Brenda's Brainstorm & Trevor, a T Man Production 2009 - 2022

Trevor here, with our final blog post of 2019. What a year this has been for Brenda. She started her 32nd year with the clinic, where she is employed. Brenda recently had her #1,100 injection of the biologic she has been taking for 18 years. She says being able to take this for so long, has allowed her to remain employed full-time and continue to live as normal a life as possible. I suppose you're wondering what we meant by our title. Blue is actually the awareness color for arthritis. As you know by now, if you've been reading this blog for the past 10 years, that Brenda has lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for 28 years. You probably all thought it was going to be about the holidays and how they can be hard for some. It's true, they are not an easy time for Brenda, as she does not have family near and will likely be alone. We did not want to dwell on that, rather to show that there is HOPE, even while dealing with the challenges in life. As you know, Brenda is a ...

Hi it's Brenda, who will be sharing this month's tale. As you may recall, at the beginning of this year, we shared: A January Tale, which was about my birthday. Today, is 9 years since Trevor came into my life. Trevor not only became a storyteller for my blog, but has helped me in ways that I never thought possible, when it comes to advocacy. You may be thinking to yourself, how can a stuffed golden retriever possibly be able to do all of these things? A big part of it is imagination and creativity. I created a storyteller, to help spice up my blog. I wanted to make it fun and much more creative. The next step was Trevor being involved in videos. His first of several was Tumors Suck. He also was a big inspiration, when it came to composing messages, first daily and then weekly. We have since stopped sharing them, because only a few were responding. All of this takes work and energy, something that I personally do not possess a lot of. Trevor has continued to help out in v...

Today, marks the 10th Blogiversary of Brenda's Brainstorm & Trevor, or the date 10 years ago, when Brenda started her own personal blog. It was originally named Brenda's Brainstorm, but a couple years later, I was added as her storyteller. We have shared the good and the not so good, as we will again, in this tale. This is Tale #141, which I think is pretty pawsome for 10 years. That does not include Brenda's blogs posts as a guest. She has also participated in RA/RD Blog Week for the past 4 years and those posts are included in this blog. It also contains her accomplishments and special features. They are all located on the left side, when you click on the top left, of the main page. Check it out and you will see, that this has become a real encouraging place to visit. We are also real here too. Without further delay, her is our latest tale. HAPPY 10TH BLOGIVERSARY!!! On September 18th, which was a Wednesday, Brenda was walking home, after she had finished her er...

RD BLOG WEEK; DAY ONE DEALING - How do other diagnosis impact your RD and its treatments? Before we begin, I would like to make a little introduction. I'm Trevor a golden retriever, who has been Brenda's storyteller for this blog, the past 8 years. We share tales about experiences that have happened in Brenda's life, good or bad. We believe in being real and at the same time, pawsitive. See what I did there? BOL Now, you get it.  Brenda has lived with rheumatoid disease for 28 years. Hers is primarily rheumatoid arthritis, but she also lives with another autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism. This was properly diagnosed, after her craniotomy was performed, for her right frontal lobe nonmalignant meninigioma brain tumor, which was removed entirely on September 8, 2008. That now makes her an eleven year brain tumor survivor.  Brenda also deals with high blood pressure, which as of late, has become a real challenge with finding the right medication. Thanks to her...

Hello my fellow readers. Trevor here, with our September tale. On the eve of Brenda's 11th Craniversary or what she refers to as the anniversary of her craniotomy, we thought that exploring the subject of possessing no filter would be appropriate. Brenda does live with frontal lobe syndrome, which is considered an acquired brain injury, as a result of having had a craniotomy. You hear this often in the brain tumor community; Brain Surgery Equals Brain Injury. This is true and in Brenda's case, it can be difficult to deal with at times. Some brain injured individuals, possess no filter. This is no fault of their own. It means that their actions cannot be controlled, due to having had their brain injured. This often happens with stroke victims. They become agitated and may lash out with cussing. Brenda herself experienced it with a stroke victim once. He was so happy to see her, but could not express what he wanted to say and started cussing. He also was gripping her hand tig...

