I’ve really been missing my purple reading glasses. I bought them about a year ago, along with a purple wallet, a purple neck warmer, and a purple headband. Some of this purple binge came from the poem, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple…” by Jenny Joseph. Why wait until you’re old? Purple is … read more Lost and found
Tag: recovery
I did payroll
I did payroll today. That made me happy. While my health has taken most of my attention, the Pakistan project has continued without a hitch because I work with an amazing team. It’s a small group of internationals who support an equally small group of Pakistanis, but every one of them is dedicated to the project … read more I did payroll
The blood that lingers
I’m in the swamp. I’ve been having lower back pain all week. It started in the hospital, but eased up when I was able to move around. I assumed it was sciatica, but it seems more concentrated near the base of the spine. And I’ve been taking short walks in the parking lot outside the condo, … read more The blood that lingers
Feeling like a burden
My week is not going so well. My body feels like a hostile robot that I cannot control: The sciatica lingers, the opiate drugs constipate the digestive system, thinking is slow and feels generally purposeless. Tom does not hover overly much. He knows that I’ll tell him what I need and that I hate to whine. … read more Feeling like a burden
The Great Brain Rebellion
When my mother was dying, during the last period when she wasn’t really talking coherently, my sisters described how she was really restless and struggling … A thousand expressions passing across her face in a short time, even in her sleep, as she physically groped for and asked questions directed to things and people long gone. Clearly she … read more The Great Brain Rebellion
Flowers in winter
NOVEMBER 30 In these two weeks I have had so little fresh air, so little contact with nature. From the recliner I see trees and a bit of shrubbery, but it’s winter. The two bouquets of flowers in their vases are like a touchstone, the promise of being able to stroll outside again without help. … read more Flowers in winter
Impatient patient tossed from hospital
FRIDAY, Nov. 27 (WORDPRESS BULLETIN): Just 12 days after collapsing with a ruptured brain aneurysm, blogger Lisa Schnellinger has been released from Emory Hospital in Atlanta to the custody of her primary caregiver Tom Willard. The discharge came two days earlier than previous optimistic estimates. There were unconfirmed rumors of a threatened mutiny by Emory … read more Impatient patient tossed from hospital
Palette of cerebral fluid
Before this aneurysm happened, I was playing with color palettes. I’m still seeing in bands of colors. When I look around my ICU room, I even see the variety in the whites and grays, limited palette though they are. My cerebral fluid, though, is a palette in a bag. And those bands of color are … read more Palette of cerebral fluid