Why I Sat in the Laundromat a Few Afternoons Ago Reflecting on the Nature of “Invisible” Illness As I Experience It

A few days ago, I read a great article in The Atlantic with the delightfully self-explanatory title "Living with Invisible Illness." This piece of writing has popped into my poor 'ol maybe-concussed head several times since. (Yep, maybe-concussed, but I don't really feel like getting into the particulars of the maybe-concussion. What a life, huh?? What … Continue reading Why I Sat in the Laundromat a Few Afternoons Ago Reflecting on the Nature of “Invisible” Illness As I Experience It →

Grainy Icing on the Proverbial Grocery-Store Cake: Reflections on Laziness (Part I)

One of the words that I apply to myself most liberally is "lazy." (As I wrote that sentence, I began fantasizing about supermarket cake spread thickly with vanilla icing—the fact that I so easily and quickly equate myself with cheap dessert covered with grainy frosting, incidentally my favourite variety, perhaps bears further analysis. The comparison … Continue reading Grainy Icing on the Proverbial Grocery-Store Cake: Reflections on Laziness (Part I) →

Four Years

Today is my husband's and my four-year wedding anniversary, which started with a treatment that required me (read: us) to arrive at the hospital by 6:45 a.m. for a brain-traumatizing procedure. (Private-message me for deets, if you’re interested. I will also use this procedure as an excuse for typos/poor writing/etc. etc., so I apologize in … Continue reading Four Years →

Readmission/Return

Two weeks ago, four days after I had been discharged the first time, I was readmitted to the hospital. The reasons for this return are complicated, meaning that I don't feel like getting into them right now, but suffice it to say that my reentry into the world of twenty-four-seven medical supervision was swift, unexpected, … Continue reading Readmission/Return →

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Over six weeks later, and I've finally been discharged from the hospital. Over six weeks: that's a month and a half of my life. And the saga's not over yet. Not really. Health problems of this nature aren't (surprise surprise) miraculously resolved when you're handed your discharge papers and head home. I've got a ways … Continue reading Looking Back, Moving Forward →

Pin Cushion: Reflections on Patient Passivity

Friday morning, I was awoken around six by the voice of a middle-aged woman. I opened one eye just enough to see that she was sporting delightfully over-the-top scrubs, the kind with a cartoon motif that assistants in pediatric dental offices wear. "I'm from the lab, sweetie; I just need to draw some blood." Of course you are. Of course you do. After looking … Continue reading Pin Cushion: Reflections on Patient Passivity →

Hitting Four Weeks and Experiencing Emotions

It's been almost a month. Crazy. It's been almost a month, and I'm not sure when I'll be discharged, but it definitely won't be in the next few days, and I'm secretly happy that it won't be in the next few days since a little part of me knows that it isn't time to go home yet. My … Continue reading Hitting Four Weeks and Experiencing Emotions →

Two and a Half Weeks Later

It's been over two weeks now, and I'm still chillin' in the hospital. Positive spin: I get to eat that amazing hospital food that I featured in my last blog entry; all social engagements must take place at my bedside, which is convenient for me and immensely inconvenient for others; I have lots of time … Continue reading Two and a Half Weeks Later →

Hospital Food and Ticking Boxes (Highlights of My Current Existence)

Nine days in to my current hospital stay, I feel well enough to waste some of my limited computer time blogging when I could be, oh, e-mailing my mother (sorry, Mom) or taking care of business (sorry, business). I don't, however, want to burden my brain or readership by blogging about anything serious, so instead, I will focus on something happier: … Continue reading Hospital Food and Ticking Boxes (Highlights of My Current Existence) →

Curveballs

Sometimes, despite your months-long effort to responsibly follow your treatment plan, life throws you a curve ball. That's what happened last Friday night: life threw us a curve ball. A big, serious, scary, overwhelming curve ball. The brain, I'm learning, is the strangest of organs. Just when I think I've figured mine out, it reminds me … Continue reading Curveballs →