My biggest accomplishment of 2015 is that I survived it. I like the sound of that – it has the right mix of crispness and surprise. But … nah. “Privileged white girl! What do you know about survival?” my inner critic hisses. The people who should be allowed to take credit for surviving 2015 are … read more Accomplished
Month: December 2015
Clanging and banging
Bang – bang – bang – bang!! Forty minutes of hammering, clanging, machine gun, buzzing, all very loud right in my ears. My first MRI. The doc yesterday referred me for one on my shoulder, and I wanted to squeeze it in before the end of the year since I’ve met my deductible. MRIs run … read more Clanging and banging
More pills??
The surgeons are done with me. Today I turned myself in at the office of the primary care doctor. My usual doc was out of the country, so I went to his partner. I wasn’t too sure about going to a stranger. But I’m anxious to get some closer-to-home follow-up on the daily trials I’ve been dealing … read more More pills??
Re-traumatized
[Dec. 28] This morning, I had an anxiety attack from reading the description of my surgery. I had downloaded my patient record from Emory. It described the surgery step by step, in clinical detail. Four pages of detail. It was the first time that I realized what the doctors meant when they said the aneurysm was in an … read more Re-traumatized
Parallel universe
I just found out that my friend Patty’s husband died two weeks ago. Such a major event, and I didn’t even know. Patty has a smile that makes me run across the room to be near her. She was very sweet to me in my early days here in North Georgia, one of my first friends. She was … read more Parallel universe
At the speed of a cranefly
My day was saved by this leaf. Perfect day for a hike: sunshine and near 70 degrees. But I couldn’t bear the thought of hiking. Even after sleeping nearly 12 hours, I got worn out from just heating and eating lunch, taking a shower and distributing leftover cornbread to the birds. No energy left for … read more At the speed of a cranefly
Re-gifted
Sometimes people get gifts they don’t want, so they just give them to someone else. Christmas is a great excuse for this practice of “re-gifting.” That happened to me today. I woke to a rainy, misty day on the mountain. I got up because my back was aching to move. I was very slow, still a … read more Re-gifted
Only a few
We dragged three boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage yesterday, knowing we didn’t need them. We’d already decided that a tree with ornaments would be too much hassle. But there were a few items we needed from those boxes. We only wanted the lights. Just plain, white lights. Simple candles (electric) in the front windows, … read more Only a few
Good to go
Dec. 23 – The long-awaited day: my follow-up visit with the neurosurgeons. I was nervous and disoriented as Tom drove us down to Atlanta. I had no idea what to expect from the doctors… and at the same time, being on a freeway again felt like being in a Mad Max movie. Surrounded by hostility … read more Good to go
Compelled to what?
My body continues to surprise me. This time, though, it’s a good thing. Today, I felt compelled … to … exercise. I can’t remember the last time I had that feeling. Maybe it was in 1998, when I started running, and loved it so much that I thought I’d try to do a triathalon. In … read more Compelled to what?