Email to friends and family - It’s all about love, gratitude and kindness

I am writing to share an update about my health. 

I went to the ER seven months ago today.  That date seems so long ago, as if time has gone by slowly.  I remember reading about my first diagnosis, Bell’s Palsy, and learning that it could take up to six months to get better.  I never thought back then that I would still be struggling with this illness in 2020.  Then, I remember reading about my second diagnosis, Ramsay Hung Syndrome, and being told by the Neurologist that this could take months to years to heal.  It’s hard to accept that I am still sick and not better yet.

Although, I am getting better.  I’m not healed yet, though, but I am healing. 

A good sign, no, a great sign is that I’m back to work.  I returned to CSU Global last week on Tuesday and received the warmest welcome from my colleagues.  It felt good to connect with people I’ve missed so much and who expressed how much they had missed me too, with abundant offers of support and help.  I’m taking it very slowly as I transition back to the routine so that my body can continue to heal.  I would not want to have a relapse.  I’m so thankful I can work full-time at home and that my employer allows some flexibility for me to readjust to having a work schedule while still going to a few weekly medical appointments. 

So mentally, my spirit is up and I am filled with gratefulness.  I affirm that life is all about kindness and being kind is all about love and gratitude. 

Physically, I am stronger, have less pain and able. 

However, I admit I still have a long way to go.  The virus really destroyed a lot of my nerves in my left scalp, skull, ear, face and throat.  All of my five senses were thus effected.  Even though the facial paralysis got better after a few months, it takes a long time to regrow nerves and rehab muscles.  My left ear’s hearing is still recovering as is my left tongue’s taste buds and my left nostril’s sense of smell.  The hardest part to heal is my left eye because the six muscles that move the eyeball and affect our vision are very precise, so I still have eye pain from eye strain and blurriness.  My final comment about my body is about the pain I really continue to have in my left ear that barely seems like it is easing up.  I am not in bed anymore all the time though and people won’t know there is anything ill with me by my appearance. 

On a good note, I stopped taking the nerve pain medicine in mid-December.  While I give thanks I had access to such powerful medicine, I am grateful I am off those pills because they really effected my brain.  I still can’t believe I was taking nine pills a day.  Now, I utilize herbal eardrops and CBD oil when my ear pain is intolerable. 

Also on a good note is that my yoga practice is consistent, powerful and nurturing for my mind, body and soul.

I started doing physical therapy with a company called zHealth over a month ago that focuses on the nervous system and that’s been very helpful to rehabilitate my muscles and stimulate my nerves.  I also started about a month ago getting five lidocaine shots in my upper left back/neck every two weeks to help reduce the pain. 

I’d like to give the biggest shout-out that the human language allows me to express to my dear husband.  Jimmy has been extremely loving, supportive, reliable, selfless and comforting throughout this whole illness.  My boys have also amazed me with their resilience, understanding, protectiveness and even patience.  My parents have been present, dedicated and supportive.  My brothers too have been affectionate, caring and helpful.  I have so many friends to honor too and I thank each one of you who has been with me over the past seven months. 

While sick, I read a book called “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats” over the summer and there is a paragraph that I remember that influenced my perspective on life.  It explains how every single human being experiences illnesses, injuries and accidents.  Either directly or indirectly, either short-term or long-term, either minor or major, it is human to get sick, get hurt and have health issues.  This is important for me to realize because it reminds me that hardships are to be expected and I must remember that I can survive most problems that arise.  Most importantly though, I think being there for others when they are in the midst of an illness, injury or accident is vital to our survival.  Life has pain and we can help each other endure.  Love gives hope to those who are sick and hurt.  Again, it’s all about love, gratitude and kindness, especially in times of need, pain and suffering. 

I conclude this update with the simplest reflection from my experience over the past seven months.  Human connections help people make it through life’s challenges.  Whether with a stranger one time, with a friend tons of times or with family periodically, connecting with each other by expressing love and gratitude is the kindness way we can support each other between our birth and final breath. 

Namaste,

Susan

#RamsayHunt
#RamsayHuntSyndrome

Email to work colleagues about returning to work - 2020

Dear,

I wish you three and us all a smooth 2020.  For me, good riddance to 2019.

I had a wonderful Christmas season with my family and am so thankful I could spend time with them.  

I went this week on Tuesday to get the five lidocaine shots in my upper left back & neck for the fourth time, which seem to be helping and so I have my fifth appointment in two weeks to repeat. 

My left eye continues to hurt and my vision’s blurriness worsens, so I went to an opthomologist today and he found bacteria living on my eye lashes.  This could explain the pain and worsening vision, so I will start antibiotic eye drops today for a month.  

