I’m lying on a stretcher in the preoperative care unit waiting for my VNS surgery. What better time to write a blog post? (I finished it, however, a few days later.) As I mentioned in my previous entry, last week was a doozy. Most notably, on Tuesday we had a team meeting in which I … Continue reading Big Changes, Minimal Acceptance
I have a new body part. (That’s what you call an ankle-foot orthotic, right?) Acquiring it took time (of which I have near-endless amounts) and patience (of which I have almost none). Since the orthotic is custom made, the orthopedist had to come to take a plaster mould of my foot and leg and carefully … Continue reading AFO
So much has happened since I last wrote that I got too overwhelmed to write anything at all. And then what would likely be immediately obvious to most people popped into my head: it’s possible to update in bits and pieces rather than all at once. So here’s a bit. Or a piece. (You decide.) … Continue reading A Bit or a Piece
I’ve been at rehab for over two weeks. I’ve settled in and already feel as if I’m making progress, though I’ll admit that, being the impatient person I am, I get frustrated that I’m not a specimen of perfect human health already. I try to consistently look back and reflect on where I was a … Continue reading Steady(ish) She Goes
Good things are happening. First and, probably, foremost, I’ve started taking steps (using an “air walker” and with the assistance of two physiotherapists, but still). My first attempt I managed six; now I’m up to around twenty-five. It’s absolutely and unbelievably exhilarating to “walk.” It’s also very, very exhausting. Second, I passed my swallow test! … Continue reading (Literal) Steps Forward
… and, to be honest, I only remembered because a friend sent me a text wishing me a happy Purple Day. I’m pretty sure the fact that it totally and completely slipped my mind makes me a bad PWLWE (Person Who Lives with Epilepsy). Or maybe it has more to do with the other “stuff” … Continue reading It Was Purple Day (for Epilepsy Awareness) on Saturday
It was on a particularly challenging day last week that I received a message with an offer so generous it made me want to cry. (OK, fine; some tears were shed. I’m becoming an increasingly emotional beast with each passing year.) It was from my LEGO Fairy, who wanted to know if she could purchase … Continue reading Return of the LEGO Fairy
If you know me in “real” (scare quotes because what’s real, even, in this day and age?) life or read this blog, you almost certainly know that I’m a LEGO superfan. Those little plastic bricks aided me as I recovered from a brain injury; they’ve distracted me during long hospitalizations; they’ve rewired neurons fried from … Continue reading Yet Another LEGO Appreciation Post
Tonight is New Year’s Eve. It isn’t a “holiday” my husband and I have traditionally celebrated in any major way, mostly because my bedtime is around 9:00 p.m. This year will be much the same; our plan is to play a game in the late afternoon, have a festive meal (with the Christmas crackers I … Continue reading Looking Forward (Happy NYE!)
I'm taking a few minutes from my Boxing Day to wish you a happy holiday week (if that's relevant to you). I hope that you're striking a balance between celebration and safety and that you're responsibly marking the season in a way that feels right to you. In other words, Merry Christmas! Or not. My … Continue reading This Christmas
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 