PITTSBURGH

 Hi everyone!

This past weekend I went on a trip to Pittsburgh and man did so many exciting (and not so exciting) things happen. 

Let’s start with Thursday...

I am on my way home due to all (but one) of my classes being cancelled on Friday. I was so excited to be able to listen to Taylor Swift's new album not in my tiny room so I could take it all in on full blast. Well, I was about halfway home and I'm at a stop light and a big work van hits me FOUR TIMES in the back. Luckily me and my car are both okay for the most part. It has a few dents and scrapes, but nothing too major. Then midnight was finally here and Midnights by Taylor Swift was out. If you have not listened to it yet, I highly recommend it. Three hours later she then dropped a surprise seven more songs to the album.

It is now Saturday morning and our whole group wakes up and goes to the Duquesne Incline. I was a bit nervous on it, but the concept of it was very cool. It is finally time to get in line for the Fletcher concert which is the reason we went to Pittsburgh in the first place. While in line I notice a girl who I follow on TikTok. Her name is Ally Bellair and her wife was with her as well. She has 1.7M followers on TikTok. I get so excited and ask her for a picture. She is one of the funniest people I watch and they were both the nicest to us engaging in conversation and not being rude at all. Once inside we have the time of our lives and never want it to end as always. 

Every time I go to a concert I post a video on my Instagram story afterward and tag the artist in hopes that they will see it. I also post a picture with the Bellair's just to show off that I met someone famous. I wake up the next morning to see that Fletcher reposted my Instagram story to her story. That means she watched my video and loved it so much that she wanted all of her followers to see it as well. I have never wakened up in a better mood. I was so excited that she noticed me. Along with all of this excitement, on my way home Ally Bellair reposts my post of her onto her story too! I had two famous people notice me and post me on their story in the same day. How insane is that?

Jaw Problems

 Hi everyone!

Not everyone knows this about me, but I have had what we think is TMJ for a few years now. I say we think it is TMJ because I have been to numerous doctors, dentists, oral surgeons, and no one can seem to give me any relief.

TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint. Basically, the cartridge that is right below my ear goes in and out of place (usually out in my case) and it is just bone grinding on bone. The cartilage is supposed to be in a certain spot to ease the opening and closing of the jaw, but mine does not do that.

Just imagine every time you open your mouth or try to chew something it either pops super loud and painfully or just does not open all the way because it is completely locked up. All of this along with a constant headache and not being able to eat steak, gum, or anything super chewy. This is what I suffer with every day. 

It all started out when I took a 25-pound medicine ball to the chin the summer before senior year of high school. The doctor said I sprained my jaw and that was it. A year or two later I start getting constant pain and popping in my jaw every time I chewed or even opened it in general. Here is when all of mine and my families money started to go down the drain.

I started out by going to my normal dentist, and then them referring me to a specialist. This specialist said the problem was somehow linked to my hips (crazy I know) and then I was referred to a chiropractor. That chiropractor used a tool to "pop" my jaw back into place which never failed to leave me in tears. (He never did anything with my hips.) I later came to find out that whatever he was doing with his "magical" tool was actually making me worse. 

The next person I went to was supposedly "the best TMJ specialist in our area". I go to a few appointments and get this mouthpiece that is supposed to help me glide my mouth better to keep my jaw on track. After I get the piece I go back for it to be adjusted and he heats it up a little so it can form to my teeth. Well, when he heats it up and says, "don't worry it is just a little warm, it won't hurt", I believe him as I should, right? He sticks it in my mouth and it is hotter than an Arizona desert in the middle of summer. It left me with what looked like second if not third degree burns on the roof of my mouth. I could not eat for days. My mom called to complain and they did nothing about it whatsoever. Did not even apologize or act like they cared. This was the last straw for us because this mouthpiece cost us about $2,000 out of pocket along with months of our time with no improvement. How can someone tell us he is the best and he scams us out of that much money along with literally burning me?

We found out that the mouthpiece was basically a scam when I went to the next doctor. He said that the piece was not going to do a thing for my condition and if anything, it was also making it worse. It did not let my jaw relax in the position that it needed to be in. This doctor proceeded with another method of relief which was kind of shaving my teeth down so my bite aligned better. And of course, I did this a few times and still had absolutely no relief.

Every day my mom, dad, and I search for someone or something that can help, but we have had no luck. I know it sounds almost like a sob story, but I have learned to live with it hoping that one day I will get relief. Honestly at this point someone just slice me open and give me a new jaw.

If anyone has any recommendations please let me know!

 

Fall Break

Hi everyone!

After a long week of being sick and miserable, I think it is safe to say that I really needed this fall break. I wish it could have been longer. 

My break started out by celebrating my sisters birthday at my Grandma Barb's (dad's mom) house. She lives with my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Bugs. It is always so much fun when we go there because Uncle Bugs love to be crazy and have the best time possible. I added a picture of him wearing his Cleveland Browns gear when they did not even play until the next day!

On Sunday my family and I drove down to Chillicothe to celebrate my Grandpa Ron's (mom's dad) birthday. He is 75! My grandparents good friends Jerry and Vestina were there as well. I had not seen them in a very long time, so I was very happy to see them. We took a big family picture to remember the moment because we do not know when we will get to see them again.

When Monday came around I started to get a bit sad. I was having lots of fun spending uninterrupted time with my family and cuddling with my cats. I had to wake up early Monday to go to the dentist and get my wisdom teeth examined because I am getting them out soon. The second I got back home I went back to bed and sleep for another couple hours and it felt great. Sleeping is honestly one of my favorite things to do.

It was the Tuesday and the last day of fall break. Me along with several others decided to go on our yearly in-state firm trip with PRSSA. We visited ODOT, Columbus Crew, Nationwide Children's Hospital and Side 9. We ate a delicious lunch at The Walrus and stopped for Graeters ice cream on the way home. We took two separate vans since there were so many of us and my van had Dr. Aggie, Emma, and Brooke. 

My fall break was full of events and good times, but I just wish it could have lasted just a little bit longer.

Q & A Session

 Hey everyone!

The day you have been waiting for has finally arrived...

Last weekend was the end to my weekly concert run. I do not have another one until later in October, so you get a break after this one. 

However, this concert was much more special than all of the others because I had the Q&A package. I got to go into the venue early and participate in a Q&A session with Conan Gray. There is one girl who goes viral on TikTok because she goes to every single show and is always front row, so my only goal for this show was to beat her and be first in line. I got in line at 2 A.M. on Friday. No, I am not joking. It was freezing cold until the sun came out, but it was all worth it because I was first in line. 

Included in the package I got a signed VIP lanyard, a candle, a notebook, and bookmark all relating to songs he sings. It was the best concert I had ever been to just because of how intimate it was and how close we were. 

During the show one of my friends held up a sign that said, "Take my BeReal". Conan read the sign and took her phone and took her BeReal. We were all freaking out. I attached a picture of it below. I am in the front row on the left side!

The two other photos I have attached are one that I took with my phone during the show, and the other is the selfie that Conan takes cat each Q&A session!

I wish I had more Conan concerts to go to, but since I don't I guess I will have to talk about something different next week.