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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Just Write {8}

So I've technically been on self-assigned bed rest since I got back to town. Cancelled my plans, haven't done chores, stayed home from work.

I've watched a lot of TV and cocooned myself in my bed with Netflix and my Hangman app.

I've been consciously eating balanced meals and hydrating myself with both water and Gatorade.

And trying not to feel ridiculously guilty that I've missed so much work.

I was determined that yesterday would be my last sick day, got tons of laundry done and even ventured to have lunch with H.

That did not serve me, as I ended up dizzy and nauseous by the end of the day.

So, frustrated and begrudgingly, I took today off too and am about to watch my third movie of the day.

This concussion has been immersion therapy in patience and tending to myself, regardless of obligation, appointment, or expectation.

Luckily, my brain and body are finally feeling better, and I am planning on heading back to work tomorrow, where I will force myself to sit, eat, and drink as much as humanly possible.

Wish me luck.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

2014...in with a Bang (on My Head)

This is what comes of not really paying attention to what I’m eating and drinking plus working my ass off despite weird stomach and headache issues.

After arriving in Hyannis with H and E, I took a swim with E, we headed to a restaurant to watch the Patriots play, and, it hit me like a freight train, I was suddenly keenly aware that I was going to faint.

And then, I was on the floor, sprawled out, sore neck, terrified and unaware of what had happened.

Dehydration and a migraine were why I fainted, I found out later.

And the fall from a bar stool gave me a good, solid concussion.

The EMTs who were called to the scene put me in a neck brace and on a straight board. I rode in my first ambulance ride, where they put heart monitors on my ankles and an IV in the crook of my left arm that stayed there for 24 hours. I puked upon arrival at the hospital and spent the next day with vomit in my hair. The lovely nurses cleaned it out of my nose and ears as best they could, though, when I showered back at the hotel when I got released, I did find some puke in my left ear.

The nausea I suffered after hitting my head finally dissipated after about 3 hours in the ER and right before they admitted me for observation overnight. Before they sent me upstairs, I peed in a bedside “commode.”

Everyone in the Cape Cod Hospital called the toilet the “commode.” It was very civilized.

Upon admittance, I was given a bright yellow FALL RISK bracelet to wear and put on bed alarm, so every time I had to get up to pee (which was very often), I had to ring for supervision.

It’s amazing how modesty goes out the window in a hospital.

I spent the night trying to find a comfortable position on my back with my left arm out flat next to me (to avoid the IV machine that honked every time I bent my arm). Finally, with an aching lower back, I found the best position was almost sitting up with my knees bent.

I saw the sun rise over Cape Cod and spent the morning watching shitty TV, just like I wanted to.

The doctor took me for a walk around the floor, inquiring as to what had been wrong with me before I fainted. He could find nothing wrong with me (all tests came back negative and clear except for an elevated white blood cell count which indicates I was fighting something) and urged me to combat any nausea with a prescription, eat, drink fluids, and deal with headache pain with caffeine, if needed.

I watched That 70s Show, Saved by the Bell, Full House, Wipeout, and hours The Real Housewives of Atlanta plus ate two hospital meals (if you can call them that) before I was released mid-afternoon on Monday.

We returned to the hotel (where H and E had stayed and played the night before) and I slept 11 hours Monday night. Returning to Boston before the snowstorm was uneventful and I slept 12 hours on Tuesday night!

I finally woke up today feeling good enough that I’ve had to force myself to take it easy.  So I spent today watching The Millionaire Matchmaker.

For future reference, here is a brief list of Things My Concussion Has Taught Me:
-Eat when you’re hungry.
-Drink when you’re thirsty.
-If you feel like you might faint, get low.
-Never underestimate the simple pleasures of clean underwear, clean hair, a clean face, and freshly brushed teeth.
-At the right moment, a cup of ginger ale will seem as satisfying as the greatest feast.
-Bravo TV is pretty much what the doctor ordered as you recover from a head injury.
-By gurney is the best way to travel.
-Choose your In Case of Emergency Contact Person wisely. In fact, I recommend mine.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Just Write {7}

It's Tuesday again.

A rainy, cold Tuesday.

God, I hate Tuesdays.

2014 is proving to be an odd year.

Feeling a little in limbo, disoriented by the date and the weather, and work.

I'm definitely not back in the groove, after my break, and we're all kind of plodding through the days, even the kids.

H and E and I are running away together for the long weekend, and I have aspirations of sitting in a hotel room and watching shitty TV for half the day and swimming in a pool for the other half.

Lofty goals, I know, but I think we can make them happen.

Maybe I'll even be holding a glass of wine for part of the weekend.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Just Write {6}

Welp.

It's 2014 and so far the year has been characterized by a huge snowstorm, followed by 50 degree weather, followed by weather in the teens and a blistering wind chill factor.

I have nothing new to say about the strangeness of this winter, and I know that there are places in the US that are colder than Boston right now.

But yesterday was unnerving:  mid-50s and raining in the afternoon and, by the time I got home, it was below freezing.

This morning, it's 11 out.

Aside from that, the only thing of note I've done is binge-watch the final season of Breaking Bad, including the five final episodes in one sitting.

I can't say I'm not proud of that though.