It's time for our monthly blog post and this one is going to be on writing.  In case you're wondering, this is Trevor, composing this tale. BOL Brenda got herself a new toy this week. She did a lot of research and decided on a Chromebook. There were several factors involved, with making this decision. Brenda wanted to be able continuing with her blog. She uses Blogger, so that was another big plus, in making this decision. Brenda will be celebrating, 10 years of starting this blog later in the fall. Writing came into her life, about a year after the removal of a brain tumor. Creativity can suddenly manifest itself, after such a traumatic event. It did in Brenda's case. It has afforded her many opportunities. Not only did she start a blog, all by herself I might add, but she allowed that sudden burst of creativity, to spill over into other writing projects. One of her greatest joys, was becoming editor for an online publication. She served in that capacity, for 3 y...

Hello it's Trevor here, with our July tale. Brenda has had another summer full of doctor's visits and tests. We try to be real with our posts and this one, will be no different. Brenda has been struggling. This week she almost had a vertigo attack during the night. It seemed when she would start to lie down, the room almost started to spin. As you know vertigo is that false sense, that the room is spinning, when actually it isn't. Tell that to the inside of your head. Brenda had what she needed on hand, to stop things from getting worse. Unfortunately after something like this happens, you're exhausted and all you want to do is rest. Brenda decided it was in her best interest to stay home from work. It's been frustrating, because she missed 2 days last week, getting ready for her 4th colonoscopy. She has a family history, so there was no choice in the matter. They found 3 polys and some irritation, called mild proctitis, which is a pain in the butt. Brenda still...

Hello it's Trevor here, with our monthly tale. This has been quite the month for Brenda. She started her 32nd year of employment with the clinic on June 2nd. As some of you know, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 28 years ago. On September 8th, she will celebrate her 11th year of becoming a brain tumor survivor. Before going on with this tale; we want to let our readers know, that it was inspired by one of Brenda's favorite songs and singers. "'I'm Still Standing" with lyrics by Bernie Taupin and singing this truly upbeat inspirational anthem; is none other than one of Brenda's favorite singers in the whole wide world, Sir Elton John. Brenda recently saw Rocketman twice, based on Elton John's life. While we don't want to give too much away, if you haven't had a chance to see it. You should! Brenda loved how they focused on the friendship between Bernie and Elton. Imagine, sending the words to someone in the mail, then you sit...

Hello it's Trevor once again, sharing our monthly tale. Since it is both Arthritis and Brain Tumor Awareness Month in the US, we thought this would be a great time to share the essence of Brenda's passions when it comes to advocacy issues. Brenda has now been living with Rheumatoid Arthritis for 28 years. Her journey of becoming a brain tumor survivor began on September 8, 2008, almost 11 years ago. Brenda has found over the years, that the 2 continue to mesh and cannot be separated. Her becoming a brain tumor survivor, opened a whole new world for her. She became a writer and this blog became a reality, almost 10 years ago. I came along in 2011, as her storyteller. Brenda not only became creative, but found her voice. I think it was there all the time, but was hiding deep inside. They say that your inner strength is deep down inside of you. Reaching for that strength, can be one of the greatest things, you will ever do. Brenda was actually told in college, that she cou...

Hello it's Trevor, pawnouncing our "BARK OF THE MONTH" for April. This is a special story about a bond, between Renee B. and her sweet Greyhound, named Blanca. Her eyes are beautiful and we will be sharing a photo of her at the end. Congrats, to our "BARK OF THE MONTH" recipient, Blanca, an Italian Greyhound. The following, is that pawmazing story by Renee. BOL So, Blanca came to me from a lady in Nebraska. I had driven up to get Rocky, my other Greyhound, at the end of January. When Blanca was the appropriate age to be weaned, she came to Orlando. Blanca was flourishing and when she turned 4 months old, she somehow ingested a tiny wire (like the kind on a bread bag tie). Well, this wire somehow got lodged in her duodenum. Blanca wasn't eating much and was still so tiny. She had to have the wire surgically removed, at the same time, they had to do a partial duodenectomy. I was impressed by how STRONG Blanca is. VERY. Well, we made it to the 9 month mar...

Hello my fellow readers! Trevor here, with our monthly tale. This time folks, it's a serious one from the heart. Make that Brenda's, as she has been bending my golden ear. BOL As you know, Brenda had a craniotomy performed on September 8, 2008, to remove a right frontal lobe nonmalignant meningioma brain tumor. It has been said that brain surgery equals brain injury. In this case, an acquired brain injury. What that is folks, is something that happened as the brain was injured. After all, they did use a Midas drill on her head, to open the bone flap, so they could get to the tumor. It was fairly easy to get at, and they were able to remove it ALL, in one piece. While that was a relief, this journey was just beginning. Brenda felt that after she had this removed, that her life would go on, as if nothing had happened. That is far from the truth. This tale is all about confessions. Brenda thought it was high time, that you hear about some of the things she has gone through. ...

