THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life ~ April Edition

I have never needed the spring more. This winter and the past three months were a dark time for me - and not only because of the darkness outdoors. Some of you have heard bits and pieces about what's been going on with me but I also haven't been talking about it that much. I've spent a lot of time just wanting to lay in bed like this.

You'll find the whole story later in this blog!

But first the recap! We saw Cirque du Soleil: Crystal from amazing front-row seats and had a magical time!

I got to celebrate Susan's birthday (on her actual birthday!) at a fun brunch along with her sister!

Tim did end up going to London for a week to help out with his dad and I'm really glad that he had the opportunity to do this. Not only was it important that he got to spend time with his dad but it also meant a lot to his siblings that he was able to help and give the rest of them a break. Tim's dad is now out of the hospital and has been moved to a nursing home with more full-on care than what he was previously getting. Things seemed to have plateaued with the situation but are also not very good. He has days that are okay and bad days. It's the sad progression of Parkinsons that we all knew would arrive someday and in that sense, it's not a shock. I held down the fort with Archie for the week and we actually had a pretty great time! This was the longest stretch that I've ever solo-parented for and it went well. It's a lot of work to do everything from morning to night all on your own!! (Especially when you're accustomed to a two-parent system with a husband who does A LOT.) But we made it fun and we thrived.

Once Tim was back we had our fun Scott Pilgrim vs. the World The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Tribute Concert date night! It was a blast to hear the complete movie soundtrack performed in its entirety. That music means so much to us. I dressed up as Envy Adams, one of the characters from the series (she's a villain).

We did green things on St. Patrick's Day, of course!

And I got to celebrate Mary's birthday with a fun and very floral lunch with her!

Archie then had Spring Break off from school for a week AND Tim went to Montreal on a work trip for two nights... So all in all I was on mom duty pretty hard this month, let me just say. The load was a lot heavier than usual! Like the past two years, I was once again invited to the Sorrentino's Garlic Fest Media & Friend's Kick-Off. Nicole is always my plus-one to this event and it has become a fun annual thing that we do. We had a great time as usual! I was very excited that I got to meet Linda Hoang at the event this year. She's a very big Edmonton influencer (with like 37K followers on Instagram) and I think she's so cool. I got to say hello - and she follows my food account and she knew exactly who I am! She had so many kind and positive things to say about my work and it made me feel so good. She complimented my long-form writing style, saying that nobody writes like that anymore. It was such an uplifting interaction for me!

OK. Now it's time to get down to the shit. Here's what I've been going through for the past three months: As you'll recall, the last time that I spoke about any sort of wellness stuff was at the beginning of December. I was so happy at that time because it seemed like I was finally on the right track to being on a great new hormone therapy regime for menopause and everything was positive and great! Then one day in mid-December my left hand, arm, neck, and face went numb and tingly. I assumed that I was definitely having a stroke and went to emergency. After sitting in the waiting room for NINE HOURS they finally ran a bunch of tests and did a CT scan and determined that nothing dangerous was going on but that I should follow up with a Neurologist. The weird numbness disappeared after about a day. Then right before Christmas it happened again. Always on my left side. This time it was more intense and lasted for 3-4 days. I considered returning to the hospital but didn't (at this point I was in London). I was feeling very concerned and it certainly put a damper on Christmas for me. Once I was back home from Christmas I did see the Neurologist. He was really great and thorough and he spent a full hour with me. He did a bunch of different tests and concluded that I was having migraine aura occurring with and without headaches. He ordered an MRI out of extra caution just to be super sure. The MRI got scheduled for April (which seemed far away and gave me the impression that my case was not concerning). At this point I was feeling more at ease with everything, even though the weird sensations on my left side would still come and go. Then later in January I was running on the treadmill at Orangetheory and I have no idea what I did but my left ankle suddenly exploded in pain and I could barely walk. I had to stop going to Orangetheory (I haven't been back) and started going to physio therapy for my ankle instead. I FELT LIKE I WAS FALLING APART. By time February rolled around I wasn't feeling quite as bad and my ankle was doing a lot better. I was able to go on our snowboarding trip, and as I reported, it was all really great. I felt really strong and great! But then March rolled around and all hell broke loose. I developed a headache/migraine (on the left side!) that lasted for three weeks straight. It did not stop. I would wake up in the morning and it would be there. I would go to bed at night and it would be there. I felt awful, it was wearing me down, and clearly a headache like this isn't normal. PLUS I was doing all of the extra solo mom stuff at this time. It didn't take much for me to get way into my head and assume (irrationally) that I must certainly have a brain tumor or multiple sclerosis or something really bad. I was extremely stressed out and worried. I couldn't wait any longer for the MRI in April and paid $850 out of pocket to book a private MRI instead, which I could have done right away. I had never had an MRI before in my life so that whole experience in itself was very interesting. I was not worried about the procedure, only the result. I got the results back in four hours and cried literal tears of relief. "The intracranial contents are unremarkable. No imaging evidence to suggest demyelination." In other words, everything was normal and nothing was wrong. An incredible weight was lifted off of my shoulders. In the meantime, I was starting to have more rational suspicions about what was causing these aura migraines. "Some women find that their migraines become more frequent and severe during periods of hormonal changes, such as when taking certain medications that affect hormones, like hormone replacement therapy." IT'S THE DAMN HORMONE THERAPY. I have been suffering for three months and assumed that I was dying BECAUSE OF THE HORMONE THERAPY. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. The hormone therapy that is supposed to be improving my life and making me feel great did the complete opposite. Yeah sure, it's great that I don't have hot flashes or night sweats anymore... But I would gladly take those over a debilitating three-week long migraine that was ruining my quality of life!!! And wouldn't you know it, hormonal headaches typically present on one side, just like I'd been experiencing. Can you believe this shitshow?! Since then, the Nurse Practitioner in charge of my hormone therapy has scaled back my dose. This seems to have helped and I haven't had a headache ever since. I'm experiencing less aura as well (the numbness and tingling). She suspects that I'm someone who is very sensitive to this type of therapy and that if my negative side effects continue that I might need to stop taking it entirely. Just when I thought that I had finally gotten somewhere. This is my fucking menopause journey, people.

