2 weeks ago I woke up with my left cheek swollen and red. It hurt to brush my teeth, sleep on my left side, even yawn. My mom, thinking it was just a bad pimple, set me on her bed and hovered over me with a long thin needle and a q-tip. After several minutes of excruciating pain and tears running down my swollen, disfigured face, I promised her if she stopped I would go to see a doctor the next morning.
I sat in the waiting room for no more than 10 minutes ( the shortest doctors wait of my life) and sat on the noisy, tissue paper they put on the examining beds. When the doctor and her student walked in, I felt embarrassed. Mainly because she asked why I waited so long to come in, and because I had to tell her my mom was playing doctor and tried to "squeeze the crap out" of my face.
I was told I had an Abscess (an infection of a wound) and had to be put on medication and painkillers. I was given an anti-biotic shot and was told to rush to the Emergency Room in the morning if I didn't see any improvement. That was on a Friday. So Saturday morning, I rushed to the mirror as soon as I woke up, and saw a drastic improvement of my face. Thinking OK, it's not worse, I will not go to the ER. Its not until my follow up appointment with the DR that she sends me to another Dr to see if I need to get the abscess drained. (ouch).
By then, my face is no longer as swollen, nasty stuff is oozing out of a gaping hole on my cheek. Not the prettiest sight in the world.
Anyway, I'm still waiting on the results of what could have been the cause of the infection, spider bite, pimple gone wrong, or something else.
The hardest part of this all is that I missed out on seeing one of my good friends before she left to Argentina for a month. And had to cancel a get together to play ROCK BAND at my place.
It's been terrible being cooped up in my house and not being able to have much contact with the outside world.
Oh, and Juliette got a real bad case of ringworm and was covered with lumps on her body. What we first thought were allergies turned out to be ringworm, so shes been on medication too. I guess it's true what they say, like owner, like pet.
Special FX Makeup artist for TV and Film
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Finally a college grad!
After 7 years of semi-hard work at Florida International University (FIU) I can finally say "I am a college graduate!"
It's been a tough but enlightening experience to say the least. Whether I was battling with learning disabilities or medical issues, I made it to the finish line. Unless you have been by my side through these past 7 years, you may not know how difficult this journey has been for my family, friends, and me.
I first found out I had ADD when I was about 20 years old and on the brink of academic dismissal. In college it's kind of like a 3 strikes your out of college rule. I first got on academic probation for my poor grades, then once I was there they move on to a warning and if your grades do not improve from there, you have to see a tough lady in Academic Advising who reviews each case individually and decides whether you are dismissed from the university or if you are given one more chance. I was lucky enough to think fast and plead her my case, that's when the battery of tests from my physician and several psychologists began.
That's when I was officially diagnosed with ADD and Dyscalculia ( the disability of math or numbers).
With the help of the amazing people in the disabilities office at FIU, I made it through the prerequisite courses and was off to take classes in my chosen major. Public Relations. Once I started taking classes in my major, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I would eventually like to use my degree in the field of entertainment, preferably in the Music industry.
But before I can begin the difficult task of applying for a job, I must deal with starting grad school in the fall. I will be continuing my major and build upon the knowledge I have received at the hands of highly educated and experienced professionals.
I could not ask for better professors. I have gained an amazing amount of insight into several situations a PR professional can encounter just from listening to Lynne Farber's stories. I have also learned to strive for the highest goals through Rosanna Fiske. I may have cried and stressed myself way too much in my Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns course, but without the extra push or words of encouragement, my team wouldn't have turned out such an amazing advertising and PR campaign.
I really do owe my success on those professionals who always believed in me.
Of course my family is also responsible for shaping me into what I am today, without my mom and dads constant backing and my sisters belief that I am not a failure, I was able to walk across that stage almost 7 years to the date when I ever stepped foot on the FIU campus.
IT would take a whole lot of paragraphs to thank everyone for all the help and encouragement, but I'll save some of those words for my songs.
I hope to get back into the swing of things and start writing some songs. I know have an amazing music studio in my house where I can sing and record at anytime of the day or night. It hasn't seen much of me lately, but I do try and play the amazing guitar my parents bought me for christmas.
Hopefully the next few blogs will be about my progress writing songs.
It's been a tough but enlightening experience to say the least. Whether I was battling with learning disabilities or medical issues, I made it to the finish line. Unless you have been by my side through these past 7 years, you may not know how difficult this journey has been for my family, friends, and me.
I first found out I had ADD when I was about 20 years old and on the brink of academic dismissal. In college it's kind of like a 3 strikes your out of college rule. I first got on academic probation for my poor grades, then once I was there they move on to a warning and if your grades do not improve from there, you have to see a tough lady in Academic Advising who reviews each case individually and decides whether you are dismissed from the university or if you are given one more chance. I was lucky enough to think fast and plead her my case, that's when the battery of tests from my physician and several psychologists began.
That's when I was officially diagnosed with ADD and Dyscalculia ( the disability of math or numbers).
With the help of the amazing people in the disabilities office at FIU, I made it through the prerequisite courses and was off to take classes in my chosen major. Public Relations. Once I started taking classes in my major, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I would eventually like to use my degree in the field of entertainment, preferably in the Music industry.
But before I can begin the difficult task of applying for a job, I must deal with starting grad school in the fall. I will be continuing my major and build upon the knowledge I have received at the hands of highly educated and experienced professionals.
I could not ask for better professors. I have gained an amazing amount of insight into several situations a PR professional can encounter just from listening to Lynne Farber's stories. I have also learned to strive for the highest goals through Rosanna Fiske. I may have cried and stressed myself way too much in my Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns course, but without the extra push or words of encouragement, my team wouldn't have turned out such an amazing advertising and PR campaign.
I really do owe my success on those professionals who always believed in me.
Of course my family is also responsible for shaping me into what I am today, without my mom and dads constant backing and my sisters belief that I am not a failure, I was able to walk across that stage almost 7 years to the date when I ever stepped foot on the FIU campus.
IT would take a whole lot of paragraphs to thank everyone for all the help and encouragement, but I'll save some of those words for my songs.
I hope to get back into the swing of things and start writing some songs. I know have an amazing music studio in my house where I can sing and record at anytime of the day or night. It hasn't seen much of me lately, but I do try and play the amazing guitar my parents bought me for christmas.
Hopefully the next few blogs will be about my progress writing songs.
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