I've Become Busy

My life is getting back to normal. I still get headaches and have more fatigue than normal, but I FEEL more myself. That is a good thing. Sometimes I think back and say to myself "did that really happen" but then I see the huge scar on my head and I know it did. It did happen. I even try to remember how scared I was, but I don't get scared anymore. I want to remember what I cared about in that time and what I feared, so I can face it and live accordingly.

The truth is that the most important thing was my family.  I thought about Frances and Henry a lot. I was sad that maybe I would not be there to grow up, but I also didn't want to traumatize them with my illness. Luckily I am not going down that road.

Instead, I get to write this while Christmas music is streaming, my husband is putting up the tree, my son is reading quietly and my daughter is munching on a graham cracker.  Yes, I am fortunate.

I was able to have three whole days of Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful. It started out with a Turkey Trot. Henry and Frances ran an indoor race.  It was Frances' first time in a race and she absolutely loved it. It was hard for her to wait until they said go. She had a couple of false starts and she might have gotten a little head start when she finally did go.  More races are definitely in her future. Henry did good too. He was very serious about the whole event, but I know he liked it. Aaron ran a really good race and placed 17th in his age group. This is really good for him.

As for me, I did pretty good. I have only ran twice since the injury and it was on the treadmill.  I wasn't sure how the race would go.  I had the plan of running until I warmed up and then walk/run the rest. That is exactly what I did and I ended up only walking three times. When I started, I noticed the world was bobbing a little more than I was used to, but it was okay. Then about half way through I really had to use the bathroom and that took up all my concentration. Looking back, it was probably a good distraction. When I crossed the finish line, I felt great! I didn't feel exhausted nor did I have a headache.  I quickly found a bathroom and then found Aaron.

After the race we went to my parents house and the celebration commenced. It ended yesterday and was a fun time. After all the excitement of the holidays, I ended up taking a 2 hour nap and then going to bed at the normal time. I guess I'm not quite normal, but close.

Back at Work

Today I went back to work. I only worked four hours and only saw 3 patients, but hey, it is progress.

Of course, when I finally go back to work, Henry had to be a little sick. 2 days ago he had bilateral pink eye and stayed home for that, then that night he had a croupy cough but was breathing okay, and last night had a fever What a boy! He is doing pretty good now and has liked his mini vacation from school even if it means a little coughing.  It just made it harder for me to leave him.

Frances has been very clingy to me since I came back from the hospital. I figure right now I have a 50% chance of using the restroom alone.  I was a little worried she wouldn't take the transition well, but she did fine today.

Two days ago I went to the nurse practioner for a check up and she was happy with the progress my wound had made.  Aaron still needs to dress it two times a day, but now only needs to do so for a week. She also said it was fine for me to go back to work. I am starting part time because I might not be able to multitask well and I will be more tired than normal. Today I really didn't have the opportunity to multitask, but I can admit to being a little more tired than normal. I went home and rested a little, and then I was fine.

It feels good to be acting a little more normal.

Halloween

This blog isn't just about my illness. Here are my wonderful kids. I am happy to say, I made their costumes again this year. I made Frances' before I had surgery and Henry's after. They turned out pretty good. May I present a purple princess and Shadow Link.

Update

It has been about a week since I posted. With Halloween/Henry's birthday, things got busy.  That is probably a good thing. I am feeling okay. The headaches now are usually mild and not to disabling. I usually take Tylenol once a day, and I take coffee in the morning. These two things usually keep the headache at bay.

Henry's school had a costume parade that was heavily attended and I got to go to this.  Theoretically it should have been great. Practically, it was a lot of looking left then right and my head didn't like it. After I saw Henry, I went home and rested because my head was pounding. At Henry's birthday party I also noticed my head was a little wonky watching nine kids play their heart out. It shows me that my body is still not perfect and maybe being home with the lack of multiple stimulations it not necessarily a good thing.  The more my body heals, the better, but it might need the opportunity. Work can do that for me, and I plan on going to work next week if the nurse practioner lets me.

My wound is healing slowly, but it is healing. Aaron is doing a great job of dressing it two times a day. I might need to wear a hair band to work, but that is okay. I am wearing one 24-7 anyway, so it is not much off a change.  I just would really like to be healed completely before I start work, but I think that might be too much to ask for.

So, that is where I am right now. I guess pretty good.