ETA: My intention was to use this blog as sort of a "testing ground" for the blog I intend to start on couponing/frugality/personal finance for college students, but I think what I really need right now is an outlet. (This was suggested to me by several people last month--a heartfelt thank-you to those folks!) For now, though, I think I'm just going to us this as a place to journal about what's going on in my life. I really feel like I have so many people on here that care about me, and I genuinely care about so many posters on the forum--it's almost like another family with half the drama. (Of course, if I could figure out how to get to Controversy Corner, I'm sure I'd find plenty of drama to go around... )

I could really use some prayers and positive thoughts sent my direction right now! As many of you read from a previous post, I recently had surgery to remove cancerous cervical tissue, which has caused me to miss a great deal of school and become very depressed. Well, I finally recovered from the surgery (I have a bleeding disorder, so there were some unforeseen complications because of this), and I will find out in about ten days whether anything more will need to be done to help my body conquer this.

Anyway, because of all of the stress I've been under (first because of pushing myself WAY too hard in college, second because of medical difficulties out of my control), I've been having terrible migraines and crazy mood swings. At least, we thought it was because of the stress. I figured that I just needed to up my anti-depressant (which I take for obvious reasons, ), but my doctor wants a second opinion from a neurologist. Because of the unexplained mood swings and near-constant headaches (and the hours-long naps I fall into after both), she thinks that I may have frontal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy does run in my family--my maternal grandfather had it, my sister has frontal lobe, and my mother has stress-related seizures--so this is likely. On one hand, it would be nice to finally know why I've been so moody for the last few years, but on the other... It's just one more thing wrong with me!

All told, I've missed three weeks of classes, and haven't had the energy to get much done in the way of make-up work. My professors are all being very understanding, however, so I'm very hopeful that I will make it through this semester. I'm very grateful that I chose this semester to retake some classes I did poorly on my freshman year; however, because I am still working on last semester's assignments, as well, I was dropped from my thesis class. This is going to set me back on applying to graduate school for at least another year. Maybe this will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, though.

Whew--so much for a short first blog post, huh? I've also been totally incapable of making it to the post office for the last four days, between the ice we had Monday and Tuesday and my migraine-induced sleeping habits Wednesday and Thursday. Long story short, if you are waiting for something from me, it either went to the post office today or will be in the mail tomorrow.

Thanks, FullCuppers, for understanding, and for listening, and for just being plain ol' FANTASTIC!