When I chose my word of the year in January it was rebirth. I was feeling like shit at the time and I just wanted to come out of the other side with answers and feeling like myself again. Finally now, appropriately timed for the spring, I do feel like I am getting the rebirth that I desperately craved. The light has arrived. I know that I'm healthy. I have a clearer idea of what to do next. And in this moment I'm feeling pretty close to wonderful again.

Life with Archie: Archie has spent the month getting up to his usual awesome life adventures (and being largely unaware of his mother's emotional turmoil).

Archie built a Basketball Game at the latest Kids Workshop at Home Depot and also a Steering Wheel at a LEGO free-build event.

At school they had a two-week long dancED residency where each class learned and worked on a dance. Archie's class was dancing to David Bowie. He had to dress in a costume and there was a big performance at the end! The kids did such a great job! You can watch a video of the dance here!

Archie also got his second report card of the year and did really well! He got an A three times (Mathematics, Art, Music) and his previous C in French Immersion LA & Literature went up to a B. Archie is reading at grade level in both English and French. We're super proud of his improvement since the start of the school year! He also finished his latest round of Swimmer 2 swimming lessons. He didn't pass but I think he came pretty close. He'll get it next time!

On St. Patrick's Day his school had Wear Green Day and of course there was also an appropriately matched lunch!

We stayed at home for Spring Break this year and made the most of it by doing fun and interesting activities every day! It was Archie & Mom's Spring Break of Fun! We had a really great week together and I truly do enjoy when I get to spend this much quality time with him.

I am MORE than ready to leave March and the entire winter behind. In April I'm looking forward to celebrating Amy's big 40th birthday! We have various parties planned for her! Tim and I will be attending the EDify Best Restaurants 2025 event, a big night of delicious food from all of the best restaurants that we always look forward to! I have a ticket to see both Stars and Bush and I'm pretty excited to attend both. And it's Easter this month! We'll just be at home but I enjoy our little Easter traditions and the foods that we make. Tim is running a half marathon in the Alberta Run the River Edmonton Spring Challenge at the end of the month. His first half marathon! It's a bit of a quieter month but I feel like we need this!

THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: April 7th is Melanie Santiago’s 44th birthday!

You have always been one of my most vivacious friends and I hope that your special day is a beautiful reflection of your entire personality! Our long-lasting friendship is so precious to me and I love that we do so well at staying in touch and getting together. I hope to see you this summer! I love you and you're always in my heart! <3 April 10th is Amy Bull’s 40th birthday!

It's your big 4-0!!! It's time that you joined the rest of us!! I could not ask for a better friend and I am so grateful for everything that we have shared. Having you as a constant person in my life has enriched so much for me. I don't know what we would do without our Core Four! I can't wait to celebrate the heck out of you!! Love you forever! <3 April 18th is Colen Quinn’s 43rd birthday!

No matter how far apart we have been, I always know that you are close to my heart. We have a special friendship that time and distance can't touch. I hope that you get to feel very special and celebrated on your day and that all of the boys go above and beyond for you! Like you always say, I hope that you eat cake for breakfast! I love you! <3 April 18th is Nadine Ottenbreit’s 43rd birthday!

I miss you so much!!! I hope that all things are beautiful in your world and that you are feeling truly appreciated. You go above and beyond for so many! You are such a shining light and I am always grateful that I get to call you one of my closest friends. I hope that you get to do something extra special on your birthday and I want to hear all about it! Love you so, so much! <3

April 18th is Lacey Suttie’s 45th birthday!

I admire so much about you and the way that you live your life. You're like a beautiful little mountain fairy and anyone who gets to spend time with you is fortunate! Thank you for always being the exact person that you are, no matter what. I hope that you get to eat something extra delicious on your special day and that you feel very spoiled! Love you always! <3