Pretty much no one I know in real life was surprised when I was officially diagnosed with OCD a few weeks ago. My mom’s reaction was simply “duh.” The most common among close friends was some variation of wanting to know if this is actually news. Indeed, I was more taken aback by my psychiatrist’s … Continue reading OCD
I’m the first to concede that I had pitifully low expectations for Topamax when it was added to my pharmaceutical regime in early May. My bad attitude was, in my admittedly negative opinion, warranted: I’d unsuccessfully tried many other AEDs and had no reason to expect that this would be any different. It has been, … Continue reading Dopamax
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
I’ve toyed on and off with the idea of taking a medical leave of absence from my program for a while now, but the prospect's always made me uncomfortable. If I’m honest with myself (and with the entire internet), I’ve always felt that it would represent a personal failure of sorts, though this judgement is … Continue reading Taking Time
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
It’s hard to believe that more than a year’s passed since Purple Day 2013, when I (over)enthusiastically decorated our apartment in everything purple and stretched the limits of what foods and beverages can be rendered an unnatural shade of chemical violet. I didn’t have the energy to do that this time around. Instead, we marked the … Continue reading Purple Day 2014
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
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 