I suppose I should update this thing instead of just lurking around here.  

It's been a rough start to my year.  If you guys have seen my previous journal, then you know that just after the new year, my grandfather passed away.  That was a really tough time because I was very close to him.  Him and my grandmother helped raise me since my mother was a single mother (my parents divorced when I was eight).  Since then, I've been plugging away at school work, making a few graphics here and there, and dealing with some medical issues.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this here or not, but I've been dealing with pain for many years now.  I've complained to my doctors, particularly when I've been in the hospital, but they couldn't find anything wrong.  That is, until I saw a rheumatologist a couple of weeks ago.  He was able to look at my records, listen to what I was describing, and do a physical exam.  He came back with a diagnosis that my primary care doctor had suspect: that I have fibromyalgia.  What is fibromyalgia?  Well, it's a pain condition.  The best way I can describe it is how my doctor described it to me and how I've seen it described: it's like having the volume turned up on my nerves and there's no filter.  Our nerves send millions upon millions of feedback to our brain everyday.  Most people's brains are able to filter out a lot of this "noise" as just being everyday sensations like touching, standing, etc.  My brain doesn't really do that.  It's overwhelmed by everything, so a lot of it gets through.  This means that something that wouldn't be painful for a normal person is painful for me.  Fibromyalgia isn't just about the pain either, but the sleeplessness.  I have not slept one full night in the past week.  Most of it was because I was in some form of pain, but it still sucks.  Plus, when you're in pain and exhausted, you have a harder time concentrating on things.  

Now, you may be asking, what am I doing about it?  Well, management of Fibromyalgia is double sided.  First, there's the medical side, which means more medications.  I haven't started this side of things yet.  The other side is non-medical, which means exercise.  I have started this.  I go to physical therapy a couple of times a week, with some pool therapy as well.  I love, love, love the pool therapy!  The rheumatologgist even said that swimming can help.  What it does is take the weight off of my joints and muscles.  I also tend to like the warmer pool over the cooler one.  I respond better to it.  

I'm also still dealing with my asthma and sinusitis, though the last time I saw the ENT, he didn't suction much out of my sinuses and what he did get, ended up having nothing.  o.O

My wonderful boyfriend had a job interview this past Wednesday.  We're really hoping he gets it since it would be a pay upgrade and actually a job in the field that he got his Master's in.  <3

I'm still in school, though my degree is over half way done since a lot of my credits transferred over.  I'm currently taking a JavaScript class.  I enjoy it because it's coding, which I find to be similar to writing.  It'll be nice when it's over though!  ^_^

I'm planning my birthday bash for later this month.  I turn the big 3-0, so we're having a get together at a restaurant with some friends and family.  It should be tons of fun, though I'm worried about how many people will be there.  As an early birthday present, my boyfriend and his brother got me a PS3!    It game with all six God of War games.  I also now have LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Heavenly Sword, Jak and Daxter Collection, and Hyperdimension Neptunia.  Tales of Xillia is on preorder.  :3

Lastly, I'm considering moving a lot of my background/brain storming stuff over to my blog just to free up some clutter in my gallery.