The rollercoaster has continued . . .

By May 3rd, my good friend decided to surprise live-stream, and as his moderator, I had permission to edit his titles. His titles end up being little humor then shortly after, he had back to back raids. Big Wins for my friend!

Over on Twitch, I’ve been in the spotlight as a Deaf Ambassador within the hearing community. One day, I sat down with another friend and asked their thoughts on me in that role—and they agreed. I was honestly blown away to be seen that way. It felt truly honoring.

This month, awareness around closed captioning has continued to grow, and my follower count has increased slightly. I keep encouraging everyone to leave captions on—not just for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, but also for hearing individuals with medical conditions that benefit from captioning. If you stream on Twitch, I ask you to please consider enabling closed captions. It increases accessibility for a wider audience. Thank you if you already have! ❤️ And if you need help setting it up, feel free to message me on Twitch—I’m “DeafAmanda” —and I’ll gladly assist or point you to the right resources.

On May 7th, I woke up from a nap with my heart racing—a sensation that’s fairly normal for me. As my heart rate settled, I went to the bathroom and noticed that my left arm was slightly swollen. After speaking with a few people, they suggested that I go to ER so off I went to the ER. I’m now under the care of my primary doctor and being monitored. So far, everything seems okay, but there’s still no diagnosis.

I finally started my physical therapy for my sciatica and its been a interesting journey. It really hurt that first night then after that, it ease up a bit. I’m noticing I am using pain reliever medication less and less which I am very happy with.

I was surprised to learn that two people had passed away—one was just six months old, and the other was an older individual. This month also marked both the death and birthday anniversaries of others who are no longer with us. I spent time quietly grieving and privately honoring their birthdays.

Mother’s Day was filled with love. My oldest, who had work, decided to come home early—we played games and chatted late into the night. My youngest made one of my favorite dinner dishes. Thank you both! ❤️

May 28th was Ash’s 4th birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t home for most of the day. I had an important appointment, then had to travel to another town to pick up Ash’s prescription food and a few birthday toys. I barely made the last bus home—if I had missed it, the ride back would’ve cost $30–$40! What a day!

I ended the month waking up feeling unusually drained. I thought to myself, “This is odd,” since it’s been happening more frequently lately. I reached out to my primary doctor and, while I have my own guesses about what might be going on, I’ll know more on Monday.

TV SHOW

This month, I’ve been watching The Listener and I’m nearing the end of Season 4 out of a total of five seasons. So far, it’s been pretty good. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars—some parts could have been stronger, and I did catch a few small mistakes along the way. The show follows a man who can read people’s thoughts and visions. He starts off as an EMT and later becomes a consultant for a certain group (I won’t spoil which one!). The story has kept me engaged, especially as the truth about his abilities begins to unfold and the situations around him grow more complex.

Thank you for taking the time to read my journey.

With Love,