Isolation, OCD, and a Request

I recently wrote a longish autobiographical piece about my childhood OCD-based fear of waterslides. (It’s still not polished, and I’m not sure what I’ll do with it after the final edit, so I’m not posting it here.) Waterslides weren’t the only way OCD affected my life when I was a kid, and my brain eventually … Continue reading Isolation, OCD, and a Request →

Pretty Much the Best

It’s been just over a week since I came home, and I’m happy to report that I’m still here and that it’s still pretty much the best (and that I took down the stray Christmas decorations that my husband had left up since last year). Though I was feeling pretty darn good about leaving the … Continue reading Pretty Much the Best →

It’s Nice Out, and I Hate It

Looking out my window and at the weather app on my phone tells me that it's no longer winter, which is a little hard for me to process since this hospital stay began in early December and the last time I was outside was in February. Lemme tell you: I'm not a fan of everyone … Continue reading It’s Nice Out, and I Hate It →

Osteoporawesome: Good News at the Osteoporosis Clinic

I had my follow-up at the osteoporosis clinic this morning to find out the results of the tests ordered the last time and to be told the doctor's recommendations for next steps. (This meant, of course, that I was flipping out last night, at least on the inside, and briefly considered rescheduling. In the end, … Continue reading Osteoporawesome: Good News at the Osteoporosis Clinic →

A Surgical Detour to Surgery

Another detour in my quest to go more than five days without my neurons misfiring. I haven't written an update since my appointment with the neurosurgeon on Friday, in part because I'm still a little stunned and upset and in part because my husband and I were out of town for the weekend, leaving me … Continue reading A Surgical Detour to Surgery →

Dr. Me, PhD: And with That, I’m Officially a Doctor

Last Tuesday, I woke up early, put on more makeup than usual, obsessed over my hair for a bit, went to campus in a cab with the 'rents, donned a very-impressive robe, nervously waited around for a while, and was transformed from not-yet-officially-a-doctor to officially-truly-a-doctor in a tradition-filled ceremony attended by some of the people … Continue reading Dr. Me, PhD: And with That, I’m Officially a Doctor →

Epilepsy and the Importance of Community

Some of the young adults that I've been collaborating with since the epilepsy summit that I attended in DC in July 2014 met in Toronto this past weekend to discuss our progress, plan upcoming projects, and work on our current one. It was an engaging, intense, fulfilling few days, and for the first time in … Continue reading Epilepsy and the Importance of Community →

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 →

Seizures and the Search for Silver Linings

This'll come as a shock to you, especially delivered by someone as "eternally positive" (hahahahahahaha) as I am, but life's full of disappointments. I've found, since developing epilepsy, that this is particularly true when one has a chronic illness that involves unpredictable brain malfunctions. So in an effort to combat how letdowns of all varieties affect my … Continue reading Seizures and the Search for Silver Linings →

Pill Organization and Eternal Love

In what amounted to a grand romantic gesture, my husband surprised me by filling my long-abandoned pill organizer while I was on campus the other day. There've been a few times over the past month in which I've had a seizure in an unfortunate window that left unclear whether I'd already taken my evening meds. Of … Continue reading Pill Organization and Eternal Love →