision (Visual Field Cuts).
Difficulty with locating objects in environment.
Difficulty with identifying colors (Color Agnosia).
Production of hallucinations.
Visual illusions - inaccurately seeing objects.
Word blindness - inability to recognize words.
Difficulty in recognizing drawn objects.
Inability to recognize the movement of object (Movement Agnosia).
Difficulties with reading and writing.

Temporal Lobes: side of head above ears

Difficulty in recognizing faces (Prosopagnosia).
Difficulty in understanding spoken words (Wernicke's Aphasia).
Disturbance with selective attention to what we see and hear.
Difficulty with identification of, and verbalization about objects.
Short term memory loss.
Interference with long term memory.
Increased and decreased interest in sexual behavior.
Inability to catagorize objects (Categorization).
Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking.
Increased aggressive behavior.

Brain Stem: deep within the brain

Decreased vital capacity in breathing, important for speech.
Swallowing food and water (Dysphagia).
Difficulty with organization/perception of the environment.
Problems with balance and movement.
Dizziness and nausea (Vertigo).
Sleeping difficulties (Insomnia, sleep apnea).

Cerebellum: base of the skull

Loss of ability to coordinate fine movements.
Loss of ability to walk.
Inability to reach out and grab objects.
Tremors.
Dizziness (Vertigo).
Slurred Speech (Scanning Speech).
Inability to make rapid movements.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Meningioma Monday...

It's not always easy to get motivated on Mondays, so I'm trying a new feature called Meningioma Mondays to highlight all things meninigioma. I might share an inspirational meningioma blog, share a meningioma related link, a meningioma fact...

Your participation is encouraged and welcomed!

Q: What do all these ladies in the photo share in common?

A: They are all meningioma survivors and proof that meninigiomas don't discriminate.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

MIND OVER MENINGIOMA...

As a nearly 12-year meningioma brain tumor survivor, my motto and mantra has become "Mind Over Meningioma."

It is my goal to further increase meningioma awareness in 2012 via my 9-years-and-counting, nonprofit, Meningioma Mommas, www.meningiomamommas.org , our MAD ABOUT MENINGIOMAS Facebook Cause, http://www.causes.com/causes/242100-mad-about-meningiomasand through my writing, www.lizholzemer.com

I'm also hoping you'll help pass the mind over meningioma message. Feel free to chime in at any time to share your meningioma moments, milestones and musings.

Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 31, 2011

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”--Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Today I am thankful for:

*The practice of taking gratitude inventory

*Embracing simple pleasures

*2011 wrapping up and the chance to usher in a new year.

Stay tuned to check out my next project in 2012!



      

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Her 1st!

"I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it".--Michael Phelps

Today I am grateful for:

*Hannah's discipline, time and dedication, which resulted in her 1st Silver State time!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

My Monkey...

"You are my sonshine." ~Author Unknown

Simply put, I am grateful for:

*My son, Hunter aka lil' man & monkey.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Double Digits!



On Turning Ten

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

By Billy Collins


Today I am grateful for:

*Hannah's 10th birthday!