Yesterday at neuro rehab, I received the results of a (very long, multi-part) memory test that I completed with my occupational therapist last week. I'll cut right to the chase and reveal that I didn't do incredibly well. My OT was careful to sandwich the news: "You have lots of strengths; this test showed that … Continue reading That Elderly White Dude: Reflections on a Memory Test
Deep within the hospital at which I receive the majority of my care, there's a hallway featuring terracotta plaques bearing the names of individuals and organizations who/that donated to a fundraising campaign sometime in the 1980s or 1990s. The exact date slips my memory, but the style of the installation suggests that it wasn't in … Continue reading A Grateful Patient: Thanks in/for Retro Terracotta
Remember the post—I think it's this one—in which I scoffed at how my epileptologist had warned me that I'd feel a "big jolt" when he programmed my VNS and then the sensation ended up being more of a big ’ol nothing, to the point that I was concerned that there was something wrong with my … Continue reading And Behold, a Jolt!
I started playing the piano when I was a little girl and kept at it throughout my childhood. True to my personality, I (usually) took my lessons seriously, and I got better and better, as is typically the case when one practises—turns out that all those motivational posters are right. By the time I began … Continue reading Keys
This has been a challenging week on several fronts. I'm only going to elaborate on the one that's directly health-related, though, since it's affecting my ability to process what else has happened and since I like to maintain a sliver of separation between my personal life and my blog existence, believe it or not. Last … Continue reading ’Tis the Season! (Christmas and Concussions)
When I was a kid, "The Christmas Angel" would stop by every four or five days beginning on December 1 and ending on Christmas Eve. Said Angel left small gifts on the kitchen table, often a piece of candy, sometimes a little toy worth a dollar or two, and her visits were eagerly anticipated and … Continue reading The Christmas Angel
You might, but probably don't, recall that in the summer, at the urging of my occupational therapist at the neuro-rehab program that I was attending—and to which I'll return for a second block of treatment in January—I was making an effort to get "back" to the kitchen. In short, my OT was super excited about … Continue reading Back to “Back” to the Kitchen: Cookie Edition
Since the last time I blogged, I've made steady progress in the direction of adjusting to life with a VNS device implanted, cyborg-style, in my chest: I went to my family doctor and found a better solution for my nausea. I've almost completely eliminated ongoing pain by managing it with a combination of ibuprofen and … Continue reading Vanessa
The time's upon us: it's Halloween, yes, but it's also the day a VNS device will be surgically implanted in my chest. My husband and I are, in fact, at the hospital waiting for my operating time. Though I was a nervous wreck yesterday and over the weekend, I'm now (relatively) calm about the whole … Continue reading It’s a Great Day to Have a Device Implanted in My Chest! (Oh, and Happy Halloween, Everyone.)
I got home from a trip with my father last Tuesday afternoon. Our vacation was lovely: a perfect mix of relaxing, spending time with family, and being distracted from my upcoming surgery. Though I had a few seizures, we had a safety plan in place, and it worked exactly as it was supposed to. The … Continue reading Post-Vacation, Pre-Op Business/Busyness
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 