Hello my friends, it's Trevor with our monthly tale. We meant to get this out by last weekend. As you know, Brenda had her second shingrix vaccine last Thursday and has not been doing so great since. It has been an irritating experience for sure. She again, got a rash, but much quicker and more painful this time. Her nausea started the next morning and with her painful arm, it was too much to handle by the afternoon, that she ended up leaving early from work. She went home to rest. This was to be the day to celebrate her becoming a 10½ year brain tumor survivor. Brenda did a few things when she got home, went to bed and didn't even have dinner that evening. She was that exhausted. So much for celebrating! This being Brain Injury Awareness Month, irritability has been a constant reminder for Brenda, because of frontal lobe syndrome. It's considered an acquired brain injury. In Brenda's case from having had her brain tumor removed. She also has had two concussions or ...

Hi Trevor here, with our special pawnouncement this month. We are unveiling our 2nd "BARK OF THE MONTH" recipient, that we think you should know more about. Brenda connected with Lisa Z. on Facebook, who has become a dear friend. Lisa lives with Chronic Variable Immune Deficiency or (CVID). It means that her immune system attacks itself. Very serious stuff here... folks. Lisa uses humor to cope and Brenda thinks she is a riot. As you know, Brenda loves dogs and Lisa posted about an arthritic Yorkie who had been surrendered to the Warwick Valley Humane Society in Warwick, NY. Before I go on, Lisa was kind enough to share her story with us. These are her words, which I will change a bit in my special dog lingo. BOL Lisa sought out this dog, because it was an arthritic. I think that is pawmazing! As mentioned above, this dog was surrendered because of that reason. Lisa describes his challenges. "He had luxating patellas. His knees popped in and out. He was bow legged....

Hello my friends, Trevor here with our first post of the month. Today is Groundhog Day and no, he did not see his shadow. Brenda on the other hand, received wonderful news that her biologic has been approved for another year. What a weight has been lifted, from her shoulders. Thanks for sending out all of the positive energy. Continuing with our tale. On February 13, 2011, my paws hit the keyboard for the first time... composing the first of many tales, which has now been, almost 8 years. By now, you've probably figured out who the Golden Storyteller is. BOL Being able to bring these tales to life, for almost 8 years, has truly been a pleasure and honor. Brenda and I are a team, spreading awareness any chance we get. I've worn many hats, during those years. I became a mascot for some special kids and teens who live with Juvenile Arthritis or Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've been featured in several Tumors Suck videos. I helped Brenda with my Barks of Gold and was a...

Hello my fellow readers! It's Trevor pawnouncing our very first ever "BARK OF THE MONTH" recipient. Each month, we will feature one canine, deserving of this honor. So put your paws together and wait for it! BOL It is with great pleasure that we pawnounce this month's "BARK OF THE MONTH" the pawmazing Reser. You may have seen him hanging around, with his golden bros ParkerPup and little Gill. Reser is a 5 year old male golden retriever. He is one of 3,000 enrolled in the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, a groundbreaking study that should provide some insight into cancer in dogs. For golden retrievers this is especially important, as they are at a higher risk for developing cancer. Reser is truly a golden hero in our eyes. He also works alongside Parker to help raise awareness. I got some of this info, from the back of  Parker's calendar. BOL Brenda has been getting those every year, since she started following his page on Fac...

Hi it's Trevor, with our first tale of 2019. I thought the title was quite appropriate, since everything I will be sharing, has taken place this month. BOL Brenda recently celebrated her 59th birthday on January 9th, which was this past Wednesday. She received wishes from all over the world, which included her brain tumor and arthritis friends. She had a quiet birthday, but it was good. She found a wonderful canvas hanging of a golden retriever, that we will share at the end of this tale. Brenda has been dealing with insurance issues. This has been a challenging past few days for her. She is grateful, that she has had the time off, to deal with all of this. As you know, Brenda has been taking a biologic for almost 18 years for her rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which has been helping a great deal. Her 5 years was up and now the whole ball has to get rolling again. What we want to know is why it took so long for the game to get started? BOL How's that for a metaphor? The first...