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
As the self-explanatory title of this blog post makes clear, it's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. Though 2017 has been difficult in ways that are sometimes hard for me to articulate, my Year of the Disobedient Brain has, in many respects, allowed me to better recognize my privilege and focus on the things for which … Continue reading Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!
Over the course of two days, it's abruptly turned from sundress-and-Birkenstocks weather to sweater-and-sneakers season. The change hasn't been entirely unwelcome; there's only so much late-September sweating I can do before agonizing over global warming starts to interfere with my enjoyment of the sunshine. It has, however, resulted in some interesting-to-me (almost definitely boring-to-you) reflections. … Continue reading It’s the End of September, and I’m Not Freaking Out
I'm a little late—what else is new?—with this, but I thought I'd write a bit about my latest visit to the neuro ward, a.k.a. my home away from home this year. First: I've been out for a while now, so yay! In fact, with the medication adjustment done in hospital, I'm super stable. In fact, … Continue reading Belated Update: Another Visit to 5B (Yeah, I Know)
I met with my epileptologist last Wednesday to follow up on the hospitalizations that seem to have plagued me this summer. Each of these mini vacays (ha…) from my everyday life has resulted in a heavier medication load than ever before, and since I've been deemed ineligible for resective surgery (for now, at least), I'm … Continue reading Becoming a Cyborg/Making Decisions/Drawing Questionable Pictures
It's been a while. (I'm sorry.) I have three major updates, as well as many minor ones, but I haven't been able to get myself to open a tab, write a few paragraphs, and click "publish" in over what—two weeks?—so I thought I'd start with something short and sweetish to break the proverbial ice and … Continue reading Rebreaking the Proverbial Ice
Forty-five seconds. A blip, and likely an inevitable one, after which I rolled over and went to sleep. I'm making a real effort to convince myself that forty-five seconds mean nothing, but they keep tossing around my head, unwilling to simply be what they were—one complex partial seizure among dozens I've had this calendar year. … Continue reading Forty-Five Seconds
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 