The pain from this illness is less and more tolerable, although I acknowledge it is not gone.  I still feel pain in my left ear, skull and neck/throat every day.  But, I’m living with it.  I am still healing.  I am getting better, slowly.  I must say though that I am not healed completely nor totally better. 

I have a few doctor’s appointments next week that I was not able to get done by the New Year.  

My gratitude to my employer and you all is more profound that can be expressed in words.  The gratefulness I feel radiates from my heart and brightens my face.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you CSU Global.  Thank you HR.  Thank you for your patience, understanding, tolerance, support, loyalty, flexibility and care while I lived through the hardest year of my life personally and the worse illness of my life.  I am so grateful for the stability of CSU Global and my colleagues during the past seven months. 

See you all soon,

Susan

La Familia Lopez Smith’s 2019 Reflections for our Holiday Card

La Familia Lopez Smith’s 2019 Reflections for our Holiday Card

This year has been full of amazing accomplishments and difficult hardships.

For the second year in a row, Jimmy’s eldest brother, Wilmer, visited us in February.  This time, he came for a full week with his wife, Yesenia, and we spent three nights at Granby Ranch Resort in the Colorado mountains.  The boys skied every day and one night while the ladies went snowshoeing on top of a mountain along the Alpine Ridge Trail. Wilmer learned about the art of CO breweries.  We all visited the Air Force Academy and Garden of the Gods too.

We had to give our cat, Princeton, away to a friendly neighbor in February because of Susan’s allergies. 
We miss him so much.

Over Spring Break, Susan and the boys flew to Chattanooga to visit “big” Philip and his beautiful wife, Lindsay.   We went to the historic Raccoon Mountain and famous Rock City.  We ate fried chicken and walked across the famous Walnut Street Bridge over the Tennessee River.  We went to Chickamauga National Military Park on top of Lookout Mountain and learned about Civil War history.  We had a “wild” time too staying at their off-the-grid cabin in the hills of Appalachia.  The Smokey Mtns are so pretty.  “Little” Philip enjoyed being with the person for whom he’s named.

Our home had four water leaks in the spring that resulted in us having to redo much of our basement including the guest bedroom as well as the upstairs bathroom. 

Jimmy applied for and earned a promotion to be a Geospatial Data Tech II for Xcel Energy for the electric team.  He is currently on a special project supporting the gas team because he’s an expert is “gas.”  He continues to run along the South Platte River when he can and he’s been reading some leadership books.  Jimmy is the cook of the family and provides delicious dinners during the week and breakfasts too on the weekends. 

Jimmy’s mother, Abuelita, visited for five weeks during the summer.  She and Jimmy went to the top of Pikes Peak.  Abuelita took good care of our home, our yard, the plants, the boys and Susan.  Her career was in nursing.

Gabriel is 11 years old, in 6^th grade and enjoys middle school so far.  He walks to and from school with some boys from our neighborhood and enjoys that freedom and independence.  He’s in honors Language Arts and Math and his electives so far have been PE, computers and Spanish.  Gabriel got a mountain bike for his birthday in May and loves riding it around the neighborhood with friends.  He’s in his 6^th year of piano and likes playing rag songs by Scott Joplin.  He wrote a composition in the spring that won a state contest.  Gabriel continues to be an avid reader and loves books by Rick Riordan (who wrote Percy Jackson).  He also loves fishing now too.

Philip is 8 years old, in 3^rd grade and still plays for the Penguins soccer team.  He continues to be a smart math student and has gotten into going to the skate park with his best friend to ride their scooters.  Philip is in his 3^rd year of piano and is also in his 3^rd hymn book.  We recently finished the Fablehaven series that took us almost two years to make it through the five big books.  We are now on to the next Fablehaven series called Dragonwatch.  Philip also loves reading Big Nate and The Hardy Boys.  He likes Scooby Doo too and watching movies.  We went camping for his birthday at the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area State Park with four families.  

Susan’s had a hard year.  She was falsely diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy at an ER at a hospital in the mountains when the family was camping at Eleven Mile State Park over Father’s Day weekend because her left face suddenly became paralyzed.  She was then re-diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (Shingles in her nervous system that caused extensive nerve damage) by an ENT and Neurologist in August because of the severe pain.  Susan has not worked since mid-June and is hoping the pain will subside so she can stop taking all the pain medicine and return to work after the New Year.  She’s grateful for her yoga practice that sustains her as well as having read Crucial Conversations and Dare to Lead (by Brene Brown) for her work’s bookclub and The Art of Hearing Heartbeats for fun.  She’s also very, very thankful for the love and support from her parents and brothers as well as her loyal friends.

We wish you a safe and healthy holidays.  We are hopeful for a good 2020 for us, you and our world. 
We also hope you write back sometime in 2020 so we can connect about life. 
May we all love one another.