Summertime living traditionally hasn’t been especially easy for me. I attribute this to the fact that there isn’t one of my favourite things—school—to give me structure and keep me intellectually engaged. In contrast with most of my peers in undergrad, who for whatever reason looked forward to the last day of classes (what??), I dreaded … Continue reading Summertime
Since writing about OCD a few weeks ago, I’ve had time to think more about some issues that I maybe should have addressed in that original post and others that have come up since then. Cue oversharing. Without getting into too many details, many of my OCD behaviours involve numbers; I have, for example, three–four … Continue reading OCD Redux
I’m very, very happy to have been chosen to attend the 2014 Young Adult Epilepsy Summit from July 25 to 27 in Washington, DC. According to its website, during the summit, organized by the Epilepsy Foundation and the North American Region International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE), “young adults will gather to network, share epilepsy experiences … Continue reading Summiting
I’ve been on leave for five days now, and I’m officially unsure what to do with myself. (I shouldn’t be spending much time writing, so I’ll keep this short.) (Also, I love parentheses.) I’ve been trying to strike a balance between preserving my mental health and recovering from this last concussion. I have this need … Continue reading Off
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
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
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
