Yep. A little over three weeks after my last concussion, I got another one. I’m kind of mad at myself. I probably could have prevented this from happening, but I instead let my stubbornness and sense of duty get in the way. Though I was still under doctor’s orders to refrain from mental work, I … Continue reading Concussion: Take Two
I’ve toyed on and off with the idea of taking a medical leave of absence from my program for a while now, but the prospect's always made me uncomfortable. If I’m honest with myself (and with the entire internet), I’ve always felt that it would represent a personal failure of sorts, though this judgement is … Continue reading Taking Time
It’s been two and a half weeks since my concussion. I went to the doctor last Thursday, and he did a series of tests to gauge my extremely minimal progress. Here are some facts that I learned during that appointment: I can’t balance with my eyes closed. I can repeat a series of four words … Continue reading Concussion, Week Three: Progress Minimal, Morale Low
Last Saturday, Andrew found me lying on the floor by my computer. It was pretty clear when I regained consciousness that things weren’t right (I mean, more not right than usual). We’ve learned to separate “normal” postictal symptoms from those of a head injury, and many of the latter were there: a huge goose egg … Continue reading Concussion/Bad Patient/Anxiety
It’s hard to believe that more than a year’s passed since Purple Day 2013, when I (over)enthusiastically decorated our apartment in everything purple and stretched the limits of what foods and beverages can be rendered an unnatural shade of chemical violet. I didn’t have the energy to do that this time around. Instead, we marked the … Continue reading Purple Day 2014
Earlier this evening, I had a seizure while taking a shower. Luckily I had already rinsed out the shampoo (small blessings, right?), though conditioner wasn't going to happen, for obvious reasons. Of all possible "injuries," slightly crispy hair ranks pretty low. Indeed, I didn't seriously hurt myself beyond a sore leg and a few bruises. … Continue reading Postictal
The recent publication of Helen Stephens’ photo diary in the Guardian affected me in a very personal way. The images, which are juxtaposed with her reflective writings, show Stephens in a variety of post-seizure states. They are impactful, human, and brave, and I commend her for her willingness to be so public about her experience with … Continue reading Helen Stephens, Bravery, and Irrational Fears
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Wednesday morning. Literally. It’s funny how disconcerting it was to have my husband snoring to my right rather than to my left, but I figured that I must’ve had a seizure then immediately fallen asleep the night before. Andrew confirmed that this was the … Continue reading Wrong Side of the Bed
I’ve got a backlog of things to blog about. I’ve also got a serious backlog of real work to do, so there you go. One thing at a time, as someone once said. We got back from a just-about-perfect trip to NYC/NJ on Sunday afternoon. My husband got the stomach flu on Monday; I got … Continue reading Non-Chronic Illness
WARNING: stop reading if you're offended by mental illness (in which case, please never visit my blog again) or by stale raisin bread. A few years ago, my husband and I went to see Maria Bamford at a comedy club in Toronto. For the uninitiated, Bamford is one of the best comedians in the history … Continue reading Maria Bamford and Bad Ideas
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 