Some Positive VNS News in the News

Yes, I mean news news, not news of the personal-and-complainy variety. Yesterday I ran across this article about five-year-old Emma, who's the first patient in Canada to have the most recently released VNS model implanted. When she was seven months old, Emma was diagnosed with the seizure disorder infantile spasms (IS); her parents are hosting an … Continue reading Some Positive VNS News in the News →

Graduation!

As of last Thursday, and after two rounds of treatment, I'm officially finished my neuro day-hospital program. It feels super good. Time to reflect! Given my tendency to worry that I've plateaued or am plateauing in my recovery, I've found it important, especially over the past month or so, to keep reminding myself that I've made … Continue reading Graduation! →

2017 in Review: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Looking at the VNS Scar on My Neck Every Time I Look in the Mirror

Well, it's been an interesting year. I knew that 2017 wouldn't be devoid of challenges: it started, after all, with scheduled neurosurgery that had been looming over me for much of 2016. I didn't anticipate, though—I couldn't have anticipated—how many twists and turns I'd navigate from January (intracranial grids implanted, almost the entire month spent … Continue reading 2017 in Review: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Looking at the VNS Scar on My Neck Every Time I Look in the Mirror →

Vanessa

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 →

I Am Now a Cyborg: Hear Me Whimper

Well, I did it! All went pretty much according to plan, and I now have a VNS implanted in my chest. I'd like to claim that I've roared my way into cyborg status, but so far I've been in more of a whimpering state. Roaring will have to be a longer-term goal. I meant to … Continue reading I Am Now a Cyborg: Hear Me Whimper →

It’s a Great Day to Have a Device Implanted in My Chest! (Oh, and Happy Halloween, Everyone.)

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.) →

Post-Vacation, Pre-Op Business/Busyness

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 →

Forty-Five Seconds

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 →

Cane Game: Getting My Mobility On, Feeling Stuff

It's been several months since my second surgery and its ensuing complications, which included some left-sided weakness, and despite my many efforts, I haven't yet managed to convince my medical professionals that I'm ready to completely ditch the cane that I started using while in the hospital. Believe me, I've tried. With impressive persistence, too. … Continue reading Cane Game: Getting My Mobility On, Feeling Stuff →

Leaving the Neighbourhood and Other Things I’m Still Not Doing Much: Attempts at Gratitude

As April trudges steadily onward, bringing with it the promise of, um, May, warmer days are becoming increasingly frequent (even in Ontario, where eighteen-degree highs continue to alternate with seven-degree ones¹). I usually welcome spring and all that it represents with open arms, eager to be able to more comfortably spend time outdoors racking up … Continue reading Leaving the Neighbourhood and Other Things I’m Still Not Doing Much: Attempts at Gratitude →