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
Just over a week before Christmas, I had a seizure and needed to be brought to an acute-care hospital. The next day, still in the ICU, I had another seizure, tried to get out of bed, fell, and broke my hip, an injury requiring surgery. A few days later, I went into status epilepticus again … Continue reading Christmas
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
I met A through an epilepsy advocacy group to which we both belonged. I don’t remember how or why, but we soon became penpals, frequently exchanging letters and small gifts through the mail. This continued for years. I grew accustomed to happiness and gratitude bubbling up my throat when an intricately-decorated envelope—inevitably including a lengthy … Continue reading For A
It’s been a hectic but very positive week. Real progress is being made, readers! I traditionally haven’t done well with transitions. As I’m sure I’ve written a bazillion times before, my preference is usually to remain in an uncomfortable situation rather than face the risk presented by change. (Which happens to be one of my … Continue reading Transition
… 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
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
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
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 