Four Years

Today is my husband's and my four-year wedding anniversary, which started with a treatment that required me (read: us) to arrive at the hospital by 6:45 a.m. for a brain-traumatizing procedure. (Private-message me for deets, if you’re interested. I will also use this procedure as an excuse for typos/poor writing/etc. etc., so I apologize in … Continue reading Four Years →

Readmission/Return

Two weeks ago, four days after I had been discharged the first time, I was readmitted to the hospital. The reasons for this return are complicated, meaning that I don't feel like getting into them right now, but suffice it to say that my reentry into the world of twenty-four-seven medical supervision was swift, unexpected, … Continue reading Readmission/Return →

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Over six weeks later, and I've finally been discharged from the hospital. Over six weeks: that's a month and a half of my life. And the saga's not over yet. Not really. Health problems of this nature aren't (surprise surprise) miraculously resolved when you're handed your discharge papers and head home. I've got a ways … Continue reading Looking Back, Moving Forward →

Pin Cushion: Reflections on Patient Passivity

Friday morning, I was awoken around six by the voice of a middle-aged woman. I opened one eye just enough to see that she was sporting delightfully over-the-top scrubs, the kind with a cartoon motif that assistants in pediatric dental offices wear. "I'm from the lab, sweetie; I just need to draw some blood." Of course you are. Of course you do. After looking … Continue reading Pin Cushion: Reflections on Patient Passivity →

Hitting Four Weeks and Experiencing Emotions

It's been almost a month. Crazy. It's been almost a month, and I'm not sure when I'll be discharged, but it definitely won't be in the next few days, and I'm secretly happy that it won't be in the next few days since a little part of me knows that it isn't time to go home yet. My … Continue reading Hitting Four Weeks and Experiencing Emotions →

EMU: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Long and Unpleasant Hospital Stay!

It looks like I have a tentative date—or date range, anyway—for an admission to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at a hospital here in Toronto. Yay! Yay. Yay? Ugh. I have, as I’ve probably made evident, conflicted emotions about this. On the one hand, it has to happen eventually, and I’ve waited a long time for … Continue reading EMU: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Long and Unpleasant Hospital Stay! →

Stretches: Unreasonable Expectations and Consolation Prizes

So, as many of my Facebook friends (hey guys!) among my readership know, I'm now entering day five of a seizure-free stretch. I at first attributed this amazing development to the annual kickoff of my almost-daily trips to Menchies, but yesterday I got my froyo elsewhere, so there might be—shocker—some actual medical explanation for it. … Continue reading Stretches: Unreasonable Expectations and Consolation Prizes →

Crash Course

So, I hit my head last Monday in the usual mid-seizure way, which resulted in a “mild” concussion (“mild” in quotation marks because I wasn’t told that it’s mild but just assume/decided it is to make myself feel better). I know, I know: it’s like every time I knock my brains around, they miraculously get … Continue reading Crash Course →

Happy Purple Day! (And an Ill-Conceived Children’s Book Idea)

When my brothers and I were kids, we tried to convince my parents that there should be mythical gift-bearing creatures associated with non-gift holidays: the Thanksgiving Rat, for example. With this history of attempting to cheat my way into extra toys, I casually suggested to my husband this morning that there should be a Purple … Continue reading Happy Purple Day! (And an Ill-Conceived Children’s Book Idea) →

“Frazzled University Instructor with Epilepsy” and PowerPoint: A Love Story

Until three weeks ago, I was adamant that I'd never use PowerPoint as a classroom tool. As are many things I pretentiously reject, it was perfectly acceptable for other people, but I was happy with chalk and, you know, my voice. More to the point, I hate change and am technologically inept. And then I … Continue reading “Frazzled University Instructor with Epilepsy” and PowerPoint: A Love Story →