I'VE BEEN FALLING SLOWLY LITERALLY!

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  Been a bit of time since I filled you in on what is going on in my studio and life in general.  Lot's going on and many changes in the past few months.

                                   

                                     FALLING SLOWLY

I've had to take some time off from painting and life in general before Christmas and now because I have been having some medical issues.  I mentioned it in a blog post a ways back that I was having some mysterious problems walking..  Well, to be brief, I had been falling and falling a lot.  I have fallen 10 times in 2016!  The most serious was the time I got a concussion from landing backwards on my head on a cement floor.  I had to call 911 and go to hospital in ambulance.  Scary episode.

What had been causing me to fall had been a mystery to every doctor I saw.  I went to back doctors, knee doctors, spine doctors, neurologists, physical therapists, orthopedics and on and on.  It baffled the doctors.  I did find out that I have severe nerve damage in my legs however, no one thought that was why I was falling.  So, I had been having this problem for 2 years and it was a extremely upsetting and debilitating problem.  I couldn't walk anywhere without the fear that I would fall and just going to car would be too much and I did fall getting into the car 4 times.

I went to see a new neurologist and he was perplexed as well..  He said as he looked at me straight in the eye, "I don't know what is wrong with you!"  Needless to say, that after waiting 4 months to see him, I was devastated.  He had me get some blood work and thought I may have had a neurological problem called Myastenia Gravis.  But the tests showed up normal. On my last appointment, the neurologist said again that he didn't know what was wrong with me and I didn't fit any neurological disorder.  He did however nonchalantly and briefly check my blood work and he saw that my B12 level was really low!  Yep, that's right B12.  Well, it just so happens that a B12 deficiency can cause all kinds of neurological problems in the legs and when walking.  Also, I was walking in to things like doorways, tables lamps and so on. This also can be because of B12.  The other things that can be caused by B12 are severe anxiety, mood problems, balance problems and on and on.  The doctor told me he has never seen someone get better from B12 treatment!  Then he proceeded to tell me not to come back.  He didn't want to waste my time!!  He said "go to your primary Doctor and see about B12 injections."

So, I went to my primary and she wanted to do a second test to be sure and it came back that I was in the range but it was low/normal.  She agreed that I should try B12 injections (not pills they don't work) once a month for three months.  I just had my second shot and I have been able to walk a little better without getting numbness and tingling down my legs.  So that is really good.  I even managed to walk an hour at the mall before Christmas!  Before I could only walk about 20 feet and I'd get wobbly and was afraid of falling.  Now, I am waiting to see how I do with the shots for three months and get reevaluated to see if I need them for the rest of my life.  B12 shots are stored in the liver and pills are not.  The question I asked was "How did B12 level drop so low?'  One answer may be in that I was taking a heartburn medicine for another problem with my esophagus and the medicine can delete your B12 level.  Also, I was not eating a lot of meat and that can deplete it as well.

I am telling this story for everyone to beware of heartburn meds and B12 levels.  If you are taking heartburn medicine, get your B12 level checked to make sure it is normal.  B12 deficiency can be extremely serious and may cause permanent neurological problems.  In general I am feeling a little better.  It may take 6 -9 months for the neurological problems to get better if thay can.  I am hoping that I will be back to myself soon but in the meantime, I have started to paint again and am back in the swing of things.  No falling in a month!  I'd love to hear from anyone who has had B12 deficiency.  Please leave a comment.

REALLY WORKING THE SEASCAPES AND MORE

"FOLLOW THE LIGHT'   12 x 16 acrylic on watercolor paper    (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

This is one of the paintings that really drew me into painting seascapes.  I love the texture in the sky and water.  I painted it solely with a palette knife. All of these seascapes and landscapes were painted during the time I was falling and I can see my instability in my paintings.  Can you?

STUDY IN TEXTURE,SPACE AND COLOR   24x18  acrylic on canvas  (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

 Another experimental study in texture, space and color.  I am so in love with Prussian Blue and I can't use it enough these days. I especially love it with Crimson .  Mixed together or on top of each other, either way I am in love!

'STORM IS RAGING'       7 x 5         acrylic on matte board         (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

This painting is really a mystery to me.  I can't decide if it is a seascape or a landscape?  When looking at it one way it looks like a long road out west on the way to California.  Then when I look at it again it looks like a stormy sky with raging clouds.  I really love it especially because of it's size. It's a petite size painting 7 x 5.  I have been working on all different size surfaces lately and it really shakes things up! I did a small series on 7 x 5 inch matte board and I really like the surface.  They are quick studies that have really turned out to be small and petite paintings in their own right.  I like to see something emerge on the surface quickly to quell my anxiety when starting a painting.  I never know what to expect.  The anticipation makes me unsettled for a few moments as I am beginning my painting.  So, these small pieces are a great way to get rid of the anxious feelings

Thanks for reading.  Remember get your B12 checked if you take meds for heartburn!

Cheers,

Loren