It has been another busy week since I last blogged. Last week, I was inspired to blog by the bright sunshine, my hot coffee, and Luke Bryan on the radio. Today, however, my headache and rainy weather have, well...inspired me to update.
Before I go on, I need to remind you that I do have Seasonal Depression (self-diagnosed), but will do my best to be as upbeat as I have been these past ten days.
For starters, we are all moved in! The new house is beautiful and is starting to feel more "homey". I did a lot of lifting, a lot of moving, and a lot of organizing...more than I ever expected I would be able to do. Admittedly, I needed Tylenol around the clock and sometimes an extra dose. I continued to use my ice packs while relaxing. Monday of last week, was complete chaos with movers in an out of the house, appliances being delivered, people stopping by, mom and dad opening box after box trying to decide where things go, cable guys coming in and out, security systems being installed, etc. The house was so out of order and felt overwhelming. We did as much as we could that night and slept comfortably that night.
Tuesday and Wednesday, my sister was home. As I have mentioned many times before, my relationship with my sister has been on the rocks for the last few years. What I have come to realize is, I didn't have a relationship with my sister. I had a relationship with her horrible, nasty, ignorant addiction. This past week, my sister came home. Not the addiction. It was the most pleasant surprise. We went shopping, got coffee, she straightened my hair, went out to dinner, watched TV, and jammed out to music in my car. (YES I DROVE!!!) It was wonderful. I have a sister again. She comes home again in a few weeks for a few days. I can't believe the words are being typed right now, but I am looking forward to it. I am not saying she is perfect, but I am hoping, with every part of my being, that things are only going to be looking up from here on out!
This past weekend I spent a night alone. I babysat for my two cousins for a few hours and it went well. I was very anxious doing this, but realized once I was there that I shouldn't have been. They were very well behaved and it was a great distraction to my boring day. Afterwards, I had friends over, but slept at home alone. I am not good at being alone on a normal day. I never have been. I was slightly nervous, especially being in a new house, but I did well.
Saturday I went out with high school friends for lunch and shopping for a wedding registry. I talked the girls into letting me use the registry gun. Seeing that one is getting married any day and the other will be engaged any day, I played the "We don't know if I will ever get the chance to do this" card. It worked! It was fun and again, felt so NORMAL. I was feeling great. It was beautiful out, I had a fancy drink at lunch, and I was spending time with friends.
Saturday night I had planned to go out with my friend, but ended up feeling tired and had a slight headache over my eyes. Instead, went to bed early and got a great night sleep. Waking up Sunday, I was refreshed and spent another busy day unpacking the rest of my boxes, got my giraffes a spot on the shelf, visited with my cousin, and went shopping for house goods with mom and dad. I took a total of three doses of Tylenol, including my dose before bed. It was the least amount of medicine I have taken since the surgery in one day! I went to bed last night feeling tired, but feeling proud.
I kicked brain surgery's butt. Here I am. 8 1/2 weeks post surgery, and ready to go back to work. I feel good. I feel great. I feel so much better than I ever expected to this soon. I have yet to have a Chiari headache. The tingling in my fingers and feet have disappeared. My Woody Arm, gone. I haven't dropped much since, and rarely fall anymore. I have an occasional tingle in my lip, but nothing that affects my daily living.
I am tired. But, I am also pretty bored. Hence the reason, I can not wait to get back to work. As I have said MANY times before, I work well with routine. Knowing that as of Wednesday morning, I will be getting up each morning and seeing my kid's smiling faces, excites me. I ran into one of my student's parents a few days back and they said to me, "Going back to work doesn't seem so bad when you love your job, does it?" He couldn't be more right. It is funny, when I left in February, I was so ready to be done and the idea of spending time at home relaxing felt like a dream. I was worried about not wanting to come back after surgery. Two months ago, I was in pain. A lot of pain. I didn't want to go to work because I was hurting, always. Now, I am not hurting. I want to work. I want to work because I love my job, and you can only relax for so long before it feels like a dead-end job.
Okay, all that greatness being said ... today I am hurting. I do have a headache. A different one than I have had during this recovery. It is not focused over my eyes. It is located in the back of my head. Now, I have not had a Chiari headache since the surgery. I don't want to believe that this headache is related to Chiari. Maybe it is, but I am blaming the weather. It is nasty. Cold. Rainy. My Seasonal Depression is kicking in. IT is the reason for this dreaded headache. I won't let it discourage me. Mom reminded me earlier that headaches are a real pain to Chiari-free people also. I am doomed to have a headache once in awhile, that's just life! So even though today is no fun, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully the sun will shine brighter for me.
I know this was a pretty boring post and my humor isn't shining through. My Seasonal Depression has apparently taken that from me today too. But, I hope through the play-by-play of my week, that it was obvious that I am feeling better than I have felt in months. I am back to an almost normal routine. I am feeling excited and encouraged going back to school! I still can't say thank you enough to all of the support and positive thoughts that were sent my way during this long journey. I am one lucky girl and I am truly blessed.
:)
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